Madonna proves she's still the Queen of Pop

HER tour might be called Rebel Heart - named after her latest studio album from last year - but Madonna was strangely on her best behaviour at her first ever concert in Singapore at the National Stadium on Sunday evening.

The gig has been mired in controversy from the moment that it was announced in January with leaders of the Roman Catholic and Christian churches blasting the 80s pop icon's blasphemous stage show in the week leading up to it.

The rare R18 rating that the concert was slapped with also meant that only those aged 18 and above could attend - but with the nose-bleed ticket prices that went as high as a record S$1,288, the censors were probably worrying themselves silly for nothing because no teenager will sacrifice a year's worth of hipster coffee for that.

But the most surprising thing was how Madonna complied with all the rules in front of the crowd of 25,000.

The pop diva did not even keep her fans waiting - coming on just before 9 pm when she has been hitting the stage only way past 10 pm on all her earlier Asian stops.

Bar some swearing, the multi-Grammy-winner played ball most of the evening, cutting out the three songs - Iconic, Holy Water and Devil Pray - from the first act as instructed, without replacing them.

The scoreline was clearly MDA

(Media Development Authority) one, MDNA (Madonna's nickname) zero; and her local fans might have had even more reasons to feel shortchanged if not for the fact that the 57-year-old actually went on to put on one hell of a two-hour show.

Just a couple of years shy of qualifying for a pioneer generation package if she was Singaporean, Madge looked as trim and fit as her backup dancers who are probably only half her age.

The theatrical Rebel Heart show had everything you would expect from a multi-million-dollar production - a gigantic stage with a runway that extended out to the crowd, a huge video wall with slick visuals that accompanied every song, and a wardrobe big enough to fill a fashion show.

A third of the 18-song set list comprised material off the new album, and the electronic-heavy material came alive on stage with tight choreography and impressive sets including a giant metal cage from which the Material Girl - dressed in a fiery-red oversized kimono - descended while kicking things off with the aptly-titled Bitch, I'm Madonna off Rebel Heart.

Her incredible presence reminded you of her star quality even though she no longer rules the charts like she used to during the 80s. It's enough to make you feel slightly guilty for wanting her to quickly get the new songs over and done with so that she could sing another classic from that era. Good thing we weren't alone on that because it was obvious what her Singaporean fans really wanted after waiting 32 years to see their idol in the flesh.

They rose to their feet immediately whenever she dipped into her back catalogue and pulled out crowd favourites such as Crazy for You and Holiday. Some even got rearranged to give it a new life - Like a Virgin was performed to a thumping bare-bones drum-and-bass track, while True Blue was stripped back and performed with Madonna playing ukelele (she did the same for a cover of Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose).

While many of her peers have since disappeared from the music scene or are playing hits-filled nostalgic concerts, Madonna is still filling stadiums around the world and reinventing herself musically.

Age might have tamed her rebel heart, but it is hard to dispute that she remains the Queen of Pop.