The young girl once known as Louise Veronica Ciccone goes by many names - Madonna, Madge, Esther, and probably many more not fit to print. But who Madonna is as an artist and person is much more than simply a name. A woman whose musical career has spanned more decades than I have been alive has not only become a pop culture icon but Madonna also set the bar for all aspiring divas of this current generation. While Madonna is no lyrical genius, or even the most talented songstress, her ability to reinvent herself over and again to stay relevant is what sets her apart.

At 50 years old, with a body most girls in their 20s would die for (or any woman for that matter), a multi-million dollar tour, hundreds of millions of albums sold worldwide, and a stadium full of screaming fans, one would expect nothing more than perfection. Rarely do the pop fans of Vancouver, BC see such an iconic dance presence from the '80s, '90s, and 2000s that can sell-out twice the size of a normal arena. Even the Spice Girls couldn’t garner enough attention this time around to pack a house of 50,000 at BC Place stadium, the home venue for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. At one point, yes, but instead the reunited Spices were relegated to the smaller 17,000 seat GM Place, the home of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.

That being said, as most concerts do, BC Place took a while to fill up. But even Madonna exhausted the "fasionably late" trick by finally appearing on stage after a brutal two hour wait. While most normally wait an hour, Madonna or not, two was definitely pushing it. But the lights went out, the crowd went nuts, and there she was, Madonna, who kicked off the show with "Candy Shop" from her latest album. Although few people seemed to know the tune, the adrenaline was pumping so fast throughout the crowd that everyone was high on anticipation. Madonna could have opened by reading from a Dr. Suess book set to music and no one would have noticed.

Although the set list was rather peculiar, especially since there were a few obscure, older tracks that I didn't immediately recognize, once "Borderline" rang out from the hundreds of speakers, the crowd jumped so much into a frenzy that a couple of girls hit the ground with twisted ankles. Madonna's rendition of "You Must Love Me" from Evita, with the movie on screen as the backdrop, brought tears to my eyes as I remembered how much emotion went into her portrayal of the late Argentinean First Lady, Eva Peron. At that point, Madonna had everyone under her spell.

Soon came "La Isla Bonita", perhaps the best, most memorable song of the show, which revved up the crowd after an incredibly confusing political video tirade during a costume change. Out came the violinist, a Spanish tap dancer and trademark Flemenco guitar that set the perfect contemporary yet retro tone for "Ray of Light", "Like a Prayer" and "Like a Virgin," which were lovingly devoured by the thousands of Madonna disciples.

Then the night took a strange turn, as Madonna gave fans a mix of oldies and R&B with techno backbeats that felt strangely awkward. When Madonna whipped out a guitar, it almost felt like a throwback to when Garth Brooks went through his midlife crisis by changing his persona to Chris Gaines. As expected, Madonna lip-locked with a woman on stage and proved that she’s still a relevant diva by filling a stadium of 50,000. But the allure, that Madonna magic she once used to captivate a crowd, was absent during certain portions of the show, including an encore. Madonna didn’t even sing "Material Girl", which shocked everyone since it’s one of the classic Madonna songs you actually pay money to hear.

As great as it was to see Madonna in the flesh, the absense of "Material Girl" and the lack of an encore were hard pills to swallow. Madonna was (and is) an amazing physical attraction, but she left many fans in Vancouver feeling as though they spent the evening with nothing more than a beautiful stranger.