The glittery pink gumball rolls down the path, picking up speed as it winds around the twists and turns of the metal track. Suddenly, its path straightens, heading straight toward us. The ball flings itself off the tracks from sheer inertia, spinning faster and faster as the screams grow to shrieks. Finally, the impact: the ball smacks into the massive LED screens in a smokescreen of glitter and dust. As the speckles disappear, the screens glow, spelling out "C-A-N-D-Y." It's Oct. 15, the first night of Madonna's two concerts in Boston on the Sticky & Sweet Tour. I am standing on the floor level, next to my friend Michael. We are 15 rows from the catwalk. Both of us, equipped with our glittery home-made outfits, are screaming at the top of our lungs. Slowly, the blinking screens turn inward to reveal a casual, smirking Madonna, seated luxuriously atop an M-shaped throne with cane in hand. She might have been singing, but at that moment, I don't think anyone could have heard.

The Sticky & Sweet Tour symbolizes Madonna's final circuit around the world under contract with her longtime label Warner Brothers. In a way, the event marks this finality, as images of Madonna's videos and performances from over the past 25 years flash across the giant screens throughout the night. Many of the dance moves are reminiscent of past tour moments, and Madonna injects many fan favorites into the mix.

But, this is Madonna, an artist who refuses to stay put in time. As a result, many of Madge's classics were glossed with a fresh coat of relevance. While I generally consider myself a purist who favors her original material, I found the updated editions to be excellently crafted. "Vogue" benefited from a nice sprucing-up provided by the horn-heavy backbeat of her latest release, "4 Minutes," while "Borderline" underwent an incredibly convincing rock-and-roll reinterpretation that hearkens back to Madge's rock roots in the 1980s with Emmy and the Emmys. "Music" was injected with samples of Fedde le Grand's "Put Ur Hands Up 4 Detroit" and Indeep's "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life." And, while you'll never convince me that a guitar-fueled rendition of "Hung Up" could be somehow greater than the glittery synth sounds of the original, Madge still managed to rock it out on that purple electric guitar during the show's closing moments.

The first section of the show was primarily rock-driven, as Madonna pulled out her guitar to strum her way through an electrified version of "Human Nature," featuring Britney Spears in an epic video cameo on the screens behind the star. The action soon moved into the Technicolor realm of Keith Haring inspired décor as colorful animated figures danced merrily to the beats of "Into the Groove." Halfway through came the Middle Eastern-tinged gypsy section, which was perhaps the weakest part of the night and included a fairly hum-drum folk performance by Madge's colorfully adorned dancers and musicians.

Madge later revived the crowd, though, launching into her classic, "Like a Prayer." As sirens and horns blared from the speakers at maximum volume, mystical text blurred across the screens in Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew and English. A stomping drum beat kicked in as a drifting chorus of ". And it feels like home" wove itself around the stadium. The drum beat grew furious as Madonna dramatically commanded the stage. At the same time, the audience's hands shot up and waved from side to side. The performance might have been the closest I've ever been to encountering a religious revival. Also, I think I saw God, though it might have just been a back-up dancer.

I must say, while the crowd had its moments, its behavior was generally atrocious. Of my own row, there were only three people dancing. The rest stood motionless, their eyes wandering and weaving through the surrounding crowd. Some even carried on conversations as the performances were happening! I wasn't the only one who noticed. Always the charmer, Madonna found different ways to let the audience know how she was feeling: "Wake up, Boston! Am I boring you?!" she'd taunt, pointing out into the lukewarm crowd. "Then stand up!"

Of course, there was a whole host of issues crawling up Madonna's fishnets that night; there was a definite problem with the microphone testing before the concert, causing the show to start around 15 minutes late. Worse yet, the air conditioners were blowing in full force. For those unaware, air conditioning is one of Madonna's greatest performance pet peeves. She doesn't like the cold air blowing during her shows (I think it has something to do with her vocal cords). I don't know, but come on. They don't call her a diva for nothing.

Oh, and then there's that whole divorce thing. Six hours before showtime, Madonna's publicist announced that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were separating after over 10 years of marriage. Our thoughts wandered that day: Would she cancel the show? Throw things at us? Break down and cry? Our concerns were left unanswered until "Miles Away," a song written about Guy. Before opening, Madonna looked out into the crowd. "This song is dedicated to the emotionally retarded," she said sweetly. "Maybe you know some people who fall into that category-God knows I do." With a quick smirk, Madge drove into her guitar with a distinctly bitter undertone I don't ever remember the track having.

Minor setbacks aside, the concert was essentially perfection. Madonna's dance moves were spot-on, her voice as flawless as a studio recording. No matter how intricate the choreography, the woman belted out each note effortlessly and with a great deal of satisfied confidence. Two hours moved like a two second powerhouse of stage presence, charisma and energy wrapped inside a rock-laden theatrical extravaganza. More than anything, Madonna proved herself-as she has for her entire career-to be one of the greatest entertainers of our time. I'd go on further, but I'm holding my tongue in order to avoid the risk of sounding absurd.