Over 200 fans celebrated the release of the new album "American Life" at Boston's first

MADONNA WEEKEND

March 14th, 15th & 16th, 2003

A special 360-degree panoramic photo of the main room, taken by Steve Caraco (click on it to enlarge)
 
Other show and convention pages:
For info about the 1999 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2000 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
There were no Madonna conventions in 2001 during the Drowned World Tour.
For info about the 2002 Madonna convention (MLVC 2002) in Detroit, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2003 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2004 Re-Invention Convention, CLICK HERE
For info about all other shows and conventions, CLICK HERE
WHAT A BLAST!!!
This year's Boston Madonna Weekend was an overwhelming success! The entire weekend went off without a single problem. Things started bright and early on Friday morning, when I was invited to the Star 93.7 FM radio station for a live interview with Fast Freddie, Ralphie in the morning, and Karen Blake at 7:15am (to hear my live interview, click here). We talked about Madonna and the convention I had coordinated, and they even had me answer the phone lines for a while, giving away pairs of passes to fans that called in. Thanks to Fast Freddie for inviting me to the studio, I had a great time!
 
Then it was off to pick up some last-minute items at my house, pick up the display case at WE FRAME IT, and do some last-minute errands before heading into Boston to set up the huge memorabilia display at Kingdom Fine Arts. Since there was a completely non-Madonna related exhibit running there until Thursday night the 13th, it was pretty scary knowing that we couldn't set up a single Madonna item until the day before we opened to the public. We started setting everything up around noon on Friday, and worked for nearly 12 hours straight. A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Manny, John, Chris, Joey, Ralph, Paul, Kelly, and Haydee for putting such a great effort into the setup, which involved several trips up and down a huge ladder, dozens of trips up and down stairs, and many trips to and from our cars, with very heavy bins, boxes, equipment, and tables. The owner of the building, Patricia Righter, was especially helpful, giving me complete freedom to set up the gallery exactly the way I had envisioned. Pat, I can't possibly thank you enough for making this show possible.
 
On Friday night March 14th, hundreds of people danced to rare Madonna songs and exclusive Madonna remixes, played by Boston's hottest DJ Darrin Friedman at MACHINE from 10pm to 2am. The night ended with a performance of "Express Yourself" (Blond Ambition Tour style) by New York's MADIVA. Then it was back to KFA to do some last-minute tweaking of the display before it opened to the public on Saturday morning. After being awake for 22 hours, I was ready to collapse, but I was so excited to open the show to fans the next morning, I could hardly sleep.
 
The doors opened at 11am on Saturday morning (March 15th), where over 200 enthusiastic Madonna fans from the east coast (and even Canada) enjoyed a variety of festivities held at Kingdom Fine Arts. There were rare videos on a huge TV, rare and never-before heard songs and remixes to enjoy, and an amazing museum-style display of ultra-rare memorabilia, including stage-worn and screen-worn costumes, movie props, and other unique items, most of which were on loan from the amazing collection of MADIVA, who also gave a powerful performance of "Express Yourself," "Don't Tell Me," and "Impressive Instant" at 6:00. After the performance, fans challenged their knowledge of Madonna in a trivia contest, while other fans shopped for memorabilia in a 30-foot display of items for sale by Kelly Knowles, Haydee, and Steve Caraco from The Madonna Catalog. Also on display was a 20-foot mural of Madonna magazine covers, spanning her entire career from 1983 to 2003, from her very first cover (ISLAND) all the way up to March of 2003.
 
At 8:15pm, Boston's own girl group JADA arrived to perform a Madonna song, and two of their own songs. They received a VERY positive response from the crowd. The girls were simply awesome. Ranging in age from 17 to 21, the girls of JADA did their own rendition of Madonna's "Cherish" (which they learned exclusively for this event), then they did two of their own songs, with pitch-perfect harmony. The group was kind enough to donate their talents to the show at no charge. After the performance, fans purchased autographed JADA CDs, posed for photos with the group, and talked to the girls. It was the perfect ending to a great day. Then it was off to bed (finally!!), to prepare for Sunday, to do it all over again. Please visit JADA's web site, at http://www.bristolstudios.com/jada.html.
 
Sunday the 16th was another exciting day, as Madonna fans lined up outside the door for the 11am opening. A very special thanks to Manny, Joey, and Brian for greeting fans, answering phones, and selling tickets at the door. In the gallery area, fans shopped for a wide variety of memorabilia sold by Steve Caraco, Kelly Knowles, and Haydee. Jim Dufresne and Brian Maggio did an excellent job as our security guards, keeping a careful eye on both the priceless memorabilia, and the area in general. John, Joey, Ralph, Paul, and Chris also did a great job of helping out. I was very excited to see about 30 of my closest friends take the time to come and see me at the show, and I felt very proud. A special thanks to Lisa, Steve, William, Trey, Kim, Arthur, Rob, Darrin, Suzanne, and Strato for coming by. The night ended with a memorable dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, with friends Kelly, Haydee, Chris, Manny, and Paul. Then we stayed up til 4:30 in the morning talking, laughing, and remembering the day's events.
 
As I write this, I am feeling a little sad, because it's all over now. But I will always have such great memories of the Madonna weekend celebration that was enjoyed by so many fans. A very special thanks to Pat, Chris, John, Manny, Joey, Ralph, Kelly, Haydee, Lisa, and everyone else who made this weekend possible. I could NEVER have done it without you! I hope to put together another event such as this wihtin the next year, so stay tuned! However, please note that this summer, the KINGDOM FINE ARTS Gallery Room was converted to BOSTON DANCE WORKS (a retail store selling dance and ballet clothing), so there won't be any more Madonna conventions at KFA.
 
--Steve Caraco
Owner, THE MADONNA CATALOG
Coordinator, MADONNA WEEKEND
HEAR STEVE'S RADIO INTERVIEW ON STAR 93.7 FM!
Finally, after 2-1/2 years, I finally found the time to record and post an mp3 of my interview with Star 93.7 FM, the day before my convention. Thanks to Manny for recording this for me. The interview is 5-1/2 minutes long. To hear an mp3 recording of the interview, CLICK HERE
PHOTOS (click on any of them to enlarge):
ABOVE:
Some of the rarest Madonna-bilia items from around the world were on display, including gold and platinum record awards, movie props, stage-worn jewelry and clothing, both of the rare "Ray Of Light" promo lamps, the American flag used in "Rock The Vote", the blood-stained pajamas from "Body Of Evidence", and much more. A special thanks to MADIVA for loaning most of the items for the display.
ABOVE:
1-After about 12 gruelling hours of work, Manny, Joey, Steve, Ralph, Haydee, and Kelly are finally finished setting up, and are ready to open the doors to the public.
2-New York impersonator MADIVA and vendor KELLY KNOWLES discuss plans for the day.
3-Lisa DiClemente and Steve Barrett (from WE FRAME IT), get acquainted with Patricia Righter, owner of KINGDOM FINE ARTS
ABOVE:
1-Security guard JIM DUFRESNE kept the weekend free from any incidents, while enjoying the weekend himself. Thanks, Jim!
2-Manny Ferreira and Joey Angeli at the reception desk, greeting fans as they arrive.
3-Paul Adams takes a break from the gruelling task of transforming an empty art gallery into a Madonna museum.
4-Manny Ferreira, hard at work -- or is it hardly working?
ABOVE: New York impersonator MADIVA puts on a great show for the fans, both Saturday and Sunday night at 6:00pm, doing three songs (Express Yourself, Don't Tell Me, and Impressive Instant) - she has all of Madonna's moves down to a "T"
ABOVE:
1-Boston pop sensation JADA performs their own rendition of "Cherish" for the fans
2-Joey Angeli keeps things under control while Steve greets fans.
3-Joey and Kelly smile for the camera
4-Fans shop for memorabilia at Steve's table
ABOVE:
1-MADIVA poses for a photo with Madonna fan ERINN
2-MADIVA poses for a photo with Madonna fan RENEE
3-MADIVA poses for a photo with RENEE and ERINN
4-MADIVA and ERINN have some fun
ABOVE:
1-MADIVA and RENEE have some fun
2-MADIVA and ERINN have MORE fun
3-MADIVA and RENEE strike a pose
4-RENEE poses with a 2002 Madonna Calendar
RENEE writes this about MADIVA: "He is truly a gifted person. He was such a pleasure to talk with and the things he has accomplished in life so far are facinating. The best part is that he is so real and down to earth. You don't find a lot of people like that these days. Especially, people who are in the entertainment industry."
ABOVE:
1-Madonna fan Troy Soriano poses for a photo with Steve
2-Arthur Dunkley LOVES Madonna!!!
 
If you have any photos from the show that you think should be shown on this page, please email them to me!
JUST SOME OF THE ULTRA-RARE ITEMS ON DISPLAY:
Graffiti artist MARKA27 created a HUGE "American Life" single cover, by spray painting onto a 9-foot by 9-foot canvas dropcloth.
--The actual American flag Madonna used in the 1990 "Rock The Vote" campaign, signed by both her and Bill Clinton - from the collection of MADIVA
--The blood-stained pajamas Madonna wore in the 1993 film "Body Of Evidence" - from the collection of MADIVA
--The Jean-Paul Gaultier "boobie dress" Madonna wore in a fashion show - from the collection of MADIVA
--The ring and cigarette lighter used in the movie "Swept Away" - from the collection of MADIVA
--The "Ray Of Light" lava lamp and fiber-optic UFO lamps - from the collection of MADIVA
A "peace" earring Madonna wore in the 1985 Virgin Tour - from the collection of MADIVA (see Madonna wearing the earring by clicking on the second photo above)
A star-shaped pin Madonna wore at the 1984 MTV Music Awards during her "Like A Virgin" performance - from the collection of MADIVA (see Madonna wearing the pin by clicking on the second photo above)
--The "Blank" mask Madonna wore in the 1990 film "Dick Tracy" - from the collection of MADIVA
 
SPONSORS & SPECIAL THANKS:
Patricia Righter, MADIVA, JADA, MACHINE, Darrin Friedman, Lisa DiClemente, Manny Ferreira, John Thibeault, Jim Dufresne, Brian Maggio, Kim Weldon, Joey Angeli, Ralph, Fast Freddie, Karen Blake, and Ralph at Star 93.7 FM, Charles and Erika Righter, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Boston Phoenix, The Weekly Dig, and of course MADONNA, whose music makes the people come together!
 
LINKS:
MACHINE
MADIVA
JADA
WE FRAME IT
STAR 93.7 FM
Other show and convention pages:
For info about the 1999 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2000 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
There were no Madonna conventions in 2001 during the Drowned World Tour.
For info about the 2002 Madonna convention (MLVC 2002) in Detroit, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2003 MADDYFEST convention in New York City, CLICK HERE
For info about the 2004 Re-Invention Convention, CLICK HERE
For info about all other shows and conventions, CLICK HERE
GO TO THE MAIN SITE MAP (members only)
GO TO THE MAIN SITE MAP (non-members)
SEE INFO/PHOTOS ON OTHER SHOWS AND CONVENTIONS