Pride in New York City may have been a scaled down affair this year, but that did not stop Madonna herself from making a pseudo-surprise (heavily teased) appearance on June 25th at New York City’s Boom Boom Room, raising $200,000 for both the Ali Forney Center and Haus of US. LGBT notables like Andy Cohen, Billy Eichner, Anderson Cooper, and Amanda LePore all were in attendance, alongside Zachary Quinto who served as fundraiser, encouraging the crowd to bid on Polaroids for high dollar amounts. Entering to the haunting and familiar opening notes of ‘Vogue’. the Material Girl performed her hits ‘I Don’t Search I Find’ and ‘Hung Up” to a rabidly screaming (and singing along) crowd.
As Madonna’s “surprise” appearance at The Roxy and her landmark performance at NYC Pride’s Pier Dance have in the past, any time Madge performs for the NYC community, she is causing a commotion. Page Six reported that “People were trying to be all fabulous, dressed to the nines, and there were f–king rats just crawling around [outside on the street] at the feet of people dressed up. It was funny watching a line of people trying to be so extra. It was such a New York moment.” The source went on to say that “Daddies had shirts on that said, ‘Call me daddy,’ and they thought that was gonna get them in, and it didn’t.”
The evening culminated in a moment that true Madonna fans probably never saw coming. Per Interview Magazine’s Instagram (along with their article with spectacular photography from the evening) the end of the evening saw Madonna at Le Bain dancing to ‘If Madonna Calls’, the anthem made famous by the legendary DJ/Remixer Junior Vasquez. (The sample of Madonna’ voice that Vasquez used in the track is long-storied to have damaged their relationship). While Vasquez has made it clear that he is open to a reconciliation, but this is the first inclination from Madonna herself that there is a slight chance of a reunion.
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