She's doing it on her current MDNA Tour in ways both familiar (bulldozing through religious and sexual themes) and new (introducing gunplay and violent content). And the result is the same as ever: Madonna is generating plenty of controversy and headlines while selling tons of tickets.
It's all very well calculated, thought-out and effective.
Yet, the most shocking thing about this tour -- Madonna's ninth to date -- is clearly unintentional:
It's pretty bad.
The star's packed show on Sunday in San Jose, which was the second half of a two-night stand at HP Pavilion, was a resounding disappointment. The set list was weak. The new songs were forgettable. The old favorites were dressed up in different arrangements, most of which were awful. And the theatrics -- such a big part of a Madonna concert -- ranged from dreadful to dull.
To top it all off, the 54-year-old star didn't take the stage for the 8 p.m. show until 10:30 p.m., which gave the 13,000-or-so fans plenty of extra time to buy $90 Madonna watches at the merchandise booths, but also surely zapped the crowd of much of its energy. There was more sitting than dancing, more polite applause than crazed screaming, than what we've come to expect from a Madonna concert.