Ben Rimalower

Madonna has spent the year in a fog of bad press: leaked tracks from her new album, Rebel Heart, false rumors of low sales, relentless Internet debate about her age and behavior. Last night at Madison Square Garden, in the first show of her three-concert NYC engagement, she easily cleared the air with an eclectic and electrifying performance. After more than three decades, Madonna remains an authoritative diva, far from the end of her reign; she’s rarely seemed more natural and relaxed. Here are the night’s most memorable moments. RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of concerts in NYC 1. “Body Shop”/“True Blue”: The first section of the concert is devoted to an intense, goth pageant of songs from Rebel Heart (plus “Deeper and Deeper” from 1992’s Erotica), exploring sexual and spiritual themes that Madonna has been navigating for decades. It’s cool—and hot—but the audience lets out a collective sigh of pleasure when she switches to a bright, ’50s-greaser vibe for “Body Shop” from Rebel Heart. That's followed by a honey-sweet croon of the title track from 1986’s True Blue, with Madonna accompanying herself on the ukulele and radiating country warmth. 2. “Devil Pray”: An instant classic from the new album, with soothing chords reminiscent of the best tracks from 2003’s underrated American Life, this song quickly inspires the audience to sing along with its earworm chorus: And we can do drugs and we can smoke weed and we can drink whiskey Yeah, we can get high and we can get stoned And we