Inside Madonna's Club of Love
The Queen of Pop is in the midst of a critical & commercial comeback, and I was lucky enough to be at her NYC Club Confessions party
July 14, 2026
Saturday night was my latest visit to the altar of Madonna, this time via an RSVP-only club party to celebrate the success of her brand-new 15th studio album, Confessions II.
Club Confessions, sponsored by Mistr, followed similar experiences — Madonna vibing alongside her co-writer/co-producer Stuart Price as he plays tracks from the record, all while thousands of fans dance their asses off and shout out their love for Mother. They’re not live performances, just live appearances — divine visitations.
It wasn’t easy scoring an invite. I did as I was told and posted a video of myself dancing to “Danceteria,” her killer new single. Large numbers of her fan club members (I joined in 1990, when it was formed) received invites, some who bought tickets to a circuit party were offered access and still others were label VIPs.
Because I’m certifiable, my friends and I left Manhattan around 7:15, arriving at the Knockdown Center in Queens at 7:45 … for 10 p.m. doors!
There were only about 25 people ahead of us, so we were guaranteed to be close, providing no funny business — we worried the attendees of Honey Dijon’s set at the same site might line-jump as they left.
It’s always a strange experience to see the same Madonna fans at every event! Yes, she is drawing a variety of listeners again (the album is a career-high offering), but the core fans are the same people, a dysfunctional family like Deadheads — but with more passion for merch.
When Stuart’s vehicle pulled up, he wasn’t allowed in! He was being serenaded with love by the fans (“THANK YOU, STUART!”) and wound up just jumping out and walking the rest of the way.
We were eventually allowed into an inner pen in an orderly fashion, then passed through a giant pair of inflatable legs — the effect was that we were passing through Madonna’s … secret garden?
This party was a bit messy. We had to get our Dice tickets scanned and then bolt to the stage. Inside, the space had a large area decorated to resemble the otherworldly scene from Madonna’s “Good for the Soul” portion of her Confessions II short film, complete with green laser beams.
I was shocked that I wound up with my posse at the front of the stage, where DJ Sam-E was already mixing things up. After Sam-E came Junior Sanchez, who played “Jump” from the first Confessions album, winning over the crowd until he seemed reluctant to leave and kept hamming it up while Fcukers were trying to have their own set
Fcukers were on for a solid hour, and we began to despair. It was cool in there (at first) and people weren’t too pushy, but it’s a long time to stand waiting.
At 1:04 a.m., Stuart came out, teasing us with “Mother” and “Are you ready?” Madonna snippets. The Queen of Pop herself popped out at 1:11 am., looking gorgeous in a pink crop top and a wraparound skirt over white “I Feel So Free” underwear and cool, rose-colored shades. The place lost its mind.
Madonna was in a fabulous mood, rockin’ out to Stuart’s dreamy remixes, sometimes even singing (or shouting) along.
The set list was “One Step Away,” “Love Without Words,” “School,” “Bring Your Love” (solo version), “Danceteria,” “Thief of Hearts,” “Get Together,” “I Feel So Free,” “Hung Up,” “Love Sensation” and Honey Dijon’s new mix of “Physical Attraction.”
She seemed particularly into it, at one point getting up on the DJ booth and standing up high so she could make a “searching” gesture across the room. She saw us. We saw her.
By the end, her fave DJ, Honey Dijon, emerged. They have such bond, and it’s not lost on us that in a time of increasing transphobia, Honey’s trans.
Being with Madonna in 2026 in a queer atmosphere as she presents her best album since Ray of Light (yes, I think it’s superior to Confessions I!) was like going to church for the faithful. Not that she’s God, though she’s a goddess, but more like we are — all of us, including Madonna — aspirants to the Club of Love.
After, I discovered there’d been a merch stand. Irritatingly, I missed all four (!) T-shirt styles, but did snag the limited-edition poster before we made our way outside, where we immediately heard Lindsey Graham had died.
I was living while Lindsey was dying. I’ll take it.
Enjoy the photos and videos.⚡️
Thank You for sharing your evening with us. Love you Future Lovers!❤️🌈😎
Gorgeous photos Matthew!