Sanne Schonberger (36) from Best was touched by the music of pop star Madonna at a young age. She has now seen her idol on stage fifty times and is part of the Dutch Madonna fan club MadonnaNed. “I am very inspired by Madonna. She is a very strong woman with an iron discipline, a feminist, very creative, says what she thinks and stands up for minorities.”
She speaks highly of the Queen of Pop, which became really big in the eighties and has now sold more than 300 million albums. “Her concerts are great, a mix between show, theatre, dance, statements and a clear message. She is a professional.”
Sanne herself is exactly one year old when the artist comes to the Netherlands for the first time in 1987. She herself sees the star for the first time at the age of fifteen, at a concert in Paris.
“Madonna did during the Drowned World Tour only a few cities in Europe, including Paris and Cologne. I was intensely sad when it was not possible to get tickets for Cologne. Then my father said: ‘If you manage to get tickets for Paris, I will drive to Paris with you.’”
And so she finally left for Paris in 2001 with her father and two girlfriends. “I am still grateful to my father. It was my first big concert, a great experience with wonderful memories. The rest is history, I haven’t missed a tour since.”
Her visits to Madonna usually resulted in European city trips. Many ‘Madonna friendships’ have developed over the years. “At every concert I meet friends and acquaintances, very nice! It’s a small world.” She is also a volunteer at the Dutch Madonna fan club MadonnaNed.
“My dream came true when I saw that three designs were part of the tour. A fantastic moment.”
Sanne is a graphic designer in daily life. As a Madonna fan, she already experienced the necessary highlights, including the Rebel Heart Tour. “Prior to the Rebel Heart Tour a call was made to fans who had illustrated or drawn Madonna. I had made and submitted several designs. My dream came true when I saw that three designs were actually part of the tour. A fantastic moment.”
She mentions a surprise concert in a small theater in Paris as the most memorable concert. “This show was announced a little less than two weeks in advance. With about 2000 Madonna fans this was a very special party.”
But her presence at an exclusive interview with Madonna on music channel MTV in London is also high on her list of favorite moments. “I was one of the lucky winners, together with a friend I traveled to London. Madonna was interviewed at MTV in a small setting of about fifty to a hundred fans.”
Yet she never got closer to the American artist. But what would she do if she ran into her on the street? “I would I guess freezemode, or I would muster up the courage to talk to her and tell her how much she has meant to my life and inspired me to chase my dreams.”
Omroep Brabant Radio dives into The Feeling of the Eighties this week. We step into a time machine and go about 40 years back in time. You will hear the best music from the 80s all week long. Do you want to see the movie ‘ET’ exclusively in the cinema? Listen to ‘The Feeling of the Eighties’ and win the last tickets!
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