Sabrina Carpenter created a monumental moment for her Coachella weekend two set when she brought out the queen of pop. Last week it was rumoured that Sabrina would be “arresting” the queen in a gag that she has made infamous during the song “Juno” on her tour. That didn't happen, but weekend two saw a different kind of “Juno” gag.

Generally, Sabrina poses in a suggestive position during the song when she sings about freaky positions, asking the crowd “have you ever tried this one?”. This weekend, the “one” in particular wasn’t a sex position at all but rather the emergence of one of the world’s most iconic popstars and sex symbols… Madonna.

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram

The two performed “Vogue”, “Like A Prayer” and an as-of-yet unreleased duet. Madonna also addressed the crowd, making references to astrology and music bringing people together, a fitting message for the woman who sang those very lines back in 2000. Sabrina sounded great singing with Madonna, and the new song is one of the catchiest pop songs Madonna has recorded in literal decades, featuring a nod to an 80s Madonna classic when Madge asks Sabrina “Hey Sabrina, do you got something to say about it?” – obviously from the opening of “Express Yourself”. That line to Sabrina in particular feels special to me because of the WAY that Madonna says her name. It’s heartwarmingly similar to the call to Britney in “Me Against the Music” when she sings “Hey Britney, you say you want to lose control”.

Madonna first appeared on the Coachella stage back in 2006 when she performed in the dance tent rather than the main stage. She’d eventually make a mainstage appearance with Drake in 2015 when she kissed him and everyone panicked. I never understood why people were shocked as if she hadn’t done things to shock for the entirety of her career. Still, that first appearance is something of a treasure because it was the first time a pop act had a major set at Coachella. It was also the first time she performed songs from the Confessions on a Dance Floor album in America before taking the album on the road on the Confessions Tour, a tour which happened to also be released on special edition vinyl this weekend to mark both Record Store Day and the launch of the new era. (Yes, I did wait in line for hours to get it and I was successful.) Madonna performing at this year’s Coachella is perfect synergy as it is both the 20th anniversary to the day of her first appearance while also serving as the launching ground for her new music with the headliner, Sabrina Carpenter.

She wore the identical boots, corset and Gucci jacket from that 2006 performance while also sneaking in an acapella snippet from “Get Together”, a fan favourite from the original Confessions. The impact of these two divas on stage is undeniable. You have Sabrina who is at the top of her game both creatively and commercially standing next to the woman who broke down the barriers and opened the doors that she now gets to walk through. This moment is more than something for niche audiences, but rather a true earth-shattering pop culture event. After all this time, Madonna still knows how to pull off a stunt.  

Because if Madonna knows one thing, it’s the art of marketing, with 40+ years of experience, creating a blueprint for how to become a successful popstar. This comeback is the first real opportunity for Gen Z and Alpha to get to experience a properly structured Madonna album era, since the last few Madonna releases were less than stellar. I love her but, um, Madame X was not good. That’s OK, though, because from what we’ve heard already, she’s got her sauce back. I know I’m not the only one who was gagged by both Sabrina and Madonna doing the famous “Madonna Squat” as I like to call it, while performing their duet. Them doing that is the equivalent of Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande performing whistle notes together. It’s mother and daughter showing to the world there’s power when women come together. Madonna may not be able to move as swiftly as she used to but the fact that she can still do that squat with ease is all the proof I need that she’s still got it. To me, that moment beats even them performing “Like A Prayer” together but maybe that’s just the Madonna fanatic in me speaking. While I did love that rendition, I’m still waiting for the day that Madge performs it with Miley Cyrus, as her live rendition remains my favourite Madonna cover to this day.

One thing that fans online are pointing out, though, is how dead the crowd was, especially for a moment as legendary as this. Coachella is something of the influencer Olympics at this point and generally the people that are having a good time aren’t on their phones. I did get a good chuckle out of some posts though calling out the audience reactions versus the viewers at home. Even Addison Rae made a comment on stage about the Coachella crowd. Don’t worry Addison, if not even Sabrina and Madonna can wake that crowd up then it had nothing to do with you in the first place.

@ericacoffelt THE QUEEN OF POP! 👸 #madonna #coachella #likeaprayer ♬ Like A Prayer (7" Remix Edit) [2022 Remaster] - Madonna

From the online reactions though, the excitement was and remains very high with anticipation for the new Sabrina/Madonna collaboration at a fever pitch. This is the most positive online discourse I’ve seen for Madonna in a long time and it’s making my heart feel full.

Photo credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella

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