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First things first: Madonna is 54 years old and she has an amazing ass. Her body defies all logic. It’s a finely tuned machine: trim and toned after hours of strict yoga practice and endless dancing—but still feminine. She fills out a corset just fine, thank you. Celebrities seem to age in reverse these days, and while Madonna isn’t pumped full of Botox, she is a fine-ass 54.

Madonna wears lots of hats: monolithic pop star, director, actress, producer, fashion designer, perfumer, mother, activist, controversy-sparker. Her latest tour, MDNA (in support her most recent album of the same name), reflects all the facets of her persona and it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Say what you will about Madge, but she goes balls to the wall in everything she does.

She’s been touring relentlessly, but the Madonna onstage at the Xcel (two nights!) didn’t seem a bit fatigued by the rigor. Her two-hour show began in true Madonna fashion: in a church, Gregorian monks chanting as the pop star confessed her sins. Then Madge, in skintight black with gun in hand, shot a few lovers, walked on a tightrope, was bound up by dancers in gas masks . . . all in the first 15 minutes.

Considering we’ve seen Madonna reinvent herself countless times in her 30-year career, she had a lot of stories to tell. After bad-girl Madonna was put to rest, we met Majorette Madonna in kicky cheerleader gear, performing “Express Yourself” mashed up with Lady Gaga’s very similar “Born This Way.” The similarities were obvious anyway, but when mashed up it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. Your move, Gaga.

As a nod to her back catalog, Hindu-inspired Madonna, baby Dietrich Madonna, “Vogue” glamour girl Madonna, bondage queen Madonna, and militant Madonna all made cameos. She reinvented “Like a Virgin” as a cabaret-style piano piece, stripping down to little more than corset and fishnets. (That’s where aforementioned butt made its appearance in its bruised, perfect glory.) “Open Your Heart” was done folk-style, but “Like a Prayer” retained its original perfection. However, 80% of the setlist came off MDMA.

“MDNA” the album made little impact considering the magnitude of her career thus far. Sure, she performed at the Superbowl with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, but critical reception was lukewarm. The songs make greater impact when you see them performed and reimagined than they do on iTunes. The opening segment was so electrifying that bits of the show did lose steam occasionally (“Candy Shop” and “Masterpiece” were “meh” moments) but constant set changes kept the audience stimulated and early awaiting her next move. And what set changes they were! A Gothy Catholic church, a sleazy motel scene, an Art Deco setting for “Vogue,” neon DJ boxes for the finale . . . each change was flawlessly executed with incredible costumes to boot. I’d like to know how many million dollars of Swarovski crystals were used in the show.

She may be getting up there in years, but Madonna still manages to feel relevant and influential. Maybe she uses Auto-Tune once in awhile, but she’ll always be Queen of Pop for her uncanny ability to bring together her oldest fans and new converts. If you strip away the card tricks and the controversies, she’s a badass performer with an astounding fleet of hit songs.

Madonna hasn’t visited the Twin Cities since 1987, which she apologized for. (“We’re here to warm this place up!” She announced. Um, Madonna, it’s not even cold yet.) She made certain that her Minnesota audience was going to vote NO and pledged her allegiance to Obama. “I don’t care who you vote for,” she said, “as long as you vote for Obama!”