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After missing the concert of a lifetime four years ago, Boom promised herself she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to see the star she loves again. As soon as she discovered Madonna was performing at San Jose, not too far from where she lives in San Francisco, Boom withdrew US$150 (5,300 baht) from her savings to buy a concert ticket.

But as a super fan, Boom refuses to go to the show looking like a regular gal, so started to look for something outrageous to wear. “When I go, I want to go big. I want to be seen and be recognised as a Madonna worshipper,” Boom explained.

Boom was one of the thousands of fans who had been waiting for an opportunity to see the Queen of Pop — Madonna — perform live on stage.

Madonna’s concerts in Bangkok next Tuesday and Wednesday are must-see events for the legions of local fans who worship her. They stretch over several generations, and many of them will be dressed to impress in glamorous outfits that reflect their idol’s different style periods.

DREAM COMES TRUE

Ever since she was in high school, Wanvisa “Boom” Wattanadumrong has been deeply obsessed with Madonna. She has mimicked Madonna’s strong personality as well as her attitude to life. “She made me who I am today,” said Boom.

As well as performing versions of Like a Virgin dressed as Madonna many times in high school and college, Boom has closely followed her idol’s every move. She copied everything Madonna did. Many people who didn’t know her when she was at university thought she was either gay or transgender, judging by her clothes and appearance.

Boom is now 37, but still feels as energetic and youthful as when she was in college. She moved to study in the United States and is now living and working in San Francisco. When she heard that Madonna was going to stage her Rebel Heart Tour in San Jose, Boom immediately booked a ticket and started to prepare for the show.

The first thing any loyal fan of Madonna has to do to prove how much they love their hero is to find the perfect costume to wear to the concert.

“I won’t wear the pointy bras — that is too easy. I also won’t go as the Madonna from the Vogue album — that is too predictable,” she explained.

She found the perfect dress from when Madonna performed live at the Super Bowl in 2012 under the theme of the Roman Empire. Boom loves making her own dresses and gathered all the materials she needed: paper, glitter, paint and fabric. It took her two days to make the costume which cost $200.

She is now back in Thailand visiting her family and is trying to get a ticket to Madonna’s concert in Bangkok. She hasn’t yet planned what she will wear if she gets to go, but says it won’t be the same outfit. “I can’t give any less than perfection when it’s come to worshipping mother Madonna,” she said.

A LONG-TIME FAN

In 1991, when Nondhanada “Ann” Schulz was studying in Washington, she had an opportunity to see Madonna’s Blond Ambition concert. Even though she wasn’t a hardcore fan at the time, she was happy to see the show. She had grown up with Madonna’s songs and could sing along with all her hits.

Ann is now 48. In her younger days there were many outstanding female performers. But she was impressed by Madonna’s performance and her stage presence in 1991, and has followed her career ever since. What impresses her most is Madonna’s longevity as an entertainer par excellence.

“She’s invincible,” says Ann. “Madonna is timeless, her impact will last forever. No matter how many new stars are born, she will be number one and the only one. I don’t think anyone can compare to her.”

Ann expects to see another great show in Bangkok, just like the ones in the past, which she describes as the most extravagant thing you can imagine. She has tickets for the second performance in Bangkok and is planning to wear something special.

“I’m planning to wear something from the Blond Ambition album or the same outfit she wore in the Lucky Star music video,” she said.

WORSHIP YOUR MOTHER

Channarong “Trust” Siriboon, 26, started idolising the singer when he first heard her songs in 2005. He calls her the “super queen mother”.

“I learned to love her newer songs before I started to look up to her old songs as well as past performances,” he said. “It’s the bitchy way she acts that I really love. She’s got what it takes to be an enduring star.”

Trust started watching videos of Madonna concerts and thought they were the greatest performances he had ever seen.

“It was a very fulfilling experience watching her on stage and I would really like to see her perform live with my own eyes. I love her dresses, her props on the stage, her dance crews, and the production,” he said.

Unfortunately, Trust couldn’t get an affordable ticket for her Bangkok concert. He desperately wants to see his idol sing live, but the best he can do is watch videos of her world tour on the internet. However, he has found a way to get his Madonna fix.

He attended the “Trasher: The Mother Worship Madonna Party” last month, a gathering of Madonna fans at a Bangkok nightclub where they danced and sang along to her songs. Trust wore high heals and heavy make-up. He danced until he dropped to Madonna’s hits, which started with Girl Gone Wild.

Even though he can’t afford a ticket to the concert, he’s holding out hope he can get one from another source, such as a radio station give-away. So far, Trust hasn’t had any luck. But he is still preparing his costume just in case he gets a ticket.

“I plan to wear my 5-inch high heels with leather leggings. On the upper part I will wear a corset with long gloves. I will dye my hair and wear black lipstick,” he said.

“Even if I don’t get to go to her concert I still want to thank Madonna for being herself. She has inspired many artists, and me. I don’t really care much about the bad rumours about her. After all, a mother is still a mother,” he added.

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

Best became fascinated by Madonna after reading her biography in a Thai-language magazine in 2000.

The 30-year-old from Pichit province had no idea who Madonna was before he read her story, but now he follows the star’s every move.

Best uses the Facebook profile Bestdonna Ciccone, in homage to his idol’s real name; Madonna Louise Ciccone.

When he was 14, he bought his first Madonna album Immaculate Collection which he played over and over on his cassette player.

The first track of the album and the first Madonna song he ever heard was Holiday, her breakthrough 1983 hit. He fell in love with Madonna right away and says her life story inspired him.

“She is unique, she fights for what she wants and she’s always one step ahead of everyone else,” Best said.

“Madonna’s fame is immortal. She has proved that age has not affected her. No matter how much time has passed by, she remains fierce and gorgeous.”

He owns all Madonna’s albums and loves them all. He has also watched many of her performances on video and would love to see her live.

When Best heard about Madonna’s Bangkok concert, he contacted friends he had met through the Madonna Thailand Facebook page to try and buy a ticket.

He was fortunate enough to get a 20,000 baht ticket for the first performance. He also bought a ticket for the show the following day worth 5,000 baht.

Like any Madonna super fan, Best has been planning what he should wear to the shows.

He has set aside 5,000 baht for his costume and plans to come to Bangkok to get what he needs for the special outfits.

“I will be in Bangkok this weekend because I have taken the whole week off to come to see the concert,” he said.

“I’m thinking about two possible outfits from two different albums. One is the cowboy outfit from the song Don’t Tell Me and another is a leather outfit from Erotica.”

It may seem like a waste of money to many people, but to Best, this is the moment he has waited for all his life, and he’s saved enough cash to experience the concert in style.

Once is not enough for Best, and he thinks nothing of sitting through the same performance twice. The most important thing is seeing his idol live and in action.

“It will be great. I really can’t wait for it,” he said.