Friday Afternoon Video

Today's Friday Afternoon Video takes a trip down memory lane to 1989, when Madonna was at her peak -- both musically and artistically -- before the long, sad slide into The English Roses, Kabbalah and excess botox. Houstonist remembers the release of Like A Prayer as if it were yesterday: the haunting organ and gospel choir, her strikingly beautiful brunette hair in the video, the evocative images of a black Christ, and -- of course -- the Pepsi commercial controversy that nearly overshadowed the song itself.

Madonna will be performing live at Minute Maid Park on Sunday night, one of the last North American stops on her Sticky & Sweet Tour before heading to South America, and her first appearance in Houston in nearly two decades. The concert rotates through four themes -- 1920s urban pimp, old school NYC, gypsy, and futuristic rave -- and features nearly all of her greatest hits from the last twenty-five years. If you're headed out to see Madonna on Sunday, Like A Prayer is towards the end of the setlist -- sandwiched between the rancorous 4 Minutes and Ray of Light -- but it's all worth it just to see Madge Vogue.