Kicking off her Confessions Tour on Sunday night at the Forum in Inglewood, Madonna proved she has more to offer than just production numbers, though it took almost halfway through her two-hour concert to arrive at that conclusion.

The show began with a giant mirrored disco ball descending from the rafters and landing on a small stage at the center of the arena; it opened like a flower, and Madonna made her grand entrance. Wearing an English riding outfit complete with top hat and crop, she launched into the pulsating "Future Lovers," flogging male dancers with bits in their mouths in an S&M parody. The sold-out house went wild. 　　

The equestrian segment continued with "Like a Virgin," as she rode a saddle on a pole revolving like a carousel while she engaged in happy humping. 　　

Drawing most of the night's material from her current album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," she worked every angle of the massive stage, including two side platforms. At 47, she looked very much a poster girl for middle-aged fitness. 　　

Attempts at social commentary were undermined by the over-the-top delivery. Stark footage of poverty-stricken African children coupled with disturbing statistics should have been a compelling companion to the soul-searching ballad "Live to Tell," but then Madonna appeared in faux crucifixion on a lit-up cross, marring a serious message. 　　

The biggest crowd roar didn't come for a song but for a montage of political and religious leaders that ended with a shot of a blinking President Bush, capped by a lift from the THX promo, "The audience is listening." Yet the political barbs were selective; there was no mention of locked-out union workers picketing outside the venue. 　　

Madonna finally found focus an hour or so into the show. She proved more charismatic when she left the dancers and the gimmicky production trappings backstage. She was commanding on her own, strutting down the catwalk for the unapologetic "Like It or Not." 　　

Back in black and strapping on an ebony Gibson electric guitar, she offered a glimpse into how she might front a band in the crunching paean to the Big Apple, "I Love New York." She followed with "Ray of Light," more rocking than electronic, though she still egged on the audience to dance. An acoustic pairing of "Drowned World" and "Paradise (Not for Me)" was stunning in its simplicity. 　　

A party-time big finish was set off by a retro-disco take on the hit "Music," complete with roller-skating dancers and Madonna in a white "Saturday Night Fever" suit, playfully striking John Travolta-style poses. 　　

A cacophonous, swirling "Erotica" never picked up steam, though a sped-up, Gipsy Kings-inspired rendition of the tropical "La Isla Bonita" brought a festive Latin flair. The night's oldest song, the almost innocent-sounding "Lucky Star" from her 1983 debut album, gave way to her thumpy recent hit "Hung Up." 　　

While the choreography certainly was creative, the dancers, gymnasts and other support performers often were merely too much window dressing. Madonna's true artistry came through when she shut down the shtick machine. 　　

Her Forum stand continues Tuesday night and Wednesday.