madonna tour gross

Madonna's Highest-Grossing Concert Tours And How Much They Made

The Queen of Pop has embarked on a lot of world tours over the years.

Madonna is one of the most memorable performers in pop music history. Her tours have set the standard for the female artists who followed her. Madonna's "Blond Ambition Tour" offered a level of theatricality not previously seen in pop concerts. She has always incorporated that latest technology and most diverse choreography into her shows.

With rumors that Madonna might be embarking on another tour this year, let's take a look back at her previous tours. Which one grossed the most money ? Let's find out.

11 The Virgin Tour - $5,875,575

In 1985, Madonna-mania was in full swing. Girls everywhere wanted to dress like her, her songs shot to the top of the charts, and her videos were in regular rotation on MTV. She also received criticism from some in the media who said her voice sounded like "Minnie Mouse on helium." Despite this, Madonna embarked on her first tour and showed the world her talent as a performer. It was the first sign of her rising stardom and provided audiences with a mere taste of what was to come.

Related: Madonna Regrets Turning Down A Role That Swept At The Academy Awards

10 Who's That Girl Tour - $32,368,629

This tour is the perfect look at how Madonna dominated the 80s. In 1987, her film and its soundtrack Who's That Girl was released. She also released her third album "True Blue," the year prior. While the film bombed, the soundtrack did well and Madonna embarked on this tour to support all three projects. She performed her biggest hits to stadiums around the world for the first time. Madonna also featured a young dancer, Chris Finch, in the show. Finch performed the opening number with Madonna.

9 Madame X Tour - $51,535,128

Madonna's "Madame X Tour" saw her performing in small theaters for the first time. Many fans had not seen her in such a small setting since her very first tour in 1985. Madonna promised a show that would deliver intimacy between her and the audience. Unfortunately, the show was marked by late starts and Madonna's unapologetic attitude towards her tardiness turned off many fans. There were also many shows that got canceled, some hours before the shows were set to begin , due to Madonna's knee injury.

8 Blond Ambition Tour - $58,303,508

In 1990, Madonna was on top of the world. She had a big hit with "Vogue," starred in the film Dick Tracy , and embarked on this tour. She worked with choreographer Vincent Patterson and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. This show featured the iconic cone bra which has become one of Madonna's most recognizable looks. The final show in Nice, France was filmed for HBO and the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare chronicles the tour.

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7 Drowned World Tour - $74,051,171

Following "The Girlie Show Tour" in 1993, Madonna spent the next several years away from touring. During this time, she released three albums, had two kids, and did several movies. One of those movies, Evita , won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. In 2001, Madonna embarked on this tour and gave audiences a look at how she evolved in recent years. Due to the large amount of new material released since her last tour, this show didn't include as much of her past hits.

6 The Girlie Show Tour - $78,820,597

After receiving public backlash over her "Erotica" album and "Sex" book, Madonna embarked on a world tour in 1993. This tour was shorter by Madonna's standards and didn't include a lot of American dates. This is possibly due to the negative media attention she was receiving in the country at the time. Madonna did travel to many countries where she never performed before, including Israel and Australia. The latter of which was filmed for an HBO special.

5 Re-Invention Tour - $124,780,787

When Madonna released her "American Life" album in 2003, it received mixed to negative reception from the public. It was the first Madonna album not to have a big hit song. When she went on tour the following year, Madonna decided to make up for that by arranging a set list comprised of her biggest hits. Many fans were surprised to see these songs being performed, since it seemed like Madonna was trying to put her past hits behind her.

4 Rebel Heart Tour - $169,804,336

Madonna was still in the headlines during this tour, but this time it wasn't because of the show's content. It had to do with Madonna's relationship with her son Rocco and ex-husband Guy Ritchie, with whom she was in a custody battle during this tour. Madonna's sadness over the situation was expressed on several dates, including an intimate show in Australia she called "Tears of a Clown."

Related: These Female Artists Have Cited Madonna As An Influence

3 Confessions Tour - $194,754,447

Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album saw her return to the dance floor for the first time in years. This party extended to the tour, which saw her performing her new tracks while re-interpreting old ones. She performed "Like a Virgin" as pictures of her x-ray from her horse injury flashed on the screen. She also performed a completely new version of "Erotica" that fans still go wild over. Madonna also merged the classic "Disco Inferno" with her own hit "Music."

2 MDNA Tour - $305,158,362

When Madonna released her album "MDNA" it was the first original Madonna album in four years. Fans were understandably excited when she embarked on this tour to support the album. She put together a show that referenced her past work, while interpreting it in a new way. Madonna also found herself at the center of many controversies while on this tour . From her nudity on stage to her use of fake guns, Madonna kept herself in the headlines during this tour.

1 Sticky & Sweet Tour - $407,713,266

When Madonna embarked on her "Sticky & Sweet Tour" in 2008, she was going through a divorce from then-husband Guy Ritchie. Her tour was originally supposed to end in December that year, but an additional leg was added in 2009. This particular leg saw Madonna performing in places she was visiting for the first time. There were also guest appearances from Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Britney Spears during this tour.

Why Madonna Is the “Queen of Concerts”

Long known as the “Queen of Pop,” Madonna is the highest-grossing female musician on tours in history.

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In doing so, she has become the highest-grossing female musician in history in terms of concert revenue, grossing $1.4 billion and 11.7 million ticket sales as of July 2022, according to Pollstar . She was the first woman to gross more than $1 billion in concert revenue, and one of only three women to ever do so, along with Celine Dion and Beyonce .

“I can’t wait to put a show together and have a moment with each and every one of you on the stage to celebrate the last four decades of my journey; I don’t take any of this for granted,” Madonna, 64, said in January in anticipation of her upcoming Celebration Tour, which has been postponed as she recovers from a serious bacterial infection that required hospitalization.

The retrospective Celebration Tour will look back on the past 40 years of Madonna’s career. Planned for 84 shows in cities across North America and Europe, it will be the twelfth concert tour of her career, continuing a tradition of live shows with extensive choreography , innovative technology , and a high level of theatricality.

Madonna’s First Tours

Following her first two albums, Madonna (1983) and Like a Virgin (1984), Madonna launched her inaugural tour in April 1985. Dubbed The Virgin Tour, Madonna wanted it to be “loud, and brazen, and a reflection of my street-style and DGAF attitude,” according to Madonna: An Intimate Biography by J. Randy Taraborrelli.

Influenced by Michael Jackson and Prince shows, Madonna wanted a tour in which the audience felt the same energy she did while performing, according to Taraborrelli. Grossing $5 million, the concert was a financial success and was particularly notable for the throngs of dedicated fans wearing Madonna-inspired clothing, jewelry, and accessories.

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During her Who’s That Girl World Tour two years later, Madonna added extensive technology to her show, including large video screens, multimedia projectors, and a flight of stairs ascending to a large central platform, according to Mark Bego’s book Madonna: Blonde Ambition. She took aerobics classes to prepare for the show’s extensive choreography.

“Madonna transformed the concept of a concert tour being focused on the songs,” Bego wrote. “She turned her Who’s That Girl tour into a ubiquitous multimedia blitz technique by including songs, dancing, choreography, videos, big screens, backdrops—not to mention the subtle preaching and messages—that made singing a secondary quality for concert goers.”

One concert alone during the Who’s That Girl tour attracted 130,000 people , the highest attendance for a concert by a female artist at the time. Held on August 29, 1987, at the Parc de Sceaux in Paris, it still holds the record for largest concert audience in French history.

Becoming More Ambitious

In 1990, Madonna held the Blond Ambition World Tour, and it was indeed an ambitious undertaking. With complete control over “virtually every aspect of the tour,” according to Taraborrelli, the concert was broken into five thematic acts, with costumes by famous fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier and promiscuous dancing that drew the ire of critics.

Pope John Paul II famously called the tour “one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity,” due to its sexual content and use of Catholic imagery, echoing a similar controversy from her “Like a Prayer” video that led to Pepsi withdrawing as the tour’s sponsor. The tour was also famous for the debut of Madonna’s iconic “cone bra,” which Gaultier designed.

Despite (and, arguably, partially thanks to) its controversial nature, the tour was a huge commercial and critical success, grossing more than $62 million and cementing Madonna’s reputation as one of the world’s most bankable touring acts. Rolling Stone declared it the “greatest concert of the 1990s,” according to Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone.

Following her Girlie Show Tour in 1993, Madonna took a break from touring, continuing to release studio albums while also having children and appearing in several films. She didn’t tour again until the Drowned World Tour in 2001, which grossed over $76 million but left some audiences and critics dissatisfied due to its emphasis on new songs rather than her 1980s hits.

Still Re-Inventing

For her ninth concert tour in 2004, Madonna returned the focus to her classic hits rather than new material, but the shows still reflected her passion for innovation and originality. Called the Re-Invention Tour, it was once again broken into several thematic acts, one of which saw Madonna dressed as Marie Antoinette while performing her hit song “Vogue.”

The Re-Invention Tour was Madonna’s first to earn more than $100 million , a mark that every subsequent tour has cleared. Her Confession Tour in 2006 grossed $195 million, while her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008 earned $408 million. It was the second highest-grossing tour ever at the time (behind the Rolling Stones ) and is still the highest-grossing tour by a female performer.

Madonna’s Celebration Tour will be her first since 2019’s Madame X Tour, which drew criticism (and even a class-action lawsuit by one fan) due to her late show starts. However, even after 40 years of performing, Madonna still strives to innovate, using augmented reality to dance alongside four digital versions of herself at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards.

Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy . He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.

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Madonna’s First Leg of ‘Celebration Tour’ Brings in $100M 

Madonna’s “Celebration Tour” has brought in a staggering $100 million in grosses during its first leg, according to Billboard .

The tour, which kicked-off on October 14 at The O2 in London, faced an initial hiccup as a medical emergency compelled the postponement of the first set of North American dates . However, Celebration went on to result in $77.5 million in earnings and an impressive 429,000 tickets sold during the initial leg.

| RELATED: London’s O2 Celebrates Record-Breaking Year |

During opening week at The O2, the “Material Girl” singer took the stage for four shows, amassing $14.7 million and selling 60,000 tickets. She then returned for the final two performances in London on December 5 and December 6, generating an additional $7.5 million and 31,000 ticket sales. 

The European leg of the “Celebration Tour'”spanned 27 shows across 11 countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. Notably, the four concerts at Accor Arena in Paris in November emerged as a highlight, contributing an eight-figure gross of $10.7 million from 62,000 ticket sales.

Breaking down the European totals, Madonna averaged around $2.9 million and 15,900 ticket sales per night, with tickets priced at an average of $180.53 – marking an increase of 312% in nightly earnings and a staggering 518% rise in average attendance compared to her Madame X Tour’s theater-residency run in 2019-2020.

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Billboard’s projections for the upcoming North American dates indicate that the run is on track to surpass $255 million. Tickets are available to the “Celebration Tour” via Madonna’s official website. Fans can also score tickets by visiting MegaSeats (use code “TICKETNEWS” for 10% off), StubHub , or Ticket Club , where members can receive a free membership with the code “TICKETNEWS.”

A complete list of Celebration 2024 North American dates can be found below: 

Madonna | “Celebration Tour” North American 2024 Dates

Original dates scheduled are indicated where applicable 

January 8 — Boston, MA | TD Garden (8/30/2023)

January 9 — Boston, MA | TD Garden (8/31/2023)

January 11 — Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena (8/13/2023)

January 12 — Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena (8/14/2023)

January 15 — Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena (8/5/2023)

January 18 — Montreal, QC | Bell Centre (8/19/2023)

January 20 — Montreal, QC | Bell Centre (8/20/2023)

January 22 — New York, NY | Madison Square Garden (8/23/2023)

January 23 — New York, NY | Madison Square Garden (8/24/2023)

January 25 — Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center (12/20/2023)

January 29 — New York, NY | Madison Square Garden (8/26/2023)

February 1 — Chicago, IL | United Center (8/9/2023)

February 2 — Chicago, IL | United Center (8/10/2023)

February 5 — Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena (8/7/2023)

February 8 — Cleveland, OH | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (8/2/2023)

February 13 — Saint Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center (7/30/2023)

February 17 — Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena (7/18/2023)

February 18 — Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena (7/19/2023)

February 21 — Vancouver, BC | Rogers Arena (7/15/2023)

February 24 — Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center (1/13/2024)

February 27 — San Francisco, CA | Chase Center (10/4/2023)

February 28 — San Francisco, CA | Chase Center (10/5/2023)

March 1 — Las Vegas, NV | T-Mobile Arena (10/7/2023)

March 2 — Las Vegas, NV | T-Mobile Arena (10/8/2024)

March 4 — Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum (Originally scheduled for Crypto.com arena on 9/27/23)

March 5 — Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum (Originally scheduled for Crypto.com arena on 9/28/23)

March 7 — Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum (Originally scheduled for Crypto.com arena on 9/30/23)

March 9 — Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum (Originally scheduled for Crypto.com arena on 10/01/23)

March 11 — Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum (Combines shows originally scheduled on 1/7 & 1/8/24)

March 13 — Palm Desert, CA | Acrisure Arena (1/11/2024)

March 16 — Phoenix, AZ | Footprint Center (7/22/2023)

March 19 — Denver, CO | Ball Arena (7/25/2023)

March 24 — Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center (9/18/2023)

March 25 — Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center (9/19/2023)

March 28 — Houston, TX | Toyota Center (9/13/2023)

March 29 — Houston, TX | Toyota Center (9/14/2023)

April 1 — Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena (9/5/2023)

April 4 — Tampa, FL | Amalie Arena (9/7/2023)

April 6 — Miami, FL | Kaseya Center (9/9/2023)

April 7 — Miami, FL | Kaseya Center (9/10/2023)

April 14 — Austin, TX | Moody Center (9/21/2023)

April 15 — Austin, TX | Moody Center (9/22/2023)

April 20 — Mexico City | Palacio De Los Deportes (1/25/2024)

April 21 —Mexico City | Palacio De Los Deportes (1/27/2024)

April 23 — Mexico City | Palacio De Los Deportes (1/28/2024)

April 24 — Mexico City | Palacio De Los Deportes (1/30/2024)

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Madonna is Officially the Highest Grossing Touring Solo Artist of All Time

Image via Madonna on Facebook

Madonna is now officially the highest grossing touring solo artist of all time.

According to Billboard Boxscore , her latest Rebel Heart Tour, which wrapped up this week, put her at $1.31 billion in tickets sold over her career. The only two acts that have made more are U2 and The Rolling Stones.

The $1.31 billion breaks down into the following Madonna tours (all numbers pre-inflation adjustment): last year’s Rebel Heart Tour ($169.8 million), 2012’s MDNA Tour ($305.1 million), 2008’s Sticky & Sweet Tour ($407.7 million), 2006’s Confessions Tour ($194.7 million), 2004’s Re-Invention World Tour ($124.7 million), 2001’s Drowned World Tour ($75 million), and 1993’s Girlie Show ($70 million).

Billboard Boxscore only started tracking in 1990, meaning that the $1.31 billion figure does not include 1990’s Blond Ambition World Tour ($62.7 million), 1987’s Who’s That Girl Tour ($25 million), and 1985’s The Virgin Tour ($5 million).

As for highest grossing tour, Madonna is at #5 with her MDNA Tour. U2’s 360° Tour earned $736,421,584 from 2009 to 2011.

So, say what you will about Madonna, but the Material Girl obviously knows how to put on a show.

The post Madonna is Officially the Highest Grossing Touring Solo Artist of All Time appeared first on Pigeons & Planes .

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Madonna’s Celebration Tour Dazzles With Hits, Surrealistic Visuals, and Reminders of Our Mortality

By Kory Grow

“It’s so great to be home … I mean that in a way that only New Yorkers know,” Madonna , who adopted New York as her hometown in 1978, told the Brooklyn audience present for the North American kickoff of her Celebration Tour on Wednesday. “New Yorkers can identify with just-not-giving-a-fuck motherfuckers. We do shit our way. New York is not for little pussies who sleep.”

Madonna certainly wasn’t tired, and that was the point of the whole show, a tour de force of some of her biggest hits paired with surrealistic visuals that didn’t end until 1 a.m.

Throughout the night, dancers took the stage dressed as her during various points of her career — club kid Madonna, ice-cream-cone bra Madonna, BDSM “Human Nature” Madonna — making the show something like This Is Your Life for the Material Girl, who, at 65, is still two years shy of collecting full Social Security benefits. Several times during the performance she expressed just how happy she was to be there, and, well, anywhere. It’s why she performed Confessions on a Dance Floor’s “I Love New York” for the first time in 15 years on electric guitar before shredding her way through “Burning Up” with rare abandon.

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The celebration in the tour’s name simply denotes the fact that Madonna is here, especially since she acknowledged throughout the show so many peers who have died in various ways: Prince, Michael Jackson, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among them. Screens bearing black-and-white images of dozens if not hundreds of notable people who died of AIDS, from Robert Mapplethorpe to Eazy-E, accompanied by her moving rendition of “Live to Tell.” It would’ve felt like an awards show’s farewell montage if the rest of the concert weren’t so joyous.

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The orgy began with erotic boxing in laser-banded rings, as Madonna sang “Erotica,” and it congealed into a mass of people for “Justify My Love.” She just climbed right in and gave out kisses. For “Hung Up,” topless women and men came out and teased her until she kissed one of the women, all leading her to climb on Mercy’s grand piano to sing “Bad Girl.” (How intimidating must it be to have your mom be Madonna singing next to you and then mounting your instrument in a red satin negligee like it’s a seedy cabaret?)

The 14,000-strong, sold-out audience, which was a broad mix of genders, races, and sexualities, many of whom were wearing “Italians Do It Better” T-shirts (how Brooklyn!), seemed stunned by the spectacle. Shouldn’t everyone have been dancing and making out during “Erotica”? And in the fourth act, shouldn’t everyone have been striking a pose during Madonna’s ebullient “Vogue,” a song that found Madonna and one of her crew members (and love interest), boxing coach Josh Popper, grading her dancers’ (and one of her daughters, Estere’s) vogues like Dancing With the Stars ? Instead, most of the crowd seemed to just take in the concert, possibly because they knew it was a special occasion or possibly because it was approaching midnight on a Wednesday. The appreciative crowd still cheered for every song, though.

Madonna lifted the mood with Music ‘s “Don’t Tell Me,” in which she battled the evening’s occasional MC, Bob the Drag Queen, who was dressed like a cowboy with a cow print hat. Before singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” on her acoustic guitar, she pleaded for peace in the Middle East, asking the audience to turn on its cellphone flashlights. “Each and every one of us have a light inside of us,” she said. “And each and every one of us can share that light with the with the person standing next to you … even the people you don’t like. Be counterintuitive. Share your light with someone you don’t want to share your light with.… Keep your lights on when you leave here tonight.” And then she recapitulated the evening’s theme in “I Will Survive”: “Did you think I’d crumble, did you think I’d lay down and die … Did you? ” she asks pointedly.

The final two acts served as something like Madonna’s statements of intent — to provoke, to enrich, to confound. After a montage of all her controversies, Madonna, in voice-over, said, “I think the most controversial thing I’ve ever done is to stick around.” And then she sings three songs that exist on different planes from each other: the surrealistic “Bedtime Story,” the lysergic dance song “Ray of Light” (which she sings floating in a giant cube over the audience), and the down-to-earth “Rain.”

She capped these songs with the intro to the final act that focused on her sometime friendship with Michael Jackson. It was long and strange and mashes up “Billie Jean” with “Like a Virgin” (which she did not sing), and the only explanation for why she made it is in the title of the next song, “Bitch I’m Madonna,” which is the other message of the whole evening: “Bitch, I’m Madonna/Who do you think you are?” (That self-assuredness is also the only explanation why she skipped “Borderline,” “Dress You Up,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and “Frozen.”) Her troupe, dressed like a thousand different Madonnas from pop-music history, danced to the song, and the night ended quickly with “Celebration” and a “Thank you, Brooklyn” before she disappeared into the stage.

Madonna Set List:

“Nothing Really Matters” “Everybody” “Into the Groove” “I Love New York” “Burning Up” “Open Your Heart” “Holiday”

“Live to Tell” “Like a Prayer”

“Erotica” “Justify My Love” “Hung Up” “Bad Girl”

“Vogue” “Human Nature” “Crazy for You”

“Die Another Day” “Don’t Tell Me” “Mother and Father” “I Will Survive” “La Isla Bonita” “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”

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“Bitch I’m Madonna” “Celebration”

I went to The Celebration Tour for the 1st time tonight in Brooklyn. Despite me seeing many pics, videos, & reviews beforehand, I was blown away. Madonna & the show were everything & so much more. If you’re unsure about going, just GOOOOO! Cherish Madonna & give her flowers! pic.twitter.com/sofCHV1DWU — Madonna Nation ❌ (@MadonnaNationX) December 14, 2023

Holiday // Madonna @ Barclays, The Celebration Tour #MadonnaCelebrationTour #Madonna @Madonna pic.twitter.com/wz7RCtQgIu — ethan jon (@ethanjon) December 14, 2023

Into the Groove // Madonna @ Barclays … The Celebration Tour #MadonnaCelebrationTour #Madonna @Madonna pic.twitter.com/sDWjVfm4aJ — ethan jon (@ethanjon) December 14, 2023

MADONNA PERFORMED I LOVE NEW YORK!!!! pic.twitter.com/gNgkRik3Gl — saint gregory (@repressedhomo) December 14, 2023

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• The Celebration Tour

The Celebration Tour By The Numbers

by MadonnaTribe · October 13, 2023

On the eve of the opening night of Madonna ’s highly anticipated new tour tomorrow night at the O2 Arena in London, Live Nation released a juicy breakdown of The Celebration Tour by the numbers.

The most thrilling part is about what fans should expect the Madonna stage to be like: covering a surface of 4,400 square ft / 410 mq, The Celebration Tour stage is the largest for any of her tours and the ispiration for its design come from the grid of the Manhattan Island in New York City.

The mysterious maps from the online ticket vendors have been analized in-depth by the fans in the past months and we know learn that the set up will include five different stages: Uptown , Downtown , Midtown , East and West .

We will have to wait until tomorrow night to find out what the illuminated portal frame that transports Madonna 30 foot / 9  meters off the ground around the arena looks like. It is designed to act as a time machine that symbolizes looking into the past, present and towards the future and will allow her to move at 1.5 foot / 45 centimeters per second, 80 foot / 24 meters across and 130 foot / 40 meters down the length of the arena .

As many of you have guessed, the three-layered circular stage that you find where the traditional main stage would be is a nod to the wedding cake of Madonna’s original VMA performance.

3600 square ft / 334 mq of projection imagery make this the most amount of video ever used in a Madonna show.

The catwalks have a combined lenght of 230 foot / 76 meters and will get Madonna 105 foot / 32 meters far into the venue.

Madonna worked with Lewis James as the Creative Director for The Celebration Tour . The press release also confirms Jamie King as the show director – at his eigth tour with Madonna and the return of Stuart Price as the musical director for the fourth time. Bob The Drag Quee n is indeed part of the show – not simply a support act – and twenty-four onstage performers will also be joined by four of Madonna’s children. Last but not least, seventeen archived costumes have been recreated for the show.

Here is The Celebration Tour by the numbers:

• 4 Decades of unstoppable hits – prepare to dance your ass off!
• 13th Culture shaping tour.
• 1 Extraordinary drag queen.
• 8th Tour partnering with director Jamie King.
• 24 Onstage performers.
• 1 Stuart Price reunion.
• 4,400 square ft. of stage, the largest for any Madonna tour. Inspired by the grid of Manhattan with Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, East and West stages.
• 8 Humidifiers in Madonna’s dressing room.1 Bottle of MDNA Rose Mist Spray in each quick-change space.
• 3 Traveling mobile gyms.
• 15 Countries.
• 50 Merch items including vintage recreations of iconic items from previous tours such as the Blond Ambition Bomber Jacket.
• 45 Wardrobe trunks.
• 1 Queen sized Madonna flag outside the O2 (naturally).
• 6 Sold out nights in London.
• 3 Layered circular stage where the traditional main stage would be, inspired by the wedding cake of Madonna’s original VMA performance.
• 3 Physical therapists.
• 4 of Madonna’s children on stage.
• 40 Pairs of boxing gloves.
• 230 Ft. of combined length of catwalk that gets Madonna 105ft far into the venue.
• 14 Spotlights for Madonna and over 600 intelligent lights to light the stage and arena with over 8800 lighting cues.
• 17 Archived costumes recreated.
• 4 Rehearsal venues.
• 80 Tons of production equipment.
• 330 Million albums sold, still the best-selling female artist of all time.
• 3600 Square ft. of projection imagery to the show. The most amount of video ever used in a Madonna show.
• 200+ Traveling crew – 25 in the costume department alone.
• 30 Ft. off the ground Madonna is transported around the arena in an illuminated portal frame that acts as a time machine allowing her to move at 1.5ft per second, 80ft across and 130ft down the length of the arena designed to symbolize looking into the past, present and towards the future.
• 3700 Amps of show power.

…and only ONE Madonna .

Tags: Madonna The Celebration Tour

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Madonna’s Global Celebration Tour Sells Out 36 Dates

Madonna’s global Celebration Tour has sold out 36 dates, with more than 600,000 tickets sold.

Due to overwhelming demand, 23  new dates  were added this week across North America and Europe for Madonna’s 40th anniversary Celebration Tour. The global tour now includes second shows in Miami, Las Vegas, Milan, Barcelona, and more, in addition to three nights in Paris and four nights in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

Madonna has already sold out 36 shows and counting across Toronto, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and more, with over 600,000 tickets sold. Multiple new dates have already sold out as well.

The Celebration Tour kicks off on Saturday, July 15, at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, with stops in Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, and more before making its way to Europe. There she will perform in 11 cities throughout the fall, including Antwerp, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. The tour will wrap up on Saturday, December 2, at Ziggo Dome, with a second show in Amsterdam.

After Madonna’s viral video announcing the tour earlier this week, the response has been incredible, with fans looking forward to seeing the all-time best-selling female solo touring artist. Madonna turned to her fans while building out her Celebration Tour setlist, asking, “What song would you like to dance to at my show?”

The Celebration Tour promises a one-of-a-kind experience with special guest Bob the Drag Queen across all dates on the global tour.

The Celebration Tour North American Dates:

• 15 | Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC (SOLD OUT)
• 18 | Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA (SOLD OUT)
• 19 | Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
• 22 | Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ (on sale 1/27)
• 25 | Ball Arena in Denver, CO (on sale 1/27)
• 27 | BOK Center in Tulsa, OK (on sale 1/27)
• 30 | Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN (on sale 1/27)
• 02 | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH (on sale 1/27)
• 05 | Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI (on sale 1/27)
• 07 | PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA (on sale 1/27)
• 09 | United Center in Chicago, IL (SOLD OUT)
• 10 | United Center in Chicago, IL
• 13 | Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON (SOLD OUT)
• 14 | Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON (SOLD OUT)
• 19 | Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (SOLD OUT)
• 20 | Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (SOLD OUT)
• 23 | Madison Square Garden in New York, NY (SOLD OUT)
• 24 | Madison Square Garden in New York, NY (SOLD OUT)
• 26 | Madison Square Garden in New York, NY (SOLD OUT)
• 27 | Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
• 30 | TD Garden in Boston, MA (SOLD OUT)
• 31 | TD Garden in Boston, MA
• 02 | Capital One Arena in Washington, DC (on sale 1/27)
• 05 | State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA (on sale 1/27)
• 07 | Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL (SOLD OUT)
• 09 | Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, FL (SOLD OUT)
• 10 | Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, FL
• 13 | Toyota Center in Houston, TX (SOLD OUT)
• 14 | Toyota Center in Houston, TX
• 18 | American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX (SOLD OUT)
• 19 | American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
• 21 | Moody Center in Austin, TX (SOLD OUT)
• 22 | Moody Center in Austin, TX
• 27 | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
• 28 | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
• 30 | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
• 01 | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA
• 04 | Chase Center in San Francisco, CA (SOLD OUT)
• 05 | Chase Center in San Francisco, CA (SOLD OUT)
• 07 | T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV (SOLD OUT)
• 08 | T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

The Celebration Tour European Dates:

• 14 | The O2 in London, UK (SOLD OUT)
• 15 | The O2 in London, UK (SOLD OUT)
• 17 | The O2 in London, UK (SOLD OUT)
• 18 | The O2 in London, UK
• 21 | Sportpaleis in Antwerp, BE (SOLD OUT)
• 22 | Sportpaleis in Antwerp, BE
• 24 | Royal Arena in Copenhagen, DK (SOLD OUT)
• 28 | Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, SE
• 01 | Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, ES (SOLD OUT)
• 02 | Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, ES 
• 06 | Altice Arena in Lisbon, PT (SOLD OUT)
• 12 | Accor Arena in Paris, FR (SOLD OUT)
• 13 | Accor Arena in Paris, FR (SOLD OUT)
• 15 | Lanxess Arena in Cologne, DE (SOLD OUT)
• 19 | Accor Arena in Paris, FR (on sale 1/27)
• 23 | Mediolanum Forum in Milan, IT (SOLD OUT)
• 25 | Mediolanum Forum in Milan, IT (SOLD OUT)
• 28 | Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, DE (SOLD OUT)
• 01 | Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, NL (SOLD OUT)
• 02 | Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, NL

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Months after a worrying health scare, defiant Madonna is back with her Celebration Tour: a look at her net worth and career

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Madonna’s epic and much-anticipated Celebration Tour kicks off tonight in London . But how much will it make her, and how much money is the Queen of Pop worth?

The 65-year-old is taking to the stage at London’s O2 tonight (Saturday 14 October) for her first of 78 shows across 15 countries for her mammoth Celebration tour.

The Hung Up hitmaker is all set to entertain her fans tonight after the tour was postponed in June when she was rushed to hospital with a serious bacteria infection.

Fans were very worried Madonna had pushed herself too hard with her gruelling rehearsal schedule. But it looks as though she’s recovered now ahead of tonight’s extravaganza.

The Celebration Tour setlist is said to be 40 songs-strong, and it’s going to be a massive retrospective of her epic four decade career. Expect all the classics.

But given Madonna’s massive date list spanning from today in London all the way to Mexico City in April 2024, how much money will the singer make from the tour? And what is her Madonna’s net worth in 2023?

Here’s the lowdown on whether the Queen of Pop is the Material Girl she sings about, and how she made her fortune…

How much is Madonna worth 2023?

Madonna is said to be worth a staggering $580 million (£478mill) as of June 2023, according to Forbes . She has been named as the annual top-earning female musician by the publication 11 times.

Before her celebration tour, the star had already grossed $1.2 billion (£989mill) on the road over her career. She is 45th on Forbes’ 2023 list of richest self-made women in the US.

Billboard estimate Madonna will earn upwards of $100 million (£82mill) from her Celebration Tour alone. Yikes.

How did Madonna make her fortune? Albums, tours and business empire

Madonna has made 14 studio albums and sold 335 million albums from the mid-80s to 2015, per  Guinness World Records . Her songs have also been sampled by many artists, which has helped bolster her riches further.

1985’s The Virgin Tour, averaged over 10,000 tickets and $100,000 per night, according to Billboard. Then, tickets costed a fraction of their 2023 price.

Two years later, and 1987 saw Madonna’s Who’s That Girl World Tour selling 35,000 tickets with the star making $756,000 per show.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg, as the star’s 1990 Blond Ambition Tour and 1993 The Girlie Show tour, and seven others she casually peppered through her career until the turn of the century also made the singer millions.

Madonna’s highest-grossing tour thus far – before her Celebration Tour – is the 85-date Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008-09, where she performed around the world collecting $407.7 million (£335mill) and selling 3.5 million tickets.

Back in 2007, Live Nation and Madonna signed a $100 million (£8.2mill), ten-year deal – making it one of the biggest record contracts in history.

Outside of Madonna’s music career, she also has a few lucrative businesses. As you do.

The Like a Prayer singer has dipped her toes in the fashion world with various clothing brands like M by Madonna, as well as Material Girl Clothing which made her a reported $10mill (£8.2mill). She has sold her garms in Macys, H&M, and also has a Truth Or Dare lifestyle brand as well.

According to some reports, Madonna earned $60 million for her debut perfume, Truth Or Dare.

MDNA Skin, the star’s skincare brand, is also a big earner, said to have an annual revenue of $4.6mill (£3.79mill) according to Kona Equity.

As for films, Madonna has made around $3mill (£2.47mill) from her appearances in Body of Evidence and Evita alone.

The star also has an impressive portfolio of property, with houses London, Beverly Hills, New York City, Lisbon and more. She also has an art collection said to be worth up from a reported $100million (£8.2mill). Casual.

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“This isn’t a flip-flops and shorts show!” yelled Madonna on Monday night, marking her Celebration Tour’s arrival in Los Angeles.

For the first time in close to a decade, the Material Girl returned to the Inglewood Forum in a breathless two-hour, forty minute-plus mammoth, visually enthralling, techno-savvy concert covering her 40-year career. The last time she played this L.A. haunt was October 2015 with her Rebel Tour.

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With nods in its production design and costumes by Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and even Federico Fellini (who the singer once asked to direct one of her music videos, only to be declined), there’s no question that the Celebration Tour continues to cement Madonna as the Queen of Pop.

And for anyone questioning that, Ms. Ciccone reminds us of her status in a penultimate homage segment, putting a shadowed projected image of herself next to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as the duo have a dance-off set to their music “Like a Virgin” and “Billie Jean.”

Neither a four-day induced coma from a bacterial infection, nor being the age of retirement can stop this mezzo soprano, who continues to be as pitch perfect vocally as she was in the 1980s. No more is this evident amid the carnivalesque, symbolic sequences, which feasibly melt into each other, as the 7x Grammy Award winner settles for a mic and light for her performance of “Crazy for You,” a rendition that will zip one back to the slow dance days of junior high 1985.

To use a word from the Madonna glossary –ambitious– sums up the sophisticated artistry and expression that she brings to the stage with the Celebration Tour, as it recaptures moments in Madonna’s life from her NYC club days to the laser beam- infused 1990s (the near close of the show’s “Ray of Life”) and beyond.

Behold and pay respect, kids: Give unto Madonna’s what is Madonna’s. Look no further than the rotating wedding cake centerpiece stage which goes aflame during a “Beast Within/Justify Your Love.” Eilish at her December 2022 Happier Than Ever Kia Forum concert jumped on a plain-old industrial crane and stoked fans as it floated above their seats. But Madonna is fashionable and high-end: She gets inside a neon-lit plexiglass floating box above the entire crowd, which she boogies inside during such performances as “Ray of Light,” as well as “Live to Tell,” a beautiful memorium to those who died of AIDS, complete with an array of their images (i.e. Freddie Mercury) on myriad retractable screens.

Performing ‘Live to Tell’ Madonna honors victims of AIDS (📸 Anthony D’Alessandro/Deadline) pic.twitter.com/DchaObcuWZ — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 6, 2024

“Beast Within” is one of several showstopping moments. Madonna in red Arabic garb stands on the shoulders of Arabic-clad dancers as she’s paraded around the multi-catwalks of the show, speaking the Biblical lyrics from Revelation, “Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear.”

On the trifecta of screens, we see images of her in Indian garb. The Arabic-clad dancers leave the red-clothed pop icon behind and form a circle in which one is ultimately beaten by the group. Jaw-dropping, political stuff, leaving the Forum to interpret.

An appetizer to this earlier in the show is the lead-up to “Like a Prayer,” in which a nun- clad Madonna and two other black habit-wearing dancers eventually make their way over to a rotating glass carousel (perhaps, church) filled with bare-chested men who appear to be hanging inside off crosses — but then they flip themselves upside down. All this against monk-chanting.

“Like A Prayer” (📸 Anthony D’Alessandro/Deadline) pic.twitter.com/hZsKDyYtTW — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 6, 2024

From the onset of her show, Madonna always lets you know that you’re in for a ride. Her Confession tour, which kicked off at the Forum in May 2006, began with a wide-screen, oval-shaped landscape screen (amazing for its day), displaying black and white footage of her taming the horse that threw her. It was her way of showing that she had prevailed from her 2005 accident which cracked three of her ribs, and broke her collarbone and hand. For Celebration, the Bay City, Michigan native drops jaws again with a flipping circular light bridge against three screens as she takes the stage like a Mother of God, but in black, with a lightbulb lit halo singing, “Nothing Really Matters.”

Madonna concert in LA from Monday. She is singing Nothing Really Matters from Ray of Light album (📸 Anthony D’Alessandro) pic.twitter.com/IvLKpm9RgA — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 6, 2024

For Celebration, Madonna counts creative directors Lewis James and Jamie King, the latter one of her former choreographers who was behind her Confessions concert. Madonna found James after being wowed by Post Malone’s show, an aesthetic layout which Celebration also took inspiration from.

“I went to this party, met this guy who told me he was in a band. It was like ‘Bing.’ I asked him if he would teach me how to play guitar. ‘What kind of exchange? What are you going to give to me?’ So, I was thinking about it…I went ‘I don’t know.’ Some things came to mind, and a couple of things came to mind, and it worked. So, that’s how I learned how to play guitar,” says the “Like a Virgin” crooner.

In a special express-herself moment at Monday night’s concert right before a sublime slowed down version of “Express Yourself,” Madonna shared that there was a special guest in the crowd, that being her doctor, Dr. David Agus, who she credited with saving her life after her hospitalization last June.

“This summer I had a surprise. It’s called… um… a near-death experience. Yes, and I’m not kidding. It was pretty scary. Obviously, I didn’t know for four days, because I was in an induced coma. But when I woke up, the first word I said was ‘No.’ Anyway, that’s what my assistant tells me. And I’m pretty sure that God was saying to me, ‘Do you wanna come with us? You wanna come with me? You wanna go this way?’ And I said, ‘No. No.’”

Madonna said that Agus, “put up with so many entertaining phone calls from me. When I was sick this summer and I literally couldn’t walk from my bed to the toilet, I would call him every other day and ask him why I didn’t have any energy.  When  was my energy gonna come back?  When  was I gonna feel myself again?  When  could I go back on tour again? When, when, when, when, when, when, when? And all he would say was, ‘Go outside in the sun.’”

Madonna continued “’Have you seen my skin?’ His response: ‘Go outside in the sun. You need Vitamin D so your kidneys will keep working.’ I couldn’t put those two together. And I hate the sun, but I did it anyways, and it was so hard for me to walk from my house to the backyard and sit in the sun. I know that sounds insane, but it was difficult, and I didn’t know when I could get up again and when I could be myself again and when I would have my energy back. It was a strange thing to finally not feel like I was in control. And that was my lesson to let go.”

She then turned to talking about the three-month postponement of her concert. “When my manager (Guy Oseary), that greedy bastard, came to me and said –he’s probably next to Dr. Agus right now. They’re planning… they have a new plot to almost kill me again. When he said, ‘Well, when do you think you wanna go back on tour?’I took the oxygen out of my nose, I looked at him, and I said, ‘In two fucking months!‘ … I swear to God, I just said it. And sometimes you just gotta say shit, put that out in the universe, and it happens. Are you with me, Los Angeles?”

Other eye-brow raising moments included her choosing not to sing “Material Girl.” Instead there was a black clad gaucho pulsating rendition of her 007 song “Die Another Day,” as well as a quick croon of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from Alan Parker’s feature version of Evita, in which she starred and won a Golden Globe .

Said one attendee sitting next to me as to why they came to see Madonna: “After the bad news last summer, I thought, could this be her last time?”

Hopefully, dear God, never.

Leading into her Oscar party on Sunday night, Madonna is performing Thursday March 8, Saturday March 9, and Monday March 11 as part of a five-night booking. To date from 27 shows in Europe, her Celebration Tour has made a reported $77M-plus and significantly counting.

Below is the set list from Monday:

• Celebration Intro/Nothing Really Matters
• Into The Groove
• Open Your Heart
• Live To Tell
• Like A Prayer
• Act of Living For Love/The 90’s (Interlude)
• Erotica/Papa Don’t Preach
• Justify My Love/Fever
• Hung Up On Tokischa
• Vogue (Estere’s Ball)
• Human Nature/Crazy For You
• The Beast Within (Interlude)
• Die Another Day
• Don’t Tell Me
• Mother And Father
• Express Yourself/La Isla Bonita/Don’t Cry For Me Argentina
• I Don’t Search I Find (Interlude)
• Bedtime Story
• Ray of Light
• Billie Jean vs. Like A Virgin
• GMAYL/Bitch I’m Madonna

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A Dream Setlist for Madonna’s ‘Celebration Tour,’ From Staple Songs to Slept-On Hits

By Mike Wass

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When Madonna revealed dates for “Madonna: The Celebration Tour,” a career-spanning live extravaganza, the speculation surrounding the setlist led the conversation. While the Queen of Pop is tightlipped about specifics, a couple of tidbits can be gleaned from the star-studded tour announcement.

In a video that pays tribute to her 1990 documentary “Truth or Dare,” the social media-savvy singer plays the titular game with superstars ranging from Jack Black to Lil Wayne. Eventually, Amy Schumer dares Madonna to embark on a world tour and perform her “greatest motherfuckin’ hits.”

Popular on Variety

“Frozen” reached a whole new generation of fans via the viral Sickick remix, while “Hung Up” got a reggaeton overhaul courtesy of Dominican rapper Tokischa. And then there’s the Saucy Santana-assisted “ Material Gworrllllllll! ” — a reimagining of Madonna’s 1985 smash that debuted at last year’s New York City Pride. Other leading contenders to earn a spot on the setlist include mega-hits “Crazy for You,” “Live to Tell,” “Justify My Love” and “Ray of Light.”

Madonna loves to throw in a couple of surprises and, if she’s really looking to “explore as many songs as possible,” it might be time to give “American Life” standout “Love Profusion” a spin or really cause a stir by digging even deeper into her catalog for an unperformed fan favorite like “Sanctuary” from “Erotica” or beloved “Like a Prayer” lullaby “Dear Jessie.” Hell, I’d even take “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” soundtrack banger “Beautiful Stranger.”

As for more recent material, anything goes. “MDNA” singles “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and “Girl Gone Wild” are fairly safe bets, while “Rebel Heart” highlights “Living For Love” and “Ghosttown” have to be on the shortlist. Madonna is understandably proud of “Madame X,” so “Medellín,” “Crave” or “God Control” aren’t completely out of the question. I’d also love to see the live debut of the recently unearthed “Back That Up to the Beat” as well as the pop icon’s own riff on Beyoncé’s “ Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) ,” which interpolates “Vogue.”

It’s worth noting that “Madonna: The Celebration Tour” promises to “pay respect to the city of New York, where her career in music began.” In that case, it’s only fitting that “Everybody,” born of the Big Apple’s boisterous ‘80s club scene, kicks off the show.

Finding the right track for the final encore is a harder proposition. Encapsulating the joy and impact of 40 years of hits is too heavy a weight for any one song to bear. Perhaps, it would be wise to close the show with “Dress You Up.” After all, there’s a nice symmetry to ending with the song that opened Madonna’s very first tour — 1985’s “The Virgin Tour.”

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At Tampa concert, Madonna reminds us why she’s the queen

• Maggie Duffy Times staff

TAMPA — She kept us waiting for hours in Amalie Arena.

But once Madonna took the stage a full two hours past the scheduled start of the 8:30 p.m. show, that didn’t matter. For the next two hours, the Queen of Pop showed us why she owns the title, and the multi-generational crowd gave back just as much energy.

DJ Mary Mac 5 Star set the vibe with a lively set. Then Bob the Drag Queen, dressed up like Marie Antoinette, got the crowd even more hyped as he introduced Madonna.

The singer’s Celebration Tour includes hits from the past four decades — the entirety of Madonna’s career — and features a troupe of dancers surrounding Madonna and working the stage, which had a long runway and elements suspended from the ceiling. Screens flashed video montages of photographs, artwork, scenes of New York City.

The tour was postponed last summer after Madonna suffered a severe bacterial infection that led to her being in a medically-induced coma for 48 hours . It’s pretty impressive that she’s bounced back relatively quickly.

After performing “Nothing Really Matters” — a song about how having children changed her life — alone on the stage, she was joined by dancers dressed as early 1980s punks for “Everybody” and “Into the Groove.”

Next, Madge grabbed an electric guitar and took us back to the iconic New York City punk club CBGB, where she first performed “Burning Up.”

Then she addressed the audience, saying that the show was the story of her life and she wanted us to “feel all the feels.”

“And really, Tampa, I’m only here every 40 years, so you should appreciate it,” she said, referring to the fact that she’s only performed here once before, in 1985.

She was accompanied by a person wearing a blank face mask throughout the show, who represented a younger version of herself that has stuck with her through the years. She gave herself a hug and reminded us to not forget where we came from.

“This isn’t a pop show, it’s more of a retrospective,” she said. “It’s performance art.”

Indeed. During “Open Your Heart,” there were nods to the memorable music video featuring a peepshow, and “Holiday” took us to a New York City nightclub, where the party reached a dizzying height, then took a heartbreaking turn as dancers started to fall to the ground. The refrain “Holiday” repeated as a haunting echo.

This led to a segment honoring those who were lost to AIDS, accompanied by a montage of their photographs while she performed “Live to Tell.” It began with a photo of former Tampa Bay resident Martin Burgoyne .

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The segment culminated with an emotional “Like a Prayer,” with dancers’ bodies morphing into poses of Jesus Christ during crucifixion and other feats of physicality. There was a nod to Prince — who had played guitar on the original track — with a guitarist wearing a purple-patterned suit and a sample of the spoken intro of “Let’s Go Crazy.”

Madonna has always been a strong and vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and this concert was a big kiss to it. Ballroom culture was celebrated in a joyful segment during “Vogue,” which featured her daughter Estere as the DJ. Dancers walked the runway

to be judged by Madonna and guest Monét X Change.

It wouldn’t be Madonna if there wasn’t a steamy sexual element, and that came with sensual choreography on “Erotica,” “Justify My Love” and “Hung Up,” then turned almost remorseful with “Bad Girl,” on which her daughter Mercy played the piano.

Things took a tender turn with “Mother and Father,” which she dedicated to her mother, who died when she was very young. A photo of her was on a screen, as was the photo of her adopted son David’s mother, who died in childbirth. David also accompanied on guitar.

Among her many costume changes, Madonna went Western chic and played “Express Yourself” on her guitar, which she slung over her back for “La Isla Bonita.” She donned a silver bodysuit and long pink wig as she flew over the stage in a square for “Ray of Light.”

A dedication to Michael Jackson came with a “Billie Jean” / “Like a Virgin” mashup, with dancers dressed like the duo silhouetted on a screen.

Madonna has dealt with the pressures of celebrity’s obsession with youth, which is alluded to with sound bites of her saying “To age is a sin” and “The most controversial thing I’ve ever done is to stick around.” People may expect her, at age 65, to act or dress a certain way. But instead, she reminds us what a trailblazer she is during “B---- I’m Madonna,” with dancers dressed in her most iconic looks through the years.

Whatever you do, don’t expect Madonna to stop.

Setlist for Madonna’s Tampa show

It’s a Celebration (Bob the Drag Queen intro)

Nothing Really Matters

Into the Groove

Open Your Heart

Live to Tell

Like a Prayer

Living for Love

Justify My Love

Human Nature

Crazy for You

The Beast Within

Die Another Day

Don’t Tell Me

Mother and Father

Express Yourself

La Isla Bonita

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

Bedtime Story

Ray of Light

Billie Jean / Like a Virgin

B---- I’m Madonna

Celebration (outro)

Maggie Duffy is an art and dining reporter, covering Tampa Bay’s arts scene and the next new place to eat. Reach her at [email protected].

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Madonna setlist from Celebrations Tour in Dallas, March 24, 2024. First of two shows

M adonna performed the first of two shows on Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Here is the setlist from the Celebrations Tour show.

Nothing Really Matters

Into the Groove

Open Your Heart

Live to Tell

Like a Prayer

Justify My Love

Human Nature

Crazy for You

Die Another Day

Don’t Tell Me

Mother and Father

Express Yourself

La Isla Bonita

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

Bedtime Story

Ray of Light

Bitch I’m Madonna

©2024 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit star-telegram.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Madonna & More Women Set to Dominate Touring Charts This Summer

With the midyear rankings commanded by British men, some of pop's most iconic female artists look toward huge Boxscore figures for the rest of the year.

By Eric Frankenberg

Eric Frankenberg

Although British men have posted the top touring numbers so far in 2023, American women appear likely to dominate the rest of the year.

Billboard ’s midyear Boxscore charts have been published, with Harry Styles ’ Love on Tour as the highest-grossing and best-selling concert run of the ’23 tracking period so far. He ever-so-narrowly outpaced Elton John on the Top Tours chart, defeating him by 0.3%. Similarly spaced, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran follow with the third and fourth-highest-grossing tours, the former beating the latter by just 1%.

Harry Styles Edges Out Elton John & Coldplay to Dominate Midyear Boxscore Charts

Those four artists rank among the top five on Top Ticket Sales, as they did on both year-end rankings for 2022, securing an extended near-monopoly atop the Boxscore charts for British male acts in the post-pandemic era. Beyond the confines of the United Kingdom, no women-identifying artists crack the top 10 of either midyear chart, while Dua Lipa was the only woman-identifying artist to crack 2022’s year-end attendance tally at No. 9.

But as the spring rolls into summer and the bigger picture of 2023’s year in touring comes into focus, a slew of the biggest names in pop — many of them women — will be filling stadiums and arenas and likely shaking up the year-end Boxscore charts.

Midyear Boxscore charts are based on figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Eligible shows played between Nov. 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023.

While the stadium circuit has historically been dominated by white male rock bands, solo pop artists have been increasingly chipping away at that precedent. In 2000, Tina Turner became the first Black artist and the first female artist to crown Billboard ’s year-end Top Tours chart.

Among women, Madonna followed, hitting No. 1 on the Top Tours chart in 2004 and again in 2012. The queen of pop is back on stage this year, properly touring the world for the first time since 2016 (the Madame X Tour played extended residencies at a small swath of North American and European theaters in 2019-20).

The next (and only other) women to follow atop the year-end rankings were Taylor Swift in 2015 and Beyoncé in 2016, staging back-to-back wins for contemporary pop acts in competition with all-time leaders like Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band , The Rolling Stones and U2 .

Rock Still Rules Touring, But Latin Is Gaining Fast

Like Madonna, Swift and Beyoncé are back this year, maintaining the stadium status they assumed in the mid-2010s. All three are expected to post nine-figure grosses, with Swift and Beyoncé likely soaring to personal highs beyond $300 million.

Only four other women have ever placed in the year-end Top Tours’ top three, two of whom are also touring this year. Four years after finishing at No. 2 on Top Tours, P!nk scales to North American stadiums for the first time, headlining the Summer Carnival Tour. And 20 years after ranking No. 3 in 2003, Shania Twain launched the Queen of Me Tour, mixing arenas and amphitheaters in the U.S., Canada and Europe. (Another previous year-end top-three earner, Celine Dion , was scheduled to tour this year but canceled for health reasons. The other, Cher , is off-cycle.)

Further, Janet Jackson began the party early, narrowly missing the top 10 on April’s Top Tours recap after kicking off the Together Again Tour midway through that month. With a full schedule in May and June, Jackson will add to an initial $11.8 million take, quickly rising to the top of the year’s R&B/hip-hop slate of tours amid expanding totals for Lizzo and SZA , all passing (male) midyear leaders New Edition and Chris Brown .

Beyond this slate of women with decades-deep chart histories, the stadium concert business continues to expand beyond not only classic rock, but outward from the center of mainstream English-language pop, making Swift look more like Paul McCartney . BLACKPINK and Karol G will play their first North American stadiums later this summer, each evolving from arena tours last fall and helping to break further ground for all acts in K-Pop and Latin music, respectively.

Last year, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish plotted extensive arena tours, while Lady Gaga left Las Vegas for a relatively brief stadium run. But overall, it was relatively dry for women on the big stage. In contrast, 2023 sees the post-pandemic return of some of the biggest female touring acts of all time. One part coincidence of timing and another part natural evolution for more genre-diverse artists scaling their touring business, Swift, Beyoncé, and many more will balance the gender scale on Billboard ’s forthcoming Boxscore charts throughout the rest of 2023.

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