madonna tour 2022

Madonna Unveils Ultimate Greatest Hits Show ‘The Celebration Tour’

By Larisha Paul

Larisha Paul

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Truth or dare? ? Madonna has rarely ever been one to shy away from the latter. In an announcement video that nods to her documentary of the same title, a slate of special guests prompts her with a challenge: “I dare you to do a world tour and play your greatest motherfucking hits.”

Madonna: the Celebration tour will span 40 years of the singer’s career, bringing her greatest hits to 35 cities across North America and Europe. “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna shared in a statement.

On Thursday, she added an additional 13 dates due to “overwhelming demanded.”

General sale for the Celebration tour begins Friday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m. local time. More information is available via the official Madonna website .

Bob the Drag Queen – who appears in the announcement video alongside Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob The Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, and Eric Andre – will join as support across the entire tour.

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This story was updated on Jan. 19 at 5:15 pm ET to include Madonna’s additional tour dates in bold .

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Madonna announces The Celebration global world tour to mark 40th anniversary

The Celebration tour will mark four decades of Madonna's greatest hits, starting with her self-titled debut album, and will include a date at London's O2 Arena. The star revealed the news with a video announcement - featuring cameos from several other well-known stars.

By Gemma Peplow, arts and entertainment reporter

Tuesday 17 January 2023 16:56, UK

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Madonna has announced a major world tour marking her 40th anniversary, including a show at London's O2 Arena.

The announcement comes after weeks of speculation the Queen of Pop had been planning something big to celebrate her career since the release of her self-titled debut album, which launched her on the path to stardom with hits including Holiday, Lucky Star and Borderline.

Writing on Instagram - after previously clearing her page to make way for the news - Madonna simply said: "Come join the party!" In a statement sent to Sky News, she said: "I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for."

The Celebration tour will feature the 64-year-old artist's four decades of greatest hits, starting in Vancouver, Canada, on 15 July. The star will play gigs across Canada and the US between July and October, before launching the European leg at the O2 on 14 October.

She will follow this with shows in cities including Barcelona, Paris and Berlin, finishing in Amsterdam on 1 December - taking in 35 cities in total.

Tickets will likely sell out quickly, so it is possible there could be an announcement of further shows to come.

As the tour was revealed on big screens featuring clips from her back-catalogue in London, Madonna also released a video featuring stars including Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne and Bob The Drag Queen, culminating with Amy Schumer daring the star to take on the tour of her career so far.

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Madonna is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in the world, holding numerous records in the US and UK - with 13 number one singles in the UK she has more than any other female artist, as well as 12 number one albums.

In 2022, she became the first woman to chart in the US Billboard top 10 in every decade since the 1980s.

Her last tour was the smaller Madame X tour in 2019 and 2020, which saw the star performing at more intimate theatre venues. However, the shows were delayed due to the singer suffering knee and hip problems, and some were cancelled due to the pandemic. This time round, she will be on stage at major arenas, including Madison Square Garden in New York.

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'She needs no introduction'

Over the years, Madonna has been known for continuously reinventing her music and her image, with hits including Like A Virgin, Into The Groove, Papa Don't Preach and Like A Prayer in the 1980s; Vogue, Justify My Love, Erotica and Frozen in the 1990s; and Music, Hung Up, Sorry, and collaborations with Britney Spears (Me Against The Music) and Justin Timberlake (4 Minutes) in the 2000s.

Her first greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection, released in 1990, is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with reported sales of around 30 million. Overall, she is reported to have sold up to 300 million records worldwide.

A multi-Grammy, Brit and Ivor Novello winning performer, she was also inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility, for which she was described in her introduction as "the record-setting, line-crossing, sexuality-flaunting, ever-evolving Material Girl".

It continued: "Madonna is an icon. With her larger than life persona and penchant for provocation, she needs no introduction."

As well as her music, the star is almost as famous for pushing boundaries with fashion and her choices of controversial and even explicit outfits over the decades.

In the early days of her career, she pioneered the "underwear as outerwear" trend by wearing a corset bodysuit with conical bra cups, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and in 1992 published Sex, a book of erotic photographs.

In 2016, she attended the Met Gala in a bondage-inspired Givenchy outfit featuring leather, lace, thigh-high boots, a thong and nipple pasties; in 2021, she hit out at Instagram for taking down provocative photographs in which her nipple was exposed.

Read more from Sky News Entertainment: Taylor Swift: The Ticketmaster tour chaos explained Blur announce reunion for one-off Wembley gig Peter Kay announces first stand-up tour in 12 years

In 2022, the singer revisited a number of tracks which made her an international star, including a new take on her 1998 classic Frozen, which she recorded with Canadian musician Sickick, and a remix of her dance hit Hung Up with Dominican rapper Tokischa.

It followed a reformed partnership with her previous long-time record label Warner Music Group, which produced her debut single in 1982.

Tickets for Madonna: The Celebration tour will go on sale on Friday.

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Madonna announces Celebration global tour: What to know

It's official: Madonna's hitting the road.

The Celebration Tour, kicking off July 15 in Vancouver, was announced Tuesday morning with a video featuring a star-studded guest list.

The NSFW video features Madonna playing Truth or Dare with an eclectic lineup of celebs, including Jack Black, Judd Apatow, Lil Wayne, Meg Stalter, Eric Andre, Bob The Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Amy Schumer and more.

It ends with Schumer daring Madonna to go on a world tour and perform all her biggest hits.

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After singing a few bars of "La Isla Bonita" along with Schumer, Madonna says, "F--- yeah!" and announces, "80s, 90s, 2000s, four decades of music avec moi -- MLVC -- welcome to the party, b****es!"

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The phrase in part translates to "with me, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone," in case you're not familiar with French, or with the Queen of Pop's birth name.

The 35-city world tour starts in North America before hitting Europe, wrapping up in Amsterdam on Dec. 1.

"I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for," Madonna said in a statement.

A one-of-a-kind experience with special guest Bob the Drag Queen will be featured on each date.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. local time, depending on the city. Presales for Citi cardmembers start Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. local time for the shows going on sale Jan. 20, and Jan. 24 for the shows going on sale Jan. 27.

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A presale for members of Madonna's Official Fan Club starts Tuesday at noon ET for the North American shows, and 9 a.m. GMT on Jan. 18 for the U.K. and European shows. Visit Madonna.com for all the details and ticket information.

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Madonna tour dates 2024

Madonna is currently touring across 3 countries and has 8 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at Moody Center ATX in Austin, after that they'll be at Moody Center ATX again in Austin.

Currently touring across

Upcoming concerts (8) See nearest concert

Moody Center ATX

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Recent tour reviews

I have been seeing Madonna concerts for many years and she always puts on a great show ! She is an excellent performer. The Madame X show was very close and personal. She played mostly from her new album with some old favorite hits. Due to injuries and her age, she does not move around and dance like in previous shows. She also looked unexpressional due to work on her face.

Start time was 10:30 and she came on a little after 11. There was a Portuguese band beforehand playing some of her songs which was very nice.

Overall, a good show. She had her daughter with her on stage which was a sweet touch. Madonna as always was outspoken about the President and current politics which is her freedom of speech. However, I did not go to hear political views, but to see her perform her music.

She always has a god message to inspire others to make a difference in the world. I love how she stands up for women and gay rights. I love Madonna and always will !

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It was my very first Madonna concert. I paid my most expensive ticket fees, 2!week salary, to get a Mezzanine section in my he Wiltern theater, Los Angeles (LA) when the tour was first announced, 6 months mabe.About the his venue, no AIr Condition for entire night outside or inside the theater. No comments no apologies from the facility. It might be always under this condition or just one night, I am not sure. About the production, nothing special, small stage, recycled props and pretty much the same dance moves. Madonna has a beautiful voice as ever but this show very disappointed me per all of my expectations. I recently attended Lady Gaga and Pinks (2 times), Aerosmith (2times). I would rate these shows 10 times better than Madonna in LA. To true fans who don’t make much money it is better to skip this show to retain a better memory about Madonna shows of old time.

I ran out of air the breath inside the theater so I left toward the end of the show when the stage turned totally dark. I could said the the show affected me negatively financially and emotionally. Thank you for reading.

AMAZING!!! Love that she engages a lot with the audience. The track list was fantastic...the small theater experience was hard to adjust at first because I’m so used to her large stadium/arena productions, but it all changed when she started talking and explaining her reason for this production. I had many favorite moments for example, Vogue was fun, no remix just the original song performed, the Batuka ladies where fantastic, Frozen was so beautifully done, her Fado club was section was cool. Everything about this theater experience was great...I can’t wait to see it again in Vegas next weekend. I highly recommend it!

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Madonna The Celebration Tour setlist: All 28 songs played by Queen of Pop revealed

16 October 2023, 11:04

By Tom Eames

What songs does Madonna perform on The Celebration Tour? Here's the official setlist and every song included in the epic live show.

Listen to this article

Madonna is back on the road with her Celebration Tour , a retrospective of her four-decade-long career in music.

The pop icon kicked off the tour on October 14 at London's O2 Arena, the first of six sold-out shows at the venue. Fans were treated to a dazzling spectacle of songs, costumes, dancers, and special guests.

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But what songs did Madonna perform on the opening night of her tour? Here's a rundown of the setlist so far, though there's always a chance it may change throughout the tour.

The setlist featured over 25 songs, spanning Madonna's entire discography from her 1983 debut album to her latest release Madame X .

Warning: Spoilers below!

Madonna Carpool Karaoke

This is the full 28 song Celebration Tour setlist, in order, based on shows in London:

- Intro skit with Bob the Drag Queen, including elements of 'Lucky Star', 'Celebration' and 'Material Girl'

1. Nothing Really Matters 2. Everybody (contains elements of 'Where's the Party') 3. Into the Groove 4. Burning Up 5. Open Your Heart (contains elements of 'Live to Tell') 6. Holiday

- 'The Storm' interlude (contains elements of 'In This Life')

7. Live to Tell

- 'The Ritual' interlude (contains elements of 'Girl Gone Wild')

8. Like a Prayer (contains elements of 'Girl Gone Wild', 'Act of Contrition' and 'Unholy' by Sam Smith )

- The Sacrifice/Erotic interlude (contains elements of 'Living for Love', 'Erotica', 'Justify My Love' and 'Fever'

9. Erotica (contains elements of 'Papa Don't Preach') 10. Justify My Love / Fever 11. Hung Up 12. Bad Girl

- Ballroom interlude (contains elements of 'Up Down Suite', 'Vogue' and 'Break My Soul')

13. Vogue 14. Human Nature 15. Crazy for You

- The Beast Within interlude

16. Die Another Day 17. Don't Tell Me 18. Mother and Father 19. Little Star 20. I Will Survive (cover) 21. La Isla Bonita 22. Don't Cry for Me Argentina

- Madonna interlude (contains elements 'I Don't Search I Find')

23. Bedtime Story 24. Ray of Light 25. Rain

26. Like a Virgin (contains Michael Jackson tribute including 'Billie Jean') 27. Bitch I'm Madonna / Give Me All Your Luvin' 28. Celebration / Music

Madonna’s The Celebration Tour is set to continue until April 2024, visiting various cities in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia.

Fans can expect some changes in the setlist as Madonna likes to surprise her audience with different songs and guests.

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Madonna’s Celebration Tour Proves the Material Girl is Still the Reigning Queen of Pop Music: Concert Review

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Four songs into Madonna ’s long-awaited Celebration Tour and a technical hitch gives her a chance to chat for a little longer than was probably planned.

She tells the crowd of her early days being “hungry, broke and scared” in New York, with a lack of support from her father, who wanted her to come back home. 

“But I was not about to go back,” she declares. “Because I am not a quitter!” 

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But not Madonna. After postponing the scheduled first leg, the tour finds itself starting – a mere 20 minutes late – at London’s O2 Arena, the very venue where, in 2015, she famously fell down the stairs after a cape malfunction at the BRIT Awards.

Those of us who were close enough to hear the thud as she hit the floor like a pole-axed prize fighter that night were amazed when she simply got back to her feet and got on with the show. And tonight, she metaphorically climbs off the canvas of that hospital stay to reclaim her pop heavyweight crown, a metaphor helpfully supported by the elaborate boxing set-up utilized during the lead-up to the show’s second act.

There are few signs that Madonna was fazed by the fraught run-up, let alone the lengthy “reset” required after her punky rip through “Burning Up.” She may sigh, “This is exactly what you don’t want to happen on your opening night,” but she simply gets her hype man Bob the Drag Queen up to tell jokes, while reminiscing about the days when she would trade “blowjobs for showers” in ‘80s NYC.

And for once, Madonna – whose relentless commitment to the present and future of her music had always previously prevented her from playing the fantasy setlist her catalog seemed to be crying out for – is here to celebrate her four decades at the top with almost every song a fan – whether casual or obsessive – could dream of.

Furthermore, tonight she lays claim not just to her own history, but also to her influence on music and the wider world over the last 40 years. Not for nothing did the set start with “Nothing Really Matters” and its refrain of, “It all comes back to me”.

There are nods to her activism – including a passionate plea for peace between Israel and Palestine and tributes to those we have lost to AIDS – and her trailblazing, via a montage of negative news headlines and video footage from across her career. It’s a timely reminder that, in an age where anyone with a million streams that gets a new haircut can be hailed as “iconic,” Madonna really has achieved that status, over and over.

There are snippets of other people’s music throughout – a snatch of Sam Smith’s “Unholy” here or Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” there, plus a surprisingly poignant acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. Some of her children make on-stage cameos, and even her ex-husbands appear briefly on screen. There are tributes to Sinead O’Connor and, more controversially, Michael Jackson, via a dubious mash-up of “Billie Jean” with “Like a Virgin”.

But mostly, it’s about Madonna and her songs. Taylor Swift has undoubtedly crystalized the concept of musical ‘eras’ in the public consciousness, but Madonna is no slouch when it comes to giving each phase of her career a distinct look and sound.

And tonight, she flits seamlessly between different stages of her life, sometimes via a costume change, sometimes by climbing into an illuminated portal that sees her fly over the crowd on her way to another time and place.

From the joyous early ‘80s dance-pop of “Get Into the Groove” and “Holiday”; to big ballads such as “Live to Tell” and “Bad Girl”; to the raunch of “Erotica” (in which Madge gets to saucily, um, interact with her younger self via a lookalike in the iconic “Blonde Ambition” get-up) and “Justify My Love”; to the sheer, irresistible pizazz of “Vogue,” “Don’t Tell Me,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Ray of Light,” “Hung Up,” “Like a Prayer” and so many others; this show is proof that there is no such thing as too much Madonna.

True, the lack of a live band occasionally makes things lack a little punch (most notably on a glitchy “Die Another Day”). But overall, tonight shows that while – just like 40 years ago – Madonna still doesn’t know how to quit, boy has she learned how to come back.

But thankfully, she did and, by the end, all the different iterations of Madonna from across the decades are on stage, the lookalikes hugging each other with delight during “Bitch, I’m Madonna,” while the real deal stays center stage and supremely focused.

Still dancing, still singing, still the one and only Madonna.  

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Madonna's career-spanning "Celebrations" tour is much more than just a prayer

Madonna just announced she'll be taking audiences there on a global, 35-city run honoring her four-decade musical career.

Only seventeen days in, 2023 has already proven itself to be a remarkable year for mothering of the pop star variety. In the same year that Rihanna tackles the Super Bowl , Janet Jackson returns to the stage , Taylor Swift brings about a congressional investigation into Ticketmaster, and Beyoncé (hopefully) tours for Renaissance , Madonna has announced her “Celebrations” greatest hits tour, honoring the 40th anniversary of her debut album.

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“I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna shares in a statement with Page Six .

The global, 35-city tour kicks off on July 15 in Vancouver, British Columbia— Madonna will then journey around the U.S. before jetting off to Europe for fall dates. Public sale for the first round of dates (including shows in Chicago, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles) kicks off January 20th at 10 A.M. local time, followed by another sale on January 27.

In a star-studded tour announcement video featuring Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Eric Andre, Judd Apatow, Larry Owens, and more, Madonna plays a raucous game of truth or dare over dinner. Diplo takes his penis out while Meg Stalter looks on in shock. Kate Berlant reveals she’d like to have 16 hours of sex with Madonna followed by a spaghetti dinner. Bob the Drag Queen demonstrates fellatio on a bottle.

Finally, the most audacious dare of all arrives: Schumer dares Madonna to go on a four-decade greatest hits tour. S he has no choice but to agree (and kick off a group dance to “Vogue” in the process). In her own words: “Welcome to the party, bitches.”

Madonna hasn’t toured since 2019, when she traveled in support of her most recent studio album,   Madame X. Like her enduring hits, Madonna’s live shows have eked out a well-deserved place in history— her 2008-2009 “Sticky & Sweet Tour” still stands as the highest-grossing tour by a female artist, ever.

Although the announcement of “Celebrations” doesn’t arrive with guaranteed new music, Madonna’s management Warner Music Group has promised to release several projects over the next few years that will “revisit the groundbreaking music that made her an international icon.” In August 2022, they kicked off the slate with the remix album Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones .

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Every Madonna Tour, Ranked

Looking back on the Queen of Pop's groundbreaking concerts over the years.

By Sal Cinquemani

Sal Cinquemani

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In 1974, at the age of 15, Madonna snuck out of her father’s house in suburban Detroit to attend David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs Tour. She was summarily grounded for the summer, but the punishment was worth it. “I don’t think that I breathed for two hours. It was the most amazing show that I’d ever seen,” Madonna said during a speech inducting the Thin White Duke into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Madonna’s first two tours, 1985’s Virgin Tour and 1987’s Who’s That Girl World Tour, served as experiment labs for the burgeoning superstar. In 1990, her Blond Ambition World Tour revolutionized the pop concert. Drawing inspiration from Bowie’s theatricality, Prince’s cheeky flamboyance and Michael Jackson’s stage command, she offered audiences an immersive experience that went beyond conventional live performance.

Each of Madonna’s subsequent tours have pushed the boundaries even further, embracing technology for multimedia (and multi-sensory) presentations of her music. On the heels of her own induction into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2008, the singer’s Sticky & Sweet Tour became the highest grossing tour for a female artist in history – a record she held until 2023, when it was finally eclipsed by Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Madonna could have hung up her corset long ago and she would still be one of the most successful live acts of all time. But she continues to push herself – and us. Her latest trek, the career-spanning Celebration Tour, will wrap up with a historic free show at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4. The concert will be broadcast live on TV Globo and will likely see Madonna performing for her biggest audience to date – more than 40 years into her career.

To get in on the celebration, we’ve ranked all 12 of Madonna’s boundary-busting tours.

The Virgin Tour (1985)

Madonna’s very first tour was propelled, like most things related to the queen, almost entirely on the strength of her sheer force of will — and, of course, her raw talent. A magnetic and skilled performer (that toss and catch of the tambourine!), Madonna sprinted through a relatively short setlist culled largely from her first two albums, dancing and belting out hits like “Into the Groove” and “Burning Up” like her rent was due yesterday. But she didn’t need to worry about paying the bills for long: When the tour kicked off in April 1985, she was playing modest theaters; two months later, she was performing to a sold-out crowd of Madonna wannabes at Madison Square Garden.

Who’s That Girl World Tour (1987)

Compared to the Virgin Tour just two years earlier, Madonna stepped up the production values, choreography and theatricality for her first world (and stadium) tour. Dramatic performances of “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Live to Tell” and her then-most recent No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Who’s That Girl,” hinted at what was to come on future tours in terms of spectacle and ambition. Though it was only her second tour, Who’s That Girl would become the last of Madonna’s shows to resemble a conventional pop-rock concert.

Re-Invention World Tour (2004)

Coming off of the commercial disappointment of her 2003 album American Life , Madonna returned to the place she’s always thrived: the stage. The Re-Invention Tour was nothing she hadn’t done before or wouldn’t do better in the future, but — for the first time in years — she was embracing her past, performing rocked-out renditions of early hits “Burning Up” and “Material Girl” with electric guitar in hand, and even reinventing a few fan favorites like “Hanky Panky” and “Deeper and Deeper.” As for the queen herself, she was in top form both vocally and physically.

Madame X Tour (2019-2020)

Part jukebox musical, part avant-garde performance art and part standup special, the Madame X Tour revolved around a James Baldwin quote… and a typewriter. Yes, Madame X is a stenographer. The tour took place in theaters and opera houses instead of the usual arenas, offering a more intimate and interactive experience. Highlights included a jazzy version of “Human Nature,” a neo-noir restaging of “Vogue” and a crowd sing-along to the resistance anthem “I Rise.”

Rebel Heart Tour (2015-2016)

A blend of Cirque du Soleil, Broadway and burlesque, the Rebel Heart Tour saw dancers swinging on 10-foot stilts, dressed as nuns on stripper poles and sliding down giant LED screens. As for Madonna, she seemed more at ease on stage than ever, playing the coy chanteuse a la Blond Ambition and strumming the ukulele to “True Blue” – the first time she’d performed the song in nearly three decades. In fact, Rebel Heart was heavier on the hits than any tour since Re-Invention, including a Latin-infused medley of classics “Dress You Up,” “Into the Groove” and “Lucky Star,” as well as a modern twist on “Material Girl.”

Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008-2009)

After a first act that didn’t quite live up to the lofty standards Madonna had previously set, the Sticky & Sweet Tour eventually hit its stride. The ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Rave’ segments in particular – including an electrifying rendition of “La Isla Bonita” featuring Ukrainian group Kolpakov Trio and a heavy metal version of “Hung Up,” which ended with Madonna shredding her guitar to Pantera’s “A New Level” – were as exhilarating as any of her previous tours’ best moments.

The Celebration Tour (2023-2024)

Madonna’s latest tour is the sight and sound of a legend fully embracing her legacy. With no new album to promote, the setlist is packed with so many iconic songs – including a handful she’s never performed on tour before, such as “Bedtime Story” and “Bad Girl” – that more than a dozen of her 28 top 5 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 had to be omitted. A musical recounting of the Queen of Pop’s life and career, the Celebration Tour touches on her rise to fame in New York, the AIDS crisis (via a stirring rendition of “Live to Tell”), the media backlash she suffered in the early ‘90s and her spiritual rebirth, in which she rises like an AI phoenix on a glowing cube and — quicker than a ray of light — soars above the crowd. Masterful.

Drowned World Tour (2001)

Pioneered by bands like U2, live concerts had moved closer to multimedia presentations in the years since The Girlie Show in 1993, and Madonna fully embraced the artistic potential that new technology allowed. For her first tour in eight years, Madonna pulled out all of the stops: smoke machines, acrobatic stunts, line-dancing, even Japanese anime. And with only a handful of older songs making the cut – including tour staples “Holiday” and “Human Nature” – she proved she was still laser-focused on the present… and the future.

The MDNA Tour (2012)

Coming on the heels of Madonna’s iconic halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVI, the maximalist MDNA Tour was one of her most ambitious, employing elaborate stage combat, slacklining, Tetris-style cubes that rose 16 feet above the stage and a backdrop of eight rotating video screens. It was also one of her most intense shows. At 54, Madonna was in peak form, performing intricate choreography in spiked stilettos nonstop for two hours straight. The only chance she had to take a breath was during a surprisingly poignant piano version of “Like a Virgin” … after which the air was literally squeezed from her lungs by a corset being tightened around her. 

The Girlie Show (1993)

Inspired by cabaret and classic Hollywood musicals, The Girlie Show was a visual tour-de-force. The second act, dubbed ‘Studio 54,’ rivaled the ‘Religious’ segment from Blond Ambition for sheer catharsis, with the freedom of the orgiastic disco era (“Deeper and Deeper”) juxtaposed with the subsequent AIDS crisis (“In This Life”), as well as a captivating fever dream of choreography set to a remix of “Justify My Love.” Madonna was in fine voice throughout, growling her way through “Express Yourself” and harmonizing beautifully on “Rain.” She’s never had a better live band, either — and even mused about collaborating with them on an album, though it sadly never materialized.

Blond Ambition World Tour (1990)

With its elaborate costumes (courtesy of French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier), Broadway-style sets (designed by Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone) and quasi-narrative arc, the Blond Ambition Tour is the blueprint – the mother of the modern pop concert. The show infamously found Madonna exorcising herself of the guilt of her Catholic upbringing. The ‘Religious’ segment, which began with the singer simulating masturbation and ended with her facing the judgment of the male authority figures in her life (her father, the Pope, God), is among the most audaciously conceived and impeccably executed moments of stagecraft in touring history.

Confessions Tour (2006)

The Confessions Tour snags the top spot on our list for two reasons. First, it served as a culmination of everything Madonna had learned from Blond Ambition through Re-Invention, combining spectacle, drama and good ol’ fashioned performance mojo. Like its namesake, 2005’s Grammy-winning Confessions on a Dance Floor , the show struck a deft balance between dance-party hedonism and intimate introspection. Madonna’s 2000 Hot 100 chart-topper “Music” was transformed into a roller-disco fantasia, while a haunting rendition of “Live to Tell” saw the veteran provocateur suspended from a giant disco-fied cross in order to shine a light on the plight of AIDS in Africa.

Most importantly, Confessions was Madonna’s most cohesive and consistently thrilling show to date. Musical director Stuart Price skillfully arranged and remixed early hits like “Erotica” and “Like a Virgin” to fit the Eurodisco aesthetic of Confessions . Plus, each act of the show was a visual and aural smorgasbord, from the opening equestrian segment, which found Madonna emerging from a giant glitter ball and commanding a stripper-poll-cum-carousel-horse, to the extended finale, which mashed up “Lucky Star” and “Hung Up” into a nearly 15-minute explosion of ear and eye candy.

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Madonna Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

• Madonna ( “Queen of Pop” )
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The Celebration Tour

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• May 04 2024 Praia de Copacabana Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Add time  –  Scheduled: 9:45 PM Add time Add times 9:45 PM

Madonna at Moody Center, Austin, TX, USA

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Madonna at Kaseya Center, Miami, FL, USA

• It's a Celebration
• Nothing Really Matters
• Into the Groove
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• Like a Prayer
• Living for Love

Madonna at Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL, USA

Madonna at state farm arena, atlanta, ga, usa, madonna at toyota center, houston, tx, usa, madonna at american airlines center, dallas, tx, usa.

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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 tearfully honors Pulse nightclub shooting victims during Miami concert: 'This s--- is not supposed to happen'

“Don’t forget about it.”

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at  Entertainment Weekly  with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News,  Teen Vogue , Bustle, BuzzFeed,  Paper Magazine , Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

Madonna became visibly emotional as she paid tribute to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting during her Miami concert on Tuesday.

The pop superstar, who embarked on her Celebration tour last year, spoke passionately about the tragedy that killed 49 people and left 53 injured in front of a sold-out crowd at the Kaseya Center that included survivors, their families, and the loved ones of those who died in the mass shooting at the Orlando gay nightclub seven years ago.

"I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together. They shouldn’t be places or things that we do that bring us sadness and tragedy and murder and death and pain and suffering and trauma,” Madonna said in footage from the event obtained by local outlet WKMG News 6 . “But, unfortunately, human beings are still stuck in some kind of a rut.”

Kevin Mazur/WireImage 

The Material Girl said that she would “always stand for the gays” because “the gays have always stood for me” and described the shooting as "the biggest terrorist attack after 9/11." She then became choked up as she revealed that she’d invited some of the survivors of the tragic event to the concert that evening.

"I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, to make people dance, to make people happy, to not judge,” she said. “This s--- is not supposed to happen. Don’t forget about it.”

Madonna went on to spotlight a collection of survivors and share how the shooting has personally affected their lives, noting that they'd lost friends, sustained gunshot wounds, and suffered from mental health struggles.

"When are we gonna learn? That's a rhetorical question, but I'm telling you, we all take part in this — you know why? Because we all judge each other," she said. "We think we’re so elevated. We think we’ve seen it all. We've done it all, but even I speak evil tongue about people. Even I judge."

The “Vogue” singer began to cry as she repeatedly asked the crowd to turn on their phone’s flashlight and raise it into the air. 

"Light up this room, so we are all reminded that their lives were not taken in vain,” she said. “And that we are reminded that every one of us has the ability to shine our own light on each other and share it with the world, share it with our friends, share it with our families, share it with our loved ones, share it with the people we don’t understand, share it with the people we think are our enemies because at the end of the day, we don’t have any f---ing enemies!”

“We are our own enemies. Please remember that,” Madonna concluded, before she began to play an acoustic rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 single, “I Will Survive.”

As part of her Celebration tour, Madonna honors several stars that have been lost in a series of photo montages each night. That includes during her moving performance of “Live to Tell,” which pays tribute to those who have died from AIDS and features portraits of Freddie Mercury, Herb Ritts, Keith Haring, and more. 

Watch Madonna's speech above.

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Related content:

• Madonna dancer shoves football at David Harbour's crotch as pop icon reunites with her  W.E . star on tour
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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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Madonna Cries While Honoring Pulse Nightclub Shooting Victims at Miami Show: 'Worst Terror Attack Since 9/11'

The Queen of Pop invited survivors of the 2016 mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub and their families to her concert on April 9

Matthew Rettenmund / SplashNews

Madonna has long used her platform to uplift the LGBTQ+ community, and at her latest concert, she paid tribute to the victims of the horrific 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

The Queen of Pop invited survivors and loved ones of those killed in the June 2016 shooting to the Miami tour stop of her Celebration Tour at the Kaseya Center on Tuesday, April 9. During the show, the Material Girl, 65, spoke passionately about those affected by the tragedy, which killed 49 innocent people .

"I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together. They shouldn’t be places or things that we do that bring us sadness and tragedy and murder and death and pain and suffering and trauma. But unfortunately human beings are still stuck in some kind of a rut," said Madonna.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage 

"I will always stand for the gays, always, because the gays have always stood for me," she told the crowd, describing the tragic event as "the worst terror attack since 9/11."

As Madonna addressed the survivors and their families, she began to get choked up and admitted to feeling "emotional" about the moment. "I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, to make people dance, to make people happy, to not judge. This s--- is not supposed to happen. Don’t forget about it," she said.

The "Music" singer then shouted out several survivors and highlighted the shooting's impact on their lives, including lost friends, gunshot injuries and mental health struggles.

"When are we gonna learn? That's a rhetorical question, but I'm telling you we all take part in this — you know why? Because we all judge each other," she continued. "We think we’re so elevated, we think we’ve seen it all, we've done it all, but even I speak evil to other people. Even I judge."

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Madonna added, "We’re all guilty of discrimination in one way or another, therefore we are, on a global level, contributing to these crimes of hate. Therefore, I ask you all to remember your responsibility, and I ask you all to remember you have the ability to shine light in the world and to make a difference."

After she was handed a guitar, the Grammy winner began to cry, as she asked the audience to turn on their phone flashlights.

"Light up this room, so we are all reminded that their lives were not taken in vain, and that we are reminded that every one of us has the ability to shine our own light on each other and share it with the world, share it with our friends, share it with our families, share it with our loved ones, share it with the people we don’t understand, share it with the people we think are our enemies because at the end of the day, we don’t have any f---ing enemies! We are our own enemies. Please remember that," concluded Madonna.

Following the speech, she performed an emotional acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."

Throughout The Celebration Tour, Madge has integrated the show with touching tributes — from montages that reflect on those she's lost within her own family, like her mother , to musicians who have died.

During her performance of the 1986 classic "Live to Tell," she specifically takes a moment to reflect upon on people like Keith Haring, Freddie Mercury and many others who died from AIDS.

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

While the show thoughtfully addresses various tragedies, it is also as much a celebration of the queer community who have uplifted Madonna's career and inspired her over the years, as it is a career retrospective.

The "Hung Up" singer launched her Celebration Tour to acclaim last October at London's O2 Arena. The show, which features a two-hour set, marked the hitmaker's return to the stage following  her hospitalization in summer 2023  due to a  serious bacterial infection .

Since setting out on the tour, the music legend has garnered attention for the show's spectacle and various surprises. During the "Vogue" portion of the set, she's brought out a myriad of special guests, including FKA Twigs , Kylie Minogue , Pamela Anderson and Julia Garner and Julia Fox , who were both rumored to appear in her long-awaited biopic, which is currently on pause , among many others.

Madonna kicked off the U.S. leg of her tour in late 2023 with several shows in New York City and Washington D.C. in December. In 2024, she got back out on the road to resume the rest of the North American dates, which continue in the States until April 15 before she heads to Mexico City for five shows at the end of the month.

Next month on May 4, the "Like a Prayer" singer will officially say farewell to The Celebration Tour with a massive send-off show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . She'll be concluding the tour with a historic, free concert at Copacabana Beach at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel.

The concert is sponsored by Itaú Apresenta and "will be free of charge as a thank you to her fans for celebration more than four decades of her music over the course of the epic global run of the tour," according to a press release.

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Ricky Martin Goes Viral for Steamy On-Stage Moment at Madonna Concert

Ricky Martin was the special guest at Madonna ‘s latest concert on the Celebration Tour and a video is going viral because he appeared to be aroused on stage.

The 52-year-old Latin music superstar was the guest judge during the “Vogue” segment of Madonna ‘s show on Sunday night (April 7) in Miami, Fla.

Ricky sat on stage next to Madonna while judging the dancers and getting lap dances from some of them.

Keep reading to find out more…

At one point, a tent could be seen in Ricky ‘s pants, with fans convinced that he got aroused in the moment. While he hasn’t addressed the situation, he did share a video on social media.

“Thank you @Madonna my love! Always fun to be invited to the party! 🎉 You all, CAN’T MISS THIS SHOW!” Ricky captioned the clip, which you can see below.

Madonna recently responded to a lawsuit filed by fans because of something that happened at recent concerts.

Thank you @Madonna my love! Always fun to be invited to the party! 🎉 You all, CAN’T MISS THIS SHOW! pic.twitter.com/bVdoV18Qen — Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) April 8, 2024

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Beyoncé's 'cowboy carter' is a portrait of the artist getting joyously weird.

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter has ignited discourse about the place of Black musicians in country music. But it's also evidence of its creator's desire to break genre walls by following her most eccentric impulses. Mason Poole/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter has ignited discourse about the place of Black musicians in country music. But it's also evidence of its creator's desire to break genre walls by following her most eccentric impulses.

This essay first appeared in the NPR Music newsletter. Sign up for early access to articles like this one, Tiny Desk exclusives, listening recommendations and more.

After two months of anticipation, Cowboy Carter has been out in the world for nearly a fortnight, and the discourse is thick as sawdust on a honky-tonk floor. Beyoncé's spangled opus, as lengthy and florid as a Sergio Leone classic — it really could have been called The Good, the Bey and the Ugly -- has generated more think pieces than any pop phenomenon since her friendly rival Taylor's Eras tour.

I've kept track of the coverage of Cowboy Carter and it's, well, something. Actually it's everything, ranging from paeans to (not too many) pans . Not weighing in hasn't been an option for most music writers, who have spilled tons of ink documenting the album's backstory, tracing its references, and examining its work of legacy building. What could I add to the discourse? Well, this: Whether it's considered a champion's walk, an overlong stumble, a powerful political gesture or a highly personal cri de couer — one thing Cowboy Carter is, undeniably even if no one has said it, is weird. And that's a wonderful thing.

Music Features

10 takeaways from beyoncé's new album, 'cowboy carter'.

Album Review

On 'cowboy carter,' beyoncé's country is as broad as the public she serves.

Not that Beyoncé herself would ever admit to her own eccentricity. She's declared herself a diligent student of the genre she sought to revise, and many of the touchstones on this massive grab bag of ballads and bangers check the boxes of cultural intervention. She features Dolly and Willie; shows us her boots, brand-name jeans and whiskey bottle; includes a murder ballad and her perspective on that ultimate country emblem, the American flag. (She sees it as red: blood, Alabama clay, indigenous people.)

Her inclusion of the undersung Black Grand Ole Opry pioneer Linda Martell as a collaborator nods to efforts to rectify historical omissions that have been going on in and around Nashville for years — shoutout to the Black Opry crew, to artist and radio host Rissi Palmer and to Martell's granddaughter, who continues to crowd-fund a documentary that Beyoncé really should just finance.

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But the way she assembles these hardly unique elements is startling. Sidestepping either a conventional foray into country's traditional sounds or a risk-averse pop approach that would just use those elements as window-dressing, she and her dozens of collaborators assemble a cosmic omnibus of reference points while drilling down on her long-standing obsessions. While it's correct to call this album an epic and a strong political statement, it's an idiosyncratic one, more akin to Jim Jarmusch's off-kilter visions of American heritage — especially Mystery Train -- than, say, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon .

It may seem off to identify eccentricity in a project that includes radio-ready Miley Cyrus and Post Malone collabs, and which was quickly endorsed by none other than the Vice President. Yet the first thing I thought of when I sat down to listen to Cowboy Carter was an album from 1967 that's beloved by many rock cognoscenti for its very peculiarness. Van Dyke Parks 's Song Cycle was the first solo album by the noted composer, arranger and producer. It is a shambling, sunnily psychedelic portrait of California living from the perspective of a transplanted white East Coaster with Southern roots. (Parks was born in Mississippi but grew up in Princeton singing in a boys' choir.)

Rich with strings and gorgeous melodies and rife with punnily poetical lines like, "Nowadays a Yankee dread not take his time to wend to sea" in a song about Parks's own experience trying to make it within the L.A. music biz hustle, no less, Song Cycle features Parks's birdlike warble, and by birdlike, I don't mean Beyoncé's operatic forays on new songs like "DAUGHTER" or "FLAMENCO," but Tweety Bird or the Peanuts ' Woodstock. Parks made the unfinished psychedelic masterpiece Smile with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and later worked with 21st-century visionaries Joanna Newsom and Gaby Moreno, among others. But Song Cycle is his strange baby. Though it's a rich work that offers real insight into the melting late 1960s American West Coast dream, Song Cycle is not for everyone. Parks experimented joyfully with song structure, sound effects and lyricism, painting a floating world that requires time and sympathy to comprehend.

Cowboy Carter sounds absolutely nothing like Song Cycle , yet I thought about the latter as I sunk into the non-linear, fragmentary experience of listening to it. I appreciate how Beyoncé sticks to her guns throughout, just as Parks maintained his whimsicality and dreaminess. Stacked harmonies do here what strings do on Song Cycle , lending grandeur to the opening "American Requiem" and tenderness to the ballads "MY ROSE" and "FLAMENCO" (the latter pairs them artfully with Andalusian hand-claps); yet those vocals also set a kind of Broadway stage for the songs, rendering them winsomely surreal. The album's employment of banjo and pedal steel signify country, sure, but they're used in unusual ways, as Parks uses accordion and balalaika. The distortions are highly individualistic, nothing like what current country sounds like. (Exception: that Post Malone duet, "LEVII'S JEANS.") Same with the roots references. The interlude "OH LOUISIANA" speeds up a Chuck Berry vocal to turn that rock and roll founder into helium. On the tour de force Tina Turner tribute "YA YA," Beyoncé begins with a spoken exchange with her background singers that calls back to her campy turn in Austin Powers in Goldmember as well as to Southern rap's most glorious weirdo breakthrough, Outkast's "Hey Ya!" Sure, this is historical work, but it's hardly textbook.

These tracks stand alongside others in a sprawl of concepts, tempos and tones until Cowboy Carter turns into a full-on megamix, its final four tracks returning to the dance party of Renaissance , abruptly concluded with a literal showstopper, the Broadway-ready "AMEN." The album is immersive, but it's a jerky, bucking rodeo ride, not a narrative that lends itself to easy absorption. And through it all Beyoncé bends country and blues tropes — those two genres are inseparable, something Cowboy Carter acknowledges — to the themes she can never abandon: the perils of attempted monogamy, the joy and terror involved in mothering and her own determination to be great, an ambition that she views as a responsibility more than a privilege.

Concept albums can be relatively straightforward, like Willie Nelson's classic Red Headed Stranger , but often they do come out ornate and leaky as their makers dump all of their ideas within the frame. Beyoncé nods sonically to a few that came after Song Cycle . At certain points, Sly and the Family Stone's murky funk on There's a Riot Goin' On comes to mind. Michael Jackson never made a full-on concept album, but that tarnished legend requires mention because Beyoncé's massive ambition rivals his more than anyone's. (Maybe Madonna's; she did make a concept record, Erotica . Or that soundtrack-maker Prince's.)

More recent touchstones include the high-concept forays of Janelle Monaé, whose " Tightrope " seems as much a touchstone for "YA YA" as does Tina Turner's shimmy, and the efforts of two of her collaborators on Cowboy Carter . Raphael Saadiq, who co-produced several tracks, released a similarly massive and emotionally affecting concept album , Jimmy Lee , in 2019. And the Virginia-born multihyphenate Shaboozie, a visionary character whom Beyoncé has apparently recognized as a kindred soul, paid tribute to the landscapes and culture of his native state on his own 2022 disquisition on the same themes as Cowboy Carter . Its title? Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die .

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When I associate Cowboy Carter with these equally adventurous and strange concept albums and the outsiders who made them, I don't mean to reduce the impact of her work or her centrality as an era-defining artist. Instead, I'm trying to free this fun and unfettered music from the burden of predefined significance. Beyoncé has, by her own will as well as her fans's needs, become what Doreen St. Felix calls an "übermatriarch," not only a biological mother but the nurturing, burdened mother of all of her faithful — and of Black America, a role she inherited and claimed from the equally eccentric and more reluctantly ennobled Aretha Franklin. The seriousness of her responsibilities has earned her a lot: millions nearing billions of dollars, a place among heads of state and a fan base that strikes fear in the hearts of naysayers. But for an artist, such success ultimately confines. Only a few have been able to remain playful and light-footed as their public images have hardened into marble.

Two such artists, as it happens, are ones Beyoncé directly takes on in Cowboy Carter : The Beatles, whose members never stopped releasing humorous and even nonsense songs alongside their wedding-and-funeral ballads and politicized anthems; and Dolly Parton, the most agile pop star of all, who's crossed into nearly every category that's interested her with her own birdlike laugh and dimpled smile. Dolly herself has deep and strange predilections: her many songs about dead children, for example, or her way of turning sexuality cartoonish not only as comic relief, but as a weapon. It's her oddball side as well as her musical genius that's allowed her to slip through so many doors.

Beyoncé did not create Cowboy Carter to honor white artists like Parton, but she made a wise decision by invoking her as a partner and a patron saint. In the spoken interlude that precedes Beyoncé's rewrite of her classic "Jolene," Parton refers to Beyoncé's famous line about a white woman's allure for her Black husband, "Becky with the good hair," as "that hussy with the good hair." She drawls out the insult, though, as if she's in the middle of a Hee Haw skit: huzzzzy . It's a goofy, enjoyably destabilizing moment — an eccentric gesture that reminds us that as serious as music can be, it's most powerful when its subversions are also fun.

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CELEBRATION TOUR THIRD AND FINAL MIAMI DATE ANNOUNCED

As Madonna continues her The Celebration Tour across North America, the best-selling female recording artist of all time announced the final added date to the universally praised tour.  Due to overwhelming demand, a third and final show in Miami, FL will now take place on April 9, 2024, at Kaseya Center, bringing the global tour to a massive 80 dates. The world got a first glimpse of the highly anticipated tour this past October when the show launched in London with a record six sold out shows at The O2.  Moving across 13 countries the show has not only received rave reviews from fans and critics but showcases Madonna’s groundbreaking career and ongoing impact on culture. The Celebration Tour continues across North America, making stops in Cleveland, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Austin and more. The upcoming dates also include an incredible 5 nights in Los Angeles at the iconic Kia Forum and 5 nights at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City, wrapping up the tour on April 26, 2024. The Celebration Tour will offer a one-of-a-kind experience with special guest Bob the Drag Queen a.k.a. Caldwell Tidicue across all dates on the global tour. TICKETS: Tickets for the new date will go on sale Friday, February 9 at 10am local time. Visit madonna.com/tour for complete tour and ticket listing. CITI PRESALE: Citi is the official card of Madonna The Celebration Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for the new date beginning today, Tuesday, February 6 at 12pm local time through Thursday, February 8 at 5pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com . LEGACY FAN CLUB PRESALE: Legacy members of Madonna’s Official Fan Club will have a presale opportunity starting today from 11am – Wednesday at 5pm local time. Visit madonna.com for complete tour and ticketing information. VIP: Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, exclusive access to a behind the scenes tour, group photo on-stage, pre-show reception, limited edition lithograph & more. For more information, visit vipnation.com .

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