Madonna kicked off “The Celebration Tour” with the first of four performances at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.
A true retrospective performance, the career-spanning setlist touched on all eras of Madonna’s career and featured numerous songs that hadn’t been performed in decades. The show opened with only the second performance ever of “N0thing Really Matters” from Ray of Light. A few songs later, she dusted off “Live to Tell” from True Blue for the first time since 2006.
Songs like “Justify My Love,” “Bad Girl,” and “Rain” were performed for the first time sine 1993, while “Bedtime Story” was dusted off for the first time since 1995. Other noteworthy performances included “Like A Prayer,” in which she was accompanied by topless dancers, an acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and “Like a Virgin,” which was interpolated elements of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”
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Spanning 78 shows across 15 countries, “The Celebration Tour” is set to run into April 2024, giving Madonna a platform to celebrate her four-decade catalog. Those aren’t the only fun numbers involved in the jaunt, through — according to a press release Madonna’s team shared ahead of opening night, there are a lot of moving pieces that contribute to making a Madonna show happen.
“The Celebration Tour” boasts a crew of 24 onstage performers — including four of Madonna’s children — working across a 4,400 square-foot stage (the largest for any Madonna tour). Joining them in the tour caravan are three physical therapists, a 25-person costume department, and an additional 175 crew members. In tow are 80 tons of equipment, including 40 boxing gloves, three traveling mobile gyms, eight humidifiers for Madonna’s dressing room, and 45 trunks hauling a wardrobe with 17 recreated costumes from the pop pioneer’s archive.
The opening night in London will be followed by three more shows in the city, after which Madonna will embark on a European run. In December, she’ll hop across the pond for a handful of East Coast dates, followed by a full-fledged North American leg beginning in mid-January. Check out the full list of dates, and grab your tickets for her North American dates here (for her international shows, secure your seats here).
“The Celebration Tour” was originally slated to begin this past July, but was postponed after Madonna was hospitalized in the ICU with a bacterial infection in late June. In July, she shared a statement saying that she was focusing on “[her] health and getting stronger.”
Madonna’s “The Celebration Tour” Photo Gallery (Click to Expand)
Madonna’s “The Celebration Tour” Setlist
Act 1
“Nothing Really Matters” (First time since 1999)
“Everybody” (First time since 2012) / with elements of “Where’s the Party”
“Into the Groove” (First time since 2009)
“Burning Up” (First time since 2016)
“Open Your Heart” (First time since 2017) / with elements of “Live to Tell”
“Holiday” (First time since 2016) / with elements of Chic’s “I Want Your Love”
“Live to Tell” (First time since 2006)
“Like a Prayer” / with elements of “Girl Gone Wild”, “Act of Contrition” and Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ “Unholy”
Act II
“Erotica” (First time since 2016) / with elements of “Erotica (Final Demo 2)” and “Papa Don’t Preach”
“Justify My Love” (First time since 1993)
“Fever” (Eddie Cooley cover)
“Hung Up” / with elements of “Hung Up on Tokischa”, Kehlani’s “Gangsta,” and “Fever”
“Bad Girl” (First time since 1993)
“Vogue”
“Human Nature”
“Crazy for You” (First time since 2016)
Act III
“Die Another Day” (First time since 2004)
“Don’t Tell Me” (First time since 2016)
“Mother and Father” (First time since 2004)
“Little Star”
“I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor cover)
“La isla bonita”
“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover)
Act IV
“Bedtime Story” (First time since 1995)
“Ray of Light” (First time since 2017)
“Rain” (First time since 1993)
Act V
Bitch I’m Madonna / with elements of “Give Me All Your Luvin” and “Unapologetic Bitch”
Celebration / with elements of “Music”