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Madonna is highly anticipated ‘Celebration’ tour kicked off on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, the first of 78 shows in 15 countries.
While the Queen of pop With all the pomp and circumstance on stage and many of her biggest hits from her more than 40-year career on her first respective tour, the performance was not without its problems.
The show came to an abrupt halt after the fourth song, her hit Burning Up, when technical problems with the sound arose.
Being the consummate professional, the singer-songwriter took control of the situation and announced that her crew would have to “hit the reset button.”
“This is exactly what you don’t want to happen on your opening night, so this wasn’t planned, I’m sorry,” the pop superstar told fans, according Subway.
Opening number: Madonna, 65, driven by a sound problem during the opening night of The Celebration Tour in London on Saturday
With time to kill, Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone), 65, continued entertaining the audience with stories about her childhood, preventing the show from descending into chaos.
She recalled how difficult life had become when she was in her first band, describing her situation as “broke and hungry and not making any money,” but she was still optimistic and could “see the future.”
In an attempt to prevent the crowd from becoming restless, she enthusiastically asked the thousands of attendees: ‘Am I imagining this? Oh my God, it’s so good to be back in London.’
The Holiday singer added: “I’m quite surprised that I’ve made it this far, and I mean that on so many levels. How did I get to this point? By you. I’m going to take some credit too.’
The Bay City, Michigan native recalled battling anorexia shortly after moving to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance, according to Mirror.
It turns out that money was scarce at that time, so she resorted to finding men who could help with her basic daily needs.
“When I was broke I didn’t have money for a bath or a shower, so I dated men who had a shower and a toilet,” she admitted to her fans. “I would go out with them and if I thought they were cute I would secretly work the chat so you live alone and they say yes.”
As soon as it became clear that the man indeed lived alone, the singer-songwriter would get straight to the point.
Four-Decade Retrospective: During the show’s temporary hiatus, Madonna spoke about her lean years when she was a ‘broken’ dancer after moving to New York City in 1978
The hits: The Queen Of Pop produced many of her biggest hits dating back to her self-titled first studio album Madonna (1983) which included Everybody, Burning Up and Holiday
“Do you have a bathroom and shower?” she continued during the opening night of The Celebration Tour. “And they nodded and looked at me like I was a fool. And I would say: let’s go eat.’
Showing her sense of humor, she added, “Blowjobs for showers! We all have to struggle to make ends meet, right? Do you know what I’m talking about?’
During her stories, Madonna also opened up about her recent health issues that some thought would force the tour to be canceled.
The Material Girl was rushed to an intensive care unit in June with a “severe bacterial infection” after being found unconscious.
“My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my kids,” she revealed on her show. “My second thought was that I didn’t want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour.”
Elaborating on the situation, she continued, “I also didn’t want to let down the people who have worked tirelessly with me over the past few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone.’
Ultimately, The Celebration Tour was postponed, but not canceled.
‘It was a crazy year for me and I didn’t think I would make it. I have forgotten five days of my life,” she told fans from London.
Opening night jitters: The sound issue occurred right after the fourth track, Burning Up, which is taken from her classic self-titled debut album
Open book: Madonna gave a glimpse into what her life was like early in her career
“But the angels protected me and my children were there and my children always saved me, every time. And if you want to know a secret about how I survived, I thought, ‘I have to survive for them. I have to survive for my children.’
After the technical issues were resolved, Madonna made up for the wait by launching into lively versions of her hit Open Your Heart and Holiday.
In addition to telling her personal story of triumph, Madonna also took time to pay tribute to 1980s icons Michael Jackson and Sinéad O’Connor, both of whom have now passed away.
Madonna left the crowd in awe on the evening as she rocked endless outfits, including a plethora of bustiers and negligees.
She also had a video montage of all the disparaging headlines she faced during her rise from homeless dancer to global pop superstar.
‘What a bum!’ was just one of the worst headlines seen during the performance.
There was also a tribute to Palestine and Israel, another storyline that unfortunately goes back to its humble beginnings, and beyond.
The mother of six also incorporated a sweet cameo from her daughter Mercy, 17, on the piano into the show, while her eldest of her children, Lourdes, 26, also appeared on stage to help judge a ballroom walk.
Confession: ‘I was an anorexic dancer for a few years. I was broke, homeless and hungry, but I had no intention of going back because I’m not a quitter. That’s why I decided to become a musician. she talked about her first experiences in New York City after arriving in 1978’; she is pictured in 1979
Stories tell: “When I was broke I didn’t have money to take a bath or a shower, so I basically dated men who had a shower and a toilet,” she confessed to her fans in London. ‘I would go out with them and if I thought they were cute I would secretly work the chat – so you live alone and they would say yes’; the Material Girl is pictured in 1984
Madonna did not disappoint when it came to delivering the hits during her career that begins with her self-titled first studio album, Madonna (1983).
After opening with Nothing Real Matters, she returned to the songs that helped break her and propelled her to music icon status, including Everybody, Into The Groove, Live To Tell and Like A Prayer.
She would continue to hark back to how it all started with renditions of Erotica, Justify My Love, Vogue, Human Nature and Crazy For You.
She focused largely on the first half of her career and also performed La Isla Bonita, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Ray Of Light and Like A Virgin.
Review: The Celebration Tour runs from October 14, 2023 to April 24, 2024
She would close the show with B**ch I’m Madonna and Celebration, which seems appropriate considering it’s the name of the retrospective tour.
The Celebration Tour takes Madonna across Europe until December 6, when she returns to Lodon’s O2 Arena for two more shows.
The pop superstar then heads to North America on December 13 with three shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
She will tour the US and Canada until April 15 and then head to Mexico City, Mexico for the final four shows of the tour ending April 24.
This is Madonna’s first tour since her Madame X shows, which ended in 2020.