Madonna’s highly anticipated “Celebration” tour kicked off Saturday at London’s O2 Arena, the first of 78 shows in 15 countries.
While the Queen Of Pop brought all the pomp and atmosphere to the stage, delivering many of her biggest hits from her 40-plus year career on her first tour, the performance wasn’t without its glitches.
The show ended after the fourth song, their hit “Burning Up,” when technical problems arose with the sound.
Ever the professional, the singer-songwriter took control of the situation and announced that her crew needed 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 to Metro.
Opening night issue: Madonna, 65, suffered an audio glitch on the opening night of the Celebration Tour in London on Saturday
With time to kill, 65-year-old Madonna (née Madonna Louise Ciccone) entertained the audience with stories from her youth to keep the show from descending into chaos.
She recalled how difficult life had become when she was playing in her first band, describing her situation as “broke and hungry and not making any money”, but she was still optimistic and could “look to the future” .
To keep the crowd from becoming unruly, she enthusiastically asked the thousands in attendance: “Am I imagining this?” “Oh my God, it’s so good to be back in London.”
The Holiday singer added, “I’m fucking surprised I’ve made it this far, and I mean that on so many levels.” How did I get this far? Because of you. I’ll take some credit too.’
According to Mirror, the Bay City, Michigan, native dancer recalled battling anorexia immediately after moving to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance.
It turned out that money was tight at that time, so she looked for men who could help her with basic daily needs.
“When I was broke, I didn’t have any money to take a bath or a shower, so I actually dated men who had showers and toilets,” she confessed to her fans. “I would go on a date with them and if I thought they were cute I would secretly join the chat – so you live alone and they would say yes.”
Once it was clear that the man actually lived alone, the singer-songwriter got straight to the point.
Four-Decade Retrospective: During the show’s temporary hiatus, Madonna spoke about her lean years when she was a “broke” dancer after moving to New York City in 1978
The Hits: The Queen Of Pop delivered many of her biggest hits, dating back to her self-titled first studio album Madonna (1983) with Everybody, Burning Up and Holiday
“Do you have a bathroom and a shower?” she continued during the opening night of the Celebration Tour. “And they nodded and looked at me like I was a crazy person. ‘And I would say, ‘Let’s have dinner.’
Showing her sense of humor, she added: “Bubble for shower!” We all have to struggle to make ends meet, right? Do you know what i mean?’
During her narration, Madonna also discussed her recent health scare, which some thought would cause her to cancel the tour.
The Material Girl was rushed to intensive care in June with a “severe bacterial infection” after being found unconscious.
“My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children,” she revealed during her show. “My second thought was that I didn’t want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour.”
Explaining the situation, she continued: “I also didn’t want to let down the people who have worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. ‘I hate disappointing anyone.’
Ultimately, the Celebration Tour was postponed but not canceled.
“It’s been a crazy year for me and I didn’t think I would make it.” “I’ve forgotten five days of my life,” she told London-based fans.
Opening Night Nerves: The sound problem occurred right after the fourth song, “Burning Up,” which is from their classic self-titled debut album
Open book: Madonna gave some insight into her life early in her career
“But the angels protected me and my children were there and my children 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 problems were resolved, Madonna made up for the wait by belting out lively versions of her hits “Open Your Heart” and “Holiday.”
In addition to sharing her personal story of triumph, Madonna also took the time to pay tribute to 1980s icons Michael Jackson and Sinéad O’Connor, both of whom have since passed away.
Madonna left audiences in awe on the night as she rocked countless outfits, including a variety of bustiers and negligees.
She also had a video montage of all the derogatory headlines she faced during her rise from homeless wannabe dancer to global pop superstar.
“What a tramp!” was just one of the worst headlines shown 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 join in on a ballroom walk.
Confession: “I was an anorexic dancer for a few years.” I was broke, homeless and hungry, but I didn’t want to go back because I’m not a quitter. So I decided to become a musician. she recounted her first experiences in New York City after arriving in 1978”; She is pictured in 1979
Storytelling: “When I was broke, I didn’t have any money to take a bath or a shower, so I actually dated men who had showers and toilets,” she confessed to her London-based fans. “I would go on a date with them and if I thought they were cute I would secretly join the chat – so if you lived alone they would say yes”; The Material Girl is pictured in 1984
Madonna did not disappoint when it came to delivering hits throughout her career, which began with her self-titled first studio album Madonna (1983).
After opening with “Nothing Really Matters,” she returned to the songs that helped her break through and achieve music icon status, including “Everybody,” “Into The Groove,” “Live To Tell,” and “Like A Prayer.”
With renditions of “Erotica,” “Justify My Love,” “Vogue,” “Human Nature” and “Crazy For You,” she kept remembering how it all began.
Largely focused on the first half of her career, she also performed La Isla Bonita, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Ray Of Light and Like A Virgin.
Review: The Celebration Tour is scheduled to run from October 14, 2023 to April 24, 2024
She would close the show with B**ch I’m Madonna and Celebration, which seems appropriate given the name of the retrospective tour.
The Celebration Tour takes Madonna through Europe until December 6th, when she returns to the O2 Arena in Lodon for two more shows.
The pop superstar will then travel to North America on December 13th with three shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
She will tour the United States and Canada through April 15th and then head to Mexico City, Mexico for the final four shows of the tour, which ends April 24th.
This is Madonna’s first tour since her Madame X shows, which ended in 2020.