Madonna, known as the Queen of Pop, kicked off her Celebration World Tour in grand style, offering her crown jewels to the audience.
During the concert, she performed more than 40 hits, including iconic anthems like "Ray Of Light," "Like A Prayer," and "Holiday."
Madonna also touched upon the serious illness that had afflicted her earlier in the year, stating, "I didn't think I would make it - and my doctors didn't either," which resonated deeply with her fans.
The singer also expressed her heartfelt sorrow for the ongoing situation in Israel and Gaza, saying, "It's so painful to witness. It breaks my heart to see children suffering, teenagers suffering, elderly people suffering. I'm sure you agree."
The concert was marketed as Madonna's first-ever greatest hits performance, and it certainly lived up to the billing. With the help of vintage costumes and archive footage, Madonna took her audience on a journey through her career, from a struggling aspiring artist to a musical icon. The show underlined her profound influence on popular culture.
The evening began with "Nothing Really Matters," a song with lyrics that spoke directly to her fans, setting the tone for the entire performance. Madonna appeared alone on stage, bathed in the glow of an expansive circular lighting rig, dressed in a black replica of the kimono designed by Gaultier as seen in the song's music video.
Throughout the show, each song was accompanied by auditory or visual surprises. At one point, there were 18 different Madonnas on stage, each wearing a distinct outfit, ranging from the iconic "Hung Up" leotard to the dominatrix attire from "Erotica." Even the three-tiered circular stage was reminiscent of the "wedding cake" from which she famously performed "Like A Virgin" at the 1984 MTV Awards.
For fans, it was a nostalgic trip through a career filled with trendsetting and taboo-breaking moments. For Madonna, the show often became a family affair.
The first part of the performance focused on Madonna's early years in New York City before she achieved fame, highlighting her struggle to break into the music scene while living in poverty. She reminisced about her initial gig as part of a band called The Breakfast Club, where she played the drums but yearned to be in the spotlight. She shared an anecdote about her first opportunity to perform in the front, strapping on a guitar and launching into one of her earliest singles, "Burning Up."
However, as the song came to an end, the show encountered an unexpected pause. Photo by Ronald Woan, Wikimedia commons.