Eighty thousand people filled the O2 Arena in London over four nights, a vivid sign of the excitement surrounding Madonna’s return to live performance. The opening shows of the Celebration Tour, despite a handful of technical hiccups and delays, set a strong tone and hinted at the momentum to come. A preview stop in Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi on November 1 and 2 added to the anticipation. At sixty-five, the queen of pop has reasserted her international presence after a summer setback that required intensive care and forced a postponement due to a bacterial infection.
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Flashback
This marks Madonna’s first major tour for The Guardian. Her forty-year career has carried her from New York to the world stage, a migrant who arrived with limited funds but boundless drive. She delivers anthems like a firestarter, performing hits such as Holiday, and she surrounds herself with bold graffiti, punk aesthetics, and video clips that echo late-80s cinema and club culture. Open Your Heart captures the city’s energy of that era.
The nearly two-hour performance provides a panorama of Madonna’s four-decade journey through evolving looks and sounds. From the provocative imagery of Like a Prayer to country-flavored styles in Do Not Tell Me, through black trench coats and wide-brimmed hats in Die Another Day, and into a futuristic vibe with Ray of Light, the show threads a rich tapestry of influences.
Respect to elders
The concert also honors late icons who shaped pop culture during Madonna’s ascent. It revisits AIDS awareness campaigns from the eighties and nineties and nods to Freddie Mercury. A standout moment features a remix of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, and Like a Virgin is accompanied by projections of both artists and elaborate Chinese shadow choreography.
Interpretation skills
Beyond the timeless Madonna classics, the show includes interpretive moments. One sequence recreates a New York nightclub entrance, with the singer urging a doorman to grant entry while dancers glide past. That instant crystallizes the performer’s ability to pull the audience in. Early on, she was a relative unknown in the Big Apple; later scenes cast her as a judge awarding scores to dancers, an echo of the high-energy Vogue era, with Estere and others moving at breakneck speed on stage.
LGBT pride
The show also makes a bold stand for LGTBI rights, invoking a rainbow motif during Argentina and other moments. Drag Queen Bob, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosts the spectacle, underscoring Madonna’s commitment to LGBTQ communities. At the start, Bob appears in a Marie Antoinette-inspired white gown reminiscent of the outfit Madonna wore for Vogue at the 1990 MTV Awards. The moment is punctuated by a playful exclamation about looking fabulous, and a declaration that this night is a celebration for everyone.
Defense of peace
The initial London dates also carried a message for a world at odds. Madonna called for compassion amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, reminding the audience that humanity is fragile yet enduring. Her guitar rendition of I Will Survive followed a sincere appeal: Our hearts may be broken, but our souls can still prevail. That sentiment echoed through the planned run of seventy-four concerts across fifteen countries, with thousands of loyal fans in attendance. The energy she still possesses suggests a long road of performances ahead.