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THE CELEBRATION TOUR UPDATED ITINERARY

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023. Excitement has been mounting with Madonna’s post that the North America rescheduled dates would be announced shortly. Today, Live Nation is pleased to confirm that most of the North America dates of Madonna’s Celebration Tour have been rescheduled and will take place immediately following the originally announced UK and Europe dates. Updated itinerary below. Tickets for the previously scheduled shows will be honored on the new dates. This includes all dates except Los Angeles and one date in New York due to a venue change, detailed below.  Getting all shows rescheduled was the number one priority. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts a few shows noted below will be canceled. Madonna regrets the inconvenience to fans and hopes to make it up to those markets in the future. The Celebration Tour will officially kick off with four sold out shows in London this October, followed by shows across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands throughout the remainder of 2023.  The North American leg will begin on December 13th in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. In New York, fans holding tickets to the previously scheduled Madison Square Garden concert on August 27th, 2023, will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to the newly added Barclays Center performance on Saturday, December 16th, 2023. Tickets for the original show at MSG will be automatically refunded to the original purchaser by Monday, August 28th. Ticketmaster will then provide all affected fans with a dedicated link and a unique code based on the quality of their previous seat locations to purchase tickets to the new date at Barclays Centre.  Advance sales start Tuesday, August 29th and run through Thursday, August 31st. If tickets remain, they will go on sale to the public starting Friday, September 1st at 10am ET. In Los Angeles, fans holding tickets to the shows previously scheduled at Crypto.com Arena (9/27/23, 9/28/23, 9/30/23 & 10/01/23) and Kia Forum (1/7/24 & 1/8/24) will also have an opportunity to purchase tickets to the new Kia Forum dates prior to the public. Tickets for the original shows in Los Angeles will be automatically refunded to the original purchaser by August 28th. Ticketmaster will provide all affected fans with a dedicated link and a unique code based on the quality of their previous seat locations to purchase tickets for their specific rescheduled event. Advance tickets for all previous Los Angeles ticket holders will begin Tuesday, August 29th and run through Thursday, August 31st. Fans unable to purchase tickets to the corresponding shows will have a second presale opportunity starting Friday, September 1st through Friday, September 8th to purchase tickets to any of the five Kia Forum performances. Remaining tickets will open for public sale Tuesday, September 12th (10am PT) at Ticketmaster.com As mentioned, due scheduling conflicts, the following shows are unfortunately canceled: July 27 in Tulsa, December 22 in Nashville, January 15 in San Francisco, January 18 in Las Vegas, and January 20 in Phoenix.  Refunds for these dates will be issued at the original point of purchase.  UK AND EUROPE SHOW DATE / CITY & COUNTRY / VENUE 10/14/2023 / London, UK / The O2 10/15/2023 / London, UK / The O2 10/17/2023 / London, UK / The O2 10/18/2023 / London, UK / The O2 10/21/2023 / Antwerp, BE / Sportpaleis 10/22/2023 / Antwerp, BE / Sportpaleis 10/25/2023 / Copenhagen, DK / Royal Arena 10/26/2023 / Copenhagen, DK / Royal Arena 10/28/2023 / Stockholm, SE / Tele2 Arena 11/1/2023 / Barcelona, ES / Palau Sant Jordi 11/2/2023 / Barcelona, ES / Palau Sant Jordi 11/6/2023 / Lisbon, PT / Altice Arena 11/7/2023 / Lisbon, PT / Altice Arena 11/12/2023 / Paris, FR / Accor Arena 11/13/2023 / Paris, FR / Accor Arena 11/15/2023 / Cologne, DE / Lanxess Arena 11/16/2023 / Cologne, DE / Lanxess Arena 11/19/2023 / Paris, FR / Accor Arena 11/20/2023 / Paris, FR / Accor Arena 11/23/2023 / Milan, IT / Mediolanum Forum 11/25/2023 / Milan, IT / Mediolanum Forum 11/28/2023 / Berlin, DE / Mercedes-Benz Arena 11/29/2023 / Berlin, DE / Mercedes-Benz Arena 12/1/2023 / Amsterdam, NL / Ziggo Dome 12/2/2023 / Amsterdam, NL / Ziggo Dome 12/5/2023 / London, UK / The O2 12/6/2023 / London, UK / The O2 NORTH AMERICA NEW SHOW DATE / CITY / VENUE / ORIGINAL SHOW DATE 12/13/2023 / Brooklyn / Barclays Center / Original Date (no change) 12/14/2023 / Brooklyn / Barclays Center / Original Date (no change) 12/16/2023 / Brooklyn / Barclays Center / MSG - 8/27/2023* 12/18/2023 / Washington / Capital One Arena / Original Date (no change) 12/19/2023 / Washington / Capital One Arena / 9/2/2023 1/8/2024 / Boston / TD Garden / 8/30/2023 1/9/2024 / Boston / TD Garden / 8/31/2023 1/11/2024 / Toronto / Scotiabank Arena / 8/13/2023 1/12/2024 / Toronto / Scotiabank Arena / 8/14/2023 1/15/2024 / Detroit / Little Caesars Arena / 8/5/2023 1/18/2024 / Montreal / Bell Centre / 8/19/2023 1/20/2024 / Montreal / Bell Centre / 8/20/2023 1/22/2024 / New York / Madison Square Garden Arena / 8/23/2023 1/23/2024 / New York / Madison Square Garden Arena / 8/24/2023 1/25/2024 / Philadelphia / Wells Fargo Center / 12/20/2023 1/29/2024 / New York / Madison Square Garden Arena / 8/26/2023 2/1/2024 / Chicago / United Center / 8/9/2023 2/2/2024 / Chicago / United Center / 8/10/2023 2/5/2024 / Pittsburgh / PPG Paints Arena / 8/7/2023 2/8/2024 / Cleveland / Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / 8/2/2023 2/13/2024 / Saint Paul / Xcel Energy Center / 7/30/2023 2/17/2024 / Seattle / Climate Pledge Arena / 7/18/2023 2/18/2024 / Seattle / Climate Pledge Arena / 7/19/2023 2/21/2024 / Vancouver / Rogers Arena / 7/15/2023 2/24/2024 / Sacramento / Golden 1 Center / 1/13/2024 2/27/2024 / San Francisco / Chase Center / 10/4/2023 2/28/2024 / San Francisco / Chase Center / 10/5/2023 3/1/2024 / Las Vegas / T-Mobile Arena / 10/7/2023 3/2/2024 / Las Vegas / T-Mobile Arena / 10/8/2024 3/4/2024 / Los Angeles / Kia Forum / Crypto.com - 9/27/23* 3/5/2024 / Los Angeles / Kia Forum / Crypto.com - 9/28/23* 3/7/2024 / Los Angeles / Kia Forum / Crypto.com - 9/30/23* 3/9/2024 / Los Angeles / Kia Forum / Crypto.com - 10/01/23* 3/11/2024 / Los Angeles / Kia Forum / Kia Forum - 1/7/24 & 1/8/24* 3/13/2024 / Palm Desert / Acrisure Arena / 1/11/2024 3/16/2024 / Phoenix / Footprint Center / 7/22/2023 3/19/2024 / Denver / Ball Arena / 7/25/2023 3/24/2024 / Dallas / American Airlines Center / 9/18/2023 3/25/2024 / Dallas / American Airlines Center / 9/19/2023 3/28/2024 / Houston / Toyota Center / 9/13/2023 3/29/2024 / Houston / Toyota Center / 9/14/2023 4/1/2024 / Atlanta / State Farm Arena / 9/5/2023 4/4/2024 / Tampa / Amalie Arena / 9/7/2023 4/6/2024 / Miami / Kaseya Center / 9/9/2023 4/7/2024 / Miami / Kaseya Center / 9/10/2023 4/14/2024 / Austin / Moody Center / 9/21/2023 4/15/2024 / Austin / Moody Center / 9/22/2023 4/20/2024 / Mexico City / Palacio De Los Deportes / 1/25/2024 4/21/2024 / Mexico City / Palacio De Los Deportes / 1/27/2024 4/23/2024 / Mexico City / Palacio De Los Deportes / 1/28/2024 4/24/2024 / Mexico City / Palacio De Los Deportes / 1/30/2024 Cancelled / Tulsa / BOK Center / 7/27/2023 Cancelled / Nashville / Bridgestone Arena / 12/22/2023 Cancelled / San Francisco / Chase Center / 1/15/2024 Cancelled / Las Vegas / MGM Grand Garden Arena / 1/18/2024 Cancelled / Phoenix / Footprint Center / 1/20/2024

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Madonna Unveils Ultimate Greatest Hits Show ‘The Celebration Tour’

By Larisha Paul

Larisha Paul

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Truth or dare? ? Madonna has rarely ever been one to shy away from the latter. In an announcement video that nods to her documentary of the same title, a slate of special guests prompts her with a challenge: “I dare you to do a world tour and play your greatest motherfucking hits.”

Madonna: the Celebration tour will span 40 years of the singer’s career, bringing her greatest hits to 35 cities across North America and Europe. “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna shared in a statement.

On Thursday, she added an additional 13 dates due to “overwhelming demanded.”

General sale for the Celebration tour begins Friday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m. local time. More information is available via the official Madonna website .

Bob the Drag Queen – who appears in the announcement video alongside Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob The Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, and Eric Andre – will join as support across the entire tour.

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This story was updated on Jan. 19 at 5:15 pm ET to include Madonna’s additional tour dates in bold .

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The Dream Setlist for Madonna’s 2023 Celebration Tour

Here's what we're dying to hear on her 40th anniversary trek.

By Joe Lynch

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In 1910’s The Vagabond , the French writer Colette claimed, “The only real things are the dance, the light, freedom, music.” If that’s the case, then there are few pop catalogs more in touch with reality than Madonna’s.

The Queen of Pop kicked 2023 off right by announcing the Celebration Tour, a global trek honoring her four decades of culture-changing hits.

Needless to say, she has a lot of material to choose from — with 12 No. 1s, 38 top 10 hits and 57 titles on the Billboard Hot 100, Madonna is an all-time pop GOAT. And considering her most recent tour (the excellent, intimate Madame X Tour from 2019-2020) was primarily focused on the album of the same name she was supporting, there’s quite a number of beloved classics that Madge hasn’t performed live in several years.

That seems set to change with the Celebration Tour, which promises to be a career-retrospective run of songs from the pop icon, whose self-titled debut introduced the world to a new game-changing superstar back in 1983. And since we’re looking at 40 years of Madonna, we decided to round up 40 songs we would love to hear the Material Goddess perform live.

Now, we’re not saying we want every one of these songs performed in full at every tour stop — a 40-song setlist is less a concert and more of a marathon. Some we’d like to hear in part, perhaps as a segue or in a medley; others we could imagine M performing as a surprise treat on select tour dates. But this is our wish list.

“Everybody”

Why not start where it all began? Ms. Ciccone’s debut single missed the Hot 100 but hit No. 3 on the Dance Club Songs chart in 1983 — i.e., 40 years ago. And given that this is a career-spanning 40th anniversary tour, it would be a fitting opener. Plus, the message still lands: “Dance and sing/ Get up and do your thing.”

“Borderline”

For as beloved as this sparkling gem from her self-titled debut is, it hasn’t been trotted out all too often in concert (although she did memorably sing it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2016). Just try to understand (under STAND ) how delightful it would be to hear this slice of cotton-candy pop at a stadium near you.

While Madonna slipped into “Dress You Up” for her Rebel Heart Tour, she hasn’t put a touring halo on “Angel” since 1985 – which is before at least half the people in her Truth or Dare -style teaser clip were even born. This sweet, slinky slice of ‘80s pop could use some wings.

“Material Girl”

It might’ve seemed presumptuous for Madonna to compare herself to the 20 th century’s most enduring sex symbol back on her second album, but history has more than proven she can comfortably place herself in the same pop culture pantheon as Marilyn Monroe. The smash still slaps, and it’s proven surprisingly durable, allowing for various stylistic reimaginings.

”Material Gworrllllllll!”

Sure, it’s an anniversary tour, but it can’t all be backward gazing – and what better song to catapult this setlist into the 21 st century than Madonna’s delirious, wild collab with Saucy Santana? Of course, the rising rapper can’t reasonably be present for every date, but given that they’ve already performed it together in NYC once , he could make one of the MSG dates, right?

The highest-charting hit from 1998’s Ray of Light (No. 2 on Hot 100), a crowd-pleaser during her intimate 2019 residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and a recently viral TikTok favorite, it’s a no-brainer that hearts will be open (and phones will be recording) if and when she busts this one out. Whether it’s the O.G. ballad version or the amped-up Sickick remix is Madame X’s decision to make.

"Bedtime Story"

Given that Madonna has performed it just once live (according to Setlist.fm’s estimation), this Björk co-write about the fallibility of language is overdue for a reappreciation. We’re not saying we want the full-length version, but with the right arranger, it could serve as a surprising, satisfying segue into a certain No. 1 smash from the same album….

“Take a Bow”

Spending seven weeks at No. 1, “Take a Bow” is Madonna’s longest-running Hot 100 topper — yet she’s rarely performed it live. All the world is a stage, which means there’s basically no place a performance of this achingly gorgeously ballad doesn’t belong.

“Open Your Heart”

Second album Like a Virgin propelled her to superstardom, but 1986’s True Blue proved she was there to stay, and “Open Your Heart” is a huge piece of that equation. Coy yet fierce, airy but unstoppable, “Heart” is every bit as irresistible as when it reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in early ’87.

Save her part in a no-budget student film ( A Certain Sacrifice ) shot in 1979, Madonna’s first film role was in the 1985 romance Vision Quest . She contributed two songs to the soundtrack: the Hot 100-topping ballad “Crazy for You” and “Gambler,” the latter of which didn’t even reach streaming services until 2022. Is it a lost masterpiece? Not exactly, but it’s a rollicking high-energy number that we can imagine Madonna busting out the electric guitar during.

“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (Miami Mix)”

Sure, it’s more of a classic in the oeuvres of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Patti LuPone, but when it comes to Evita , Madonna does have something those theater greats don’t: A top 10 Hot 100 hit, thanks to this remix accompanying the film’s 1996 release. We’re not asking for a start-to-finish dramatic performance, but a verse or two would be a delightful lead in to….

"La Isla Bonita"

Given that Amy Schumer led an eclectic celebrity-sing-along to this one in an Instagram video teasing the tour, it seems like a given that it will be on the setlist. And why the hell not? It’s a fan fave everyone knows the words to, which means that when Madge incites a stadium-wide sing-along to the chorus, she can slip off stage and change costume before anyone realizes she’s gone.

“Deeper and Deeper”

An underrated pop-house classic from Erotica , “Deeper and Deeper” sounds better and better with each passing year – and for a tour that follows a year where not one but two next-gen superstars released house-imbued LPs, this deserves some shine. Plus, it directly references….

It’s no guarantee that Madame X will let her body groove to this music during her 40 th anniversary tour, but given the fact that Queen Bey paid official homage to the Queen of Pop just last year with her appropriately titled “The Queens Remix” of the Hot 100-topping “Break My Soul,” it’s a likely bet. “Vogue” is of its time, sure, but increasingly, it’s clear that it’s one of the GOAT dance classics.

“Drowned World/Substitute for Love”

Face the facts: You can’t follow-up a high-energy bulldozer like “Vogue” with another banger, slapper or even a bop. Take it down a notch. Ray of Light ’s ethereal, introspective opening track is enough of a vibe to keep the energy up while allowing people a moment to catch their breath.

"Hollywood"

On this American Life single, Madonna tackled her love-hate relationship with Hollywood, one that’s produced its fair share of hits ( Evita, Desperately Seeking Susan ) and flops ( Swept Away, Shanghai Surprise ). Her Tinseltown fixation continues even now with her wildly anticipated upcoming biopic, directed by Ms. Ciccone herself. Our suggestion? She should thread exclusive biopic teasers into live performances of “Hollywood” on the anniversary tour. People (including but not limited to us) will eat it up.

"Who's That Girl"

Speaking of a hit and a flop, it’s time to bring “Who’s That Girl” back into regular rotation on a Madonna tour. Yes, the movie underperformed, but that’s water under the 36-year-old bridge. The title track topped the Hot 100 in the summer of 1987, and it would be exciting to hear how M would reimagine it for 2023.

“Causing a Commotion”

While we’re on the topic, “Causing a Commotion” was a No. 2 Hot 100 hit hailing from the same soundtrack. This might not be a sturdy classic in the vein of hit songs that warranted inclusion on The Immaculate Collection , but we’d like to hear some rarities on this trek, and why not a “deep cut” that was also a massive hit?

“Back That Up to the Beat (Demo)”

Originally released on a deluxe edition of Madame X in 2019, the demo version of this song (dating back to 2015) went viral on TikTok in 2022, prompting Madonna to officially release this likable, Danceteria-styled jam. It’s probably not a selection for every night, but it would be a fun surprise here and there.

“I Don’t Search I Find”

Her landmark 50th hit on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, this Madame X highlight pulls off the slick trick of keeping its feet in the club while reaching its fingers into the nebulous ether. It also gave her recent hits comp Finally Enough Love its name, so it would be surprising not to hear it at least a couple times on this tour.

"Girl Gone Wild"

A decade after its release, fan reactions to MDNA remain mixed – hell, Madonna herself has questioned it. But this thumping, dark EDM foray hits the hedonistic sweet spot, and a portion of it could provide a solid lead-in to….

Her 12 th (and to date most recent) song to top the Hot 100, “Music” seems like a shoo-in for an anniversary tour setlist. It’s one of her most played hits, and for good reason: Be they bourgeoise or rebel, it makes the people come together.

“Like a Virgin”

Despite being one of her live staples, she hasn’t busted out “Like a Virgin” since 2016 – and for an anniversary tour, it’s kinda-sorta a must, as her first No. 1 on the Hot 100. We’re not demanding a full rendition – it’s far from the very first time she’s played it – but it still makes us feel shiny and new.

“Give It 2 Me”

A throbbing highlight from 2008’s Hard Candy, “Give It 2 Me” was one of just 16 remixes to appear on the abridged vinyl version of Finally Enough Love . It was justified: this Neptunes co-production about her unstoppable drive and insatiability still leaves us breathless.

Speaking of breathless (and not Mahoney), this Confessions on a Dance Floor delight is a relentless monster of propulsive rhythm, and it’s an underrated fan fave she hasn’t busted out on stage in well over a decade.

“I’ll Remember”

Despite it being a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100, Madonna has still yet to perform this song (which hailed from the With Honors soundtrack and was later included on her ballads comp Something to Remember ) on stage. It might be too on the nose for Madonna, but given that this is an anniversary tour, “I’ll Remember” could be an opportunity for a visual montage of the far-too-many friends and collaborators she’s lost over the years.

“What It Feels Like for a Girl”

Whether she goes the thumping techno route from the video or the more acoustic album version, this Music single would give Madonna a chance to visually highlight any number of global concerns, from the protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody (after she was arrested and beaten for wearing her hijab in a fashion authorities objected to) to the trans women targeted by dog whistle-loving conservatives.

A crowd sing-along to “I Rise” – which was a stirring, sobering encore on the Madame X Tour that clearly meant a lot to Madonna herself – could nicely cap off this more serious portion of the setlist.

“Hanky Panky”

Madonna contains multitudes — which means after an especially somber segment, it wouldn’t be hard for her to turn on a dime and brighten things up. Given the star roster of drag queens she brought to New York during 2022 Pride Month , she shouldn’t have any trouble deploying a coterie of drag stars to join her on stage as she gradually brings the energy level back up with this I’m Breathless single.

“Keep It Together”

A highlight of her Blond Ambition World Tour that hasn’t seen a stage in decades, the funky family anthem “Keep It Together” (a top 10 Hot 100 hit) is overdue for a chance to groove audiences once again.

“Express Yourself”

The higher-charting (No. 2) stylistic sister to “Together,” “Express Yourself” hails from the same album ( Like a Prayer ) and has been a highlight of any Madonna tour it’s graced. It’s a must.

Public response might’ve been puritanical to this one back in 1992, but it paved the way for dark-alley musical detours from Rihanna, Christina Aguilera and others. This sinuous S&M groover deserves another moment in the light – or in this case, in the glow of a basement-dungeon fluorescent bulb dangling from a chain.

Who knew ABBA could sound so urgent before Madonna sampled their 1979 hit “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” for “Hung Up” — a throbbing piece of disco revival that remains as irresistible (and in the gay bars, inescapable) as when Madonna dropped it in 2005?

“Rescue Me”

While it popped up as an interlude during the Madame X Tour (following a backstage request from Billboard at the 2019 BBMAs ), “Rescue Me” is one of Madonna’s few top 10 hits that she’s never performed live. It’s a rousing anthem of resilience, and we’d love to hear it on at least one of these Celebration Tour dates.

"Living for Love"

The Rebel Heart single that deserved better (it topped Dance Club Songs but missed the Hot 100), “Living for Love” is a rousing diva-house anthem with an uplifting message. The gospel choir elements could provide a fitting segue to…

"Like a Prayer"

This will probably take up prime real estate during the Celebration Tour, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether she’s singing it on stage in front of tens of thousands or on the streets of Harlem well past midnight, it never fails to take us there. And in terms of pre-encore show closers, it’s hard to beat.

"Celebration"

For the encore opener, we’re thinking the single that gave her 2009 hits comp and this tour its name. Plus, when she dropped it at Terminal 5 during Pride Month 2022, it served as perfect intro to….

A simple song about persevering throughout dark times that has become an anthem for the LGBTQ community, “Holiday” is a masterclass in not overthinking the assignment. Need a sweet, joyful dance-pop rallying cry? This is it.

"Into the Groove"

You wanna dance? For inspiration? C’mon! It doesn’t get better than this. Our pick for the best Madonna song of all time , there’s something ineffably liberating about this ode to forgetting your fears on the dancefloor.

"B-tch I'm Madonna"

Fan reactions to this song are admittedly divided, but it’s an appropriately IDGAF pin to put on 40 years of iconoclastic pop: a smirk, a wink and a middle finger all in one.

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Madonna's tour for her 40-year catalogue of music will start on July 15.

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Pop superstar Madonna has officially announced dates for “ Madonna : The Celebration Tour” in a video that was a nod to her 1990 film “Truth or Dare.” The video features a slew of celebrities, including Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Diplo, Bob the Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, Eric André and Amy Schumer.

In the video, Schumer dares Madonna to go on tour and play her hits. To the joy of Madonna ’s fans, she has accepted the challenge. Here’s what you need to know about Madonna’s upcoming tour.

When does the tour kick off?

Related articles, elvis presley is coming to london -- sort of, taylor swift and travis kelce attend neon carnival, the invite-only coachella after party, what are some major stops on the tour.

The 35-city global tour, produced by entertainment company Live Nation, will include stops in Vancouver, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, London, Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Lisbon and Stockholm concluding in Amsterdam on Dec. 1.

Who are the special guests on the tour?

Bob the Drag Queen, actor, comedian and Season Eight winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will be a special guest on all dates of the tour.

How do I get tickets?

Tickets go on sale starting Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. local time at Madonna.com/tour. Citi is the official card of the tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning today, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. local time through Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program.

Legacy members of Madonna’s Official Fan Club will have a pre-sale opportunity beginning on Jan. 17 at noon ET through Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. ET for all North American shows, and from 9 a.m. GMT/10 a.m. CET to 5 p.m. GMT/6 p.m. CET on Jan. 18 for U.K. and European shows.

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Madonna announces north american and european dates for 2023 celebration tour.

The superstar will explore her musical journey across four decades through concerts announced in a video featuring Amy Schumer, Lil Wayne, Kate Berlant, Jack Black, Judd Apatow, Eric Andre, Diplo and more.

By Abbey White

Abbey White

Associate Editor & News Writer

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Madonna announced dates for her Celebration Tour on Tuesday with the help of some Hollywood friends.

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The tour will kick off this July in Vancouver and end in December in Amsterdam, spanning 35 cities in total across North America and Europe. Other major stops during the first leg include Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles, with 11 additional dates outside North America — in London, Barcelona, Paris and Stockholm, among others — slated for the fall and early winter.

Produced by Live Nation and featuring Bob the Drag Queen (Caldwell Tidicue) at all dates on the tour, the music event will honor Madonna’s musical journey across four decades with a special celebration of New York, the city where her career began. “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna said in a statement included in her tour announcement .

Celebration Tour tickets go on sale at madonna.com/tour starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time. U.S. Citi cardmembers, European and Canadian AMEX cardmembers as well as Legacy members of Madonna’s official fan club will have access to separate presales. VIP packages — featuring premium tickets, exclusive access to a behind-the-scenes tour, a group photo onstage, a pre-show reception, a limited edition lithograph and more — will also be available at vipnation.com . 

The Celebration tour arrives nearly 40 years after Madonna’s 1985 North American Virgin Tour. Madonna last toured in 2019 and early 2020 as part of her Madame X theater tour.

More on the Celebration tour, including its dates and presales, can be found at madonna.com .

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Madonna’s Celebration Tour Proves the Material Girl is Still the Reigning Queen of Pop Music: Concert Review

By Mark Sutherland

Mark Sutherland

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Four songs into Madonna ’s long-awaited Celebration Tour and a technical hitch gives her a chance to chat for a little longer than was probably planned.

She tells the crowd of her early days being “hungry, broke and scared” in New York, with a lack of support from her father, who wanted her to come back home. 

“But I was not about to go back,” she declares. “Because I am not a quitter!” 

Popular on Variety

But not Madonna. After postponing the scheduled first leg, the tour finds itself starting – a mere 20 minutes late – at London’s O2 Arena, the very venue where, in 2015, she famously fell down the stairs after a cape malfunction at the BRIT Awards.

Those of us who were close enough to hear the thud as she hit the floor like a pole-axed prize fighter that night were amazed when she simply got back to her feet and got on with the show. And tonight, she metaphorically climbs off the canvas of that hospital stay to reclaim her pop heavyweight crown, a metaphor helpfully supported by the elaborate boxing set-up utilized during the lead-up to the show’s second act.

There are few signs that Madonna was fazed by the fraught run-up, let alone the lengthy “reset” required after her punky rip through “Burning Up.” She may sigh, “This is exactly what you don’t want to happen on your opening night,” but she simply gets her hype man Bob the Drag Queen up to tell jokes, while reminiscing about the days when she would trade “blowjobs for showers” in ‘80s NYC.

And for once, Madonna – whose relentless commitment to the present and future of her music had always previously prevented her from playing the fantasy setlist her catalog seemed to be crying out for – is here to celebrate her four decades at the top with almost every song a fan – whether casual or obsessive – could dream of.

Furthermore, tonight she lays claim not just to her own history, but also to her influence on music and the wider world over the last 40 years. Not for nothing did the set start with “Nothing Really Matters” and its refrain of, “It all comes back to me”.

There are nods to her activism – including a passionate plea for peace between Israel and Palestine and tributes to those we have lost to AIDS – and her trailblazing, via a montage of negative news headlines and video footage from across her career. It’s a timely reminder that, in an age where anyone with a million streams that gets a new haircut can be hailed as “iconic,” Madonna really has achieved that status, over and over.

There are snippets of other people’s music throughout – a snatch of Sam Smith’s “Unholy” here or Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” there, plus a surprisingly poignant acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. Some of her children make on-stage cameos, and even her ex-husbands appear briefly on screen. There are tributes to Sinead O’Connor and, more controversially, Michael Jackson, via a dubious mash-up of “Billie Jean” with “Like a Virgin”.

But mostly, it’s about Madonna and her songs. Taylor Swift has undoubtedly crystalized the concept of musical ‘eras’ in the public consciousness, but Madonna is no slouch when it comes to giving each phase of her career a distinct look and sound.

And tonight, she flits seamlessly between different stages of her life, sometimes via a costume change, sometimes by climbing into an illuminated portal that sees her fly over the crowd on her way to another time and place.

From the joyous early ‘80s dance-pop of “Get Into the Groove” and “Holiday”; to big ballads such as “Live to Tell” and “Bad Girl”; to the raunch of “Erotica” (in which Madge gets to saucily, um, interact with her younger self via a lookalike in the iconic “Blonde Ambition” get-up) and “Justify My Love”; to the sheer, irresistible pizazz of “Vogue,” “Don’t Tell Me,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Ray of Light,” “Hung Up,” “Like a Prayer” and so many others; this show is proof that there is no such thing as too much Madonna.

True, the lack of a live band occasionally makes things lack a little punch (most notably on a glitchy “Die Another Day”). But overall, tonight shows that while – just like 40 years ago – Madonna still doesn’t know how to quit, boy has she learned how to come back.

But thankfully, she did and, by the end, all the different iterations of Madonna from across the decades are on stage, the lookalikes hugging each other with delight during “Bitch, I’m Madonna,” while the real deal stays center stage and supremely focused.

Still dancing, still singing, still the one and only Madonna.  

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‘Madonna: The Celebration Tour’: 4 of Her Kids Will Join Her on Stage

Madonna announced the dates for her 'Celebration Tour' North America shows that were postponed due to the pop icon's health scare. Find out more about the tour.

• Madonna announced her Celebration Tour  via social media in January 2023.
• The North America shows were postponed after Madonna’s health scare which she was hospitalized for on June 24, 2023.
• Madonna announced the dates for the rescheduled shows on August 15, 2023.

For over four decades, there’s been one name that exemplified music superstardom: Madonna . From her breakthrough singles in the 1980s like “Holiday,” “Lucky Star,” and “Like A Virgin,” to her reinventions with “Vogue,” “Justify My Love,” and “Take A Bow” in the early 1990s, to the dance-fueled explosion of “Ray Of Light,” “Music,” “Hung Up” and more early 2000s hits, Madonna has remained a relevant music force to this very day. This music icon continues to top charts and get people into the groove and will spotlight her legendary career with 2023’s Madonna: The Celebration Tour .

This career-spanning retrospective will hit 35 cities across the world in 2023 and 2024. The tour was first announced on Jan. 17 with a special video that paid homage to Madonna’s 1991 movie, Madonna: Truth Or Dare . The black-and-white video had Madonna sitting at a table along with stars like Amy Schumer , Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob The Drag Queen , Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter , and Eric Andre. After a round of dares, including Diplo getting spicy with a margarita and Kate planning a 12-hour date, it’s Amy’s turn. “Madonna, I dare you to do a world tour and play your greatest m*********** hits,” Amy said to the music icon.

“Four decades?” asked Madonna. “As in forty years? As in, all those songs?” Everyone then joined in an acapella singalong to Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita.” When reassured that fans would come to that tour, the Material girl was left with only one response to the dare: “F*** yeah!” “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible, in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” said Madonna in the tour’s announcement.

Most recently, Madonna had to postpone the North America shows of the highly-anticipated tour on June 28, 2023, due to her hospitalization and health scare . Her talent manager, Guy Oseary , took to Instagram that day to reveal that the 64-year-old had contracted a bacterial infection and was on the road to recovery.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Guy Oseary (@guyoseary)

“On Saturday June 24, Madonna developed a serious  bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU,” he wrote in a statement. “Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected.” The tour, as previously mentioned, will be put on pause for the time being. “At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour,” Guy added. “We will share more details with you soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows.” On July 10, Madonna broke her silence about her health incident and confirmed that she was postponing the North American leg of the tour.

However, just over a month later, Madonna returned to Instagram on August 5 to announce that as she continued to recuperate, the discussions were underway to reschedule all of the dates postponed. “Thank you again for your incredible support and patience over these past few weeks!” Madonna wrote in an Instagram Story . “I’m happy to report that the re-routed tour schedule will be coming in the next few days! See you soon for a well deserved Celebration!!” Madonna announced the dates for the rescheduled North America shows on August 15.

Days before her opening show in London, a press release confirmed that Madonna would be joined on stage by four of her children.

Tickets & Presales

Tickets went on sale Friday, Jan. 20, and Friday, Jan. 27 at 10 am local time. Fans can go to madonna.com/tour for ticket listing. Live Nation is producing the tour so they will handle the tickets.

Citi cardholders had a chance to score tickets early. Those cardmembers will obtained access to presale tickets for shows going “on sale Jan. 20th beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 2 pm local time through Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6 pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program,” the tour announcement stated. “The Citi cardmember presale for the shows going on sale on Jan. 27 will begin Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 10 am local time through Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 pm local time.”

Legacy members of Madonna’s Official Fan Club also had a presale opportunity for the shows that went on sale on Friday, Jan. 20, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 12pm ET through Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 5 pm ET for the North America based shows and from 9 am GMT/10 am CET to 5 pm GMT/6 pm CET on Wednesday, Jan.18 for UK and European shows. An additional Legacy presale for the North American-based shows going on sale on Jan. 27 began on Monday, Jan. 23 (10 am) and through Wednesday, Jan. 25 (5 pm).

On July 10, LiveNation revealed that the North America leg of Madonna’s tour was postponed. “Rescheduled dates will be announced as soon as possible. Fans are encouraged to hold onto their tickets as they will be valid for the new dates once announced,” Live Nation said. The  Celebration Tour  will kick off in Europe on October 14. Madonna also addressed the rescheduled shows in a statement on her Instagram. “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children. My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn’t want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone,” she wrote. “My current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and begin in October in Europe.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

Madonna officially announced the dates for the rescheduled North America shows on August 15, 2023. LiveNation released a statement saying, “Excitement has been mounting with Madonna’s post that the North America rescheduled dates would be announced shortly. Today, Live Nation is pleased to confirm that most of the North America dates of Madonna’s Celebration Tour have been rescheduled and will take place immediately following the originally announced UK and Europe dates. Tickets for the previously scheduled shows will be honored on the new dates. This includes all dates except Los Angeles and one date in New York due to a venue change.” LiveNation also revealed that several shows in Tulsa, Nashville, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Phoenix are canceled.

When Madonna first announced The Celebration Tour , she noted that RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and drag performer extraordinaire, Bob The Drag Queen, would be a special guest “across all dates on the global tour.” Expect Bob to bring her trademark stand-up humor to the stage and any additional acts that may be announced before the tour kicks off.

The North American leg was postponed and will begin after the European leg. Below is the dates of the Celebration Tour .

THE CELEBRATION TOUR EUROPE DATES:

Oct 14 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 21 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis Oct. 25 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena Oct 28 – Stockholm, SE – Tele2

Nov 01 – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi Nov 06 – Lisbon, PT – Altice Arena Nov 12 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena Nov 13 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena Nov 15 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena Nov 23 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum Nov 28 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena

Dec 1 — Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome Dec 2 — Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome Dec 5 — London, UK – The O2 Dec 6 — London, UK – The O2

THE CELEBRATION TOUR NORTH AMERICA DATES:

Dec 13 — Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center Dec 14 — Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center Dec 16 — Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center Dec 18 — Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena Dec 19 — Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena Jan 8, 2024 — Boston, MA – TD Garden Jan 9, 2024 — Boston, MA – TD Garden Jan 11, 2024 — Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena Jan 12, 2024 — Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena Jan 15, 2024 — Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena Jan 18, 2024 — Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre Jan 20, 2024 — Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre Jan 22, 2024 — New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Jan 23, 2024 — New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Jan 25, 2024 — Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center Jan 29, 2024 — New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Feb 1, 2024 — Chicago, IL – United Center Feb 2, 2024 — Chicago, IL – United Center Feb 5, 2024 — Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena Feb 8, 2024 — Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Feb 13, 2024 — Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center Feb 17, 2024 — Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena Feb 18, 2024 — Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena Feb 21, 2024 — Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena Feb 24, 2024 — Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center Feb 27, 2024 — San Francisco, CA – Chase Center Feb 28, 2024 — San Francisco, CA – Chase Center March 1, 2024 — Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena March 2, 2024 — Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena March 4, 2024 — Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum March 5, 2024 — Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum March 7, 2024 — Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum March 9, 2024 — Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum March 11, 2024 — Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum March 13, 2024 — Palm Desert, CA – Acrisure Arena March 16, 2024 — Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center March 19, 2024 — Denver, CO – Ball Arena March 24, 2024 — Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center March 25, 2024 — Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center March 28, 2024 — Houston, TX – Toyota Center March 29, 2024 — Houston, TX – Toyota Center April 1, 2024 — Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena April 4, 2024 — Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena April 6, 2024 — Miami, FL – Kaseya Center April 7, 2024 — Miami, FL – Kaseya Center April 14, 2024 — Austin, TX – Moody Center April 15, 2024 — Austin, TX – Moody Center April 20, 2024 — Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio de los Deportes April 21, 2024 — Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio de los Deportes April 23, 2024 — Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio de los Deportes April 24, 2024 — Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio de los Deportes

Category : The Celebration Tour

Subcategories.

This category has the following 10 subcategories, out of 10 total.

• Madonna - Celebration Tour, Koln 15 Nov 2023 ‎ (119 F)
• Madonna - Palau Sant Jordi - Wednesday 1st November 2023 ‎ (104 F)
• Madonna - The O2 - Saturday 14th October 2023 ‎ (181 F)
• Madonna - The O2 - Sunday 15th October 2023 ‎ (174 F)
• Madonna - The O2 - Tuesday 17th October 2023 ‎ (156 F)
• Madonna, Celebration Tour, NYC 13 December 2023 ‎ (6 F)
• Madonna, The Celebration Tour, Centre Bell, Montréal, 20 January 2024 ‎ (116 F)
• The Celebration Tour (Antwerp) ‎ (215 F)
• The Celebration Tour (Copenhagen) ‎ (2 F)
• The Celebration Tour (Paris, November 14, 2023) ‎ (68 F)

• Concert tours of Madonna (entertainer)
• Madonna (entertainer) in 2023
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Madonna review – queen of pop dazzles with her greatest hits

The O2, London The audience cheers every choreographed dance step as Madonna runs through her ‘broke, starving and homeless’ origin story and enthusiastically snogs a topless dancer

T he first time Madonna addresses the audience at the O2 Arena – three songs into the opening date of her Celebration tour – it’s to express astonishment. “I’m pretty damn surprised I made it this far,” she offers. “And I mean that on many levels.”

Well, quite: it’s a statement you could take in a number of ways. It might refer to the life-threatening health scare that necessitated the postponement of her current tour, and which seems to have affected the audience’s reaction to tonight’s performance: they cheer every choreographed dance step she undertakes as if it’s a victory against the odds. It might refer to the improbability of Madonna becoming the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time, given her humble beginnings.

The first part of the retrospective show is consumed by what you might call her origin story: the show’s MC, Rupaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen, makes reference to her arrival in New York from her native Michigan with $35 to her name; her performance of Holiday is preceded by a set-piece recreation of fabled Manhattan club the Paradise Garage, with Madonna insufficiently famous to gain entrance; she plays distorted guitar during a ramshackle version of Burning Up, as she apparently did on stage at CBGB when she was still a member of a band called the Breakfast Club. Meanwhile, technical issues with the sound – you wouldn’t want to be backstage when she gets hold of whoever’s responsible – mean Madonna has to fill time, which she does, rather entertainingly, with stories from her “broke, starving, homeless” early years on the Lower East Side, living in a rehearsal studio without a bathroom: “I would actually date men because they had a shower! Yes – blow jobs for showers!”

Or it might refer to the fact that Madonna is still here, still filling arenas and stadiums long after most of her 80s pop peers have either died (there’s a brief tribute to Prince later in the show, soundtracked by the guitar solo he contributed to Like a Prayer, but which didn’t make the released version of the song) or are operating in vastly reduced circumstances. That said, her longstanding position as what Wikipedia calls ”the Queen of Pop” has looked decidedly shaky in recent years.

It’s more than a decade since Madonna released a single that made the US Top 10; tracks you might reasonably expect to be successful – a 2022 rejig of Material Girl with rapper Saucy Santana, this year’s admittedly wan collaboration with Sam Smith, Vulgar – have barely scraped the charts. Her last tour, the ill-fated 2019-2020 succession of theatre shows, treated her back catalogue as if it were an encumbrance: it largely ignored her hits in favour of 11 songs from her coolly received album, Madame X. The Celebration show seeks to redress the balance, reminding the audience of the songs that made her famous in the first place.

The section dealing with her life draws to a close with one of the show’s most striking moments: Live to Tell recast as a eulogy for those killed by the Aids epidemic, Madonna floating above the audience on a platform as vast images of New York nightlife luminaries lost to the disease – Keith Haring, Arthur Russell, Robert Mapplethorpe – are projected around her. Thereafter, you could argue that the show loses its sense of narrative thread – you’d be hard-pushed to describe a segue that jams together Human Nature, Crazy for You and Justify My Love with readings from the Book of Revelation as anything other than puzzling – but what it lacks in clarity, it makes up for with its setlist.

For all the biblical references, quotations from Gurdjieff flashing across the big screens and occasional diversions into something approaching the realm of the deep cut – Madonna’s daughter, Mercy, plays piano on a version of Bad Girl, a single from 1992’s Erotica, but not a massively successful one – what the Celebration tour is really engaged in is the simple business of clobbering the audience with hits. You could occasionally question the hits she choses to clobber them with – it’s questionable whether anyone attends a Madonna gig in the desperate hope of hearing her version of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina – but, for the most part she’s on very safe ground indeed.

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There’s a witty recreation of a drag ball for Vogue. She performs Hung Up in the midst of writhing topless female dancers, one of whom she enthusiastically cops off with at the song’s climax. You could see the Celebration tour as a capitulation, an artist in her 60s finally admitting her history is what really matters. Equally, you could view it as Madonna playing to her strengths: as Like a Virgin and Ray of Light boom out over the O2, those strengths seem very strong indeed.

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