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  The album was awarded a Grammy Award for “Best Electronic/Dance Album” and became number one in 40 countries. Its lead single, Hung Up, peaked at number one in 41 countries, and both album and lead single earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Hung Up became Madonna’s most successful single worldwide. She promoted the album during her 2006 Confessions Tour, which became the highest grossing tour for a female artist during that time for having grossed more than $194.7 million and an audience of 1.2 million.

  During her performance of Live to Tell on Confessions Tour, Madonna used religious symbols such as Chrown of Thorns. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia responded by urging their members to boycott the concert. The Vatican and the bishops from Dusseldorf likewise protested the concert. Madonna said, “My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole.”

  Confessions on a Dance Floor was universally acclaimed and had a score of 80/100 on Metacritic based on 28 professional reviews. Music critics described the album was a “welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop” while Madonna “again reinvents herself, and it appears she’s nearly lapped herself.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 350,000 copies in its first week.

  Hard Candy

  Being Madonna’s final studio album with Warner Bros. Records, Hard Candy was released in 2008 and featured songs that were autobiographical in nature. For this album, she collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland and Nate “Danja” Hills.

  As was her past albums, Hard Candy was a commercial success, peaking at number one in 37 countries as well as on the Billboard 200. Some critics described it as “an attempt to harness the urban market,” but it received generally positive reviews worldwide. Hard Candy sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and became the 11th best-selling album worldwide in 2008 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry..

  The album’s first single, 4 Minutes, was a world success and carries a message of social awareness. It topped the charts in 21 countries and became the singer’s 37 Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit; Madonna beat Elvis Presley as the artists with the most top-ten hits. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in June 2008 for shipments of 500,000 in the US.

  The 2000s ended with Madonna being the best-selling single artist of the decade in the US and also as the most-played artist of the decade in the UK. Billboard announced Madonna as the third top-touring artist of the decade (behind the Rolling Stones and U2), grossing over $801 million, with 6.3 million attendance and 244 sell-outs of 248 shows.

  MDNA

  MDNA was Madonna’s most recent album, released in March 2012. She produced the album but also worked with other producers such as Benny Benassi, Demolition Crew, Alle Benassi, William Orbit, and Martin Solveig.

  MDNA quickly debuted at number one in countries worldwide. In the United States, the album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200; 359,000 copies were sold in the week after its released, making it Madonna’s biggest opening week sales since Music. MDNA was Madonna’s eighth chart-topper and the fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one.

  MDNA became Madonna’s 12th album to top the chart, and she broke the record as the solo artist with the most number-one albums ever which Elvis Presley previously held.

  Madonna performed the lead single, Give Me All Your Luvin’, prior to MDNA’s release at the Super Bowl XLVI during the Bridgestone Halftime Show featuring special guests Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee Lo Green. It became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history with 114 million viewers.

  Chapter 6 – Madonna On Stage

  In the 1980s, Madonna was one of the highest-paid performers. Her performances were always noteworthy, if not stirring up controversy. Her voice sounded thin, girlish and pinched, but her personality was sexy, aggressive and provocative. There were qualities that her singles hinted at, but were fully exploited in her videos.

  Madonna described her own image as “this brazen, aggressive young woman who has an OK voice with some pretty exciting songs, who wears what she wants to wear and says what she wants to say and who has potential as an actress.” A lot of female fans imitated her style, and the success of many of her singles and albums translated to the need to embark on tours to further promote her albums and connect with her audience.

  Madonna had embarked on eight concert tours, seven of which were worldwide. And each time, she did not disappoint. Whether it was the performance, the songs or her costumes, Madonna didn’t leave her audience disappointed.

  Conquering the World

  The Virgin Tour was Madonna’s debut concert tour to promote her first two albums, Madonna and Like A Virgin. The tour was carried out within the United States and Canada only. Maripol designed the costumes and Beastie Boys served as the singer’s opening act. The stage was circular and had ramps around it. The lighting arrangements hung about 30 feet above the stage. There were four giant screens on the outer perimeter of the stage. Madonna performed with such energy during the shows, prancing around the stage and dancing with two male back-up dancers.

  Madonna performing during the opening of her Virgin Tour

  Madonna sang songs from her first two albums and was backed by two dancers. She ended the show with a performance of Like a Virgin and Material Girl in a wedding dress. The tour was a commercial success and grossed over $5 million. It was recorded in VHS as Live – The Virgin Tour and was certified gold by the RIAA.

  Her second Tour, the Who’s That Girl World Tour, was Madonna’s first world tour that reached Asia, Europe and North America. The tour supported her album True Blue and the soundtrack Who’s That Girl for the movie with the same name. While the movie flopped, the soundtrack proved to be a success. Unlike her first tour, the Who’s That Girl Tour featured multimedia components to make the show more appealing.

  Before the tour, Madonna trained with jogging, aerobics and weight-lifting in order to prepare herself for the choreography and the dance routines. Marlene Stewart worked on the costumes with Madonna’s instructions of bringing her video characters to life onstage. The stage was wider and displayed four video screens, multimedia projectors and a flight of stairs in the middle.

  Madonna underwent seven costume changes and executed song-and-dance routines and theatrics. As with the Virgin Tour, it was a commercial success and was commented on for its extravagant nature. Madonna was also complimented for her dancing, costume changes and dynamic pacing. The tour grossed $25 million with an attendance of 1.5 million. Pollstar deemed the tour as the second top female concert tour of 1987.

  Buoyed by the success of her hit singles Vogue, Justify My Love and Hanky Panky, Madonna was more than happy that she was able to get away with touching on taboo subjects and getting a positive response. In her previous tour, she explored the concept of musical theater, but it was on her third world tour that the concepts of art, spectacle and dance came together.

  Vincent Paterson, the tour choreographer, said that Madonna intended to “break every rule we can. She wanted to make statements about sexuality, cross-sexuality, the Church. But the biggest thing we tried to do was change the shape of concerts. Instead of just presenting songs, we wanted to combine fashion, Broadway, rock and the performance arts.”

  The Blond Ambition World Tour began in April 1990 and continued for almost 4 months. One of the things that stood out on this tour was Madonna’s shiny, pink conical bra, a piece of fashion engineering that was designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Gaultier considered it a labor of love after going through 1,500 sketches before Madonna approved the costumes.

  The bra was part of a corset that displayed Madonna’s new sinewy body. For someone who found sadomasochism and fetish cultures as irresistible, the Blond Ambition corset signified submissiveness and strength. Fashion historian Sarah Cheang said, “When sh
e pulled on that JPG corset and showed the world her newly sculpted muscles, her combination of body-toning and body-taming combined all senses of the notion of discipline. She was presenting a body that had been subjected to a rigorous regime of self-discipline – an active body produced by exercise, but also a passive body that was contained, controlled, and disciplined by the pink corset.”

  Madonna had worked quite hard to achieve the Blond Ambition look before the tour began. Her UK trainer said that Madonna did 5 hours of physical workout every day which reflected almost manic fitness routines. But she was not the one to complain. She wanted everything to be perfect, and to achieve that, she involved herself in the production to make sure that the concert would be a spectacle from start to finish.

  Madonna said about the tour, “I know that I’m not the best singer and I know that I’m not the best dancer. But, I can fucking push people’s button and be as provocative as I want. The tour’s goal is to break useless taboos.” Rolling Stone described it as an “elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza” and dubbed it as “the best tour of 1990.”

  Madonna performing during the Blond Ambition Tour with her famed pink conical bra designed by Gaultier

  Controversy followed Madonna when religious groups reacted when she performed Like a Virgin where two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation. The Pope also asked the public and the Christian community not to attend the concert.

  Madonna responded by saying, “I am Italian American and proud of it… The tour in no way hurts anybody’s sentiments. It’s for open minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others.”

  Even with the controversy following the tour, the Blond Ambition Tour broke records. Even though Pepsi withdrew their sponsorship deal as a result of the controversial music video for Like a Prayer, the electronics company Pioneer was more than happy to sponsor the tour. Madonna was paid $28 million for the Japanese shows alone.

  She again embarked on her next tour in 1993, the Girlie Show World Tour, in support of her album Erotica. Madonna visited Israel and Turkey for the first time and also took the tour to Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The tour, grossing more than $70 million, revolved around the central visual theme of a “sex circus.”

  Compared to her past tours, her show had a more complex stage. There was a runway that ran from the center of the stage to a minor stage. There were also a revolving elevated platform, balconies and an illuminated “Girlie Show” sign above the stage. Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, directed the tour while Dolce & Gabbana designed the costumes.

  Typical of Madonna, she began the show by appearing as a whip-cracking dominatrix flanked by topless dancers of both sexes. She sang Like a Virgin in the guise of actress Marlene Dietrich and wore an Afro wig for Express Yourself.

  Madonna shocked her audience in Puerto Rico when she rubbed their national flag between her legs on stage.

  Madonna sported a softer image eight years later for her Drowned World Tour which was in support of her albums Ray of Light and Music. The tour was supposed to commence in 1999 but was delayed because she gave birth to her son, got married to Guy Ritchie and was filming a movie.

  Madonna embarked on her Drowned World Tour eight years after her previous tour

  Madonna chose Jamie King as choreographer and the tour was planned to last in just 3 months. Jean-Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for the whole tour.

  The show has 5 segments: Neo-Punk, Geisha/Anime, Country/Western, Latin/Gypsy and Urban/Pimp. She sang songs from her last two studio albums along with two pre-90s songs. For the Neo-Punk segment, Madonna appeared wearing a kilt and dominatrix style costumes. For the second segment, she wore a kimono and performed airborne martial arts. For the country/Western segment, Madonna performed acoustic songs wearing cowboy costumes. For the Latin segment, there was flamenco dancing. For the last segment, there were ghetto-themed performances.

  The Drowned World Tour was again a success, with critics complimenting Madonna for re-inventing herself continuously. Grossing more than $75 million with attendance of 730,000 in the US and Europe alone, the tour became the highest-grossing concert tour of 2001 by a solo artist.

  In support of her American Life album, Madonna embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Re-Invention World Tour which ran from May 24 to August 14 2004. The tour was a commercial success, with tickets being sold out as soon as dates and venues were announced. After the tour was over, it was announced as the highest grossing tour of 2004, grossing $125 million from 56 shows. It also won the Top Tour award during the Backstage Pass Conference in November 2004. Madonna’s tour manager, Caresse Henry, received the Top Manager award.

  The tour was dogged by an allegation of Elton John that Madonna lip-synched in her shows. He said, “Since when has lip-synching been live? Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay $134 to see them should be shot. That’s me off her fucking Christmas card list.”

  Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, came to her rescue and responded, “Madonna does not lip-synch nor does she spend her time trashing other artists… She sang every note of her Re-Invention tour live and is not ashamed that she was well paid for her hard work… Elton John remains on her Christmas card list whether he is nice…or naughty.” John later apologized to Madonna for his comments.

  Two years after the Re-Invention World Tour, Madonna embarked on her seventh concert tour, the Confessions Tour, which ran from May 21 to September 21, 2006. The tour supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor and was directed by Jamie King.

  Madonna performing during her Re-Invention Tour

  As with her past tours, the preparation for the Confessions Tour was extensive. It took 24 semi-trailer trucks to transport the stage and props. There was a main stage with three elevators and a turntable, plus a central runway with LED and strobe lights. Two projection screens were set up above the audience so those who were far from the stage could still get a clear view.

  One of the props was a $2 million disco ball embellished with $2 million worth of Swarovski crystals, weighing two tons. The ball was revealed during the opening number as it was lowered onto the stage and opened to reveal Madonna. The ball had hydraulic tubing to keep it open, with two sets of stairs and hundreds of LED lights. Aside from the ball, props included the horse that Madonna used for the Live a Virgin set, the steel cage used for Isaac and Sorry and the boom box for the Hung Up set.

  The giant disco ball used for the Confessions Tour

  The tour received positive feedback from critics, but it was overshadowed by another controversy. While performing the single Live to Tell, Madonna hanged from a giant mirrored cross and wore a crown of thorns, prompting religious groups to react. German prosecutors in Dusseldorf threatened to sue Madonna for blasphemy while a Protestant bishop said that “maybe the only way an aging superstar can attract attention is to offend people’s religious sentiments.”

  The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR) urged their members to boycott Madonna’s upcoming concert in Moscow. Religious leaders deemed that performance as an act of hostility toward the Roman Catholic Church.

  Italian cardinal Ersilio Tonini expressed the same sentiment, saying that the concert was “a blasphemous challenge to the faith” and a “profanation of the cross.” Reverend Manfredo Leone described the act as “disrespectful, in bad taste and provocative.”

  Madonna said that she did not mean to taunt the Catholic but wanted to bring attention to the millions of children in Africa dying from hunger and poverty.

  Despite the controversy, the tour was a success. Tickets were sold out within minutes in different locations and new dates were included. The tour grossed $80 million in the US alone throughout the summer, becoming the highest grossing summer tour of 2006.

  Overall, the Confessions Tour grossed over US$193.7 million from 60 shows with an attendance of 1.2 million. The tour
then became the highest grossing tour ever for a female artist and broke the record held by Cher for her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. It won the “Most Creative Stage Production” at the Pollstar Awards and the “Top Boxscore” from the Billboard Touring Awards.

  Madonna broke her own record with the Sticky & Sweet Tour which ran from late August 2008 to early September 2009 and promoted her album, Hard Candy. Madonna appointed Arianne Phillips as costume designer. The stage was in some ways similar to that of Madonna’s previous tour.

  Like her previous tours, the Sweet & Sticky Tour was just as successful

  The Sweet & Sticky Tour was a huge success; it broke many records with regards to ticket sales, audience attendance and commercial gross. After the tour’s first leg, it grossed $282 million and became the highest grossing tour by a solo artist which Madonna held with her Confessions tour.

  Overall, the tour grossed a total of US$408 million after performing to over 3.5 million fans in 32 countries. The Sweet & Sticky Tour became the fourth highest grossing tour of all time but remains the highest grossing tour by a solo artist.

  During the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards, the Sweet & Sticky tour won the Top Tour and Top Draw prizes. The tour’s manager, Guy Oseary, won the Top Manager award.

  In one of her shows, Madonna (again) caused a storm after making some statements that socio-political leaders strongly reacted to. The Get Stupid video showed images of various disasters alongside images of Adolf Hitler and Robert Mugabe. There was also an image of US Republican presidential candidate John McCain along with images of Hitler and Mugabe. By the end of the video, there were images of John Lennon, Gandhi, Al Gore and US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. As expected, the video caused an uproar in the political world, particularly in McCain’s camp. McCain’s spokesperson said,