Madonna pulled off what was thought to have been the impossible last night when she kicked off her Celebration world tour nearly four months after almost dying.
The queen of pop began the 78 dates with the first of four concerts at London’s O2, where the sell-out crowd included her children Lourdes, Rocco, David and Mercy.
And a hugely impressive production it was too, with a crew of more than 200 – 25 of them in the costume department alone.
Sources close to the 65-year-old singer told of their relief at finally getting the show on the road. Madonna was devastated at being forced by doctors to cancel the planned North American leg that was due to begin in July 15 after being found unresponsive in her New York apartment in late June.
The cancellation of the leg gave Madonna almost three months to recuperate from what was described as a serious bacterial infection. But it also gave her time, say her team, to make the European gigs – starting in London – ‘incredible’.
Madonna on the first night of her ‘Celebration’ tour at the O2 Arena in London
A hugely impressive production it was too, with a crew of more than 200 – 25 of them in the costume department alone
She finally took to the stage at 8.45pm to greet fans, who welcomed her back with screams, squeals and waving of posters
The Michigan-born star, known affectionately as Madge, arrived in Britain earlier this month.
Happily, she was a picture of health three days ago when she left Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’s ‘s five-star Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester, which she had hired in its entirety while she rehearsed in the city. She also signed a lot of autographs as she set off to London.
Her excitement was there for all to see again yesterday when she told her 19 million Instagram followers that she had arrived at the O2 arena, on the banks of the Thames at around 1pm.
She then posted a picture of a flag raised in her honour at the venue where she will perform the four gigs before touring much of Western Europe and returning to the O2 for two more performances in December. Her rescheduled American concerts start in New York a week after that.
It was around 8.45pm when she finally took to the stage and greeted fans, who welcomed her back with screams, squeals and much waving of posters – knowing how lucky they were to be the first people to see a tour originally scheduled to begin in Vancouver. Despite her collapse, there was little sign that Madonna was taking things easy. To ensure she’s as fit as possible, she’s brought several personal trainers with her, along with three mobile gyms.
And the hard work soon showed, with Madge determined to push herself harder than ever on a tour that celebrates her career with 17 of her iconic outfits, and around 40 of her hits including Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light and Holiday – her first UK hit in 1984.
The show also featured archive footage and pre-filmed recordings spanning her five decades in showbusiness
But as well as a thrilling night for her fans, it was also an emotional one. The show featured archive footage and pre-filmed recordings spanning her five decades in showbusiness to create what has been described as a ‘documentary’ about her career while she performs.
Narrowing her hit list down to around 25 songs was a challenge, according to Madge’s musical director Stuart Price.
‘That was the big challenge,’ he said. ‘In two hours, can you get all of it in? That’s hard. But every great moment she’s had, we took a bit of it.’ A further 20 songs were interspersed to serve as ‘bridges’ between other numbers or during outfit changes.
Speaking of how badly Madonna wanted to give fans an ‘incredible’ show, Mr Price said: ‘Madonna has very high expectations of how much hard work people will put into something. It’s very uncompromising – but she’s equally as hard on herself.
‘So when she took a break, that pause created an opportunity to further enhance the show.
‘And I’m sure the opportunity [for her] to focus on being 100 per cent well was greatly received.’
