At London’s O2 arena, Madonna, also known as the “Queen of Pop”, took to the stage Saturday evening for the first night of her rescheduled tour, “Madonna Celebration Tour,” which began on October 14, 2023, and featured 40 hits some of which includes Like a Prayer, Holiday and Crazy for You.
The tour opened with Nothing Really Matters and was met with critical acclaim, which is quite amazing for the American singer-songwriter, 65, whose long-lasting 40-year musical career speaks for itself, and we are certain is going to be influential for decades to come. Even though the return of the pop icon on the stage was met with lots of cheers, the comeback was an emotional one as well for her fandom. For the first time on the stage, the “Vogue” singer publicly spoke directly to her fans about her recent medical scare.
If you recall, back in June, Madonna was hospitalized as she fell seriously ill and had to spend her time in intensive care in hospital after being found unresponsive in her New York City apartment. She was treated in the intensive care unit and was intubated. Madonna spent five days in the hospital to receive treatment for a “serious bacterial infection” following a low-grade fever. As a result, the initial North American leg of her tour was postponed and not canceled.
Taking to Instagram, Madonna addressed her health scare, she wrote:
“Thank you for your positive energy. Prayers and words of healing and encouragement. I have felt your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.” She continued, “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. My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can!”
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Going back to the tour night, she heartily told her crowd, “I didn’t think I was going to make it.”
“My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children,” she revealed during her show.
‘My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour.’ She continued, “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.’ ‘It was a crazy year for me and I didn’t think I was going to make it. I forgot five days of my life – or my death,” she told her loyal London-based fans.
By elaborating on the situation, she went on to express her gratitude for her children, “But the angels were protecting me and my children were there, and my children always save me every time. And if you want to know a secret as to how I survived, I thought, ‘I’ve got to be there for my children. I’ve got to pull through for them.”
Later, during the show, the energy in the crowd was electric and completely in sync with the singer! Suddenly at some point, she once had to fill for ten minutes as the crew worked through some technological issues.
Madonna enthralled the sizable audience with tales from her early years in New York during the break, including her stay in rehearsal spaces with her band, stating, “I had no way to take a bath. So I would actually date men who had showers and bathrooms. Those were the days, and that is the truth.” The Papa Don’t Preach hitmaker further added and told the audience, “You will be crucified, you will be vilified, because to age is to sin. I think the most controversial thing I’ve done is to stick around.”
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After the technological difficulties were fixed later in the evening, Madonna made up for the delay by bursting into energetic renditions of her hits, Holiday and Open Your Heart. The show also featured dazzling lighting and video effects, which her tours are known to incorporate, making them an extraordinary experience for the attendees of the sell-out show.
Moreover, the singer was accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James, who took to the stage and played the haunting instrumental to her mother’s iconic hit Bad Girl on a grand piano. In addition to this, the audience was in for a big surprise as Madonna, who has six children, was also joined on stage. Her 10-year-old daughter Estere strutted down the runway to a mashup of her mom’s most famous song, “Vogue,” whereas Lourdes, 27, also showed off her dance moves, which were met with loud applause from the crowd making the night even more iconic than before!
As the show proceeded, the “Like a Prayer” singer also shared her sorrow over the situation in Israel and Gaza: “It’s so painful to witness,” she said. Further adding, “It breaks my heart to see children suffering, teenagers suffering, elderly people suffering. I’m sure you agree.” Finally, take a look at the recent official Instagram post where the singer thanked her fans for the opening night, quoting, Thank you LONDON! Opening Night! An Evening i will never forget. 🇬🇧♥️ #madonnacelebrationtour”
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