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129-685: The Drowned World Tour (billed as Drowned World Tour 2001 ) was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums, Ray of Light (1998) and Music (2000). The tour began on June 9, 2001, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona , Spain, and ended on September 15 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles , United States. It was her first tour in eight years, following

258-409: A Fellinian version of the circus, but we also like those glamorous costumes that you can see in the movies from the '50s"; the duo agreed on "perfection" being the biggest challenge they encountered while working with the singer. The designers would "redo" the stuff that would rip or come apart during the tour; "We followed the tour this way. From time, shorts and other things were missing. We followed

387-532: A Ziegfeld revue, a living video, an R-rated take off on Cirque du Soleil ." Paul Taylor from The Independent was positive on his review of the show's opening night at London; "her performance-which featured spanking , four-letter outbursts and suggestive references to oral sex and the size of one dancer's manhood clearly delighted most of her fans." Also of the opening night, Entertainment Weekly ' s Tyler Brule commented that, "Madonna may have lost some of her glitter lately. But as she demonstrated in

516-482: A "'Solid Gold' hit parade". The tour's production manager Mark Spring said in an interview for The Independent that it was the "most complicated thing" he had ever done. He further elaborated: "The [Madonna] mystique figures very highly, so you have a whole other level of professionalism you have to attain. [It's] not that you wouldn't do your best, of course. But this is Madonna. Her show is perfect. There are no mistakes". Two Boeing 747 aircraft were needed to ferry

645-475: A "mean-spirited stance" against the singer and the tour; after she arrived in London, a British magazine proclaimed itself a "Madonna-Free Zone", refusing to publish or show any pictures of the concerts. Bruce Elder from The Sydney Morning Herald gave a mixed review; "the best that could be said [...] was that it was an event, an occasion, a place to be seen at, but as pure dance, pop or rock entertainment, it

774-459: A "sense of humor and burlesque" that Blond Ambition lacked. Duffy concluded that, despite the controversy surrounding Madonna at the time, she could still "confound and excite her audience." Similarly, Richard Corliss, writing for Time , expressed that, "Madonna, once the Harlow harlot and now a perky harlequin, is the greatest show-off on earth", and deemed the tour "at once a movie retrospective,

903-477: A "softer" side of the singer. On a similar note, Gar Graff from the Detroit Free Press noted the tour revealed a more personal side to Madonna than her previous tours; he called it a "stylish, theatrical [...] sophisticated, tightly scripted, two hour cabaret." Thom Duffy from Billboard said the tour "transcended its own playfully erotic hype and earned kudos as pure entertainment", also noticing

1032-595: A 17.0 rating and 27 share overall, it became the network's second most-watched original program of the year, following the George Foreman vs. Tommy Morrison fight. On April 26, 1994, the special was released on LaserDisc and VHS under the title The Girlie Show: Live Down Under . It earned Madonna a nomination for Best Long Form Music Video at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards and peaked at number 31 and 32 on Billboard ' s Year-end Top Music Videos and Top Video Sales charts, respectively. In addition to

1161-463: A backless black dress. For " La Isla Bonita ", the singer once again played guitar and was accompanied by flamenco dancing. A mash-up of " Holiday " and Stardust 's " Music Sounds Better With You " (1998) was then performed by Madonna, Haris and De Lory. The final number was " Music ", and featured the singer and all the dancers. Confetti fell from the roof while images of her past music videos flashed onscreen behind her. The phrase "The End" appeared on

1290-421: A blue and white striped shirt. She sang on top of a rising platform while one of the musicians walked around bare-chested playing the acoustic guitar. The final song before the encore was " Holiday "; it featured Madonna and the dancers wearing long trenchcoats and doing a military parade while an American flag was hung in the background. The final numbers were " Justify My Love " and a mashup of Sly and

1419-471: A cancellation and recommended confession for any practicing Catholic who attended the concerts elsewise. Jorge María Storni, president of the organization Tradición, Familia y Propiedad, supported the cancellation of the concerts, since according to his words, Madonna's main goal was to "undermine the foundations of social order". Alexander Molinas ―consultant of Menores e Incapaces de la Cámara Civil― went as far as to ask civil judge Marcela Perez Pardo to ban

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1548-568: A million hits on the official website within the first 10 minutes, and an estimated 30 million attempts through ticket hotlines –which were attended by 265 operators– Madonna made history by having her London shows among the fastest selling of all time. In the United States, all concerts sold out in hours, with the four Los Angeles dates selling out in just seventeen minutes. With forty-seven concerts, and over 730,000 tickets sold in Europe and

1677-782: A new form of theatrical entertainment, a fusion of song, performance art, innovative stage craft, and state-of-the-art technology. She managed to popularize the Las Vegas residency as a desirable way for top artists to essentially tour in place, letting their fans come to them. American singer Lady Gaga , who cancelled the 2018 European leg of her Joanne World Tour , signed for a Las Vegas residency to help manage her fibromyalgia illness, which can be exacerbated by touring. The 2015 study by charity Help Musicians found that over 60% of musicians suffered from depression or other psychological issues, with touring an issue for 71% of respondents. The Girlie Show (Madonna) The Girlie Show

1806-512: A nod to Madonna's early days; black wigs and white makeup that referenced the geisha aesthetic used on " Nothing Really Matters " (1999); leather chaps over jeans like the ones she wore on her " Don't Tell Me " music video, and a "hybrid" of clothes from the "La Isla Bonita" music video and the 1996 musical Evita . Brothers, Dean and Dan Caten , creators of the DSquared fashion line, contributed with ghetto fabulous costumes, which represented

1935-419: A result, 35,000 tickets were refunded. The show on August 3 at New Jersey 's Continental Airlines Arena was also cancelled, this time due to illness, reducing the dates from fifty to forty-seven. The tour took its name after J. G. Ballard 's 1962 novel The Drowned World and Madonna's 1998 single of the same name . Liz Rosenberg stated that it would be her "grandest spectacle to date". In May 2001, AOL ,

2064-420: A rising platform. She wore a sleeveless black top, crossover top with one net sleeve, jeans with zips and bondage straps, a studded dog collar and a tartan kilt . A high-energy performance of " Impressive Instant " followed. It found the singer surrounded by dancers wearing gas masks and encased in rolls of black mesh. Madonna then played electric guitar for "Candy Perfume Girl". Afterwards, " Beautiful Stranger "

2193-547: A similar note, Phil Gallo from Variety opined that the "mesmerizing and confident" Drowned World Tour "puts to shame any singer who thinks she might have a shot at Ms. Ciccone's pop throne". Michael Hubbard further added: "You'd struggle to find a better show [...] and you’d find it difficult to find a mainstream artist who can command near-universal respect for anything like as long as this fine lady". Writing for The Guardian , Alex Petridis explained that, "her contemporaries are either in reduced circumstances or languishing in

2322-527: A solo artist. At the 2001 Pollstar awards , it was nominated for Major Tour of the Year and Most Creative Stage Production, but lost them both to U2 . The concert on August 26 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan was filmed professionally and broadcast live on HBO as Madonna Live: The Drowned World Tour ; afterwards, it was released on VHS and DVD under the title Drowned World Tour 2001 . After

2451-490: A traditional instrument among the Aboriginals which is allowed to be played only by men; "the fact [Madonna] is a Westerner and the didgeridoo as a gift does not change the fact she should not be carrying it around", said Badangthun Munmunyarrun, an Aboriginal elder. Gudinski later explained that he was working with Yothu Yindi at the time, and presented Madonna with the didgeridoo Yindi had given him, but planned to get

2580-431: A while yet." In his review at the show at New York's Madison Square Garden , Jon Pareles from The New York Times noted thatm "after the proudly uningratiating 'Blond Ambition' tour in 1990 [...] 'The Girlie Show' tweaks fewer taboos." Pareles pointed out that the singer "sings just enough solo parts to prove she's not lip-synching ", concluding that with Blond Ambition she was "pop's least flirtatious sex symbol", but

2709-543: A whole troupe of devoted flunkies – enough to delight an audience she only seems to disdain. Music makes the people come together, – together, that is, if Madonna is in charge", Pareles concluded. From Spin , Joshua Clover criticized the show's lack of a "coherent story line". A negative review came from Ethan Brown, writing for New York magazine; he felt that "limp" performances such as "Nobody's Perfect" (2000) and "I Deserve It", "didn't live up to her attitude". Brown also said that, despite "few stunning visual moments",

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2838-485: Is Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour , with $ 2.089 billion earned from 125 shows. In 2024, Coldplay 's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the second tour to gross $ 1 billion in revenue. In third place is Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road , with a total gross of $ 939 million from 2018–2023. On fourth place is Ed Sheeran 's ÷ Tour , with a gross of $ 776.2 million. On fifth place

2967-400: Is U2 's 360° Tour , with $ 736.4 million. Global touring revenue reported to Billboard Boxscore exceeded $ 5.5 billion in 2016. Due to the collapse of record sales in the 21st century, concert tours have become a major source of income for recording artists. Besides the tickets, touring also generates money from the sales of merchandise and meet-and-greet packages. However,

3096-443: Is a concert tour intended to signal the retirement of a singer, the disbanding of a band, or the end of a show's run. Many of the tours end up not being the last tour, with frequent regroupings, or revivals of shows. Luciano Pavarotti 's 2004 tour and Kenny Rogers 's 2015–2017 tour are examples of farewell tours which were the last to be staged before their deaths. As of October 2024, the highest-grossing concert tour of all time

3225-439: Is a peculiar thing, it doesn't suit me particularly well. I'm a real homebody and I get so much joy in the small things." A concert residency concept is offered as an alternative to performers who just need to stay in one venue and the fans come to see them. The concept has been revitalized in the 21st century by Canadian superstar Céline Dion with the success of her A New Day... residency (2003–2007). Her residency introduced

3354-678: Is a phenomenon, not a musician [...] often overwhelmed by all that she had set in motion around her. Alberto Armendáriz, from Argentinean newspaper La Nación , felt the only "criticizable" aspect was that, "the whole affair [was] so tightly scripted, it left no room for spontaneity or interactions" between the singer and the audience. Jon Pareles , from The New York Times , said the singer's voice sounded "fuller and smoother" than on previous tours, particularly in performances such as "I Deserve It" (2000) and " You'll See " (1995). Nonetheless, he criticized her "arrogance" and use of profanities. "[She] represents self-love backed by plenty of gym time and

3483-437: Is a retrospective of her career to that point, where each act of the concert represents one of her albums . In another case, artists embark on a concert tour to celebrate the anniversary of their past albums, such as U2 's 2017 tour to mark the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree (1987) and Janet Jackson 's 2019 tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). A farewell tour

3612-488: Is an old dance number. It keeps you steppin'. Madonna sings everything live. She's been that way from the beginning of her career, even with all the athletic dancing. She's a hard worker and she expects everybody else to work as hard or harder. I respect that. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier was signed up to create the costumes for the tour; his designs had a fusion of punk and Scottish fashions, geisha, cowboy and Spanish themes. These included torn shirts and zippered black pants,

3741-602: Is silly, not shocking." On their rankings of Madonna's tours, The Advocate ' s Gina Vivinetto and VH1 's Christopher Rosa placed the Girlie Show in the fourth and fifth position, respectively. The Girlie Show came in third on Billboard ' s 2024 ranking; Sal Cinmquemani described it as a "visual tour-de-force . Madonna was in fine voice throughout [...] [And] she's never had a better live band, either". The Girlie Show proved to be commercially successful. In London, 15,000 tickets were sold within two hours, while

3870-403: Is to play in front of a different audience every night. dealing with different cultures, different expectations, different ways of expressing pleasure and bewilderment--this to me is the ultimate thrill. The ultimate risk. And I love taking risks. You may have heard that about me. There's no way this book could truly recapture the excitement of the 'Girlie Show', but it comes pretty damn close. By

3999-404: Is where I feel most alive, and it's where I'm able to pull all of my creative energies into one outlet. It's the only place where I can combine all of my influences and all of my inspirations into one living, breathing animal. The stage is the only environment where cubist painting, burlesque, flamenco dancing and the circus can live together under one cozy roof. Taking the adventure one step further

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4128-462: The Rolling Stones only playing songs from their last two albums and try not to shudder". On a similar note, Sal Cinquemani felt album cuts such as "Candy Perfume Girl" translated into "edgier numbers", and complemented the concert for being aimed at "true fans—critics (and hits) be damned". Joel Selvin wrote that, "it didn't matter to her legions that she didn't play old favorites. The concert

4257-527: The Sunrise , Atlanta , and Detroit gigs, though no free bookings were available; it became Madonna's first tour to completely skip over Canada. The first Barcelona concert attracted 18,000 people. Initially, only one concert was confirmed at London 's Earls Court Exhibition Centre , but after the 16,000 tickets sold out in just fifteen minutes, promoters added five more dates, which were completely sold out in six hours. Prices ranged between £40 and £85. With

4386-465: The Family Stone 's " Everybody Is a Star " (1969) and Madonna's own " Everybody ": the former had the singer and dancers wearing Victorian costumes and her holding a lorgnette , and the latter saw them change into white tops and denim shorts. Afterwards, as a red curtain fell and carnival music played, the pierrot emerged yet again, only to reveal its identity as Madonna herself. The singer closed

4515-555: The Girlie Show in 1993. Set to start in 1999, it was delayed until 2001 as Madonna filmed and starred in the movie The Next Best Thing (2000), began working on Music , gave birth to her son Rocco and married Guy Ritchie . When the tour was finally decided, there was little time, so in just three months, auditions for dancers were held, musicians and technicians were hired and rehearsals took place. Madonna appointed Jamie King , Alex Magno , and Deborah Brown choreographers, while French designer Jean Paul Gaultier , who had worked with

4644-495: The United States, it was reported to have earned US$ 76.8 million ($ 132.15 million in 2023 dollars), averaging at $ 1.6 million ($ 2.75 million in 2023 dollars) per show. Drowned World became the highest-grossing concert tour of 2001 by a solo artist, as well as the fourth highest-grossing overall, only behind U2, 'N Sync , and the Backstreet Boys. The concert on August 26, at The Palace of Auburn Hills ,

4773-531: The act: the pierrot, along with several dancers dressed in black and twirling umbrellas, did a choreography reminiscent of the 1952 musical film Singin' in the Rain . The Studio 54 act began with " Express Yourself "; a distorted voice from off-stage claimed "I'm gonna take you to a place you've never been before". Then, Madonna descended from the ceiling on a giant disco ball, wearing a blond afro wig, 1970's style halters and royal blue Bell-bottom pants. She

4902-402: The artist and type of tour, but the most common means of separating legs are dates (especially if there is a long break at some point), countries and/or continents, or different opening acts. In the largest concert tours, it has become more common for different legs to employ separate touring production crews and equipment, local to each geographical region. Concert tours are often administered on

5031-500: The backdrops. Madonna finished the section with an acoustic "Gone", replaced with " You'll See " on certain US concerts. The final act, Spanish Girl/Ghetto Girl , began with an instrumental interlude of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina "; several dancers did a Tango number with lit candles placed along the side of the stage. Madonna then emerged on top of a rotating leather podium to perform "Lo Que Siente la Mujer", dressed in black trousers and

5160-430: The book was met with a strongly negative reaction from the media and the general public, but was commercially successful. The widespread backlash overshadowed Erotica which, despite positive reviews, ended up as the singer's lowest selling album at the time; Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the 1993 erotic thriller Body of Evidence , a film which contains scenes of sadomasochism and bondage but it

5289-410: The concert didn't capture "the sense of purpose" of the artist's past tours. "Madonna is a frustratingly small stage presence, too, mostly standing motionless or strumming rudimentary chords on an acoustic guitar [...] the music was equally airless", he concluded his review. The lack of the singer's 1980s songs was met with criticism. VH1 's Christopher Rosa opined that, "the sheer lack of classic hits

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5418-459: The concerts in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. It remains the second largest crowd ever on Rio's Maracanã Stadium for a concert by a female artist, behind Tina Turner 's 1988 Break Every Rule World Tour (attended by 188,000 people). The average ticket price for the shows was $ 15. In Australia, Madonna set the record for the biggest ticket sales with over 360,000 tickets sold;

5547-469: The country". A ministry official dismissed the controversy by saying that "whoever likes it can go [to the concert] and whoever doesn't, well don't go". Later, during the concert, Madonna wore a sombrero and simulated an orgy as response. Upon Madonna's arrival in Australia, controversy aroused when she was given by Michael Gudinski , one of the promoters of the tour's Australian leg, a didgeridoo ,

5676-470: The dancers, while "In This Life", the act's final song, saw her singing alone on the stage as the pierrot watched from afar. The show's second interlude, " The Beast Within ", featured two men doing an apocalyptic dance with sexual overtones as Madonna, from off-stage, recited the lyrics. " Like a Virgin " opened the Weimar Cabaret segment: Madonna wore top hat and a tailcoat while singing in

5805-680: The eight Australian concerts had grossed over US$ 18.5 million. Upon completion, the tour was reported to have grossed a total of $ 70 million from 39 concerts. Like previous Madonna tours, the Girlie Show was subject to controversy. One planned concert in Frankfurt was condemned by a German politician who declared it "exceeded the bounds of decency" and should be banned to those under 16. Norbert Geis , parliamentary spokesman for Chancellor Helmut Kohl 's party, had previously warned: "Either Madonna drops these obscenities... or she will not be allowed to appear". The concert ended up being cancelled, with

5934-419: The end, the singer and the two men disappeared in a flamed circle on the stage. The third song, " Vogue ", featured Madonna wearing an elaborate Asian beaded headdress and engaging in a Thai -inspired choreography. For " Rain ", Madonna and back-up singers and dancers Niki Haris and Donna De Lory wore long see-through black robes and sat on stools in the center of the stage. An instrumental interlude closed

6063-555: The engineers, commented that Madonna was a perfectionist, as she could tell when a sound coming from the speakers sounded bad or good during rehearsals. By suggestion of engineer Pat McCarthy , they tried out using 14 kHz of sound frequency in their live speakers, which was unusual to use at the time. They also came up with the idea of using isolated amplifiers to pick up the individual sound of each instruments. Suib commented that "the creative process of coming up with new ideas, implementing them, and then soberly evaluating their results

6192-531: The first date sold 52,000 tickets in an hour and 20 minutes, with prices ranging from $ 45 to $ 142. The single concert at the Adelaide Oval attracted over 40,000 people, standing as one of the most attended concerts in the venue's history. The dates in Melbourne and Sydney sold 147,241 and 135,000 tickets, respectively. In Sydney, over 90,000 tickets were sold in an hour. Billboard then reported that

6321-405: The guise of actress Marlene Dietrich , pronouncing the word "virgin" as "wirgin". " Bye Bye Baby " saw Madonna, Haris, and De Lory performing with three scantily clad women in a choreographed, highly sexual routine. "I'm Going Bananas" was then sung in " Judy Holliday / Betty Boop / Cyndi Lauper -ish vocals." For the next number, " La Isla Bonita ", Madonna removed the tailcoat, and performed in

6450-575: The instrument back from her and replace it with a new one. In 2015, Madonna confirmed she still had the didgeridoo. Cashbox magazine reported on November 6, 1993, that one of the shows at the Sydney Cricket Ground stadium would be broadcast through HBO on November 20; this marked the second time Madonna worked with the network following the Blond Ambition broadcast three years earlier. Initially, Madonna intended to film

6579-472: The kickoff of her Girlie Show tour at London's Wembley Stadium, she hasn't forgotten the twin pillars of her success—how to put on a show, and how to make a buck." Frances Hubbard from the Daily Express opined that the singer is "at her worst when she turns moody and pretentious", and that, "if Madonna is on her way down, it's a gentle descent. The world's best-marketed pop goddess will be around for

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6708-555: The lack of Madonna's "classic" 1980s songs was "criminal", the Drowned World Tour "couldn't have been better". At the 2001 Pollstar awards , Drowned World was nominated for Major Tour of the Year and Most Creative Stage Production, but lost to U2 's Elevation Tour . In 2024, while ranking Madonna's twelve concert tours, Sal Cinquemani placed Drowned World on the fifth position and wrote: "Pioneered by bands like U2, live concerts had moved closer to multimedia presentations in

6837-417: The latter went by the moniker Jacques Lu Cont and had worked with the singer on remixes of Music . In the end, the troupe was made up of ten dancers, two backup singers and six musicians; rehearsals went on for five days a week, thirteen hours a day. Clair Brothers Audio support was roped in for providing a mixture of high-tech techno sound and fusion of acoustic and trance. Madonna later clarified: "I don't see

6966-434: The local level by concert promoters or by performing arts presenters . Usually, small concert tours are managed by a road manager whereas large concert tours are managed by a tour manager . The main challenge in concert tours is how to move the performance's logistics from one venue to another venue, especially for a transcontinental tour. Tour logistics should be very organized and everything has to happen on time and in

7095-526: The logo as aesthetic as possible. They developed a custom icon and type of logo to convey the "unique and ethereal qualities" of Madonna's show, which was described by the group's founder Margo Chase as "a multilayered musical and spiritual journey through diverse worlds". Chase commented that since "Madonna is a student of Kabbalah, she requested that we include references to that body of knowledge". The resulting logo and poster included both Arabic and Hebrew references. A number of designs were prepared by Chase and

7224-587: The middle of the road [...] Madonna, however, still twists hip dancefloor trends to her own design". He ultimately concluded that, "with its perfect dance routines, special effects, devoted audience and hint of bullish arrogance, the Drowned World show befits the world's most famous woman". It was deemed a "highly imaginative [...] mind-numbing spectacle of aural and visual bravado from one of the world's most eminent artists" by The Massachusetts Daily Collegian ' s Nikolas Markantonatos, who also singled out

7353-589: The millennium". However, said plans fell through and the tour was pushed back to 2001; this was due to the fact that she had, in her own words, "been distracted by having children and filming movies". By 2000, Madonna was in a relationship with English director Guy Ritchie ; their son Rocco was born in August 2000, her eighth studio album Music was released that September and, three months later, her and Ritchie married in Scotland . In November, Madonna stated that she

7482-412: The music itself", an opinion that was shared by El País , and Entertainment Weekly ' s John McAlley. NME ' s Alex Needham called the tour a tribute to her "incredible graft, magnetic appeal and, above all, her supreme ability at making pop music"; he also said that if other musicians were to put "a tenth of the creative energy" into concerts as Madonna, "we would all be a lot better off". On

7611-503: The notes and track listing of Drowned World Tour 2001 , and additional sources. Act 1: Rock 'n' Roll Punk Girl Act 2: Geisha Girl Act 3: Cyber Cowgirl Act 4: Spanish Girl/Ghetto Girl Notes Adapted from the Drowned World Tour 2001 program. Concert tour Different segments of longer concert tours are known as "legs". The different legs of a tour are denoted in different ways, dependent on

7740-442: The one ultimately chosen by Madonna made it to the main poster of the show, which featured her face-shot from the " What It Feels Like for a Girl " video. The show was divided into four different thematic acts: Rock 'n' Roll Punk Girl , Geisha Girl , Cyber Cowgirl , and Spanish Girl/Ghetto Girl . It began with a performance of " Drowned World/Substitute for Love ". Madonna entered the stage amidst billows of dry ice and sang atop

7869-411: The ones that were left, I asked them if they would shave their heads. Not that I was going to shave their heads. I just wanted to see how far they were willing to go for me". Madonna and Ciccone decided to work with five different choreographers , one of them being American actor Gene Kelly , whom the singer wanted to choreograph the performance of single " Rain ". However, tension soon arose as Kelly

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7998-453: The only pre-1990s singles she performed. The show was appreciated by critics , who lauded the staging and production. The lack of Madonna's 1980s songs, however, left some dissatisfied. Drowned World was a commercial success; grossing more than US$ 76.8 million ($ 132.15 million adjusted for inflation), and playing to over 730,000 fans in sold-out shows throughout Europe and the United States, it became 2001's highest-grossing concert tour by

8127-546: The opening night was attended by 72,000 people. Madonna's very first concert in Israel attracted an audience of 50,000 people. The three shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden grossed US$ 2,020,475 million, while the three Mexican concerts grossed $ 8,927,703 million; prices ranged from $ 28.13 to $ 125. The first show at Argentina's River Plate Stadium saw the singer playing to an audience of 50,000. In Brazil, she broke attendance records: 86,000 and 120,000 people attended

8256-435: The opening segment as a display of patriotism ; the closing of "Mer Girl" omitted the shooting —the singer instead put the shotgun down, hugged the dancer and they left the stage together. "The Funny Song" was removed, and all the dancers joined in for "Holiday", which usually only featured Madonna, Haris and De Lory. The Drowned World Tour received generally positive reviews from critics. Rafael Estefanía from BBC Mundo gave

8385-533: The opening show in Barcelona a glowing review; he said the singer had offered "one of the best shows in a long time", and that her stage presence remained "as explosive as ever". Another positive review came from El País , who described it as one of the most "spectacular" and "shocking" concerts to take place in Barcelona. According to ABC News , Drowned World "took [Madonna's] reputation for entertaining above and beyond literally: one routine found her flying above

8514-482: The organizers citing "technical difficulties" as the reason. Trouble in Israel occurred when Orthodox Jews staged protests to force the cancellation of the singer's first show in the country; Avraham Ravitz , from the Torah Judaism Party , expressed that "this is a holy land [...] people from all over the world did not move here in order to see this human garbage". However, rallies were unsuccessful as

8643-664: The people from the country to repudiate the singer. Senator Enrique Rodríguez Negrón filed a censure resolution, which was rejected by President of the legislature Roberto Rexach Benítez . Representative David Noriega called Madonna "vulgar and insensitive", and accused her of abusing the country's hospitality. Luis de Rosa, president of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of South Florida, said Madonna "has no right to go to someone's homeland and pass their flag through her private parts". The chamber and other Puerto Rican groups urged Hispanic citizens to gather outside

8772-421: The phase of Madonna's career at that time. Stylist Arianne Phillips , who had worked with Madonna on the past, oversaw the costumes, designing some and collaborating on others with Gaultier. Three exact copies of the outfits Madonna wore in each segment were created, while only two copies were made for the dancers' clothes. The poster and the logo for the tour were developed by Chase Design Group, who wanted to make

8901-630: The point of doing a show unless you offer something that is going to mind-boggle the senses. It's not enough to get on stage and sing a song. It's all about theatre and drama and surprises and suspenses". The Drowned World Tour officially began at Barcelona 's Palau Sant Jordi on June 9, 2001, and ended at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in September; it was originally scheduled to kick off with two shows in Cologne 's Kölnarena , but said concerts had to be canceled due to technical difficulties; as

9030-492: The release of her seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna stated in an interview on Larry King Live in January 1999 that she was involved in an upcoming movie titled The Next Best Thing . Filming lasted from April to June 1999, with Madonna initially planning to tour during the second half of the year, stating that once filming was completed she would "rehearse to go on tour. And then I'll probably play up until

9159-474: The right order as planned. Autoweek magazine estimated 30 to 50 trucks were required by Taylor Swift 's The 1989 World Tour to bring all the stage, sound equipment, instruments, props, and clothes. When Beyoncé visited the United Kingdom with her 2016 The Formation World Tour , it took seven Boeing 747 air freighters and a fleet of more than 70 trucks to get her stage set and other gear to

9288-630: The screens, and signified the show was over. On the European leg, an additional video played after the concert ended: It showed Ali G announcing, "she ain't comin' back, so go on, piss off. They got the Backstreet Boys in this venue tomorrow and let's face it, none of us want to be around for that". Following the September 11 attacks , certain changes were made to the final Los Angeles concerts: Madonna wore an American flag as kilt during

9417-490: The section; dancers in anime and manga inspired costumes swung from wires as the backdrops featured interspersed footage from Satoshi Kon 's 1997 film Perfect Blue , and hentai anime Urotsukidōji . "I Deserve It" opened the Cyber Cowgirl segment. Madonna, who wore a cowgirl outfit with chaps, sat on a bale of hay and played acoustic guitar. " Don't Tell Me " had her and the dancers line dancing , like in

9546-440: The show as "a theatrical representation of my music [...] I have taken my inspiration from many things — martial arts, flamenco, country, punk, rock and roll, dance, and circus". The set list consisted mainly of songs from Music and Ray of Light ; among her pre-1990s singles, only " Holiday " (1983) and " La Isla Bonita " (1987) were included. Entertainment Weekly reported that this was Madonna's choice, as she didn't want to do

9675-423: The show by singing the phrase "Everybody is a Star" as the curtain fell once again. The Girlie Show was generally well received by critics. In his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography , J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote: "While still sexy, it was still more of an innocent burlesque rather than a blatant attempt to shock [...] this concert had the feeling of a racy Barnum and Baileys circus", and praised it for revealing

9804-409: The show dressed as a dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers, while lighter moments included her descending from the ceiling on a giant disco ball wearing an Afro wig for " Express Yourself " (1989), as well as singing " Like a Virgin " (1984) in the guise of actress Marlene Dietrich . The Girlie Show received generally positive reviews from critics, who agreed that despite the controversy surrounding

9933-605: The show on November 19, 1993, in Sydney, Australia being aired as a special on HBO ; the following year, it was released on video under the title The Girlie Show: Live Down Under . The concerts in Fukuoka, Japan were also filmed, but broadcast exclusively on Japanese television. In October 1992, Madonna released simultaneously her fifth studio album Erotica , and her coffee table book Sex . Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel ,

10062-438: The shows because they threatened "intimacy and religious conscience"; the request was dismissed but the judge did order that anyone under 13 be accompanied by an adult. In Mexico, an anti-abortion organization urged Interior Ministry officials to deny the singer's entry to the country. A spokesman dismissed this request and explained that there was no reason to deny her a visa. Pro Life President Jorge Serrano Limón said Madonna

10191-626: The singer and dancer Christian Vincent . Jamie King was appointed creative director and the tour's official choreographer ; King recalled that the tour "was so hectic that I suffered from depressions and fell considerably ill". Madonna had begun taking guitar lessons in 2000 with Monte Pittman and played both acoustic and electric guitar in four of the show's numbers. Other personnel included Madonna's backup singers and dancers of 14 years Niki Haris and Donna De Lory , Ron Powell on percussions , Steve Sidelnyk on drums and French house music expert Stuart Price as bassist and keyboards player;

10320-435: The singer for creating the show " she wanted to do, not the one she thought would be the safe choice". Gina Vivinetto from The Advocate said that, even though Madonna ignored most of her back catalogue, she "made up for it by showing off a much stronger singing voice". Alex Petridis also defended the singer's decision to focus on new material; "it's a pleasingly defiant gesture no other stadium-filler could match – imagine

10449-574: The singer in the past, was in charge of the tour's wardrobe. Gaultier created the outfits in such way that they indicated different phases of Madonna's career. The poster and logo for the tour included references to Kabbalah , which Madonna was studying at the time. Like the singer's previous tours, the show was divided into different thematic acts: Rock 'n' Roll Punk Girl , Geisha Girl , Cyber Cowgirl , and Spanish Girl / Ghetto Girl . The set list consisted mainly of songs from Ray of Light and Music , with " Holiday " and " La Isla Bonita " being

10578-533: The singer's Miami home to wave Puerto Rican flags and destroy her records; about 30 people showed up. Madonna's supporters claimed she meant no harm, and had simply put the flag there because she couldn't find her pocket. More controversy arose in Argentina; cardinal Antonio Quarracino, archbishop of Buenos Aires, called the singer "blasphemous and pornographic" and asked then-president Carlos Menem not to receive her. Additionally, Bishop Osvaldo Musto called for

10707-505: The singer's energy. For John McAlley, it wasn't up to par to 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour but was better than the Girlie Show; "[Drowned World] offers plenty of artiness, attitude, eye candy, and its own brand of ambition" [...] there are plenty of reasons to bow at this artist's feat". Joel Selvin from the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out: "In a show that was more Broadway musical than rock concert, Madge [...]

10836-569: The singer's visit. Similarly, limited editions of Erotica and The Immaculate Collection (1990) were released exclusively in Australia. The tour was then chronicled in a photo book of the same name, released in November 1994. This release included a CD with three live tracks: " Like a Virgin ", "In This Life", and "Why's It So Hard". Madonna wrote in the book: "When I finished the Blond Ambition tour , I swore on my life that I would never even think of going on tour again as long as I lived. I

10965-430: The singer, she could still please her audience. Upon completion, it was reported to have grossed US$ 70 million. Several organizations in different countries protested to force the cancellation of the concerts, due to their explicit sexual nature. In Puerto Rico, Madonna passed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among Puerto Rican society. A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast, with

11094-560: The sold-out show went on as scheduled. In Puerto Rico, certain groups feared Madonna's influence over teenagers and demanded the concert's cancellation. During the show, Madonna held a small Puerto Rican flag to her bosom and then slipped it slowly through her legs. This was met with backlash: the leader of the Independence Party called the act "an infamy without parallel in the history of our country"; Governor Pedro Rosselló described it as "an unfortunate incident", and urged

11223-548: The song's music video. The Geisha Girl act began with a video interlude of "Paradise (Not For Me)", showing Madonna as a geisha . Also present were nearly naked dancers who hung upside down from the ceiling. As the video ended, the dancers stood in front of the stage and opened their mouths, which were lit from inside. The singer then emerged in a short black wig and a hand-painted black kimono with fifty-two-feet long red sleeves, to sing " Frozen ". A short intro of " Open Your Heart " (1986) led to "Nobody's Perfect", where Madonna

11352-427: The song's music video. " Human Nature " featured a bondage -themed choreography with a lasso and, towards the end, the singer sensually rode a mechanical bull . Afterwards, she addressed the audience in a mocking southern accent and sang a cannibalism -themed song titled "The Funny Song". " Secret " was performed with acoustic guitar and footage of riverside baptism , Sufi dervish ceremonies and Buddhist prayers on

11481-429: The special, while production was under the charge of Marty Callner . It scored 5.7 million viewers, and became the network's third-highest-rated prime-time concert special since 1997. It received two nominations at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards : Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming and Outstanding Choreography , and won Best TV Concert at the 2002 AOL TV Viewer Awards. The special

11610-410: The stage suspended by trapeze wires". For The Independent ' s Simon O'Hagan it proved that, "as a solo artist, Madonna is without equal [...] her desire to put on a spectacle, not just a concert, creates challenges that have extended the boundaries of what a rock'n'pop tour can achieve". He concluded it was her "most ambitious and daring" tour. A writer from Argentinean newspaper Clarin said that

11739-523: The time, while the latter received extensive media attention, and backlash from fans and critics; nonetheless, it was commercially successful. After the critical and commercial failure of the erotic thriller Body of Evidence starring Madonna, the tour was announced in July 1993. The 39-date tour marked the first time the singer visited places such as Turkey , Israel , Mexico , Puerto Rico , Argentina , Brazil and Australia . According to some critics, it

11868-562: The tour "reaffirmed [Madonna's] Queen of Pop title". The show's technical aspects also garnered praise. El País lauded the "surprising and suggestive display" of technology, as well as the "shapeshifting stage capable of turning into almost anything". Similarly, Michael Hubbard from online magazine musicOMH highlighted the "stunning" stage setup and "superb" lighting. Simon Price , from The Independent , deemed it "a triumph of hydraulics, bungee rope acrobatics and cutting-edge choreography". MTV's Corey Moss concluded that, "music might make

11997-461: The tour and assisted Madonna, despite being always in Milan", they explained. The show had a more complex stage than those from Madonna's previous tours; it included a catwalk that extended from the main stage and led out towards the audience, and two hydraulic risers that rose from beneath the stage to elevated platforms and several smaller balconies. A large illuminated sign reading "Girlie Show"

12126-416: The tour from Europe to the United States, and 300 cargo vehicles were used for transporting over 100 tons of equipment. The stage was "the size of three tennis courts " and described by Spring as "a machine on the move". A vast electrical grid , composed of truss sections, chain motors , electrical cables and the control devices that linked electronically or mechanically with the performances happening,

12255-481: The tour in Argentina or Mexico, but she ultimately chose Australia instead, as she liked the event being billed as "Madonna Down Under". On November 13, 1993, Billboard reported Westwood One would do a simultaneous broadcast of the special; it officially aired on HBO as Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show . HBO started its broadcast from Club USA in New York City, leading to the concert itself. With

12384-426: The tour's main sponsor, offered its subscribers advance tickets to the US shows before they went on sale to the general public. Like Madonna's previous tours, Drowned World was divided into different thematic acts: Rock 'n' Roll Punk Girl , Geisha Girl , Cyber Cowgirl , and Spanish Girl / Ghetto Girl ; each of these segments represented a phase of Madonna's career. The singer herself said that she envisioned

12513-412: The tour: "my hair was hot pink. I went through this Pippi Longstocking phase where I just had to have, like, pink red hair and braids [...] and when I dyed my hair of all these crazy colors [...] I tried to make it blond again, [but it] started to break off everywhere so I kind of gave myself a haircut whatever I like it or not. For the tour I wanted something clean and after I cut all the dancers' hairs I

12642-499: The touring business suffered in the early 2020s because of the COVID-19 pandemic . Pollstar estimated the total lost revenue for the industry in 2020 at more than $ 30 billion. The mobility of concert tours requires a lot of costs, time, and energy. It is very common for musicians to not see family members for over a year during their touring. British singer Adele expressed her unhappiness of concert tours, saying "Touring

12771-577: The venues. The logistics phase of that tour did not include transportation of the backstage staff, musicians, performers, and the singer herself. The majority of concert tours are part of a promotional campaign to support an album release. Hence, new songs from the respective album are included on its tour's setlist . Some tours are known as "greatest hits tours" or "reunion tour" without any new material or specific album release, such as Fleetwood Mac 's 2009 Unleashed tour and No Doubt 's 2009 Summer Tour . Taylor Swift 's The Eras Tour (2023–2024)

12900-685: The video's packaging were taken by Madonna's personal friend, actress Rosie O'Donnell . Following its release, the video received mixed response from critics, who praised the sound quality but criticized the poor image. In the United States, it became Madonna's fifth number one on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of more than 100,000 copies. Set list, samples and notes adapted per Madonna's official website,

13029-474: The way, if you ever hear me say, "I'm never going on tour again", don't believe me." In early 1993, Madonna contacted her brother Christopher Ciccone , who had worked with her on Blond Ambition, and appointed him tour director; besides directing, Ciccone was also in charge of supervising the crew, designing the stage set, and handling all the dancers. Auditions for dancers took place in Los Angeles; an ad

13158-595: The world go round, but costumes and theatrics make it more fun. Nobody knows this better than the Material Girl ". Slant Magazine ' s Sal Cinquemani felt the "technically flawless" show was "further evidence of the Big M’s perfectionist blond ambition" and concluded that, "[Madonna] is still unmatched in her ability to lift cultural iconography into the mainstream". On the contrary, Rafael Estefanía expressed that, "the technological visual feast sometimes overshadowed

13287-534: The years since The Girlie Show in 1993, and Madonna fully embraced the artistic potential that new technology allowed. [...] [W]ith only a handful of older songs making the cut [...] [Drowned World] proved she was still laser-focused on the present... and the future". Dates for the Drowned World Tour were limited to cities in Europe and North America. For many weeks prior, Arthur Fogel from Live Nation attempted to book dates in Toronto 's Air Canada Centre , between

13416-468: Was "likeable again" on the Girlie Show. The Los Angeles Times ' s Jeff Kaye wrote that, "despite the scanty costumes adorning the star and her troupe of singers and dancers, and the liberal doses of group groping and gender-bending, there wasn't anything that could be called shocking [...] there was a sense that this adoring crowd had seen and heard all this stuff before." However, not all reviews were positive. The British press took what Kaye called

13545-420: Was a celebration of Madonna [...] the material she performed was irrelevant to the event". For Nikolas Markantonatos, "the most audible complaint [...] was the lack of Madonna's oldest hits. But this wasn’t a 'greatest hits tour' [...] For now she’s only willing to stun audiences with her latest forays in music and to better stress her career's one constant: change". Finally, Alex Needham concluded that, even though

13674-509: Was a letdown for audiences, not to mention the fact that [Madonna] seemed icier than ever". For The Guardian , Caroline Sullivan wrote that the tour's lack of "classics" would disappoint the singer's "die-hards", and that, "no right-thinking person would rather hear 'Candy Perfume Girl' than ' Like a Virgin '". DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson remarked that, "anyone who expected to see a greatest hits concert left sorely disappointed", but praised

13803-471: Was also planned; the official China News Agency reported that she would be allowed to perform as long as there wasn't include any "indecent exposure" in the show. Madonna allegedly agreed, since she was interested in visiting the country. However, said concert never happened. A promotional extended play , titled The Girlie Show , containing all six singles from Erotica , was released in Brazil to commemorate

13932-432: Was critically panned and a commercial failure . On July 9, 1993, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced that Madonna would embark on the Girlie Show, a new concert tour. Some critics suggested that the tour was as an attempt by the singer to "revive" her musical career after Body of Evidence . Madonna's inspiration for the tour was a painting by Edward Hopper of the same name, depicting a burlesque dancer. The tour

14061-448: Was displayed for "androgynous boyish girls with very short hair". The singer said about the hiring process: "First I had choreographed stuff I had them do. Then I asked them to dance and improvise, whatever the music moved them to do. Then I called back all the people who looked good and could really dance and I asked each of them to tell a joke or an amusing story. If they were really embarrassed and couldn't do it I didn't pick them. Then

14190-663: Was eager to go on tour again: "I've already got ideas [...] of stuff I'd like to do for a big tour. I feel like it's time. I need to take a trip around the world and sing a few songs". The tour was officially announced by the singer's publicist Liz Rosenberg in April 2001. Her first concert tour since 1993's the Girlie Show , time was short and Madonna had to prepare everything within three months; auditions for dancers took place in New York in March and April and were personally supervised by

14319-476: Was filmed professionally and broadcast live on HBO as Madonna Live: The Drowned World Tour . It marked the third time Madonna worked with the network following the Blond Ambition and Girlie Show broadcasts; Nancy Geller, senior VP of original programming for HBO, stated that "it's a thrill for us to have Madonna back, because we know it is going to be a spectacular show, with that combination of her amazing talent and extravagant style". Hamish Hamilton directed

14448-467: Was followed by a topless dancer sliding down a 20-foot pole high above the stage. Then, Madonna emerged as a short-haired dominatrix, wearing a black sequined ensemble consisting of jacket, bra, hot pants, elbow-length gloves , knee-high boots, and domino mask while brandishing a crop to perform " Erotica "; her dancers posing suggestively in the background. The next number was " Fever ", which Madonna performed alongside half-naked male dancers. Towards

14577-470: Was hung above the stage. Two huge drawings, portraying the face of Madonna hidden behind a black mask, were placed on the sides. Two aircraft were needed to ferry the tour around Europe, including the largest Soviet transport plane ever made; it took four full days and 100 employees to assemble the stage, with one additional day for the setting up of production. During MTV Australia 's special Girlie Talk , Madonna commented about having her hair cut before

14706-465: Was hung from above; four video screens formed the backdrop of the stage. Other material included a mechanical bull and equipment designed for aerial movements. The sets were built in sections made by three companies. A permanent crew of one hundred persons, ranging from lighting, sound and carpenters to dancers, wardrobe and make-up, was hired. Monitor mixing was handled by four monitor engineers, with two of them for Madonna's monitors. Blake Suib, one of

14835-501: Was in charge of fashion designer duo Dolce & Gabbana ; Madonna gave them instructions to watch a number of films, including My Fair Lady (1964) and Cabaret (1972), to bring to life the "striptease, Vegas type of show" she envisioned. 1,500 costumes were created for the tour's troupe, that ranged from dominatrix boots, a sequined bra, and a Victorian -inspired dress to a simple white tank-top and cut-off denim shorts . Domenico Dolce recalled that, "both Madonna and I share

14964-404: Was joined by Haris and De Lory in similar outfits. The end of the performance was connected to the next song, " Deeper and Deeper ", which featured a male member from the audience jumping onstage, seemingly trying to dance with a startled Madonna, ripping off his tearaway pants and revealing himself as one of the dancers from the show. "Why's It So Hard" saw Madonna simulating an orgy with all

15093-542: Was mocking the Catholic people, and that those attending the concerts did not have "the right to publicly mock the moral and religious values of Catholics or the patriotic values of Mexicans". Additionally, social communicologist Nino Canún presented a television special called ¿Y usted qué opina? (English: So what's your opinion? ), where the audience, among them a priest , presented their arguments as to why "this morally clueless singer shouldn't be allowed to perform in

15222-562: Was nothing special." He also wondered if the singer was "really committed to celebrating sexual liberation or [did she] simply hijacked sadomasochism and homosexuality in the name of good old American capitalism." Elder further noticed a "kind of coldness and distance" in the performances and pointed out "too many flat spots [...] to make this a truly memorable concert." More negative was The Washington Post ' s Tom Shales , who wrote that, "her attempts now to shock and titillate have become belabored self-parodies [...] Madonna's 'Girlie Show'

15351-500: Was performed by the singer, Niki Haris and Donna De Lory ; the backdrops displayed scenes from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and psychedelic fluorescent whirls. Towards the end, they were joined by a lost technician. The section finished with " Ray of Light ", which had the singer dancing energetically across the stage. Monte Pittman played guitar while the screens showed an extended version of

15480-412: Was portrayed to be sacrificed for her sins. This was followed by "Mer Girl", which turned into the fast-action, ninja martial arts battle performance of " Sky Fits Heaven ". A video of a beaten, bruised Madonna played on the main screen during this final part. The singer then proceeded to grab a shotgun and pretended to shoot one of her dancers. A remix interlude of " What It Feels Like for a Girl " closed

15609-405: Was released on VHS and DVD under the title Drowned World Tour 2001 on November 13, 2001, the same day as Madonna's second greatest hits album , GHV2 . Captured with a 14-camera High Definition shoot, it was presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on the single-sided, double-layered DVD; due to those dimensions, the image was not enhanced for 16:9 televisions. The photographs used on

15738-723: Was set to kick off at London's Wembley Stadium on September 25, 1993. Madonna then said she was "not interested in preaching to the converted", hence why she decided to begin The Girlie Show in London; "I am going to the places where I have the most enemies", she explained. It was initially planned not to visit the United States, instead focusing on regions the singer had never toured before, such as Turkey , Israel , Mexico , Puerto Rico , Argentina , Brazil and Australia . However, due to demand, some shows were booked in certain US cities. A concert in Beijing's Workers' Stadium

15867-424: Was spent. I was exhausted. I was sick of traveling. I wanted stability. So, I threw myself into making movies, recording a new album, and I also put out a book called Sex . So much for stability. Needless to say, as rewarding as all these creative endeavors were to me, they could not take the place of performing live. Theater is my life--or is my life theater? I'm not sure and it really doesn't matter. Being on stage

15996-675: Was the fourth concert tour by American singer and songwriter Madonna , in support of her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). It began on September 25, 1993, at the Wembley Stadium in London , England, and ended on December 19 of the same year at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo , Japan. In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released Erotica and the coffee table book Sex . The former ended up being Madonna's lowest selling album at

16125-445: Was the singer's way to "revive" her music career following the negative reaction to the thriller. The tour took its name after an Edward Hopper painting titled "Girlie Show". Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone , was appointed tour director. Like her previous Blond Ambition World Tour (1990), the concert was divided into different thematic sections: Dominatrix , Studio 54 , Weimar Cabaret , and an encore . Madonna opened

16254-516: Was then appointed one of the Girlie Show's main choreographers. For the show's main theme, Madonna and her brother agreed on a "burlesque circus" and, for inspiration, would watch Bollywood films, Thai dance numbers, Carol Reed 's Trapeze (1956), as well as the work of Marlene Dietrich , Louise Brooks , Erté , and Zizi Jeanmaire . Like Blond Ambition, The Girlie Show was divided into four different thematic acts: Dominatrix , Studio 54 , Weimar Cabaret , and an encore . The wardrobe

16383-432: Was time-consuming but worth it". Dave Kob, FOH engineer for the tour, explained: "The show is extremely technical, extremely fast-paced, and the variety of music is amazing. [...] It goes from screaming heavy metal to techno dance, to Country and Western ; there's even a flamenco hootenanny where everyone comes down front, beats on logs and plays acoustic guitars and pennywhistles. Then it goes back to 'Holiday' which

16512-453: Was trying to decide what I wanted to do with my hair and I thought of having it dark like in my 'Rain' video, but then I didn't want to have the same color hairs of all the dancers, so I shortened and kept this color." The concert was divided into four different thematic sections: Dominatrix , Studio 54 , Weimar Cabaret , and an encore. It began with a calliope fanfare as a pierrot – who made several cameos later – appeared on stage. This

16641-495: Was uncomfortable with the dancers; he believed they had been selected based on personality rather than for their abilities as dancers. He also wasn't too fond of the show's "heavy sexual overtones", according to Ciccone. Feeling Kelly's position wasn't working out, Ciccone convinced the singer to fire him; eventually, Madonna, "shamefaced at having single-handedly conceived of such a terrible fate for this venerable American icon", agreed with her brother and dismissed Kelly. Alex Magno

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