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Madonna’s Celebration Tour Hits Madison Square Garden: The 5 Best Moments

She loves New York -- after all, other places make her feel like a dork.

By Joe Lynch

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A little more than three months since it kicked off at the O2 Arena in London , Madonna’s Celebration Tour arrived at Madison Square Garden this week. While the Celebration Tour previously hit New York City in December for three dates, those were all at the Barclays Center – a venue that opened in Brooklyn 12 years ago. Madonna and Madison Square Garden, however, have an extensive history, reaching back to when her debut concert tour, The Virgin Tour, wrapped there in 1985.

So for The Celebration Tour — which is a career-spanning look back on her hits, personal struggles, pop culture impact and enduring influence — it only made sense that the Queen of Pop had to hit MSG despite playing NYC just a month earlier. And sure enough, her Tuesday night (Jan. 23) show (the second of three MSG dates, with her final one slated for Monday, Jan. 29) felt a bit more special than her Barclays gig.

First off, the sound was better. Madonna shaded Barclays as an “echo bowl” when she played it last month, and it’s likely her dissatisfaction with the sound was what caused her to (now infamously) begin one of those shows so late that some disaffected fans filed a class-action lawsuit against her, which she’s fighting . (Their frustration is understandable, although thinking a rock star will hit the stage on time is a bit like expecting a cat will do what you tell it to do – both do what they want when they want to, and that’s why we love ‘em.)

Secondly, and more importantly, the shared history between Madonna and MSG made this already spectacular tour feel elevated. So much of her legend – arriving in NYC at 19 with $35 in her pocket; struggling to make ends meet while getting her career off the ground; making those initial musical waves at iconic NYC venues such as the Danceteria – is wrapped up in the fabric of New York City. No wonder she cops to still feeling “butterflies” when she plays in Manhattan.

From a tribute to two nurses who bucked the stigma of AIDS/HIV in the ‘80s to her “Vogue” guest star, these were the best moments of her Tuesday night show.

Bob the Drag Queen

Throughout the trek, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen has proved to be a deft emcee, introducing the Queen of Pop each night and popping up in various skits, whether dressed to the nines in her gag-worthy 1990 VMAs Marie Antoinette look or that (less flattering) rodeo clown lewk. After a thumping, joyous DJ set from opener Stuart Price (who is also the tour’s music producer), Bob waltzed out among the crowd and primed fans for their queen. Eyeing the, shall we say, LGBTQ-forward audience, Bob drily mused that he’d probably had sex with half of the people at MSG – “and Madonna’s probably had sex with the other half.” Well, gotta keep it 100.

"I Love New York"

Like her Barclays show, Madonna – guitar in hand — mashed up her Confessions on a Dance Floor gem “I Love New York” with her self-titled album’s “Burning Up,” offering up a garage-rock take on her love letter to a hard-as-nails city. She’s not quite Orianthi on the axe, but like the CBGB scene she came out of before embarking on her globe-conquering pop career, she oozed an irresistible IDGAF energy as she rocked out.

Amy Schumer

During the “Vogue” segment of her tour, Madonna has routinely brought out a coterie of guests – everyone from her daughter Lourdes to associates such as Diplo and Jean Paul Gaultier – to help her judge her dancers as they evoke a Harlem ball. On Tuesday night, Madge tapped Amy Schumer, the comedian who opened for her 2015 MSG dates on the Rebel Heart Tour, as her fellow judge. As with all guests, Schumer flashed 10s at the vogueing dancers when appropriate, mimed emphatic praise for Madonna’s daughter Estere (who is legit a jaw-dropping dancer) and hugged Madonna before returning to the crowd.

Saluting Two Heroic Nurses

Celebratory as it is, one of the tour’s finest and most impactful moments is also its saddest – “Live to Tell,” which features the photos of men and women who lost their lives to AIDS/HIV and its related complications. During Tuesday’s show, Madonna took an extended moment to pay tribute to Ellen Matzer and Valery Hughes, two pioneering women who fought for AIDS/HIV patients in the ‘80s (a fight detailed in their book Nurses on the Inside: Stories of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic In NYC ).

“I want you all to remember how shocking and horrifying it was in the early ‘80s,” Madonna told the crowd of the early days of the crisis, a time when almost no politician would mention the disease and some religious fanatics celebrated the deaths of LGBTQ people lost to it. “Thanks to them for being at the front line of the AIDS crisis so many years ago. Thank you for your bravery and courage … nobody wanted to associate with these people, people were afraid … These amazing women, these angels, these heroes — thank you for setting up AIDS wards in so many hospitals.”

She concluded with a personal recollection of visiting Saint Vincent’s hospital in the early days of the crisis, her voice cracking as she spoke: “I remember one young man, he was in another place, he wasn’t really conscious anymore, he was near death. I laid down in the bed next to him and he held my hand and said, ‘Mother, thank you for coming.’ It made me think, these women here tonight did this every f–king day and they got no praise, no thanks.”

Naturally, the MSG crowd offered up thunderous applause for the real-life angels in attendance.

Yes, Madonna is in her 60s (and overcame a brush with death just last year, which forced the Celebration Tour’s kickoff to be postponed), but when she’s skipping across the stage during “Open Your Heart,” shadow boxing during “Erotica,” spitting at the fuzz during “Human Nature” or dancing high above the audience during the euphoric “Ray of Light,” she might as well be that 20-something kid who informed Dick Clark she was going to “rule the world” back in 1984 — and proceeded to do just that.

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• The Celebration Tour

The Celebration Tour By The Numbers

by MadonnaTribe · October 13, 2023

On the eve of the opening night of Madonna ’s highly anticipated new tour tomorrow night at the O2 Arena in London, Live Nation released a juicy breakdown of The Celebration Tour by the numbers.

The most thrilling part is about what fans should expect the Madonna stage to be like: covering a surface of 4,400 square ft / 410 mq, The Celebration Tour stage is the largest for any of her tours and the ispiration for its design come from the grid of the Manhattan Island in New York City.

The mysterious maps from the online ticket vendors have been analized in-depth by the fans in the past months and we know learn that the set up will include five different stages: Uptown , Downtown , Midtown , East and West .

We will have to wait until tomorrow night to find out what the illuminated portal frame that transports Madonna 30 foot / 9  meters off the ground around the arena looks like. It is designed to act as a time machine that symbolizes looking into the past, present and towards the future and will allow her to move at 1.5 foot / 45 centimeters per second, 80 foot / 24 meters across and 130 foot / 40 meters down the length of the arena .

As many of you have guessed, the three-layered circular stage that you find where the traditional main stage would be is a nod to the wedding cake of Madonna’s original VMA performance.

3600 square ft / 334 mq of projection imagery make this the most amount of video ever used in a Madonna show.

The catwalks have a combined lenght of 230 foot / 76 meters and will get Madonna 105 foot / 32 meters far into the venue.

Madonna worked with Lewis James as the Creative Director for The Celebration Tour . The press release also confirms Jamie King as the show director – at his eigth tour with Madonna and the return of Stuart Price as the musical director for the fourth time. Bob The Drag Quee n is indeed part of the show – not simply a support act – and twenty-four onstage performers will also be joined by four of Madonna’s children. Last but not least, seventeen archived costumes have been recreated for the show.

Here is The Celebration Tour by the numbers:

• 4 Decades of unstoppable hits – prepare to dance your ass off!
• 13th Culture shaping tour.
• 1 Extraordinary drag queen.
• 8th Tour partnering with director Jamie King.
• 24 Onstage performers.
• 1 Stuart Price reunion.
• 4,400 square ft. of stage, the largest for any Madonna tour. Inspired by the grid of Manhattan with Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, East and West stages.
• 8 Humidifiers in Madonna’s dressing room.1 Bottle of MDNA Rose Mist Spray in each quick-change space.
• 3 Traveling mobile gyms.
• 15 Countries.
• 50 Merch items including vintage recreations of iconic items from previous tours such as the Blond Ambition Bomber Jacket.
• 45 Wardrobe trunks.
• 1 Queen sized Madonna flag outside the O2 (naturally).
• 6 Sold out nights in London.
• 3 Layered circular stage where the traditional main stage would be, inspired by the wedding cake of Madonna’s original VMA performance.
• 3 Physical therapists.
• 4 of Madonna’s children on stage.
• 40 Pairs of boxing gloves.
• 230 Ft. of combined length of catwalk that gets Madonna 105ft far into the venue.
• 14 Spotlights for Madonna and over 600 intelligent lights to light the stage and arena with over 8800 lighting cues.
• 17 Archived costumes recreated.
• 4 Rehearsal venues.
• 80 Tons of production equipment.
• 330 Million albums sold, still the best-selling female artist of all time.
• 3600 Square ft. of projection imagery to the show. The most amount of video ever used in a Madonna show.
• 200+ Traveling crew – 25 in the costume department alone.
• 30 Ft. off the ground Madonna is transported around the arena in an illuminated portal frame that acts as a time machine allowing her to move at 1.5ft per second, 80ft across and 130ft down the length of the arena designed to symbolize looking into the past, present and towards the future.
• 3700 Amps of show power.

…and only ONE Madonna .

Tags: Madonna The Celebration Tour

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Madonna’s Celebration Tour Dazzles With Hits, Surrealistic Visuals, and Reminders of Our Mortality

By Kory Grow

“It’s so great to be home … I mean that in a way that only New Yorkers know,” Madonna , who adopted New York as her hometown in 1978, told the Brooklyn audience present for the North American kickoff of her Celebration Tour on Wednesday. “New Yorkers can identify with just-not-giving-a-fuck motherfuckers. We do shit our way. New York is not for little pussies who sleep.”

Madonna certainly wasn’t tired, and that was the point of the whole show, a tour de force of some of her biggest hits paired with surrealistic visuals that didn’t end until 1 a.m.

Throughout the night, dancers took the stage dressed as her during various points of her career — club kid Madonna, ice-cream-cone bra Madonna, BDSM “Human Nature” Madonna — making the show something like This Is Your Life for the Material Girl, who, at 65, is still two years shy of collecting full Social Security benefits. Several times during the performance she expressed just how happy she was to be there, and, well, anywhere. It’s why she performed Confessions on a Dance Floor’s “I Love New York” for the first time in 15 years on electric guitar before shredding her way through “Burning Up” with rare abandon.

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The celebration in the tour’s name simply denotes the fact that Madonna is here, especially since she acknowledged throughout the show so many peers who have died in various ways: Prince, Michael Jackson, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among them. Screens bearing black-and-white images of dozens if not hundreds of notable people who died of AIDS, from Robert Mapplethorpe to Eazy-E, accompanied by her moving rendition of “Live to Tell.” It would’ve felt like an awards show’s farewell montage if the rest of the concert weren’t so joyous.

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The orgy began with erotic boxing in laser-banded rings, as Madonna sang “Erotica,” and it congealed into a mass of people for “Justify My Love.” She just climbed right in and gave out kisses. For “Hung Up,” topless women and men came out and teased her until she kissed one of the women, all leading her to climb on Mercy’s grand piano to sing “Bad Girl.” (How intimidating must it be to have your mom be Madonna singing next to you and then mounting your instrument in a red satin negligee like it’s a seedy cabaret?)

The 14,000-strong, sold-out audience, which was a broad mix of genders, races, and sexualities, many of whom were wearing “Italians Do It Better” T-shirts (how Brooklyn!), seemed stunned by the spectacle. Shouldn’t everyone have been dancing and making out during “Erotica”? And in the fourth act, shouldn’t everyone have been striking a pose during Madonna’s ebullient “Vogue,” a song that found Madonna and one of her crew members (and love interest), boxing coach Josh Popper, grading her dancers’ (and one of her daughters, Estere’s) vogues like Dancing With the Stars ? Instead, most of the crowd seemed to just take in the concert, possibly because they knew it was a special occasion or possibly because it was approaching midnight on a Wednesday. The appreciative crowd still cheered for every song, though.

Madonna lifted the mood with Music ‘s “Don’t Tell Me,” in which she battled the evening’s occasional MC, Bob the Drag Queen, who was dressed like a cowboy with a cow print hat. Before singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” on her acoustic guitar, she pleaded for peace in the Middle East, asking the audience to turn on its cellphone flashlights. “Each and every one of us have a light inside of us,” she said. “And each and every one of us can share that light with the with the person standing next to you … even the people you don’t like. Be counterintuitive. Share your light with someone you don’t want to share your light with.… Keep your lights on when you leave here tonight.” And then she recapitulated the evening’s theme in “I Will Survive”: “Did you think I’d crumble, did you think I’d lay down and die … Did you? ” she asks pointedly.

The final two acts served as something like Madonna’s statements of intent — to provoke, to enrich, to confound. After a montage of all her controversies, Madonna, in voice-over, said, “I think the most controversial thing I’ve ever done is to stick around.” And then she sings three songs that exist on different planes from each other: the surrealistic “Bedtime Story,” the lysergic dance song “Ray of Light” (which she sings floating in a giant cube over the audience), and the down-to-earth “Rain.”

She capped these songs with the intro to the final act that focused on her sometime friendship with Michael Jackson. It was long and strange and mashes up “Billie Jean” with “Like a Virgin” (which she did not sing), and the only explanation for why she made it is in the title of the next song, “Bitch I’m Madonna,” which is the other message of the whole evening: “Bitch, I’m Madonna/Who do you think you are?” (That self-assuredness is also the only explanation why she skipped “Borderline,” “Dress You Up,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and “Frozen.”) Her troupe, dressed like a thousand different Madonnas from pop-music history, danced to the song, and the night ended quickly with “Celebration” and a “Thank you, Brooklyn” before she disappeared into the stage.

Madonna Set List:

“Nothing Really Matters” “Everybody” “Into the Groove” “I Love New York” “Burning Up” “Open Your Heart” “Holiday”

“Live to Tell” “Like a Prayer”

“Erotica” “Justify My Love” “Hung Up” “Bad Girl”

“Vogue” “Human Nature” “Crazy for You”

“Die Another Day” “Don’t Tell Me” “Mother and Father” “I Will Survive” “La Isla Bonita” “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”

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“Bitch I’m Madonna” “Celebration”

I went to The Celebration Tour for the 1st time tonight in Brooklyn. Despite me seeing many pics, videos, & reviews beforehand, I was blown away. Madonna & the show were everything & so much more. If you’re unsure about going, just GOOOOO! Cherish Madonna & give her flowers! pic.twitter.com/sofCHV1DWU — Madonna Nation ❌ (@MadonnaNationX) December 14, 2023

Holiday // Madonna @ Barclays, The Celebration Tour #MadonnaCelebrationTour #Madonna @Madonna pic.twitter.com/wz7RCtQgIu — ethan jon (@ethanjon) December 14, 2023

Into the Groove // Madonna @ Barclays … The Celebration Tour #MadonnaCelebrationTour #Madonna @Madonna pic.twitter.com/sDWjVfm4aJ — ethan jon (@ethanjon) December 14, 2023

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Madonna shocks fans, brings Kylie Minogue on stage for epic Celebration Tour performance

Minogue honored Madonna's 2000 MTV EMAs tribute to her by wearing a glistening shirt with the Queen of Pop's name on it.

Madonna has officially anointed Kylie Minogue into her royal court, as the Queen of Pop stunned fans by bringing Minogue — widely touted around the world as the Princess of Pop — on stage for an epic performance at Thursday night's Celebration Tour stop in Los Angeles.

The 65-year-old singer-songwriter shocked the audience at the Kia Forum when she paused to announce that Minogue , 55, would join her for two songs: covers of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," and Minogue's 2001 worldwide smash "Can't Get You Out of My Head."

"I would like to introduce a very special guest who is going to come up here and sing with me. Her name is Kylie Minogue," Madonna told the audience, which erupted with applause as Minogue took the stage and embraced Madonna. "Now this is what we call survival, okay?"

Minogue — who wore a shirt bedazzled with Madonna's name, in a clear nod to Madonna's 2000 MTV EMAs performance where she wore a similar shirt that bore Minogue's name — then turned to her peer and said, "Here we are!" before they launched into the songs.

Kylie Minogue/Instagram, JONAS EKSTROMER/SCANPIX SWEDEN/AFP via Getty

The choice to cover Gaynor's classic could hold several meanings, as the Celebration Tour contains a rousing section that highlights Madonna's endurance through her four-decade career, and ends with her noting that the most controversial thing she's ever done is "stick around."

The tribute could also be a nod to Minogue and Madonna's respective health scares, as Minogue survived an initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2005, while Madonna overcame a life-threatening bacterial infection in 2023 that she said nearly killed her.

"MADONNA It’s been a long time coming!!! LOVED being with you!!!!" Minogue tweeted about the moment. "Celebration Tour AND it is now International Women’s Day …. THANK YOU and LOVE LOVE LOVE."

Madonna and Minogue have answered questions about each other since the start of their respective careers, with both often indicating interest in working with one another.

"Its really my celebration of other girls in pop music, basically. I had to give a big up to Britney and then a big up to Kylie," Madonna said after the 2000 EMAs performance, which also saw her honor Britney Spears on stage. "I think they're the cutest."

Minogue is the latest special guest to join Madonna on stage during the Celebration Tour, which typically features a new special guest each night as a co-judge during the "Vogue" ballroom section — though many of the guests do not get the chance to perform music alongside Madonna.

Past "Vogue" guests have included Amy Schumer , Kelly Ripa , Julia Garner — planned star of Madonna's delayed, self-directed biopic — and RuPaul's Drag Race queens Plane Jane, Detox, Symone , and Sapphira Cristál,

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Hello, Brooklyn. Is Madonna in the house? It’s after 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, and the Material Girl is nowhere to be found on the first hometown stop of her career-retrospective “Celebration” tour.

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The vibe inside the Barclays Center had started off with puffs of pot smoke and Fire Island-circuit, party-ready club music curated by DJ Honey Dijon. Costumed fans decked out in glitter, Madonna T-shirts, hoodies and even a “Like a Virgin” wedding dress grew increasingly impatient. It’s a power move for a stadium artist to keep his or her concert-goers waiting … and waiting … and waiting, and it’s certainly one that Madonna is (in)famous for. But this isn’t the ’90s, and New York is no longer the city that never sleeps. People were starting to get drowsy. Those gummies had started to kick in.   

Finally, at 10:45 p.m., the evening’s host, Bob the Drag Queen, sauntered onstage in a pink Marie Antoinette-like ruffled gown. As he invited fans to travel back to 1978 New York City, with “Madonna at 19 years old,” he declared, “This is not just a show. This is not just. This is not just a partttty. It’s a celebration, bitches!” 

Photos: Ricardo Gomez

The song, and the dance, felt apt: Madonna may have dodged fate only very recently. She addressed the bacterial infection in a rambling speech to fans, between songs, early on, standing next to an actor dressed as Madonna, meant to represent her as a young woman.

“Oh my god,” the real Madonna said. “It’s so great to be back in New York. You have no idea. The enthusiasm, the joy, it’s just coming out of my pores. It’s amazing. Touch me right now. Please someone, touch me.” Madonna, at 65, looked at her younger doppelganger. “Touch me. Yes. Thank you. So uh — the relief. People can speak my language, the language of c–t! Uh, I don’t know where to begin. First of all, no one is more surprised that I have made it this far than me. Yeah, four decades, motherfuckers! And I got to tell you, I didn’t think I was going to make it this summer, but here I am. Thank you for having me. Thank you for standing by me, for your support, your love.

“You don’t understand — the love from a New Yorker is like making a big fat smelly rat come up to you and put your arms around you: ‘I made it.’ I’m not comparing you guys to rats,” she continued. “I know that sounded weird. First of all — I mean, fifth of all, I want you to meet myself. Have you met myself? She was little bit shy back in the day. Let’s see if she’s ticklish.” The real Madonna poked the other Madonna, hugged her, and then seemed peeved to be sharing the spotlight, so she ordered her to sit down. 

Madonna, after all, doesn’t co-headline with anyone — not even herself. But for all that she’s changed music, she may, today, be chasing the descendants her fame helped create. “The Celebration Tour” is coming at the end of the year defined by three other superstar artists on the road — Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, which became the first concert in history to gross $1 billion globally; Beyonce’s “Renaissance”; and SZA’s “SOS” tour. In all honesty, “The Celebration Tour” doesn’t fall in the same league as those transcendent fan experiences — and it’s also no match for Madonna’s greatest concert of this century, 2005’s “Confessions” tour, based on her tenth studio album “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”

But Madonna is still Madonna, and that’s probably enough even if the “Celebration” show doesn’t always stick the landing. Throughout the night, there are too many costume changes to count, yet Madonna is best when she puts the music front and center, focusing on her vocals instead of trying to outdance her competition. The booming acoustics inside the Barclays Center may have also thrown her off her game, as Madonna asked fans if they could hear her, and she complained at one point, “It’s an echo bowl in here.”

It’s enough to make you pine for a time when New Yorkers could really stay out all night dancing to Madonna on a weeknight. At least, among those willing to wait to be transported, the indestructible Madonna could give us a ride in her time machine.

• Celebration Intro/Nothing Really Matters
• Into The Groove
• I Love New York/Burning Up
• Open Your Heart
• Live To Tell
• Like A Prayer
• Act of Living For Love/The 90’s (Interlude)
• Erotica/Papa Don’t Preach
• Justify My Love/Fever
• Hung Up On Tokischa
• Vogue (Estere’s Ball)
• Human Nature/Crazy For You
• The Beast Within (Interlude)
• Die Another Day
• Don’t Tell Me
• Mother And Father
• Survive/La Isla Bonita/Argentina
• I Don’t Search I Find (Interlude)
• Bedtime Story
• Ray of Light
• Billie Jean vs. Like A Virgin
• GMAYL/Bitch I’m Madonna

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CELEBRATION TOUR THIRD AND FINAL MIAMI DATE ANNOUNCED

As Madonna continues her The Celebration Tour across North America, the best-selling female recording artist of all time announced the final added date to the universally praised tour.  Due to overwhelming demand, a third and final show in Miami, FL will now take place on April 9, 2024, at Kaseya Center, bringing the global tour to a massive 80 dates. The world got a first glimpse of the highly anticipated tour this past October when the show launched in London with a record six sold out shows at The O2.  Moving across 13 countries the show has not only received rave reviews from fans and critics but showcases Madonna’s groundbreaking career and ongoing impact on culture. The Celebration Tour continues across North America, making stops in Cleveland, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Austin and more. The upcoming dates also include an incredible 5 nights in Los Angeles at the iconic Kia Forum and 5 nights at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City, wrapping up the tour on April 26, 2024. The Celebration Tour will offer a one-of-a-kind experience with special guest Bob the Drag Queen a.k.a. Caldwell Tidicue across all dates on the global tour. TICKETS: Tickets for the new date will go on sale Friday, February 9 at 10am local time. Visit madonna.com/tour for complete tour and ticket listing. CITI PRESALE: Citi is the official card of Madonna The Celebration Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for the new date beginning today, Tuesday, February 6 at 12pm local time through Thursday, February 8 at 5pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com . LEGACY FAN CLUB PRESALE: Legacy members of Madonna’s Official Fan Club will have a presale opportunity starting today from 11am – Wednesday at 5pm local time. Visit madonna.com for complete tour and ticketing information. VIP: Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, exclusive access to a behind the scenes tour, group photo on-stage, pre-show reception, limited edition lithograph & more. For more information, visit vipnation.com .

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What Time Does Madonna Go On Stage For ‘The Celebration Tour?’

Madonna is currently continuing her The Celebration Tour , with only two shows left of 2023, including one tonight at Brooklyn’s Barclays Arena, and a second date this Saturday, December 16.

She also recently wrapped her two performances at London’s O2 Arena. However, throughout the run, fans complained that the pop star showed up significantly late, raising questions about exactly what time attendees could expect her to take the stage.

What Time Does Madonna Go On Stage For The Celebration Tour ?

While the doors for all shows on The Celebration Tour open at 6:30 p.m., that doesn’t mean she’ll exactly show up as scheduled. Using the London dates as an example, she showed up for one performance at 8:50 p.m., and the other at 9:25 p.m. According to Setlist.fm , Madonna has even shown up past 10 p.m. in cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, and more, so she really doesn’t seem too bothered about breaking a concert curfew.

Other fans in cities like Milan claimed Madonna had been late because she was at a Versace party.

love the story that Madonna started the first concert in Milan late because Donatella Versace organized a party with her son Marco Mengoni!! pic.twitter.com/yBJCXUwKMd — Devonne (@Dev0nne10) November 27, 2023

Her first stop at the Barclays Center reportedly ran until nearly 1 a.m. with the setlist , just so those going to a remaining date could prepare to be at the venue for a few hours.

Madonna is a Warner Music artist. .

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After Lots and Lots of Waiting, Madonna Finally Takes the Stage in Philadelphia

There were tears. There were complaints about tardiness. And there were many, many Madonna hits.

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Madonna at Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia on Thursday night for her Celebration Tour / Photograph courtesy of Peter Kourahanis

Before Thursday night, Madonna hadn’t performed in Philadelphia since way back in 2019. That’s when she brought her oh-so-problematic “Madame X” show to the Met on North Broad Street. In a review titled “A Beautiful Failure,”  I rightfully savaged that Madonna show, and Madonna troll-fans savaged me for weeks on social media. She brings quite an army.

Then, last January, Madonna announced a slew of dates for a new tour, the “Celebration Tour,” which was positioned, essentially, as a greatest hits tour. And in the case of Madonna and based on what she did with “Madame X,” a greatest-hits tour was exactly what Madonna needed.

The only problem was, Philadelphia wasn’t on the list of stops for Madonna’s “Celebration Tour.” It appeared that she snubbed us. But then in March 2023, Madonna decided to add a show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, scheduled for December 20th. Except then she postponed her tour, which was supposed to start over the summer, due to illness. And so December 20th became January 25th, a.k.a. Thursday night.

But even then, it was a little bit unclear when Madonna would actually perform. She’s notoriously late to take the stage. People are, believe it or not, suing her over this. Printing an 8 p.m. showtime on the ticket was kind of a joke. She went on around 9:30 p.m. at a recent New York show. 9:45 p.m. in Montreal. But would she push even later for Philly? In fact, she did.

"Madonna Reviewed: Her  Madame X  Show Is a Beautiful Failure" "Madonna Gets Booed By Philadelphia but then Stuns Philadelphia" "The Time that Madonna Came to Philadelphia for Live Aid"

Just after 4:35 p.m. on Thursday, Madonna took to Facebook with this curious message: “Philly! Due to the current weather conditions, please note that tonight’s show may start slightly later than originally scheduled to make sure you can be all on time for the Celebration. See you there!!” Naturally, this message resulted in a lot of questions to the effect of Wait, what weather?

In any event, 9 p.m. came and went. Then came 9:30. At 9:45 p.m., a friend from Delco told me via text, “If she goes on after 10, I’m leaving and never coming to see her again.” Well, the clock struck 10. A rumor started spreading that the show wasn’t going to start until 11 p.m. But then … it happened. At 10:06 p.m. on the dot, out came Madonna.

And what came next was a whirlwind performance involving countless special effects, wild stagecraft, and superhuman dancers. The show was Madonna’s attempt to tell her life story through her music and lots and lots of video. She paid tribute to many icons, including Michael Jackson (some have questioned the appropriateness of this due to the pedophilia allegations), Nina Simone, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, among others. The performance is segmented into seven — yes, seven! — acts. And she includes plenty of hits. There are also some B-sides for the true Madonna nerds.

So what did the people who attended the Madonna “Celebration Tour” show in Philly actually think? I surveyed a range to get an idea.

South Street tattoo artist Noah Webster has seen more concerts than most people, here and the world over. But this was actually his first Madonna show. He took his significant other. “We loved it,” Webster told me after the show had ended. “We kept saying it was like a flawless illusion produced by Salvador Dali and David Copperfield. Costume changes just happened. Scene changes were seamless. At the end, you could tell she was a little tired, along with the audience. But it was an impressive production, and we were very happy to see a retrospective of her life as our first Madonna concert.”

Webster snagged this video of “Like a Prayer” that shows off some of the stagecraft spectacles involved during the evening:

Graduate Hospital painter and author Jenny Laden brought her teenage daughter Izzy to Thursday night’s Madonna concert. “I found it astonishing,” Laden told me. “At times moving and sometimes confounding. A whole tribute to people who died from AIDS, while she sang ‘Live to Tell.’ Gorgeous. She’s still raunchy as hell and fearless… She’s such an icon, and it’s hard to believe how much ground she broke. At one point, she said something along the lines of, ‘No one is more surprised than me that I’m still here.'” Izzy said the concert made her want to learn more about Madonna and her work and history.

“I think I got my money’s worth,” said Jawnville.com publisher Greg Caputo, who paid $220 for club box tickets earlier this week. “I will say that she was having a hard time with some of the dancing due to an apparent leg injury. [She suffered similar problems in the “Madame X” tour.] She originally had that tape on her leg, but by the end of the show, it was a neoprene brace. But the other dancers and the choreographers do a good job of covering up for her. I’ve never been to a Broadway show, but this was what I’d imagine a Broadway show to be. But with great music by Madonna. If I had to sum it up in three thoughts: lots of leather pants. Lots of lace. And lots of moms drinking hard seltzer.”

“I’ve caught every tour except for the one in ’87 at the Vet,” longtime South Philly Madonna fan Peter Kourahanis told me. “I bought nosebleed tickets for $90 for this one, and I snuck down closer to the stage. And for some reason, the row I sat, there were six empty seats. Third row … Last night was amazing. I got emotional. She wasn’t as high-energy as before, but who is? The production was just wow.”

Talk about close. This video — which appears to show Madonna spitting into the crowd before dousing them with beer — shows you just how close Kourahanis was:

“A love letter to the gay community” is how Philly artist Natalie Hope McDonald described it. “A performance-art piece. It’s as much a look back at her life as it is an ongoing commentary about the world. One of the best shows I have ever seen. She’s incredible. … The most powerful moment went from the early days in NYC through the AIDS crisis. Friends of friends who died that multiplied into so many faces projected onto screens. Tears were running down my face. It brought that time back.”

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A Closer Look at Madonna’s One-of-a-Kind Celebration Tour Wardrobe

Come on, Vogue ! This weekend, Madonna kicked off her global Celebration World Tour in London, where she treated fans with a career-spanning performance of some of her greatest hits. Almost better than the setlist, however, was the Queen of Pop’s epic new outfits for the stage—well, new in a sense. All of them riff off of her most iconic looks over the years (including, yes, that signature Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra). In honor of the tour’s kickoff, Vogue caught up with costume and creative designer Eyob Yohannes and creative and design lead Rita Melssen to get a closer look at Madonna’s one-of-a-kind, custom-made tour looks.

Given the magnitude of Madonna’s new tour—she’s performing on 78 days across 15 different countries—Yohannes and Melssen needed top-tier stage fashion. To focus the wardrobe and give it a strong, clear message, the duo opted to mimic the theme of the show, which explores Madonna’s four decades of hits. That’s how they landed on referencing some of Madonna’s most famous outfits. “Fashion has always been a part of her storytelling,” says Yohannes, “so we drew from her past stylistically, and we kept those themes within the costumes.”

For the most part, Yohannes and Melssen created and designed all of Madonna’s costumes themselves, though they also enlisted designers such as Vetement’s Guram Gvasalia, Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Dilara Findikoglu to create special one-off looks for her, too. “We wanted to reference everything that she’s done, and make something new out of that,” says Melssen. “We created a whole new world.”

A costume designed by Jean Paul Gaultier

The tour traces Madonna’s meteoric rise to superstardom, beginning back in the ’80s. Yohannes and Melssen began their research by looking at Madonna’s polaroids and performances from the era. “There were a lot of grunge and punk kids, but also the New Romantics,” says Yohannes. “This section feels like being at a New York club, where all of these different cultures meld together.”

Act one opens with her singles such as “Burning Up” and “Everybody.” For the latter track, Madonna sports a punky tailcoat by Findikoglu, inspired by an archival blazer that the singer wore for a performance in Japan back in the ’80s. “It was a men’s coat that she got from a vintage store,” says Yohannes. “[For the new one,] we tricked it out, and added memorabilia and pins from the ’80s onto it. It was very much an ode to New York in the ’80s.”

For act two, Madonna moves into the ’90s with “Erotica” and “Vogue.” The costume duo wanted to explore the songs’s themes of sexual expression and liberation. “We had an idea to make it about boxing,” says Yohannes. “The dancers are all dressed in boxing clothes, and M is in a boxing robe—but then there’s this beautiful sensuality when she unveils a slip dress.”

For “Vogue” specifically, Madonna and the costume team enlisted designer Jean Paul Gaultier to create a modern new version of her iconic cone bra, made famous during the 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour. This time around, Gaultier created a black cone mini dress, encrusted with black crystals. “It would not be a show without Gaultier,” says Melssen. “He just knows her body and how she wants to feel. [Madonna] couldn’t imagine doing this without having [him.]” (Also not to be missed? Special guest Bob the Drag Queen recreated Madonna’s Marie Antoinette-themed 1990 VMAs look for the “Vogue” performance.)

Act three focuses on the 2010s, and Madonna performs “Die Another Day” and “Don’t Tell Me.” It’s the latter song’s western-inspired fashion that takes center stage. “We wanted to take it to this cool, futuristic world,” says Yohannes.  Her final look—a leather corset and shirt made in-house—was punctuated with a cowboy hat made by Ruslan Baginskiy, and a pair of custom Miu Miu cowboy boots. ”They’re knee-high and have beautiful white western stitching, and a silver heel and toe cap,” says Melssen. “The girls are going to want it.” In act four, meanwhile, Madonna leans into futurism, and rocks a special, foiled-Mylar Versace look that’s ready for the Metaverse. She wears it for “Ray of Light,” an obvious choice. “Versace made a silhouette that Madonna has never really worn before—a catsuit—made in the pattern of broken glass,” says Yohannes. Melssen adds, “When the light hits this catsuit, it looks like armor.”

In building this wardrobe, Melssen and Yohannes had to consider functionality and movement as well as aesthetics. “She changes a lot in the show, so we needed to make sure that the clothes were quick-rigged,” says Yohannes. “There are center back zips on almost all of the costumes, so she can go in and out pretty quickly.” The speedy costume changes were made possible with strategic layering and styling. “There’s a lot of under-dressing as well,” says Yohannes. “She wears costumes underneath each other, [to be ready] for the next number.”

One of the greatest moments in the tour comes towards the end, when Madonna performs a special rendition of “Like a Virgin.” All of the dancers wear various looks from her archive—be it a red carpet look or album cover look. “For a lot of these looks, [Madonna] still had them in her archives, so we went to look at them and matched the fabrics and embroidery,” says Yohannes. Even the superstar’s son, David, makes a cameo, wearing the white fur coat, cowboy hat, and Versace chain jewelry Madonna sported in the 2000 “Music” music video.

It’s these types of thoughtful details that made working with the Queen of Pop so fun. “She is involved in every single process of the costume design,” says Yohannes. “She looks at all the fabrics, sketches, and buttons. She cares about who the characters are, and the clothes telling that story.” As more fans get to witness the show over the next year, the pair hope viewers will see that vision come to life. “I hope people realize how much of an artist she is,” says Melssen. “I also just hope that they feel seen and have fun!”

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Madonna Joined Onstage by Five of Her Kids at the Celebration Tour Launch in London — See Photos!

The pop icon was joined by daughters Lourdes, 27, Mercy, 17, and twins Stella and Estere, 11, as well as son David, 18

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Madonna had some very special guests join her at the launch of her Celebration Tour!

On Saturday, the Queen of Pop, 65, started her highly-anticipated Celebration Tour at London's O2 Arena, giving her fans a two-hour set that spanned all four decades of her career. As she performed, the mom of six was joined on stage by five of her kids, who looked all grown up as they danced and played instruments alongside her.

Referencing the underground ballroom scene that Madonna used in her iconic music video for "Vogue," the singer and her 27-year-old daughter Lourdes sat on stage and served as judges for 11-year-old daughter Estere as she vogued and danced across the runway to Madonna's track — and scored 10s across the board.

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Estere's twin sister Stella also made an appearance, coming onstage during her mom's hit "Don't Tell Me." Madonna's son David, 18, joined the pop star for "Let's Go Crazy," playing a bit of guitar during the song. He also strummed along during "Mother and Father."

Lastly, Madonna's daughter Mercy, 17, played piano while her mom sang her Erotica single "Bad Girl." The singer is also mom to son Rocco, 23.

In addition to the night's festivities, it was Lourdes' 27th birthday on Saturday . The star paid  tribute to her daughter  by leading the audience in a singalong of her song "Little Star."

The "Hung Up" singer is a proud mother, often speaking about her kids and including photos and videos on her Instagram.

In 2017, Madonna  appeared on the cover of PEOPLE  and opened up about her life at home with her children and her emotional adoption journey.

"Sometimes I would just close my eyes and just think, 'Why isn't my kitchen filled with dancing children?' There's so many children that need a home," she  said . "I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Just do it.'"

Madonna has admitted that being a  mother of six  isn't always easy. The singer told  Vanity Fair  in January 2023 that motherhood "has been the most difficult, the hardest battle," adding, "Today I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job."

"Because, whoever you are, having children and raising them is a work of art," she continued. "And no one gives you a manual. You have to learn from mistakes. It is a profession that requires a lot of time. And it is exhausting because there is never rest."

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Madonna’s Son David Banda Makes New York Fashion Week Runway Debut Modeling at Off-White’s Spring 2025 Show

Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon has walked the runway for labels including Versace , Marine Serre and Luis De Javier — now the pop star’s son, David Banda, has made his fashion show debut, appearing in Off-White’s spring 2025 presentation at New York Fashion Week on Sunday.

Banda, a musician, strutted down the catwalk in a plaid collared vest, black pleated trousers, statement earrings, glovelets and flip-flops featuring bottle cap embellishments. Several stars sat in the front row, including singer Camila Cabello, Olympic gymnast Suni Lee and actress Issa Rae.

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Per WWD’s Emily Mercer, creative director Ib Kamara melded “African craft and futurism with American sportswear.” The spring 2025 show was the label’s first in the Big Apple.

“I think America is a foundation of Off-White; I think it’s good to come home, show love to the city and the city to show love back. To celebrate the city and be part of an evolving community of a global traveler and global people, which is very New York,” Kamara said of his spring collection.

Kamara took the helm at Off-White following the passing of the brand’s late creative director, Virgil Abloh, in 2021.

The second eldest son of Madonna and director Guy Ritchie, Banda was born in Malawi, where he was adopted by the couple at the age of one. Banda recently performed alongside his mother during her worldwide “Celebration” tour, bringing his guitar skills to the stage.

In 2022, Madonna spoke to Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” about Banda’s penchant for fashion. That year, he was famously photographed alongside his mother, wearing a replica of an Adidas dress she sported in 1993.

“He can put on any outfit and look swag as you know what,” Madonna said. “It’s really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them.”

Celebrities Front Row at Off-White Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Show Photos

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Launch Gallery: Off-White Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection

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Madonna's Boyfriend Wears T-Shirt with John Paul II's Image. An Attack Occurs

Madonna is in great shape. The singer recently celebrated her 66th birthday, and on this special day, she was surrounded by her six children and her 28-year-old boyfriend, Akeem. Recently, the couple has been seen together more frequently. The artist and her boyfriend attended the Off-White party during New York Fashion Week. Madonna has often used Christian motifs in her outfits and music videos in the past, which has sometimes led to scandals. This time, it was her partner who drew inspiration from Christianity, wearing a t-shirt featuring Pope John Paul II.

Madonna and Her Boyfriend Attacked. Partner Wears Pope T-Shirt

In the past, Madonna has also appeared at public events wearing t-shirts with the pope's image. During her "Who’s That Girl" tour in 1987, Madonna performed her song "Papa Don’t Preach" with a giant image of the pope displayed on stage. Kanye West also once wore a t-shirt with John Paul II’s image, which sparked significant outrage. Now, Madonna’s current boyfriend - Akeem Morris, a sports star from Jamaica - was seen in a similar t-shirt at the Off-White fashion party. The artist's outfit was striking, featuring a form-fitting bodysuit and jeans, while Akeem sported a t-shirt with the image of Pope John Paul II and the words "His Holiness Pope". It is believed that the shirt may have originally belonged to Madonna, as she had worn it in the past.

According to The Mirror, despite the presence of security guards, an unidentified man ran after Madonna as she was leaving the event with her new boyfriend. The 66-year-old singer made it to her car, but her security team had to step in, pushing the man away to protect her. It's unclear whether the attack was related to Akeem’s choice of clothing. The incident did not appear to dampen Madonna’s mood, as she and her partner drove off together. Photographers were unable to capture the moment of the attack itself.

Madonna Takes Interest in Piotr Adamczyk. "She Wants to Hire Him"

Madonna is currently working on the script for a film about her life. The movie will focus on the most important moments of her career, with particular attention to her early 90s "Blond Ambition" tour.

At that time, John Paul II played a significant role in her career, and Madonna doesn’t want to skip over this chapter. In 1990, during her "Blond Ambition" tour - where she simulated masturbation on stage and included Catholic-inspired sections - John Paul II called it "the most satanic show in the history of humanity". There's now talk of inviting Polish actor Piotr Adamczyk, who previously portrayed Karol Wojtyła, for a casting.

There’s a good chance Piotr will make a cameo in Madonna’s film because he's being considered. She’s taken an interest in him and wants to potentially hire him

- a source from an acting agency revealed.

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2024 MTV VMAs: Live list of winners as Megan Thee Stallion hosts an unforgettable night of performances

With an impressive roster of performers and historic wins on the line, this year's vmas are an event not to be missed..

The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards kick off Wednesday night from New York's UBS Arena.

Since 1984, the VMAs have delivered unforgettable performances, and this year will be no exception. Megan Thee Stallion is emcee for the night's festivities and is also performing. She'll be joined onstage over the course of the night by a high-profile roster of presenters and performers including Eminem , who is opening the show, and Katy Perry , who is this year's Video Vanguard Award recipient.

A record-breaking night could be in store as Taylor Swift leads the pack with 12 nominations. Depending on how she fares, the "Fortnight" singer could surpass Beyoncé as the most-decorated female artist in VMAs history . Post Malone is close behind with 11 nominations.

Meanwhile, Eminem, who has eight nominations, is poised for his own historic moment. He holds the title of most wins by a rap artist but is vying to become the most-awarded male artist in the show's history, a title he currently shares with Peter Gabriel.

With potential surprise performances and artist pairings, special appearances and must-see moments, this year's show is one to watch.

Yahoo Entertainment is live-blogging the awards show. Follow along with our coverage below.

Taylor Swift and Post Malone win Best Collaboration for "Fortnight"

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “

GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be”

Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones”

Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”

Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help”

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”

Megan Thee Stallion wins Best Trending Video

Beyonce — “Texas Hold ‘Em”

Camila Cabello feat. Palyboi Carti — “I Luv It”

Chappell Roan — “Hot to Go!”

Charli xcx — “Apple”

Megan Thee Stallion feat. Yuki Chiba — “Mamushi”

Tinashe — “Nasty”

Benson Boone wins Best Alternative

Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”

Bleachers — “Tiny Moves”

Hozier — “Too Sweet”

Imagine Dragons — “Eyes Closed”

Linkin Park — “Friendly Fire”

Teddy Swims — “Lose Control (Live)”

Lenny Kravitz wins Best Rock Artist

Bon Jovi – “Legendary”

Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”

Green Day – “Dilemma”

Kings of Leon – “Mustang”

Lenny Kravitz – “Human”

U2 – “Atomic City”

VMAs host Megan Thee Stallion arrives

Megan Thee Stallion has reported for duty. The 29-year-old rapper, who is hosting the night's festivities, hit the black carpet — and she's already a winner. Megan learned live on MTV's preshow that she and Yuki Chiba won Best Trending Video for "Mamushi."

Katy Perry wins Most Iconic Performance for 'Roar'

Katy Perry isn't just taking home the Video Vanguard Award tonight — she's also won the fan-voted "Most Iconic Performance" Award for her unforgettable 2013 VMAs performance of "Roar."

Perry beat out music legends Beyoncé, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott and Taylor Swift for the honor.

During the VMAs preshow, she expressed her love for her fans and gave a sweet shout-out to her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy, who she shares with boyfriend Orlando Bloom.

"Don't stay up too late, sweetheart — and eat your broccoli!" she said, adding that motherhood has made her feel "a sense of wholeness" as an artist.

"I love you so much," she told her fans after accepting the award on the carpet. "I do it all for you — and for Daisy."

Watch Perry's 2013 performance below:

Attendees get wristbands

I’ve been given a wristband that’s going to light up during random performances. There’s no on-off button so I have no idea what to expect!

– Reporting from the UBS Arena

'Fortnight' wins Song of Summer

Ariana Grande — “We can’t be friends (wait for your love)”

Benson Boon — “Beautiful Things”

Billie Eilish — “Birds of a Feather”

Chappell Roan — “Good luck, Babe!”

Charlie xcx & Billie Eilish — “Guess”

Eminem — “Houdini”

Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar — “Like That”

GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion — “Wanna Be”

Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”

Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”

Sabrina Carpenter — “Please Please Please”

Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”

SZA — “Saturn”

Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone — “Fortnight”

Tommy Richman — “Million Dollar Baby”

Sabrina Carpenter delivers old Hollywood glam

Sabrina Carpenter dazzled in a shimmering strapless gown. The sequined dress, paired with her classic red lip and soft curls, effortlessly captured the “Espresso” singer’s old-Hollywood-inspired style.

Carpenter is nominated for seven VMAs tonight, including Artist of the Year.

How critics reacted to the 1st MTV Video Music Awards

When Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler hosted the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 14, 1984, people couldn't have predicted that the event would evolve into a pop culture phenomenon going 40 years strong.

Here's a look back at how some critics reviewed the show in fall 1984, as reported by Slate :

Cliff Radel, Cincinnati Enquirer: "The 1st Annual MTV Video Awards was a momentous occasion, ranking right up there with your average yawn."

Richard Harrington, Washington Post: "While no one can deny the profound influence MTV has had — on music, fashion, and film — it’s equally hard to defend MTV’s bullying tactics and virtual exclusion of Black entertainers. Diana Ross accepted two awards for Michael Jackson; it’s just about the only way she’s been able to get on MTV."

Tom Shales, Nashville Tennessean: "Boorish behavior was the order of the night. Even MTV’s behavior was obnoxious; viewers were beaten over the head with promotional materials for MTV, and the MTV logo was in almost every single shot."

Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "The ceremony was little more than splashy self-aggrandizement for MTV."

David Bianculli, Philadelphia Inquirer: "The true slant of MTV’s self-promotional orgy is complete: an orchestrated, calculated, meaningless event."

Halsey steps out in Versace gown originally worn by Elizabeth Hurley

Halsey stunned in a sleek red cheetah-print dress by Versace. The gown was originally designed for Elizabeth Hurley in 1996.

The singer, who's debuting her new single "Ego" at the awards show, called the dress a "miracle to find."

"From 1996 to me right now," she said of the dress on the MTV VMAs pre-show. "I'm just living it up, I'm loving it."

The room where it happens

The vibe inside the arena is astounding — it feels more like a planetarium than a concert venue or a place where hockey games happen.

Sabrina Carpenter nabs 1st VMAs nominations

Fresh off a whirlwind summer that catapulted her career — and online presence — to new heights, Sabrina Carpenter can add "MTV VMAs nominee" to her growing list of accomplishments.

The "Taste" singer is in the running for a total of seven awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Pop and Song of the Year.

" Please Please Please ," Carpenter's second single from her latest album, Short n' Sweet, nabbed the singer her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The pop princess, who performed during the 2023 VMAs pre-show, will soon be embarking on the North American leg of her "Short n' Sweet" tour. Tonight she'll hit the VMAs main stage for a hotly anticipated performance.

"Sabrina blew us all away with last year’s pre-show performance." — Bruce Gillmer, #VMAs executive producer. pic.twitter.com/afPV9Np5x2 — Sabrina Carpenter All-News 💋 (@SCANews_) September 10, 2024

Reporting live from the 2024 MTV VMAs

Yahoo Entertainment's Kelsey Weekman is reporting live from the 2024 MTV VMAs. She's at the UBS Arena as stars arrive for the big night.

Well folks… three hours ago I was at TIFF, but now I am reporting live from UBS Arena in NY for the VMAs 😎 pic.twitter.com/U6TO9ivV45 — kelsey weekman (@kelsaywhat) September 11, 2024

Chappell Roan arrives with a sword

The Midwest Princess has arrived. Chappell Roan made her debut on the VMAs black carpet.

In clips circulating on social media, the "Good Luck, Babe!" singer appeared to clap back at a photographer.

Someone is heard saying, "Shut the f*** up!" which quickly caught Roan's attention. She yelled right back.

Chappell Roan was told by a #vmas photographer to “shut the f**k up”, leading to her response. pic.twitter.com/jXaTfIH7yR — 🏁 (@concertleaks) September 11, 2024

Cyndi Lauper, who won Best Female Video at the 1st VMAs, will present an award

Cyndi Lauper , who made history by winning Best Female Video at the first MTV VMAs in 1984 for her hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," will return to the stage as a presenter this year.

For the singer, it's likely to be a full-circle moment as the VMAs celebrate 40 years of unforgettable music and moments.

The VMAs roll out the black carpet

For its 40th anniversary, the MTV VMAs took on a bolder, moodier vibe as stars arrived to walk the black carpet.

The cosmic-inspired backdrop complements the show's legendary "Moon Person" trophy.

Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' performance could have derailed her career — but instead it made her a superstar

Forty years ago, Madonna’s "Like a Virgin" performance at the inaugural Video Music Awards in 1984 shocked audiences and cemented itself as a defining pop-culture moment of the ’80s. Her stylist at the time, Maripol, crafted the famous peekaboo bridal gown look.

In a 2019 interview with Yahoo Entertainment , Maripol reflected on MTV's behind-the-scenes attempts to "intimidate" Madonna during the performance.

"I saw what [MTV] did, and I can tell you that they tried to destroy her that day," she recalled. "They went under her skirt with the camera; they were trying to intimidate her."

Despite this, the performance launched Madonna into superstardom.

"I knew that [VMAs] day that she had made it," Maripol added. "Every journalist was rushing, running, going, ‘Oh my God, who is this girl with the white outfit rolling and crawling on the floor, with crosses in her ears and her name is Madonna? And she's singing about being like a virgin?’ They were shocked, yes."

Katy Perry teases fans with a rehearsal video

Katy Perry is gearing up for the 2024 MTV VMAs, where she's receiving the Video Vanguard Award and performing some of her biggest hits.

The "Woman's World" singer took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes rehearsal video. Not only is she decked out in wings, but she's visited by giant blue butterflies.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry)

Megan Thee Stallion is dressing to impress

As host of the 2024 MTV VMAs, Megan Thee Stallion is ready — and eager — to show off some looks. A lot of looks.

"I'm excited to change clothes 500 times. I'm excited to perform. I'm excited to see all the Hotties," the rapper told People ahead of the ceremony. "I love New York, I can't wait to be there again and eat all the food, and I'm excited for people to see what I bring to the table while hosting."

Stallion is no stranger to commanding attention on the red carpet. At last year's VMAs, she stunned in a daring sheer black strapless gown by Brandon Blackwood.

What is the Video Vanguard Award?

The Video Vanguard Award honors artists who have made groundbreaking contributions to the art of music videos and have left a lasting impact on pop culture.

The first award was given at MTV's inaugural Video Music Awards in 1984 to David Bowie, the Beatles and director Richard Lester, all of whom shared the honor. Past winners also include Britney Spears, Madonna, Kanye West, Missy Elliott and LL Cool J. Katy Perry is this year’s recipient.

In 1991, the award was renamed the "Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award." However, in 2019, amid renewed sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, MTV quietly removed his name from its website. The use of Jackson's name in association with the award, however, has since fluctuated .

Eminem to start the show

Eminem is set to open the 2024 MTV VMAs live from New York's UBS Arena.

The rapper, who released his 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady, on July 12, last opened the VMAs in 2010 when he was joined by Rihanna to perform " Love the Way You Lie ." With nods in eight categories, including Video of the Year and Best Hip-Hop, Eminem is the third-most nominated artist at this year's awards show.

The "Mockingbird" hitmaker made his VMAs debut in 1999, the same year he took home the Moon Person (formerly Moonman) for Best New Artist.

From winning Best New Artist in 1999 to opening the 2024 #VMAs - we can’t wait to have @Eminem back on the #VMA stage 🙌 Don’t miss his ICONIC performance this Wednesday at 8p on @MTV 👏 pic.twitter.com/1jUbRdGLDH — Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 9, 2024

What to know about the 2024 MTV VMAs

The 2024 MTV VMAs are getting underway! Here's everything you need to know as the awards show kicks off:

When is the show?

The MTV Video Music Awards airs live from the UBS Arena in New York on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Who is hosting?

Megan Thee Stallion will pull double duty as both host and performer at the ceremony.

Who leads the nominees?

Taylor Swift leads with 12 nominations, followed by Post Malone with 11 and Eminem with eight.

Who is performing?

Anitta, Benson Boone, Camila Cabello, Chappell Roan, Eminem, GloRilla, Halsey, Karol G, Lenny Kravitz, LISA, LL Cool J, Megan Thee Stallion, Rauw Alejandro, Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes are set to perform.

Who will take home the Video Vanguard Award?

Katy Perry, a five-time VMA winner, will accept the honor and perform a career-spanning medley of her greatest hits.

For more details on what to expect from tonight's show, check out Yahoo Entertainment's guide to the 2024 MTV VMAs .

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Is Brisbane Ready to Be the Equal of Sydney and Melbourne?

By Julia Bergin

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email. This week’s issue is written by Julia Bergin.

Brisbane has always been behind Sydney and Melbourne as Australia’s No. 3 city, both in population and international renown. But last week it trumped the other two to be the top choice of Jean Paul Gaultier, the international fashion icon.

The French designer picked Brisbane as the sole Australian city to host his autobiographical theater/cabaret cross-couture production, “Fashion Freak Show.” Told through a theatrical smorgasbord of song, dance, burlesque, acrobatics and runway, the show documents the life and creations of Mr. Gaultier.

Although his clothing and costumes have been featured in art exhibits in Australia and have been worn by such Australian cultural heavyweights as the singer Kylie Minogue and the actress Nicole Kidman, Mr. Gaultier has never staged a couture runway show or theater production in Australia before. “Fashion Freak Show” debuted last weekend and will run through Sept. 15 as part of the Brisbane Festival.

For Brisbane, it is another step as it gears up to host one of the biggest events of them all in 2032: the Summer Olympics.

Elin Charles-Edwards, a demographer and associate professor at the University of Queensland, said that even if many Australians don’t see the city as an equal to Sydney or Melbourne, Brisbane’s cultural and demographic growth say otherwise.

In the past 50 years, the population of Brisbane has grown twice as fast as that of Sydney or Melbourne. At last count , greater Brisbane had more than 2.5 million residents.

Dr. Charles-Edwards said that growth gave Brisbane a critical mass of people that tipped it into big-city territory, meaning it had enough pockets of creative talent and subcultures to have an outsize impact culturally. Although not yet a global city, she said, Brisbane was “on the cusp” and culturally was already behaving like one.

But its reputation within Australia has been harder to change.

The state of Queensland has traditionally been viewed as Australia’s conservative capital, known for industries like mining and agriculture. But over the past two decades, there’s been a steady shift in the state, both politically and demographically, particularly in greater Brisbane and in places like the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns.

Brisbane, Queensland’s capital, is not the only Australian city trying to rebrand itself. This year, the South Australian Tourism Commission put out a statement requesting that media no longer refer to Adelaide, the state capital, as “RADelaide” or “The City of Churches.” Instead, it asked people to focus on things like its wine industry or outdoor experiences.

Dr. Charles-Edwards said that in order for Brisbane to be in the same league as Sydney or Melbourne, it too needed to be taken seriously by the rest of Australia.

To Gary McQuinn, the international producer of the Fashion Freak Show, Brisbane already had clout.

Asked whether it was as an Australian cultural powerhouse to rival Sydney and Melbourne, his answer was a strong yes, emphasized with an expletive.

“Australian producers are going through a somewhat conservative phase,” Mr. McQuinn said. “They’re happier to import yet another production of ‘Wicked’ than they are doing something as outrageous as Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fashion Freak Show.’”

But Brisbane, he countered, was different. It didn’t matter that the show’s ensemble of outfits arrived only 24 hours before the show started because of a transportation problem, or that the show opened on the hottest day of the year. Mr. McQuinn said the members of the Brisbane Festival team were world-class in their approach and always ready to think outside the box.

“The very secret to Jean Paul and his genius is that he doesn’t know there’s a box to think out of,” he said, complimenting both the designer and the Brisbane Festival.

Louise Bezzina, the artistic director of the festival, was the woman responsible for securing the show. She called the “bright and shiny” production a perfect fit for her “bright and shiny” city.

“It’s a bold move to go with something so sexy when there’s government officials sitting next to you on opening night,” Ms. Bezzina said, laughing. “But I haven’t had anyone say to me, ‘What the hell were you thinking?’”

On the contrary, she’s been receiving thank you’s all around, she said.

As Brisbane gears up for the 2032 Games, the city is grappling with the planning, infrastructure and promotion required for such an event. That’s why, Ms. Bezzina said, when big-ticket international acts like the Gaultier ensemble come to town, the city seems to give it its all.

It’s how she found herself on opening night wearing a cone bra, in honor of a Gaultier creation worn by Madonna while on tour in 1990.

In recent decades, international, interstate and intrastate migrations have created a much more diverse population in Queensland, said Dr. Charles-Edwards, the demographer. Politically, that’s resulted in big cities swinging toward the Greens. Economically, it’s meant increased activity and a sharp rise in housing prices. (As of June, it became more expensive to buy a home in Brisbane than Melbourne).

And culturally, it’s given Brisbane national and international heft.

But Dr. Charles-Edwards said the changes can’t simply be attributed to an influx of “cool people coming up from Melbourne.”

“I think there’s an internal maturation,” she said. “Brisbane is ready to launch on the world stage.”

Damien Vasta, who grew up in Brisbane and now runs a mobile payment tech startup there, felt similarly about his hometown, but he said it was still missing a few key ingredients to be equal to Sydney and Melbourne, most notably infrastructure around sports and cultural events.

“You want people to say ‘Brisbane is great because we went to this cinema, we went to this theater, we went to this stadium, and then we went to this great restaurant’,” he said. “Melbourne is the benchmark in how they’ve blended the attendance of events with their culture.”

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