Global InformationList of Madonna concerts information
| Madonna concerts | |
|---|---|
 Collage depicting Madonna's eleven concert tours, beginning with 1985's The Virgin Tour and ending with the Madame X Tour (2019–2020) | |
| Concert tours | 12 |
| One-off concerts | 19 |
| Benefit concerts | 9 |
| Music festivals | 7 |
American singer Madonna has performed on twelve concert tours, nineteen one-off concerts, nine benefit concerts, and three music festivals. Madonna has been nicknamed by some publications as the "Queen of Concerts" or "Queen of Touring", recognizing her "years-deep involvement in the touring game" and stage shows.[1][2] Once the highest-grossing female touring artist according to Billboard Boxscore and Pollstar,[3][4] Madonna remains one of the highest-grossing live touring acts.
Her 1985 debut concert tour, The Virgin Tour, was held in North America only and went on to collect more than US $5 million.[5] In 1987 she performed on the worldwide Who's That Girl World Tour, which visited Europe, North America and Japan, and earned $25 million.[6][7] One of the tour's shows in Paris in front of 130,000 fans was the largest paying concert audience by a female artist at the time and remains the largest crowd of any concert in French history.[8][9] In 1990, she embarked on the Blond Ambition World Tour, which was dubbed the "Greatest Concert of the 1990s" by Rolling Stone.[10] BBC credited the tour with "invent[ing] the modern, multi-media pop spectacle".[11] In 1993, Madonna visited Israel and Turkey for the first time, followed by Latin America and Australia, with The Girlie Show.[7] A review in Time by Sam Buckley said: "Madonna, once the Harlow harlot and now a perky harlequin, is the greatest show-off on earth."[12]
Madonna did not tour again until the Drowned World Tour in 2001. She played the guitar and her costumes included a punkish tartan kilt and a geisha kimono. Some critics complained that the show concentrated on material from her most recent albums, but generally, the response was favorable.[7] She grossed more than US $75 million with summer sold-out shows and eventually played in front of 730,000 people throughout North America and Europe.[13][14] The Drowned World Tour was followed by the 2004 Re-Invention World Tour. Madonna was inspired to create the tour after taking part in an art installation called X-STaTIC PRo=CeSS, directed by photographer Steven Klein.[15] Billboard awarded Madonna the "Backstage Pass Award" in recognition of having the top-grossing tour of the year, with ticket sales of nearly US $125 million.[16]
Madonna's next tours broke world records, with the 2006 Confessions Tour grossing over US $194.7 million,[17] becoming the highest-grossing tour ever for a female artist at that time.[18] This feat was surpassed in 2008 with the Sticky & Sweet Tour, which at the time, became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist, and the second highest-grossing tour of all time, with approximately US $411 million in ticket sales.[19] In 2012, The MDNA Tour was completed as the tenth highest-grossing tour of all time with US $305 million, the second highest among female artists at the time, only behind the Sticky & Sweet Tour.[20] Her 2015–16 Rebel Heart Tour was an all-arena tour which grossed $169.8 million from 1.045 million attendance.[21]
Madonna has embarked on several promotional concerts to promote her studio albums, as well as performing award shows and benefit concerts like Live Aid (1985), Live 8 (2005) and Live Earth (2007). In 2012, she headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, which at that time was the most-watched halftime show in history. According to Billboard Boxscore, Madonna grossed over $1.31 billion in concert ticket sales between 1990 and 2016; she first crossed a billion gross with The MDNA Tour. Overall, Madonna ranks third, with just The Rolling Stones ($1.84 billion) and U2 ($1.67 billion) ahead of her.[21] During the London stop of her 2006 Confessions Tour, Madonna became the first performer to be inducted into the Wembley Arena Square of Fame.[22]
- ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (March 4, 2015). "Re-Evolution: 30 Years of Madonna in Concert". Logo TV. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard on Instagram". Billboard. March 16, 2016. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ Frankenberg, Eric (January 20, 2023). "How Much Money Could Madonna's Celebration Tour Make?". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- Lynch, Joe (June 30, 2023). "Madonna Tour on 'Pause' After Bacterial Infection Leads to Hospitalization". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Top Touring Artists Of The Pollstar Era" (PDF). Pollstar. July 7, 2022. pp. 1, 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
virginwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Barker, Emily (November 12, 2014). "10 Badass Photos Of Madonna From The 80s". NME. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c Young, Neil (May 24, 2004). "Show-stealer Madonna on tour". BBC. BBC. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
- ^ Bassets, Luis (August 31, 1987). "Madonna convocó en París a 130.000 personas". El País (in Spanish). Madrid: Jesús de Polanco. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ Greenhouse, Stephen (August 29, 1987). "Chirac Says 'Oui' to Madonna And Angers a Local Mayor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Ahead of her Eurovision performance, look back at Madonna's trailblazing fashion moments". The Daily Telegraph. August 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Savage, Mark (December 2, 2015). "Madonna returns to scene of Brits fall". BBC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Taraborrelli 2002, p. 230
- ^ Reporter, BBC (September 21, 2006). "Madonna world tour 'sets record'". BBC. BBC Online. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Cross 2007, p. 90
- ^ Timmerman 2007, p. 23
- ^ Dunhill, Sam (November 4, 2004). "Madonna Tour Gets Top 'Backstage Pass' Honor". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ Young, Tom (February 21, 2007). "Madonna, The Confessions Tour". BBC. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ Waddell, Ray (September 20, 2006). "Madonna's 'Confessions' Tour Sets Record". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ladieswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Waddell, Ray (January 23, 2013). "Madonna's 'MDNA' Tour Makes Billboard Boxscore's All-Time Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Allen, Bob (March 24, 2016). "Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist: $1.31 Billion Earned". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna gets first Wembley honour". BBC News (BBC). August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2010.