LOS ANGELES - Madonna launched her first world tour in two years Sunday,
delighting an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd by hanging herself from a cross,
insulting President George W. Bush, and dusting off some of the sexy moves that
have sustained her career for more than 20 years.
Madonna performs at a concert to kick-off the
North American leg of her Confessions tour in Los Angeles, May 21,
2006. [Reuters] |
The "Confessions"
tour will keep her on the road for two months in North America, and then resume
on July 30 in Wales for a five-week stadium swing through eight European cities.
Shows in Japan are also on tap for mid-September.
The 47-year-old dance diva spent two hours churning out most of the tunes
from her new album, "Confessions on a Dancefloor," as well as a few old hits
such as "Like a Virgin," "Ray of Light" and "Lucky Star."
The audience at the Los Angeles Forum included Madonna's Kabbalah guru Rabbi
Yehuda Berg, socialite Nicole Richie, and gay icon Rosie O'Donnell, who upgraded
herself to a premium seat on the floor and left her spouse alone in the stands.
The meticulously choreographed Vegas-style routine began 50 minutes late when
a giant mirror ball was lowered from the ceiling to the end of a catwalk
stretching deep into the floor. Out popped Madonna, in S&M-styled riding
gear and whip, singing the new tune "Future Lovers" as four bare-breasted male
dancers writhed around with ball gags in their mouths.
MADONNA, HITLER & BUSH
Later on, she donned a crown of thorns and suspended herself from a giant
mirrored cross to deliver the ballad "Live to Tell." Video screens showed images
of third-world poverty and reeled off grim statistics.
During one of her half-dozen costume changes, another video montage
juxtaposed images of Bush, members of his administration and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair with footage of Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Zimbabwe
President Robert Mugabe. Midway through the new song "I Love New York," she
deviated from the script and made a crude reference to Bush and oral sex.
Beyond that, she barely spoke to the audience, largely focusing on keeping
control of a busy nightclub-style stage that boasted 15 dancers, four musicians
and three backing vocalists. For the most part, she joined in the tricky
choreography, her voice evidently not affected by the aerobic workout. She did
pause for a few songs during which she appeared to play a shiny Gibson Les Paul
guitar.
A disco segment near the end, where she dressed in a "Saturday Night
Fever"-style white suit to perform "Music" thrilled the crowd, as did the "Like
a Virgin" routine, when she climbed aboard a carousel-style black leather
saddle.
There was no encore, and the lights came up as soon as she had completed a
medley of "Lucky Star" and latest hit single "Hung Up" while sporting an
illuminated white cape with "Dancing Queen" embroidered on the back.
Billboard magazine has forecast ticket sales could reach the $200 million
range, making it the most successful tour by a female artist. Cher holds the
record with $192.5 million from 273 shows on a "farewell" world tour that began
in June 2002 and lasted almost three years, according to Billboard.
Madonna, on the other hand, is scheduled to play fewer than 60 dates on this
tour. Similarly, her $125 million-grossing Re-Invention tour in 2004 and the $75
million Drowned trek in 2001 were also relatively brief.
What catapults her to the top of the leagues is her ticket price, topping out
at $380 (including Ticketmaster fees) in most US venues. However, it did not
stop her from adding dates to accommodate demand.
