After a health scare forced Madonna to postpone the start of her The Celebration Tour by three months, the Queen of Pop finally kicked off her hotly anticipated global trek at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday (Oct. 14).
And it was worth the wait. While Madonna, who has never shied away from expressing herself candidly, got serious for a moment to discuss the escalating war between Israel and Hamas-controlled Palestine (“It breaks my heart to see children suffering, teenagers suffering, elderly people suffering — all of it is heartbreaking, okay?”), the overall tone of the Celebration Tour was – believe it or not – celebratory.
This wasn’t just a party – it was an exuberant victory lap for a woman who showed up to New York City with $35 and turned herself into the biggest pop diva the world has ever seen. And she’s not just a star – she’s a musical talent who, over the course of a career that’s spanned four decades, produced some of the greatest pop songs of all time.
At the start of the show (which began early, by her standards – 8:44 p.m. local time), Bob the Drag Queen – serving as an emcee on this trek — waltzed through the crowd dressed to the nines like Madonna-as-Marie Antoinette from Madge’s iconic 1990 VMAs “Vogue” performance. It was a gorgeous look for the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, and certainly a deserved one considering that later in the show he’s gotta dress up as a rodeo clown — red nose, cowboy hat, bovine print pants, the whole getup.
But as fabulous as Bob the Drag Queen is, the star was, as always, Madonna. From family moments onstage to unexpected setlist choices to BJ jokes, here are the best moments from the opening night of Madonna’s Celebration Tour.
