http://www.billboard.com/...1003154128


Madonna's 'Confessions' Tour Sets Record


September 20, 2006, 10:55 AM ET

Ray Waddell, Nashville

Madonna will wrap her Confessions tour tomorrow (Sept. 21) at the Tokyo Dome as the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist. Although final numbers are not all in, tour producer Arthur Fogel puts the tally at $193.7 million from 60 shows that drew nearly 1.2 million in paid attendance.

That gross narrowly puts Madonna over Cher's benchmark of $192.5 million. However, it took Cher an endurance-testing 273 shows between June 2002 and April 2005 to reach that mark on her marathon Farewell tour.

"Madonna has yet again delivered an incredible show for her fans, and the success of the tour is the ultimate statement," Fogel tells Billboard.com. "She absolutely belongs at number one."

Madonna's Confessions tour followed the same model of the $125 million-grossing Re-Invention tour in 2004 and the $75 million-grossing Drowned World tour in 2001.


Rather than visit 100 global markets a la mega acts like the Rolling Stones and U2, Madonna opted to play multiple nights in a limited number of major international locales. The strategy has led to a staggering $400 million in ticket sales in just six years.

it's also worth noting that NBC paid Madonna a cool $15 million to air one of the shows on network TV in November.Her tours are always massively successful.

its crazy how so many non talent people get Rich as Hell !!!

Madonna on tour last night in Tokyo,with her new look....

greedy bitch...next time she will probably want to make 100m more ! is her ego so fragile she feels she has to charge ridiculous ticket prices so that she can gross more than Cher or anyone else. She forget who put her where she is...us, the fans !!!!!

"Hey motherfuckers....I was gonna be nice and share some of the money with you.But since you're talking so much shit,you know where you can go"

peppeken said:

Oh,so now you're a "fan",huh? You spent most of this year creating negative threads about her,talking all that crap.You said repeatedly that you didn't want to go to her concert,so why do you care how much she charges for tickets?

When you charge people an arm, leg, foot and rent money for one show, yeah, you're going to have record sales too.

purplecam said:

true

in all fairness though,The Rolling Stones,The Eagles and Barbra Streisand charge their fans outrageous prices too.It's not just Madonna.I think the older acts deserve to make alot of money.They've worked so hard all of these years.Madonna has been the hardest working woman in show biz for over two decades now.This is her third tour in six years.

a sidenote: how come the so-called "hot" artists aren't doing so well on the road? Theoretically,Beyonce is hotter than Madonna,yet I don't see her making nearly $200 million on a tour.Could she even sellout an arena?

i dont see why anyone feels the need to pass comment on the ticket prices. You think the tickets are too much dont go - simple as that. Dont sit around whining about it. Most of the people who complain aren't even fans anyway, so what the fuck does it matter to them. Every person Ive spoken to who's seen the show said they'd pay that money again and again as it was a brilliant show and well worth the money.

As someone said, other acts such as Streisand, The Stones etc charge just as much for shows that are only half as intricate, techinical, and expensive to put on. You think the huge crew and entourage required to put on such a pop concert are doing it for free? You factor into that the physical dedication madonna puts into the whole thing and she deserves a pay off. Hating on the successful is an ugly thing at the best of times, but when they work as hard for it as madonna clearly does, it's even worse.

I've seen the show twice and I don't regret paying the high ticket price.The show was incredible and I really enjoyed myself.In my opinion,Madonna puts on a truly exciting,dazzling show.She pulls out all the stops and it must cost her a fortune to do this.Everthing is more expensive these days,so we can't realistically expect concerts to remain cheap.

NBC MULLING MADONNA CONCERT CUTS

by Josh Grossberg
Sep.20,2006,10:40 AM PT

Madonna will be expressing herself under the watchful eyes of NBC censors.

The bigwigs at the Peacock network haven't decided yet if they will show the Material Girl staging her mock crucifixion when it airs her forthcoming concert special Live To Tell,recorded during the latest leg of her hugely popular and equally controversial Confessions Tour.

Madonna,48,has sparked a firestorm of criticism from Christian leaders for the act,in which she dons a crown of thorns to perform her 80s tune "Live To Tell" while suspended from a giant mirrored cross.Images of AIDS-stricken African children and Third World poverty are projected on the screens behind her.

As of Wednesday,NBC said it was reserving judgement on whether it would jettison the crucifixion scene until the network executives could review the program in it's entirety.

"At this point,we're awaiting delivery of the special.Once we receive it,we'll take a look at it before making a final decision (as to any cuts)",an NBC spokeswoman told E! Online.

Despite Madonna's attempt to raise awareness about global suffering via the eye-catching stunt,both the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church condemned her performance as an affront to Christianity,claiming the leotard-wearing singer needs spiritual help while encouraging people to boycott the disco-themed shows.

During gigs in the Netherlands,Germany,Italy and England,Madonna was taken to task by protesters ticked off by the Jesus-channeling routine.

Prosecutors in Dusseldorf,Germany,even went so far as to threaten to bring charges against the singer for insulting religious beliefs,but ultimately decided no offense had been committed and let her off the hook.

Ironically,the one crime committed allegedly came from a religious figure-a priest in Amsterdam was arrested for calling in a phony bomb threat in a fruitless attempt to stop a pair of September shows from going forward.

No word yet when the Live To Tell broadcast will take place,but NBC said the network is prepping the special for the November sweeps.It is widely believed that it will air on November 22.

If Madonna's cross routine is nixed,fans have to wonder what kind of confessions the suits at NBC will go for in a racy two-hour affair that also features her using a riding crop to "whip" her male dancers into shape during the opening number "Future Lovers" and crooning "Like A Virgin" as she executes a naughty pole dance atop a merry-go-round horse hovering above the audience.

NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly has suggested that-like it or not-what may be right for a concert venue may not be suitable for prime time,and the pop icon is keenly aware of that.

"She's not revising her act," he told a gathering at the annual Television Critics Association press tour in July."We've discussed what content will be in and what is out,and we've come to a healthy place that represents her show but is appropriate for television."

Reilly said they'll decide later on which numbers would be included in the special."We're not going to make any piecemeal edits," he added.

Madonna's manager,Guy Oseary,and publicist,Liz Rosenberg,didn't immediately comment on NBC's hand-wringing.

Madonna officially wraps her Confessions Tour trek tomorrow night at the Tokyo Dome in Japan,capping what,according to Billboard,has been the highest grossing tour ever for a female artist.

Citing tentative estimates from tour producer Arthur Fogel,the trade magazine reported that Madonna grossed $193.7 million from 60 shows drawn from 1.2 million people in paid attendance,narrowly besting the $192.5 million earned by Cher's never-ending Farewell Tour from 2002 to 2005.

SoulAlive said:

I really hope they release "Erotica/You Thrill Me" since I have never seen it. I think many fans are looking forward to it and it's something new. TO anyone that has seen the show, what is likely to be included and what should or will get cut.
[Edited 9/21/06 11:33am]

The only negative I can say is that she didnt come to Texas---Hence me not going. But a friend traveled to Vegas to see her, and another friend that lives in Chicago saw her, and they both said that it was well worth the money and that it was an excellent show.

As for high ticket prices, yea they're expensive, but it's Madonna. She's worked hard in the business for more than 20 years and it's not like she's just going to stand up and sing. So yea, I think she's definitely earned the right to charge as much as she does. Hey, producing a spectacle like the Confessions tour aint exactly costing beans.

So they're going to air one of the shows on regular TV?

If Madonna's tickets were a tad cheaper I'm sure I would have seen her at least 3x as much. Big stars = big ticket prices. That's just the way it is. And damn that service charge!

I have a friend that has a stash just to see Barbra S. If Madge tours one more time, I'm gonna go no matter what.

They will probably cut down the intro because it takes nearly 3 mins before Madonna is even scene

Live to Tell Intro-through Forbidden Love i can see getting cut because of the religious and homosexual overtones.

The Sorry Interlude featuring world leaders such as Hitler, Mousallini, Condi Rice, Chenney, Rumsflied, Saddam. Osama, Benedict XVI, Regan, Bush I, Bush II, Kim Jong Il not to speak will be probably get cut

I Love New York... Paradise and the intro to Music might get cut too in my opinion

ehuffnsd said:

Does "Erotica/You Thrill Me" seem likely to be included. I have to admit that I saw it on Youtube. Awesome! SOme of those amteaurs are better than the pros.

SoulAlive said:

Easily. I don't think we know because she hasn't had a solo tour yet.

CinisterCee said:

She did tour solo in 2004 with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot...the reviews were not so great...saying she still lacked stage presence. Keys performace was praised by just about everyone.

peace

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

oh word? I think B could sell out arenas in da `07.

VinnyM27 said:

As long as the censors aren't upset over the Erotica Chours i don't think there will be an issue...did you happen about the remix of it yet?
[Edited 9/21/06 17:58pm]

prettymansson said:

or that dullards always have something to say.

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

i saw B for my Bday in Houston in 04. It was a decent show.

SoulAlive said:

I have a feeling that she (her lawyers, agents, managers, whoever) wrote it into the contract that there would be no cuts. Don't quote me on it, but I can just guess. The Re-Invention broadcast was cancelled when she and CBS clashed over where to put the commercial breaks, so I have a feeling NBC either has to run it as-is or not at all. But who knows....

ehuffnsd said:

ehuffnsd said:

is this really in the show? man, i love the woman to death, but christ, what a stupid bitch sometimes

Tessa said:

and she got to keep the 10million they paid for it

Tessa said:

yup it was a killer remix

Warner and Madonna gave power over to NBC to re edit the show as they see fit, that was a deal breaker for NBC and if Madonna did not sign on it they would pass on the offer to get the tour on their network.
Warner made it very clear how strongly Madonna feels about the cross part of her show and NBC promised to do whatever they can to leave it intact.

Early today NBC told Warner they decided NOT to air the "Live To Tell" part of the show as a respect to a wide and devoted audience.
Warner "leaked" info to the media saying Madonna will back off and won't let them air the show at all (knowing she can't really do that as shes under contract with NBC) moreover they alerted the media about a press release due out today from Madonna ahead of one from NBC due out in a few days revealing their decision.

Calls and emails to NBC to conform the news "laked" by Warner were returned late Thursday without a clear response and insisted they are still reviewing the show submitted by Warner last night.

In any case we can rest assure the show WILL air this November (22nd as of now) with or without the Cross.

Warner Music tells MADONNAdownload a DVD will be released IN FULL this December as well as an HD DVD.

The same source said "there are no planes for a RIT DVD at this time".