I'm always at a draw on this. I'm continually fascinated with the MDNA World Tour. The 36 pylon "Matrix" lift system with LED screens on all four sizes, plus 5 other rising platforms. That huge ass backdrop screen... just so much technology in that. Reminds me a bit of Twenty Five Live by George Michael. Both tours used technology in a whole new way.

The Girlie Show was better than Blond Ambition in many ways, although there were slight pacing problems in both shows. The huge stage actually offered a simplicity to the whole thing. There weren't any huge video backdrops, one main round lift, and three smaller ones at the end of a catwalk, plus raised platforms above the band, and the band was on moveable platforms. Blond Ambition had more theatrics, but TGS really put the burlesque side of it all into play.

I feel rather disconnected from a lot of The Re-Invention Tour (which supported American Life), and Rebel Heart (because I hated the album). Sticky & Sweet Tour was good, but he used that goddamn "4 Minutes" sample through every other song.

The Confessions Tour was magical in its own way. It's unique horse theme in the first section, which included "Like A Virgin" and a Donna Summer sample during the opening number. She also sang the demo version of "Erotica," called "You Thrill Me." (Find it on The Rain Tapes bootleg). I don't think we can deny the profound effect Blond Ambition Tour had on pop culture, of course.

Drowned World had to support Bedtime Stories, EVITA, the song from Austin Powers, Ray of Light and Music. She only sang "Holiday," and there was a slight swell of "Open Your Heart." Everything else was newer material. It had a goth/punk theme to the whole thing. I hated the stage, and some of the theatrics felt like it slowed the show way down.

The only Madonna tour I've seen live was Who's That Girl which supported the movie of the same name, and True Blue. It was fun, but was light on costume changes, and was dated with some of the choreography. It felt transitional.

So for you Madonna fans, what is her best tour you've watched or seen? (I'm not including one-off performances or early promo mini-shows in the list.)

The Virgin Tour (Madonna, Like A Virgin)

Who's That Girl? Tour (True Blue, Who's That Girl)

Blond Ambition Tour (Like A Prayer, Dick Tracy)

The Girlie Show (Erotica)

Drowned World Tour (Bedtime Stories, EVITA, Ray of Light, Music)

Re-Invention (American Life)

Confessions Tour (Confessions on a Dance Floor)

Sticky & Sweet (Hard Candy - the tour had big revisions in 2009, including "Dress You Up," "Holiday," "Music," "Frozen," and "Everybody" being added; "Heartbeat," "Borderline," "Hung Up" was omitted; "Frozen" backdrop used outtakes from the music video)

MDNA Tour (MDNA, with songs from W.E.)

Rebel Heart Tour (Rebel Heart)

Madame X Tour (Madame X, which was cut short due to Covid, but is now in its final stages of editing for DVD release)

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From best to worst (imo) :

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01. Girlie Show 93

02. Blond Ambition Tour 90

03. Confessions Tour 06

04. Re-Invention 04

05. Drowned World Tour 01

06. Madame X Tour 20

07. Rebel Heart Tour 15

08. Who's That Girl Tour 87

09. Virgin Tour 85

10. Sticky & Sweet 08

11. MDNA Tour 12

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rlittler81 said:

I’ve seen all of her tours since Drowned World. MDNA was my favourite, reminded me of Blond Ambition due to its theatrical feel.

Drowned World was interesting but I was disappointed she ignored her hits after such a long break from touring.

Re-Invention and Confessions both had great arrangements, but I found the screen backdrops a bit boring, I prefer when she has sets.

Sticky & Sweet was A LOT of fun and I saw both 2008 and 2009 and they were probably the shows I saw that had the best audience response.

Rebel Heart was a disaster. She came in hours late and cut the show short, was really disappointed.

Madame X was great, I thought it was a brave show to do and she seemed to really enjoy interacting with the audience.

Out of her tours I didn’t see live, Blond Ambition is my favourite followed by The Girlie Show. The Virgin and WTG tours are cute showing her talent at a more raw stage.

With Prince, she’s the most charismatic performer I’ve ever seen.

I like your breakdown. I echo a lot of what you've stated. I probably sounded like I didn't care or gave much credence to Blond Ambition, but I did love it. It felt like she finally had the power and control and werewithal to do what she wanted in a show - fully. The sections, the aesthetics, most songs being fully choreographed. It was a more fully realized Madonna than the previous tours.

I do agree about the rawness of The Virgin Tour. She was so rough around the edges, gawdy and bawdy.

I remember a report about your Manchester show starting late. Everything is so synced in a computer, that it has to be a massive file that runs it all. I remember them talking about having to reboot the computer, which took hours. And the show ended early, too, after "Material Girl," omitting the last three songs.

Similarly, there was an MDNA show (for which there is video on YT) in Santiago Chile that started late for technical reason, and the whole Transgression section was scrapped. The show started with "Express Yourself/Born This Way/She's Not Me." "Like a Virgin" and "Love Spent" was also scrapped.

I'm anxious to see Madame X. The album was very non-Madonna, which I enjoyed. It felt like she finally got away from her electronica phase.

alphastreet said:

I really loved the madame x album, would have gone to the show if it came here

The question is: what tour is her best, that you've seen either on TV or live?

TrivialPursuit said:

BEST TOUR? HER LAST.

TruthBomb said:

BEST TOUR? HER LAST.

So you enjoyed Madame X tour. I see.

TrivialPursuit said:

rlittler81 said:

Both MDNA shows I saw were unique. The Edinburgh show excluded “Like A Virgin” (again, due to being late) and the Birmingham show had a few set issues, the motel didn’t appear during “Gang Bang” and the screens were late opening for “Vogue”. Both were still amazing. I was lucky to see a full Madame X show, she was alternating between the full show and a shortened one in London.

YES! I've seen video of the motel room not appearing for "Gang Bang." She was pissed! Fire was shooting from her eyes. During the Prophecy section speech, in between "Open Your Heart" and "Masterpiece," she mentions having technical difficulties. "What happened to my motel? What the fuck happened to my motel?! Did that bother you?"

The "Vogue" clip is also online. You can hear her say something like "open it now!"

It's sort of a dangerous tour for her. The matrix is so programmed, coupled with the music and lights, and moves the exact same way every time, that if something like the screen doors not opening on time - which is likely done by hand or a separate system - then dancers or M could be in a very weird predicament. She seemed to handle the "Vogue" moment much better than "Gang Bang," which is where she probably wished she had a real rifle to shoot some motherfuckers. haha

I can only imagine the tongue lashing someone got backstage while she changed for "Express Yourself."

There's one show where she crosses in front of the matrix during "Girls Gone Wild," just before it rises on the right during the break down of the song (a bit before she jumps off backwards), and she drops her hand w/ the microphone in it before her prerecorded vocals are done. It's an obvious gaff. I think it was Nice, France.

There's another time after she hands off her mic to a dancer, then spins around to grab it again and flings it on the stage. The dancer and her sorta stand there stunned, but he grabs it and hands it to her, narrowly saving the moment. Yet, you can hear the mic when it hits the floor, so it's a hot mic. But she's still lip syncing that song.

I don't know why she's lip syncing that particular song, but is live for "Revolver" and most others (besides "Vogue," which she's lip synced 80% of the time). I get she lip syncs sometimes, but that song always confused me as to the "why" of it.

Eh well.

[Edited 6/23/21 11:14am]

TrivialPursuit said:

rlittler81 said:

A clip of the dress rehearsal for the Re-Invention tour performance of “Vogue” recently leaked, just the first verse and she was actually singing live and it sounded great, much better than the pre-recorded vocal she used in the tour. I think Sticky & Sweet was mostly live vocals although she did re-record them for the live dvd and cd. I thought her voice was strong in the Madame X tour even though there was a lot of auto tune on a lot of the songs, “Vogue” was live and sounded great.

Yeah, Re-Invention had a new "Vogue" vocal, but it's hard to tell if it's live or a re-record. She def lip-synced it on MDNA, but was very live in Sticky & Sweet. The rumor always was that she would never sing it live because it was such a perfect vocal. And clearly for years, she stuck to that.

I suppose Sticky & Sweet Tour being almost all live vocals was a redemption of sorts, and makes it more charming and real, compared to another dancing set lip synced to a record. Still dislike Hard Candy, a lot.

JoeTyler said:

rlittler81 said:

JoeTyler said:

Madonna's tours stopped being relevant after 2009.

Hardly. Madame X got some of her best live reviews of her career.

Very much agree. Depends how one defines "relevant," and it's often defined to suit the person using it.

That said, The MDNA Tour was technologically revolutionary. The matrix of 36 synced risers with 4-sided video screens, all programmable, was something no one had done before. I think it was also the most actively religious. The whole first Transgression segment was amazing. Very dark, but served a purpose.

She really inhabited a character for Madame X. More than Sasha Fierce ever hoped to be, honestly.

Confessions was definitely one of her stronger tours. I think the inclusion of "You Thrill Me," and the "Disco Inferno" and "I Feel Love" interploitations really helped the whole "let's just dance and have fun" vibe she was putting out at the time. (Which also echoed what she said on her first appearance on Ellen to promote the album.)

I'd say with sold out tickets across the board, all her tours are particularly relevant. She never not makes the news with them.

THE GIRLIE SHOW is my favorite followed by Drowned World and Confessions

The Madame X Tour film (concert? documentary? who knows!?) will premiere streaming on Paramount+ in October. Hopefully she will make some chat show appearances and promo commercials on CBS and/or MTV as Paramount+ is home to both networks.