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The
pop superstar begins her 78-show "Madonna: The Celebration
Tour", marking her more than 40 years of hits, at London's O2
arena, three months later after its original July start date in
Vancouver was pushed back when the "Vogue" singer was
hospitalized in intensive care for a serious bacterial
infection.
After taking time to recover, the seven-time Grammy Award winner
has rescheduled most of the tour's North American leg to start
in December after her European concerts.
In an interview with Britain's BBC published on Thursday,
Madonna's musical director said the delay had allowed her to
refine the show.
"Madonna has very high expectations of how much hard work people
will put into something. It's very uncompromising - but she's
equally as hard on herself," Stuart Price said, adding the
singer had made a full recovery.
"So when she took a break, that pause created an opportunity to
further enhance the show. And I'm sure the opportunity (for her)
to focus on being 100% well was greatly received as well."
Tour organisers said Madonna would perform on "4,400 square ft.
of stage, the largest for any Madonna tour", which nods to the
grid of Manhattan. Madonna, 65, began her hugely successful
music career in New York.
She will have 24 onstage performers, four of her children will
also be on stage, and she will transported high up around the
arena "in an illuminated portal frame that acts as a time
machine". The O2 has also created a bespoke "Madonna themed
Royal Standard flag", made by the British royal family's
flagmakers to fly at the arena.
"The person that is going to take the stage looks incredible,
sounds incredible, performs incredible," Price told the BBC, who
quoted him as saying the concerts will feature more than 40
Madonna songs, with over half performed in full.
Madonna has shared pictures from rehearsals on social media. On
Thursday she posted a blurred photo of herself with the caption
"2 more days…………… #madonnacelebrationtour" alongside a
party-popper emoji.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison
Williams)
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