Madonna officially kicked off her Celebration World Tour in London over the weekend, wowing fans with a litany of hits and memorable surprises.
Among the highlights of the show at O2 Arena on Saturday was when the pop icon sang a snippet of “Little Star,” which she dedicated to her daughter Lourdes Leon, who celebrated her 27th birthday on opening night.
Many of the Queen of Pop’s most beloved songs were included in the set list, from “Into the Groove” to “Open Your Heart” to “Vogue,” as well as “Live to Tell,” “Like a Prayer,” “Ray of Light” and “Holiday.”
She threw some snippets of other artists’ songs into the mix, including Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” and Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” She also performed a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and did a mashup of her late friend Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and her own hit “Like a Virgin.”
Madonna highlighted the controversy she’s caused in her career by showing news headlines and video montages throughout the evening, according to Variety. The video screens also paid tribute to friends she’d lost to AIDS, and she offered a plea for peace in the Middle East. At various times, she “flew” over the crowd in an illuminated “portal” that took her through different eras in her career.
The Celebration World Tour continues with two more sold out shows at London’s O2 Arena on Oct. 17 and 18 before heading to Europe. It arrives in the U.S. in December, kicking off the North American leg of the tour with three shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. She is stopping in Chicago on February 1-2, 2024 at the United Center. Tickets are available for purchase here.
And check out a bit of her show from the tour’s opening night in London below!
