A concert tour (or simply tour ) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific tour with a particular album or product. Especially in the popular music world, such tours can become large-scale enterprises that last for several months or even years, are seen by hundreds of thousands or millions of people, and bring in millions of dollars in ticket revenues. A performer who embarks on a concert tour is called a touring artist .
94-657: The Re-Invention World Tour (billed as Re-Invention World Tour 2004 ) was the sixth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna , in support of her ninth studio album American Life (2003). The tour began on May 24, 2004, at The Forum in Inglewood , United States, and ended on September 14 at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon , Portugal. Additionally, it marked Madonna's first concerts in Portugal and Ireland . Rumors of
188-520: A Q&A with fans through Madonna's official website in October, her manager Caresse Henry said she would "definitely" go on tour , either in summer 2004, or early 2005. In January 2004, the singer herself said she had "ideas for shows in [my] head", and was waiting for the "best time to step into a world tour". That month, the Las Vegas Sun sent out a press release announcing that Madonna would kick off
282-442: A conveyor belt built into the entire front section, used by the singer to move from one extreme to the other on certain numbers. Five moving video screens —three big ones, the largest of which was 7 tons, and two slightly smaller ones— that were moved by 160 motors formed the backdrop. Equipment also included 130 rigging points, an arsenal of moving lights and four tons worth of Claire Brothers line array sound system. Also present
376-502: A firedancer , a belly dancer , a tap dancer , a skateboarder , and animations of the Rider–Waite tarot cards onscreen. The interlude was followed by a cabaret -like performance of " Hanky Panky ", with the singer surrounded by female dancers and wearing the circus-inspired corset by Karl Lagerfeld. Next, a slow lounge version of " Deeper and Deeper " was performed by Madonna, Donna De Lory, and Siedah Garrett. " Die Another Day " found
470-402: A live album with 14 songs from the tour and the original rock demo of "I Love New York", and the film's DVD . Critical reception towards the live album was more positive than for the film; AllMusic 's Stephen Thomas Erlewine opined that, "as Madonna's first live CD, [ I'm Going to Tell You a Secret ] is strong and entertaining". The live album was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video at
564-407: A 45 year old mother than she was in her days as a provocative sex symbol", she remains "the greatest entertainer on the planet". Glenn Gamboa said that, "[her] latest reinvention may be her best one yet [...] as long as she offers amazing performances like this one, she will have an army of fans backing her up". According to Lucy O'Brien , author of Madonna: Like an Icon , "although musically it had
658-709: A Prayer", adding that the old songs served as a reminder "of what she does best: making us forget about the bad times, come together, release the pressure, and have a holiday". From The Buffalo News , Benjamin Siegel noted that, "its her '80s hits that keep fans happy, and it looks like she's been paying attention". On her review of the concert in Atlanta, Sonia Murray from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution concluded that, "Madonna simply, finally, appealing to her ravenous audience by doing her ever-catchy hits — ' Vogue ', 'Express Yourself', 'Material Girl', after ' Into The Groove ' and all —
752-489: A clear theme, comparing it to a "massive ice-cream sundae [...] the ultimate guilty pleasure, but also a load of empty calories". Benjamin Siegel expressed that, "new material is not the same as old material recycled [...] which makes the 're-invention' premise a little silly". Jim DeRogatis from the Chicago Sun-Times criticized the songs' arrangements for being "so bizarre that they played like parodies". He also panned
846-403: A concert tour first began circulating in October 2003, but nothing was confirmed until March 2004. According to some, the title Re-Invention was a dig at Madonna's critics who, throughout her career, had talked about her "reinventing herself"; the singer said she chose this name because she wanted to "re-invent" her old material. A number of songs were rehearsed for the tour, with twenty-four making
940-467: A great concert singer". Dave Simpson from The Guardian expressed that, although "her star is supposedly waning (recent album American Life was her first-ever flop), this audio-visual spectacular is a reminder that there's no one like Madonna". Sean Piccoli from the Sun Sentinel said that, "vocally, [Madonna] was in fine, flexible form [...] the choreography, both of dancers and of projected visuals,
1034-467: A laminated tag and access to a VIP lounge; some of these packages were then sold through brokers at prices ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 1,800. On the same vein, MTV launched the Front and Center with Madonna contest, where fans were able to win "pit tickets" near the stage at certain concerts — Los Angeles , Anaheim , San Jose , Las Vegas , Washington DC and New York City . The singer said she teamed up with
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#17328553494841128-418: A mirror and lying down on a huge scanner . As the video played, three dancers dropped from the ceiling on swings. The Acoustic segment began with " Nothing Fails ", sung by Madonna on guitar. Afterwards, she sang " Don't Tell Me ", recreating the choreography from the song's video with her dancers. The next song played was " Like a Prayer ", which featured Hebrew letters and a choir on the backdrops. During
1222-768: A new form of theatrical entertainment, a fusion of song, performance art, innovative stage craft, and state-of-the-art technology. She managed to popularize the Las Vegas residency as a desirable way for top artists to essentially tour in place, letting their fans come to them. American singer Lady Gaga , who cancelled the 2018 European leg of her Joanne World Tour , signed for a Las Vegas residency to help manage her fibromyalgia illness, which can be exacerbated by touring. The 2015 study by charity Help Musicians found that over 60% of musicians suffered from depression or other psychological issues, with touring an issue for 71% of respondents. Las Vegas Sun The Las Vegas Sun
1316-464: A political commentator, [Madonna] made Bart Simpson seem as sophisticated as Noam Chomsky . [And her] attempts to enlighten us about her arcane spiritual belief system didn't fare much better". Peter Bowes from BBC News pointed out that, "politically, the concert hit a number of raw nerves with the audience [...] but afterwards, many expressed doubts and disappointment about the anti-war message". Howard Cohen opined that, "her anti-war clips trivialized
1410-419: A retro feel, [Re-Invention] showed how Madonna had entered a new phase with her utilization of visual art". The singer's choice to focus on her old material received praise. The Washington Post ' s Dave Segal applauded her for working "through whatever issues prevented her from performing her earliest hits". Slant Magazine ' s Sal Cinquemani highlighted " Burning Up ", " Material Girl ", and "Like
1504-476: A stack of TV sets, dressed in military fatigues and a beret, to perform " American Life ". The backdrops showed footage from the song's original music video interspersed with scenes of wounded children, soldiers, and a George W. Bush look-alike lovingly resting his head on the shoulder of a Saddam Hussein look-alike. Halfway through the performance, the V-shaped catwalk was lowered from the ceiling, which allowed
1598-453: A tour are denoted in different ways, dependent on the artist and type of tour, but the most common means of separating legs are dates (especially if there is a long break at some point), countries and/or continents, or different opening acts. In the largest concert tours, it has become more common for different legs to employ separate touring production crews and equipment, local to each geographical region. Concert tours are often administered on
1692-614: A white T-shirt and a kilt to perform the " Into the Hollywood Groove " remix of " Into the Groove " with Lorne Cousin , and rapper Missy Elliott onscreen. She then performed " Papa Don't Preach " decked out in a black T-shirt with the line "Kabbalists Do It Better" ―on certain shows, the T-shirt read "Midwesterners Do It Better", "Italians Do It Better", "Irish Do It Better" and "Brits Do It Better", respectively. Next came " Crazy for You ", which
1786-477: Is Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour , with $ 2.089 billion earned from 125 shows. In 2024, Coldplay 's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the second tour to gross $ 1 billion in revenue. In third place is Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road , with a total gross of $ 939 million from 2018–2023. On fourth place is Ed Sheeran 's ÷ Tour , with a gross of $ 776.2 million. On fifth place
1880-400: Is U2 's 360° Tour , with $ 736.4 million. Global touring revenue reported to Billboard Boxscore exceeded $ 5.5 billion in 2016. Due to the collapse of record sales in the 21st century, concert tours have become a major source of income for recording artists. Besides the tickets, touring also generates money from the sales of merchandise and meet-and-greet packages. However,
1974-443: Is a concert tour intended to signal the retirement of a singer, the disbanding of a band, or the end of a show's run. Many of the tours end up not being the last tour, with frequent regroupings, or revivals of shows. Luciano Pavarotti 's 2004 tour and Kenny Rogers 's 2015–2017 tour are examples of farewell tours which were the last to be staged before their deaths. As of October 2024, the highest-grossing concert tour of all time
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#17328553494842068-439: Is a peculiar thing, it doesn't suit me particularly well. I'm a real homebody and I get so much joy in the small things." A concert residency concept is offered as an alternative to performers who just need to stay in one venue and the fans come to see them. The concept has been revitalized in the 21st century by Canadian superstar Céline Dion with the success of her A New Day... residency (2003–2007). Her residency introduced
2162-437: Is a retrospective of her career to that point, where each act of the concert represents one of her albums . In another case, artists embark on a concert tour to celebrate the anniversary of their past albums, such as U2 's 2017 tour to mark the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree (1987) and Janet Jackson 's 2019 tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). A farewell tour
2256-508: Is not ashamed that she was well paid for her hard work [...] Elton John remains on her Christmas card list whether he is nice...or naughty". Madonna herself allegedly sent John a box of chocolates with a sarcastic note. John later regretted his comments and told Entertainment Weekly that he wanted to apologize to the singer, referring to the awards show where he made the claims as "a very drunken lunch": I don't want to escalate it because I like Madonna, [...] She's been to my house for dinner. It
2350-573: Is one of the Las Vegas Valley 's two daily subscription newspapers . It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group . The paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005 and is now included as a section inside the pages of the morning Las Vegas Review-Journal but continues operating exclusively on its own website. Its publisher and president is Brian Greenspun, former publisher Hank Greenspun 's son, who
2444-605: The New York Post , Elizabeth Smith noted that, "unlike 2001's 'Drowned World' tour, which was dark, often hostile, 'Re-invention' returns Madonna to the light. She looks as if she is having a good time [...] [she] presents herself as a vital, joyfully relevant and committed artist [...] giving her fans a taste of the past". Similarly, Mark Guarino from the Daily Herald opined that Re-Invention, "joyfully interchanged past with present". Edna Gundersen , writing for USA Today , gave
2538-611: The Total Request Live studios in New York, the HMV store on Oxford Street, London, and appeared at BBC One 's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and Top of the Pops . On August 27, she opened the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards with American recording artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera , performing a medley of " Like a Virgin " (1984) and American Life single " Hollywood ". During
2632-550: The 49th Annual Grammy Awards . Set list, samples and notes adapted per Madonna's official website, the notes and track listing of I'm Going to Tell You a Secret , and additional sources. Act 1: Marie Antoinette Act 2: Military Act 3: Circus Act 4: Acoustic Act 5: Scottish-Tribal Adapted from the Re-Invention World Tour 2004 program. Concert tour Different segments of longer concert tours are known as "legs". The different legs of
2726-624: The Las Vegas Review-Journal . The change came about after the Sun entered into an amended joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal to deliver the Sun with the Review-Journal , but with the Sun' s content inserted in the Review-Journal . The staff for each paper remained independent. The Sun is produced by its editors, reporters and photographers at The Greenspun Corporation's suburban Henderson offices, then printed by
2820-519: The Review-Journal and included inside the pages of the morning R-J . The section typically contains no advertisements. The two newspapers' editorial departments continue to have in-print disputes, often on the op-ed pages by Brian Greenspun and former Review-Journal publisher Sherman Frederick. Before Christmas in 2009, the Sun fired more than half its staff and changed its focus from daily news to feature stories and analysis. Then, in September 2011,
2914-523: The Sun ' s coverage led to changes in government policy and improved safety conditions. Alexandra Berzon was the primary author for the four-part series. Berzon soon left the Sun after her win, as did health reporter and Pulitzer finalist Marshall Allen in 2011. The afternoon edition of the paper was published until September 30, 2005, when, on October 2, 2005, the Las Vegas Sun began distribution with
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3008-585: The Worcester Centrum . Halfway through, Billboard predicted the tour to be the top-grossing of the year , with a gross of $ 120 million ($ 193.57 million in 2023 dollars). Although the Evening Standard reported that "thousands of seats were still available just days before" and tickets "sold far slower than expected", Re-Invention proved to be commercially successful in Europe. 14,000 tickets for
3102-502: The attack on the leader of Hamas . Nonetheless, she said that, "if I had my way, I'd go". The Re-Invention World Tour officially began in Los Angeles on May 24 and ended in Lisbon on September 14, 2004. According to Caresse Henry, one of the "major complaints" fans had regarding 2001's Drowned World Tour was the lack of Madonna's "classic hits", thus, "[she] came to the conclusion that it
3196-411: The "dishy delights of Truth or Dare . Instead, a more worldly Madge struggles to become a less sound-bite-reliant, more sincere person"; Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork panned it and said that, "[Madonna's] life as portrayed in this documentary is cloistered and withdrawn, marked by hours of quiet Kabbalah study but very little self-reflection". On June 20, 2006, it was released in a two-disc format:
3290-407: The "re-invention" tag had proved "over-ambitious", as Madonna appeared to be stuck "shadowboxing" with her past; "there were times when [she] seemed somehow oppressed by the weight of all her old selves, times when it seemed that she just wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over". Howard Cohen pointed out the singer's "enviable body of pop hits", but felt the concert as a whole didn't "cohere" into
3384-460: The 32-city US leg of a world tour on June 1 in San Francisco, California , but nothing was further confirmed. In March, Scottish bagpiper Calum Frase, whom Madonna had invited to play at her son Rocco's christening , said he was approached by the singer to join her on a five-month tour, tentatively named Whore of Babylon World Tour 2004. Later that month, it was reported by MTV that the singer
3478-590: The Great Western Forum. Allan Dekko was selected to choreograph the performance of " Express Yourself " (1989), which was given a military theme. Of working with the singer, Dekko recalled that, "I won't say that she is a natural, but what is being asked of her she did well [...] I found her pleasant to work with". Production cost $ 1 million: the stage had a center stage turntable 13 m (43 ft) in diameter that could rise up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and spin up to 6.7 m/s (15 mph), as well as
3572-573: The Top Tour award during the Backstage Pass Conference on November 9; Madonna's tour manager Caresse Henry was awarded Top Manager award. Re-Invention was named Madonna's second best concert tour by both The Advocate ' s Gina Vivinetto and VH1 's Christopher Rosa. On Billboard ' s 2024 ranking, it came in on the tenth position; Sal Cinquemani wrote that, "[Re-Invention] was nothing [Madonna] hadn't done before or wouldn't do better in
3666-439: The channel for this contest because she wanted "to give an opportunity to my biggest fans to see the show really close, up close and personal". Within the first five days, dates at Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Boston , Chicago , Toronto , Philadelphia , and Miami sold out. In New York, all six dates were completely sold out; Madonna played in front of 88,625 people and grossed $ 12,674,925. $ 23 million were grossed from
3760-488: The concert "often seemed like it was slapped together". He also added that, although it was "much less theatrical" and "more interactive", Re-Invention lacked Drowned World's "fluidity" and wasn't as "emotionally engaging". It was described as "tremendously well-crafted, but also somewhat calculated and soulless" by the Manchester Evening News ' Paul Taylor. The New York Times ' Kelefa Sanneh said that
3854-450: The concert's themes and political tones were criticized. Nonetheless, it was awarded Top Tour at the 2004 Billboard Touring Awards . Re-Invention proved to be a commercial success, with total sell-outs and multiple extra dates being added. It became the highest-grossing concert tour of 2004 , earning over $ 125 million from 56 shows, and an audience of over 900,000. Fellow singer Elton John then accused Madonna of lip-synching , which
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3948-420: The concerts, but no air date was ever confirmed. On April 22, 2005, it was reported that director Hamish Hamilton and production house The Rude Corp. had sued Madonna, claiming she owed them more than $ 300,000 in production fees and expenses. The lawsuit alleged that the director and singer had entered into an oral agreement to produce and direct a European television special of the tour; according to Hamilton, it
4042-509: The final setlist. Like past Madonna tours, Re-Invention was divided into different thematic acts: Marie Antoinette , Military , Circus , Acoustic , and Scottish-Tribal . The wardrobe was created by designers Arianne Phillips , Stella McCartney , Christian Lacroix , and Karl Lagerfeld . Critical reviews ranged from positive to mixed. The singer was praised for performing the "classic" songs from her catalogue ―which had been absent from her previous Drowned World Tour (2001)― but
4136-527: The first Manchester date sold out within an hour, with prices going from £75 to £150. Overall in England, $ 9.8 million were grossed from four sellouts at London 's Wembley Arena , $ 6.3 million from two additional shows at the city's Earls Court and $ 5.1 million from the two Manchester shows. In Paris, where originally only two dates were scheduled, 15,000 tickets sold out in only 30 minutes, prompting organizers to add two more concerts. More than 40,000 tickets for
4230-582: The first ten concerts. According to China Daily , the 39 concerts of the American leg were attended by an estimated 750,000 people. Other American grosses included $ 7.9 million from the concerts at Chicago 's United Centre , $ 7 million from two sellouts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, $ 7 million from three sold-out shows at the Los Angeles Forum, and $ 6.4 million from the concerts at
4324-406: The future, but —for the first time in years— she was embracing her past [...] [and] was in top form both vocally and physically". The first tickets for the tour were allotted to the members of Icon , Madonna's official fan club. VIP tickets were sold through the singer's official website, including a $ 700 "Madonna Platinum Package" that offered seats in an area near the stage and came with a poster,
4418-588: The guitar chords for the last two and were removed. Other discarded songs included the Headcleanr Rock mix of " Love Profusion " (2004), "Swim" from Ray of Light (1998), " Take a Bow " (1994), and " Live to Tell " (1986). Originally, " Vogue " (1990) was chosen as the opening number until Madonna decided to use " The Beast Within " instead. " Nobody Knows Me " was first rehearsed in its Peter Rauhofer 's Perfect Private Life Mix. Initially, Madonna planned to perform " Die Another Day " (2002) as closing number, but it
4512-431: The hospital in an air ambulance . Caresse Henry, the singer's manager, released a statement: "The entire crew, performers and staff, especially Madonna, were very saddened to hear about the accident but are hopeful that he will make a full recovery". On May 25, 2004, CBS announced a "two-hour, live special" of the tour; according to People magazine, the network offered to pay the singer $ 10 million to broadcast one of
4606-447: The images from X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS and depicted Madonna in a seventeenth century style dress, crawling on all fours towards the camera. No opening act was used. The show was divided into five different thematic segments: Marie Antoinette , Military , Circus , Acoustic , and Scottish-Tribal . It began with " The Beast Within "; an ominous reading from the Book of Revelation played, while
4700-538: The issue and felt about a year too late", and added that, by getting "whole-hog political", the singer "is no longer Madonna the brave". For Sal Cinquemani, the political imagery felt "completely unrelated" to the songs. Robert Hilburn , from the Los Angeles Times , said that, "[Madonna] may feel her political move is trailblazing, but it felt labored [...] reflecting little of the daring and clarity of Sinéad O'Connor , Ani DiFranco and Patti Smith ", and called for
4794-434: The local level by concert promoters or by performing arts presenters . Usually, small concert tours are managed by a road manager whereas large concert tours are managed by a tour manager . The main challenge in concert tours is how to move the performance's logistics from one venue to another venue, especially for a transcontinental tour. Tour logistics should be very organized and everything has to happen on time and in
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#17328553494844888-578: The numbers "in which [Madonna] dispensed with lavish theatrics to play artist", such as " Frozen ", "Burning Up", "Material Girl", and "Like a Prayer". Jay Lustig from The Star-Ledger singled out "Burning Up", "Material Girl", " Deeper and Deeper ", and "Into the Groove", referring to Re-Invention as the singer's most "dizzying and dazzling" show. Joan Anderman, from the Boston Globe , applauded Madonna's ability to control "her spectacle and her music with equal clarity", and "reinvent her reinventions", citing
4982-539: The only way I could do them was by re-inventing them, approach them from another angle". Noted as being "much lighter in tone" than Drowned World, its central theme was "unity vs. violence". Henry described it as a "brilliant performance show [...] extravagant, but more in line with how shows used to be and scaled back, but filled with plenty of eye candy". Similar to Madonna's past tours, it was divided into different thematic acts: Marie Antoinette , Military , Circus , Acoustic , and Scottish-Tribal . Jamie King
5076-464: The opening sequence. The second segment, which was inspired by the American Life album and described by Phillips as "real rock 'n' roll", featured military-inspired garments. The third act, based on the work of Federico Fellini and carnavals , featured chorus girl -inspired corsets of "strong and graphic [...] sexy and sassy" colors, created by Lagerfield. The fourth act was the "emotional" point of
5170-506: The paper was published in the mornings. Starting in 1989, after it signed a Joint Operating Agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal , the paper switched to publishing in the afternoon. On April 20, 2009 , the Las Vegas Sun was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the high death rate of construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip amid lax enforcement of regulations. The Pulitzer Prize committee noted that
5264-476: The performance of the combined "Mother and Father" and "Intervention", Madonna once again played guitar as Catholic icons and images of her mother flashed onscreen. " Imagine " closed the segment; footage of war-ravaged children, bombed-out villages and artillery was displayed in the backdrops as Madonna sang. The final segment, Scottish-Tribal , started with bagpipers marching around the stage in kilts and holding wooden posts. Madonna then appeared onstage wearing
5358-432: The performances of "Lament" and " Imagine ": The former for proving how "Madonna was poorly suited to perform in musicals like Evita ", and the latter for being "anemic, histrionic and soulless". Neva Chonin and Jay Lustig both criticized the performance of "Express Yourself"; Chonin felt Madona "shot herself in the foot" when she sang the phrase What you need is a big, strong hand/ To lift you to your higher ground as she
5452-400: The performances of "Material Girl", "Express Yourself", and "Into the Groove" as examples. Glenn Gamboa highlighted the "playfulness and innocence" of numbers such as " Papa Don't Preach ". The Toronto Sun ' s Jane Stevenson referred to "American Life" as the "biggest production number", but was critical of the third segment, Circus , which she considered the show's "weakest link", that
5546-480: The remaining concerts of the tour. " Ray of Light " was also rehearsed during the initial phases, but the singer later decided to eliminate it, as performing the song at the beginning of the show would hurt her voice beforehand. At the end, twenty-four of thirty rehearsed songs made the final set list. According to Dirk Timmerman, two new songs were created for the tour: "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", written by Madonna and Joe Henry , and "I Love New York", written by
5640-467: The right order as planned. Autoweek magazine estimated 30 to 50 trucks were required by Taylor Swift 's The 1989 World Tour to bring all the stage, sound equipment, instruments, props, and clothes. When Beyoncé visited the United Kingdom with her 2016 The Formation World Tour , it took seven Boeing 747 air freighters and a fleet of more than 70 trucks to get her stage set and other gear to
5734-476: The screens flashed images and footage from X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS . As the video ended, the singer emerged on a rising platform, wearing the Lacroix corset and striking yoga poses to perform " Vogue ". " Nobody Knows Me " followed, and saw Madonna energetically dancing by herself on the conveyor belt with some of the song's lyrics appearing onscreen. " Frozen " closed the act; the singer stood alone onstage and sang while
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#17328553494845828-413: The screens showed an excerpt from Flex (2000), a video instalation with an androgynous naked couple wrestling in water. The film was directed by Chris Cunningham , who also directed the song's original video. The Military segment began with the sound of a helicopter in the background as several dancers dressed as soldiers crawled on their bellies and hugged each other. Madonna then appeared on top of
5922-420: The show four out of four stars; "whereas her last outing had technical strengths but lacked warmth, Re-invention finds Madonna reinvested emotionally [...] opting for more heart than cleavage and more personality than profanity. For Newsday ' s Glenn Gamboa, the tour showed "a side of Madonna that she hasn't shown very often — the one that has fun, the one that enjoys the roar of the crowd". On his review of
6016-464: The show, thus the costumes, designed by McCartney, were quieter and focused on displaying the silhouettes of the performers. The finale included mostly kilts , provided by USA Kilts; Phillips decided to merge " hip-hop sensibilities with traditional Scottish elements ", something Madonna had already explored on her previous tour. Additional clothing included T-shirts, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and shoes by Miu Miu . The official poster used one of
6110-458: The singer and Stuart Price. The latter was reworked into a dance track for Madonna's tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), while the former was included in her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008). The tour's wardrobe was in charge of Arianne Phillips . When creating the costumes, Phillips recalled: "[Madonna] goes back and revisits older songs and reinvents them, so we used that same philosophy". The designer confirmed
6204-455: The singer and dancers to walk above the audience. Next came " Express Yourself ", in which Madonna switched the opening Come on girls! for Come on boys! , and twirled rifles along with the dancers. Rock versions of " Burning Up " and " Material Girl ", with the singer playing electric guitar , closed the act. A remix interlude of " Hollywood " began the Circus act. It featured a breakdancer ,
6298-527: The singer decked out in "enigmatic" that made her look like a " Byzantine queen ". It was first exhibited in New York, on March 27, 2003, before traveling to London, Paris, Düsseldorf, Berlin and ending in Florence on May 3. Madonna's ninth studio album, American Life , was released on April 21. To start marketing the album, she embarked on a promotional tour across the United States and Europe; she performed at
6392-507: The singer dedicated to her fans. The final numbers were " Music " and " Holiday "; the former was set to a slower, hip-hop mix and had a lighted staircase surrounding a DJ , while the latter had the singer and dancers walk on top of the catwalk as confetti fell from the roof. At the end, the screens flashed out the phrase "Re-invent Yourself". Critical reviews for the Re-Invention World Tour ranged from positive to mixed. Writing for
6486-402: The singer engaging in a Tango -inspired choreography with dancers, the backdrops showing an old man in his deathbed. Towards the end of the number, several male dancers surround her and strap her into an electric chair on a rising platform, giving way to "Lament". The segment ended with a video interlude set to a remixed " Bedtime Story "; it showed the singer dressed in white, singing in front of
6580-473: The singer to "bring back the sex". He condemned the "weakly political Re-Invention concert [as] unsexy and uninspiring". Finally, Orla Healy from the New York Post wrote that, "Madonna's blond ambition is fading to bland [...] instead of a sexy, flashy, fun-filled show, concertgoers Monday night got an endless dose of political and social commentary". At the 2004 Billboard Touring Awards , Re-Invention received
6674-557: The singer to come up with the tour. Her first concert tour in three years, it was set to launch in May and run through August, visiting cities in the United States and Europe. Additionally, it marked Madonna's first visit to Ireland. Concerts in Tel Aviv were scheduled but cancelled, as the singer received death threats from an "unnamed Palestinian group". Madonna told Access Hollywood that her manager advised her to not travel to Israel because of
6768-418: The singer would be making five costume changes throughout the show. Designers working on the tour included Stella McCartney , Christian Lacroix , and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel . Lacroix had worked with the singer on X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS and was called back to recreate one of the corsets Madonna had worn on the installation. The result was a Baroque -inspired, champagne-colored crystal-studded corset, used for
6862-580: The singer's first concert in Ireland were sold within 30 minutes of going on sale; due to demand, Ticketmaster doubled their staff, added 500 additional telephone lines to their existing 400 and, for the first time ever, doubled the volume of space on their official website. Tickets for the final Lisbon shows went on sale Friday, July 30, with fan club pre-sale taking place three days earlier; 15,000 tickets sold out on eight hours. Upon completion, it grossed $ 125 million ($ 201.64 million in 2023 dollars) and
6956-444: The tour and X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS exhibition, the idea emerged from the singer's urge to show her artistic side and her devotion towards Jewish mysticism Kabbalah ; unlike 1991's Madonna: Truth or Dare , which portrayed Hollywood glamour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret focused on the singer's views on life and spirituality. It premiered on MTV on October 21, 2005. Critical reception was mixed; Barry Walters pointed out that it lacked
7050-515: The tour's opening night, Rolling Stone ' s Barry Walters opined it was "thematically simpler and more focused" than Madonna's past tours. Highlighting the contrast between "the barbarism of war and the necessity of love" in performances such as " American Life " and " Express Yourself ", and praising the artist's "remarkably fun-loving and self-assured" mood throughout the entire night, Walters concluded his review by writing that Madonna had done "the most unexpected thing she could: She came back as
7144-494: The touring business suffered in the early 2020s because of the COVID-19 pandemic . Pollstar estimated the total lost revenue for the industry in 2020 at more than $ 30 billion. The mobility of concert tours requires a lot of costs, time, and energy. It is very common for musicians to not see family members for over a year during their touring. British singer Adele expressed her unhappiness of concert tours, saying "Touring
7238-577: The venues. The logistics phase of that tour did not include transportation of the backstage staff, musicians, performers, and the singer herself. The majority of concert tours are part of a promotional campaign to support an album release. Hence, new songs from the respective album are included on its tour's setlist . Some tours are known as "greatest hits tours" or "reunion tour" without any new material or specific album release, such as Fleetwood Mac 's 2009 Unleashed tour and No Doubt 's 2009 Summer Tour . Taylor Swift 's The Eras Tour (2023–2024)
7332-464: The well-being of the world, her whole onstage persona rings false". The author also pointed out that Madonna didn't look like she was "having fun", and criticized the "hollow" rendition of "Imagine". Writing for Metromix , Greg Kot concluded that, despite "some inspired moments", Re-Invention "is a mess, a hodgepodge of ideas that never quite establishes its tenuous theme". The show's political tones also attained criticism. JimDe Rogatis wrote that, "as
7426-498: Was "in rehearsals for a summer swing". The Re-Invention World Tour was officially confirmed by Caresse Henry on March 23; "[Madonna] can't wait to get back on stage [...] There is no doubt that this tour will be the pinnacle of her long standing and well deserved reputation as one of the most exciting live performers of our time", the press release read. According to Dirk Timmerman, author of Madonna Live! Secret Re-inventions and Confessions on Tour , working on X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS inspired
7520-466: Was "saved" by the "wonderfully inventive" performance of " Die Another Day ". Tony Clayton-Lea from The Irish Times questioned the inclusion of the singer's "least appealing hits" such as "Die Another Day" and " Hanky Panky ", and said of the Slane concert: "Did Madonna rock? No, but she proved why she's the best and most successful female pop star in the world". In less enthusiast reviews, Sal Cinquemani felt
7614-513: Was a "pay-or-play" deal, which meant he would get paid whether not Madonna used his complete services. At her request, the director attended and filmed the tour's rehearsals and various concerts, but was never paid what was promised. The documentary film which chronicled the tour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret , was directed by Jonas Åkerlund , who had worked with Madonna in the music videos for "Ray of Light", "Music", and "American Life". Originally titled The Re-Invented Process , in reference to
7708-488: Was a 22 metres (72 ft), V-shaped truss catwalk that was lowered from the ceiling above the front of the audience. Props for the show included a half-pipe skateboarding ramp and an electric chair . Images and footage from X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS were used as backdrop videos. During rehearsals, a general set list was decided; it featured " Material Girl " (1984), " Dress You Up " (1985), and "I'm So Stupid" from American Life . However, Madonna found it difficult to learn
7802-495: Was a college roommate of President Bill Clinton . It has been described as "politically liberal". The Las Vegas Sun was first published on May 21, 1950, by Hank Greenspun, who served as its editor until his death. Hank acquired the Las Vegas Free Press and two weeks later renamed it to the Las Vegas Sun . He started the Las Vegas Sun after he received a US$ 1,000-loan from businessman Nate Mack . From its founding
7896-553: Was being elevated on the back of a rifle, while according to Lustig, "theatrics didn't make much sense accompanying a song about personal empowerment". For Chart Attack ' s Elizabeth Chorney-Booth, "with a name like 'The Re-Invention Tour', one would expect to see Madonna at her absolute finest"; she was critical of the artist's attitude: "Back in the Blonde Ambition [ sic ] days, her general coldness read as ballsy bitchiness [...] with her new sense of concern for
7990-466: Was denied by her representatives and John later apologized. The documentary chronicling the tour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret , was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and released in 2005. In August 2002, Madonna and Steven Klein teamed up together for an art installation project titled X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS . Created to "deconstruct" the "cult of Madonna while trading on her star power", it was shot inside "stark" interiors and featured "twitchy" footage of
8084-500: Was energizing and erotic in a playfully grown-up way that would never occur to Britney Spears". Similarly, from the Delaware County Daily Times , Anthony J. Sanfilippo praised the "precise" choreographies, the singer's vocals, costumes, and the "great renditions of her classics". Sanfilippo highlighted the performances of " Like a Prayer " and " Music ", concluding that, although Madonna "is a much more tame performer now as
8178-503: Was named 2004's top-grossing tour. Lucy O'Brien noted that, despite being commercially successful, Re-Invention "somehow slipped beneath the mass media radar", and Madonna had to "promote [it] hard, particularly in the US"; she contributed this to "vastly inflated" ticket prices and the lackluster reception towards American Life . When presenting at the 2004 Q Awards in London, Elton John said he
8272-428: Was once again appointed creative director . Other personnel included Madonna's lifelong backup singer and dancer Donna De Lory , vocalist Siedah Garrett , bagpiper Lorne Cousin , Monte Pittman on guitar, Stuart Price on keyboards , and 12 dancers, including three trapeze artists . Auditions for dancers took place from February to March in New York and Los Angeles's Culver Studios , with rehearsals taking place at
8366-474: Was replaced with " Holiday " (1983). The John Lennon song " Imagine " (1971) was also added to the set list; when asked why she chose to cover this song, Madonna simply said: "I wanted to make a statement with the ultimate peace song". " Don't Tell Me " (2000) was rehearsed in two versions —one that featured the video of a French skyline as backdrop, used on the American leg and Paris shows, and one that sampled The Verve 's " Bitter Sweet Symphony " (1997), used on
8460-421: Was right '. I just said someone was lip-synching. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I'm not going to mellow with age. I get more enraged about things as I get older because you see that these injustices go on. While setting up the stage for one of the London concerts, a member of the crew was injured after falling from approximately 30 ft. The man suffered injuries to his shoulder and arm and had to be flown to
8554-416: Was something that was said in the heat of the moment, and probably should not have been said. [...] Would I apologize to her if I saw her? Yeah, because I don't want to hurt any artist's feelings. It was my fault. I instigated the whole thing. But it applies to all those bloody teenage singers. [...] The reaction to it was so hysterical, It was like I said, 'I think all gays should be killed' or 'I think Hitler
8648-588: Was surprised at Madonna's nomination for Best Live Act as, according to him, she had lip-synched on the Re-Invention Tour; "anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay $ 134 to see them should be shot. That's me off her fucking Christmas card list. [...] But do I give a toss? No", expressed John. Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, denied John's allegations and said that, "[Madonna] does not lip-sync nor does she spend her time trashing other artists [...] She sang every note of her Re-Invention tour live and
8742-552: Was time to perform more of her entire repertoire". During an interview with TRL , Madonna explained: "We're talking old and new [...] I'm going to be doing songs from my entire career, like they've never been done before. Because that's what life is all about". The title Re-Invention was, according to Christianity Magazine , a "self-confident, ambivalent dig at all the people who for years have talked about [Madonna] 'reinventing herself'". The singer said she chose this name because she wanted to capture "the irony [of my old songs] [...]
8836-481: Was without question the biggest pleaser". Howard Cohen from the Miami Herald opined that the tour "celebrates what that iconic name [Madonna] has meant for 20 years by dusting off many of her greatest hits", while Rochelle Brenner from The Palm Beach Post , felt that, "the old songs took on a new sound that seemed more fitting to the more mature" singer. The San Francisco Chronicle ' s Neva Chonin singled out
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