“Age is a sin. I think the most controversial thing I have ever done is to stick around,” boomed an archive recording of Madonna towards the end of The Celebration as an onslaught of misogynist headlines, doubting critics, and Nineties footage of Cher branding her “mean” collaged themselves across The O2.
Over the course of her forty years in pop, it’s certainly true that Madonna has ruffled a few feathers. From being condemned by the Vatican, to being threatened with arrest by the Canadian police for simulating masturbation on a velvet bed during the Blond Ambition tour, few other pop stars are as provocative, and one of the best things about Madonna is how much she clearly enjoys prompting a bit of pearl clutching.
