Madonna's Celebration world tour is well underway. There are four shows left to take place in Europe and two shows left in London – on Tuesday, December 5 and Wednesday, December 6.
Madonna's first show on Saturday, October 14 started with a powerful rendition of her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters before she told the crowd: “Am I imagining this? Oh my God, it is so good to be back, London.”
Performing at the O2 Arena, she explained that the concert would “tell the story” of her life “through music and dance”, starting from how she arrived in New York with 25 dollars in her pocket and ended up becoming the best-selling female solo touring artist of all time.
But fans weren't very pleased after both the first and second shows. During the second show, the 65-year-old singer suddenly stopped performing at 11pm, ditching four songs on her setlist.
ââThe show was cut short because Madonna was late for the show, meaning it ran over the venue’s 10.30pm Sunday curfew.
And the pattern of bad time-keeping didn't stop there. Fans took to social media to share that Madonna was late for her Milan show on Saturday, November 25.
Another fan commented on the speculation that the first concert in Milan had a delayed start because Donatella Versace organised a party with her son Marco Mengoni.
What time will Madonna be on stage?
The exact time Madonna will be on stage hasn’t been announced, but doors will open at 6.30 pm across all six scheduled concerts.
So far, her London shows have seen Madonna come on stage between 8:50pm and 9:05pm. O2 shows usually end at 11pm for weekday events, while Sunday shows finish at 10.30pm.
Full list of Madonna’s remaining London O2 Arena shows
- December 5, 2023
- December 6, 2023
What will Madonna’s setlist be?
The concerts on October 14 and October 15 saw the Queen of Pop kick off the festivities with her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters before moving through hits from her back catalogue including Into The Groove.
From Burning Up and Open Your Heart to Holiday and Like A Prayer, her setlist included some of her most famous songs.
Ahead of the concerts, Stuart Price, one of music's most in-demand producers, gave an insight into what the shows would consist of.
He told the BBC the show draws on four decades of archive footage and studio recordings. “A greatest hit doesn't have to be a song,” he said.
Now Loading………….♥️ #MadonnaCelebrationTour pic.twitter.com/RjKEVbzjqq
— Madonna (@Madonna) October 3, 2023
Price had added that finalising the setlist was “the big challenge”.
Fans can expect many of the songs to be played in full, while some will be merged into other songs, and others will be used as “bridges” between acts.
Price had suggested that a ballpark figure of 25 songs would be performed in full, with elements of 20 others appearing in some form.
“There's one thing that's always dynamic, and that's Madonna herself. Her personality is so strong, her interaction with the audience is so strong, that it creates opportunities for variation from night to night,” he added.
