Madonna did not spend her usual New Year’s holiday at the Swiss ski mecca Gstaad. Instead, she is headed to Mexico to prepare for the third leg of her Rebel Heart World Tour. Last week, Madonna topped all the concert boxscore figures, as Billboard reported on the success of the tour.
“Madonna leads Billboard’s latest Hot Tours ranking (see list, below) with the newest reported box office sales data from her global trek. The new Hot Tours tally includes grosses from 14 shows in eight markets during the European leg of the tour.”
Billboard adds that overall sales from the Rebel Heart tour now total $80 million from 45 concerts during the first two legs of the tour. So far, every single show has been completely sold out. The Rebel Heart Tour has also garnered the best reviews of any Madonna tour to date.
The Birmingham Mail gave Madonna’s show at the Barclaycard Arena four stars.
“But for all the theatrics, Madonna was most captivating when she was alone on the runway, singing Like A Virgin and Rebel Heart, two songs from opposite ends of her career. And on this evidence, it’s a career that’s far from over.”
The review said that the biggest “wow” moment occurred during the performance of the song “Illuminati,” where several dancers were strapped to the top of huge poles and swayed at huge angles above the audience.
The Guardian gave Madonna’s show five stars.
“In a shock-and-awe spectacular that deftly blends past with provocative present, the queen of pop is charm itself,” claimed reviewer Kitty Empire, a critic who — in the past — has been very critical of Madonna’s performances.
Ms. Empire adds that even the interludes in Madonna’s show are spectacular and that Madonna’s voice has become pure pop perfection. Many critics, as well as fans, have noted how Madonna’s voice has really shined during the current show, especially when there are no theatrics involved.
https://twitter.com/wukster/status/672280993479397376
Amazing stage last night with the queen of pop @madonna in great voice #rebelheart #tour – blew… https://t.co/5rMhjvDnHL
— Rich Tuckwell (@TopGayer) December 4, 2015
Madonna turned what could have been another concert PR disaster into a PR victory during her most recent show. Rolling Stone reported the news .
“Rather than ending the gig prematurely, a Santa hat-wearing Madonna and her team of dancers performed ‘Holiday’ sans electricity – even her microphone was shut off – and turning the arena into a giant sing-along.”
Right afterwards, Madonna took to Instagram to celebrate what turned out to be the most exciting concert ending of hers in years.
“We don’t stop till it’s over Glasgow! Don’t try to silence the Queen,” Madonna wrote .
However, a spokesperson from the Hydro, the venue where Madonna gave her performance, claimed that Madonna’s own production team turned off the power . Fans suggested that the statement was a lie and wondered why Madonna’s production team would turn off the power when the show, which has always ended with “Holiday,” didn’t even finish. Some speculated that it was the Glasgow City Council that told Madonna’s team they had to shut the power down since they were playing well past the Glasgow curfew.
Madonna kicks off the third leg of her tour in Mexico City on January 6 . She then moves to cities such as San Antonio, Texas; Houston, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Rebel Heart Tour is expected to make between $170 and $200 million when it’s all finished.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]