Madonna played the final show of the UK and European leg of her ‘Celebration’ greatest hits tour with a mammoth set at London’s The O2 last night, where she invited Stella McCartney out on stage. See footage from the show below.
A spokesperson revealed that the icon travelled by London Underground to the show at the North Greenwich venue, where she was feeling in a particularly reflective mood.
“London: oh my god, it’s our last show,” Madonna told the crowd, sipping on a Budweiser while introducing the song ‘Burning Up’. “What a brilliant place to end it all – this leg of the tour, that is. I’m kind of surprised we got here; time went by like that, right? You know what they say: time is a whore, she fucks you every time. Yeah, you know that cliché. They’re good ones, that’s why they’re clichés.
“Anyways, I couldn’t think of a better place to end the European leg of my tour. I’m so grateful I have a leg after the tour. You have no idea what I’ve been through – but we’ll get into that later.
Having been joined by a number of special guest judges for her dancers during the performance of ‘Vogue’ – including Debi Mazar, Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Diplo and FKA Twigs – last night saw her joined by designer Stella McCartney.
As well as paying tribute to the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson, Sinead O’Connor, David Bowie and the victims of AIDs, the rest of the evening was the same setlist from the rest of the tour along with highly theatrical production and visual celebrating Madonna’s life, career and bountiful headlines as testament to her longevity and how “the most controversial thing I ever did was stick around”.
Stella McCartney joins Madonna for the Vogue ballroom at the final London show tonight
Video thanks to Salvatore
#MadonnaCelebrationTour pic.twitter.com/NXHOHtqbAq
— Matt #MadonnaAustralia (@GregvsMatt) December 6, 2023
Feat. Stella McCartney pic.twitter.com/vpNufdaJXP
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) December 7, 2023
Madonna’s London setlist was:
‘Nothing Really Matters’
‘Everybody’
‘Into The Groove’
‘Burning Up’
‘Open Your Heart’
‘Holiday’
‘Live To Tell’
‘Like A Prayer’
‘Erotica’
‘Justify My Love’
‘Fever’
‘Hung Up’
‘Bad Girl’
‘Vogue’
‘Human Nature’
‘Crazy For You’
‘Die Another Day’
‘Don’t Tell Me’
‘Mother And Father’
‘Little Star’
‘I Will Survive’
‘La Isla Bonita’
‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’
‘Bedtime Story’
‘Ray Of Light’
‘Rain’
‘Bitch I’m Madonna’
‘Celebration’
In a five-star review of the opening of the ‘Celebration’ tour back in October, NME wrote: “The whole thing is a thrilling reminder that Madonna isn’t just a pop star, but also a cultural force who genuinely changed the world by chafing against what society expects from women in the public eye. That’s something worth celebrating in the dazzling, dynamic and at times slightly discombobulating way she presents it here. Really, you wouldn’t have her any other way.”
This marked Madonna’s last scheduled show in Europe, but she is strongly rumoured to be headlining Glastonbury 2024 after festival boss Emily Eavis posted on social media from the opening of the ‘Celebration’ tour earlier this year. Other rumoured headliners include Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa, while Eavis revealed back in March that Glastonbury had booked one of two planned female headliners.
The US leg of the tour will hit New York’s Barclays Centre on Wednesday December 13, will a run of dates extending into April 2024 before a handful of shows in Mexico City. Visit here for tickets and more information.
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