Madonna’s upcoming tour to feature ‘over 40 songs’ and no onstage band
The Queen of Pop will kick off the 40th anniversary Celebration Tour at London's O2 Arena on Saturday.
By Nick Reilly
Madonna’s upcoming ‘Celebration Tour’ is reportedly set to feature “over 40 songs”, and will not include an onstage band.
That’s according to her musical director Stuart Price, who spoke to BBC News about what fans can expect ahead of the UK and European leg of her tour beginning in London this Saturday (October 14).
The Queen of Pop will mark her 40th anniversary with the tour, described by Price as “a documentary through her vast career”, which will show off more than 40 songs from the star’s storied and celebrated back catalogue.
“A greatest hit doesn’t have to be a song. It can be a wardrobe, it can be a video, or a statement,” said Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 album Confessions On A Dance Floor’.
Uniquely, the singer will not be joined by a live band onstage for the first time in her career, instead relying on original multi-track recordings.
“There are live musicians that perform at different parts of the show,” Price said. “But what we realised is that the original recordings are our stars. Those things can’t be replicated and can’t be recreated, so we decided just to embrace that.”
He continued: “With Madonna, everything is always about recontextualising stuff, finding ways to take strong original messages and see how they resonate in the era that we’re in now.
“A lot of the powerful moments [in this show] are to do with where the music intersects with something that society was going through, especially something emotional, like the Aids crisis. Those moments are incredibly powerful.”
Price also confirmed that Madonna is fighting fit once more, after the singer was hospitalised over the summer with a bacterial infection.
“The person that is going to take the stage looks incredible, sounds incredible, performs incredible,” said Price.
You can check out Madonna’s UK tour dates below.
OCTOBER
14 – The O2, London
15 – The O2, London
17 – The O2, London
18 – The O2, London
DECEMBER
05 – The O2, London
06 – The O2, London