Fans drag Madonna’s late start for U.S. leg of tour, but she was still ‘on fire’
A Material Girl or just plain rude? Madonna upset an arena full of fans Wednesday when she started a pivotal Celebration tour concert about an hour later than usual. But, apparently, she was worth the wait.
The superstar kicked off the U.S. leg of her retrospective tour at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night close to 11 p.m. — several hours after doors opened .
Madonna debuted her long-awaited, postponed Celebration tour, months after she was hospitalized for a serious bacterial infection: ‘I didn’t think I would make it.’
For the record:
2:15 p.m. Dec. 14, 2023A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Madonna was scheduled to perform at SoFi Stadium. Her previously announced shows were set for Crytpo.com Arena and have been replaced with upcoming performances at the Kia Forum.
Fans took to social media to air their grievances for nearly three hours while they waited for the “Vogue” singer to appear. Some called her rude, others demanded refunds and another reported that the crowd of 14,000 started chanting “b—” as the minutes ticked by.
“I don’t give a f— if you’re Madonna. If you’re 3 hours late, you’re just f— rude,” one X user wrote.
“I love Madonna but it’s really f— up how she’s literally like 2 hours late for her FIRST show in the us,” another added.
“At Madonna and she’s like two hours late and we have done the wave like fifteen times,” wrote another.
Representatives for Madonna declined to comment Thursday.
The “Like a Virgin” and “Like a Prayer” singer took the stage at 10:50 p.m., The Times has confirmed.
The seven-time Grammy winner had been dealing with sound issues ahead of the performance and was doing sound checks until doors opened at 7:30 p.m., a person close to her who was not authorized to comment told The Times. Madonna usually takes the stage around 9:30 or 10 p.m. most nights after a DJ warms up the crowd.
New York City DJ Honey Dijon, who served as Wednesday’s opener, went on about an hour after doors opened, taking the stage around 8:40 p.m. due to similar tech issues and played a 30- to 45-minute set, the person said. Then Bob the Drag Queen came on to introduce Madonna at about 10:45 p.m.
Madonna did not acknowledge her tardiness during the sold-out show, but at one point she asked members of the audience if they could hear her given the sound issues she had been contending with earlier. Otherwise, the singer was stoked to be back in the city that launched her career.
The show ended around 2 a.m., one fan noted, and got glowing reviews from those who got over the delayed start.
“Madonna was on fire tonight,” another wrote on X. “Late start but didn’t feel late because crowd didn’t fill up until around 10.”
In its review of the show, Variety addressed the late start but added that it was “worth the wait.” She’s set to play Barclays again Thursday and Friday, returning to New York for three nights in January at Madison Square Garden.
Madonna will kick off her career-spanning Celebration tour in October, months after she was hospitalized for a ‘serious bacterial infection’ in June.
“It’s so great to be back in New York. You have no idea. The enthusiasm, the joy, it’s just coming out of my pores. It’s amazing. Touch me right now. Please someone, touch me,” she said onstage, adding, “No one is more surprised that I have made it this far than me. Yeah, four decades, m—! And I got to tell you, I didn’t think I was going to make it this summer, but here I am. Thank you for having me. Thank you for standing by me, for your support, your love.”
The Celebration tour was already off to a rough start. The 65-year-old Madonna initially announced its launch in January, with plans to hit the stage in July. However, just weeks before showtime, the headliner was hospitalized for a “serious bacterial infection” that ultimately delayed the tour’s launch to October.
Madonna, who had been scheduled to perform a series of concerts at Cytpo.com Arena last October, has rebooked those shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on March 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Madonna’s boyfriend, Josh Popper, also made an appearance during the first Brooklyn show. The boxing coach, who has been linked to Madge since February, joined her onstage to help judge a vogueing competition during her performance of the 1990 hit “Vogue.” The two also shared a kiss onstage, People reported.
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