Dissecting the Celebration Tour (SPOILERS)

[Lucky Star 253]

Hi, everyone! 

I just wanted to put a disclaimer, but if you are uncomfortable with spoilers, please don't read any further. We'll be listing and categorizing some of our observations regarding her tour! 

I thought I'd create a separate post where we can list all the details, the Easter eggs, and the self-references Madonna's made so far on her tour. I'm sure she'd appreciate our attention to her details and the knowledge we have about her.

I don't see her until February 1st in Chicago, but I'm fine with spoilers. After watching some of her performances on YouTube, I have been in awe with some of her self-references whether big or small. 

There may be things some of us spotted that would be fun and worth sharing! I can list some of the things I've noticed so far, and you're all more than welcome to list other observations and categorize them however you'd like.

I can eventually add spoilers if the lists get too long when we're continuously adding so many things onto them. I'll do my best to update this post by including your listed observations in the comments. 

This will be fun, and I think it'll help fans attending her show to be more attentive and more aware of what she's presenting and why. Think of it as a guide or maybe even a scavenger hunt where fans can use this to enjoy her story, her history, and her legacy at her shows. Thanks!

EARLIER DAYS:

1. The stage is set up as the grids in the Manhattan neighborhood as well as the wedding cake from her VMA's performance of Like a Virgin.
2. She references her rock band days by sharing how she learned to play guitar and the first song she performed with a guitar (because she originally played drums) was Burning Up.
3. She references Danceteria (her first gig) and The Sound Factory (where she was introduced to the ballroom scene) in her ticket sections/seating.
   1. Regarding seating/tickets, she also references:
      1. You Can Dance (the lyric in Into the Groove and the remix album)
      2. Where's the Party from True Blue
      3. The Immaculate Collection

MUSIC:

1. She uses the demo version (Pre-Madonna) of Burning Up.
2. She uses parts of the demo version of Erotica (You Thrill Me) that she also performed in the Confessions Tour.
3. She seems to perform songs like I Will Survive, Die Another Day, and Mother and Father that talk about survival, life, and death. She's been very open about how fortunate and grateful she is to still be alive after what happened earlier this year.

CHOREOGRAPHY:

1. She uses some of the original tour choreography of Open Your Heart used in the Blond Ambition Tour with the body double who's supposed to represent her old version.
2. During that section, you can see Madonna's dancer, who is playing her older version, performing the same choreography for her live performance of Like a Virgin from the Blond Ambition Tour -- the infamous performance that made headlines because she stimulated masturbation, and authorities threatened to arrest her for doing so at her Toronto show (see Madonna: Truth or Dare).
3. She does some of the original choreography from the Don't Tell Me music video.
4. She uses some of the original choreography from the Hung Up music video and Confessions Tour.

IMAGERY/ARTWORK:

1. When she performs Burning Up, you see the many of the pictures that were put together as a collage for the single artwork used for the EP. The artwork was made by her friend, Martin Burgoyne (R.I.P.).
2. There is some subtle details from the Bedtime Story music video in the backdrop (the backdrop displayed on the cube she performs on), specifically the eyes that you see in the beginning of the music video. Similar to the video, she's performing on top of a platform while resting.
3. You see Madonna wearing the "Om" symbol on one of her palms like she did in the Frozen music video when she's performing Nothing Really Matters.

COSTUMES/FASHION:

1. Jean Paul Gaultier. Enough said! You can spot the corsets he made. She wears new black one, and one of her dancers who plays the old version of her from the past wears the famous one she wore during the Blond Ambition Tour.
2. Her dancer meant to represent her older version also wears a similar latex outfit to the one worn in Human Nature.
3. Bob the Drag Queen references the VMA's performance of Vogue with the costume.
4. Bob the Drag Queen references and wears a similar outfit to the one she wore for the Erotica music video as Dita. This is one of the backdrops.
5. It seems like the outfit that Madonna wears during Nothing Really Matters is a blend of both her kimono from the Nothing Really Matters music video and the gothic look she wore for the Frozen music video.
6. I'd also add that the jewelry she's wearing is meant to look like Mary's halo, since Madonna would reference religion throughout her career, and well, the obvious that Madonna is used as another name for the Virgin Mary.
7. The outfit she wears during the boxing segment is a bit of an homage to her Hard Candy era and Sticky & Sweet Tour.
8. She wears western attire as a nod to her Music era and Don't Tell Me music video.
9. When she and her dancers are performing Hung Up/Hung Up on Tokischa, her dancers are wearing similar outfits worn at the Blond Ambition Tour during her live performance of Express Yourself.
10. During the encore, all her dancers are wearing costumes/drag similar to the outfits she's worn in the past:
    1. MUSIC VIDEOS:
       1. Like a Virgin dress
       2. Material Girl/Marilyn Monroe dress
       3. La Isla Bonita red dress
       4. Erotica/Dita outfit
       5. Latex Human Nature outfit
       6. Frozen outfit
       7. Nothing Really Matters red kimono
       8. Music outfit
       9. Hung Up pink leotard
    2. MOVIES:
       1. A League of Their Own baseball outfit
    3. EVENTS:
       1. 2013 MET Gala punk outfit
       2. Jean Paul Gaultier outfit from his fashion show in 1992
       3. 1992 Sex pre-release party costume as Little Bo Peep
    4. LIVE PERFORMANCES:
       1. Vogue VMA performance dress
       2. Vogue outfit from the Girlie Show
       3. Express Yourself disco outfit from the Girlie Show
       4. Equestrian outfit from the Confessions Tour
       5. Sticky & Sweet Tour Give It 2 Me outfit
       6. 2012 Super Bowl half-time show Vogue outfit

MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS:

1. During Live to Tell, she pays tribute to those who died of HIV/AIDS. She similarly did that during the Girlie Show with In This Life. Her closed loved ones like Martin Burgoyne (see above) are shown in the montage of photos.
2. She pays tribute to Michael Jackson with a backdrop of her silhouette and his silhouette where they're having a bit of a fun dance battle to Like a Virgin and Billie Jean. Her silhouette is seen wearing the Like a Virgin dress. It's also a reference to the mashup she played at her Like a Virgin Tour. She then uses Angel to end the tribute.
3. She has a dancer wearing a purple outfit to pay homage to Prince when she and her dancers are performing Like a Prayer. This a nod or a tribute, since he contributed to the production of the song.

This is what I have so far from what I've seen, but please feel free to share more! Also, let me know if there are additions or corrections to make!  

[Prayer 14,372]

You forgot in meaningful relationships the video backdrop with all her... exes? Including Ingrid! 

She totally knows what she's doing. 

[EgoRod 5,451]

The Holiday choreo is similar to the Girlie show with the long coats. But has the kicks to the sides like the BA.

The 2 Gaultier pieces (Kimono gown and corset ) are similar, in fabric and design. Her bustier comes out two holes in her blazer, those holes with stones are the same than the ones in the NRM kimono's sleeves

The flames after CFY are similar to those in Fever GS.

The JML orgy with her in the middle, reminds of the orgy in GS from D&D to Why it's so hard, where she is the middle. But also the imagery in the screens looks like the Chris Cunnignham video: Flex, that she uses as backdrop while performing Frozen in Reinvention I think

[dankpepe 1,042]

The boxer guy she's currently seeing is also in the backdrop video for Erotica as the boxer

The "dancer" who plays Prince in Like a Prayer is actually her son, David. (I don't think David actually can play guitar this well because on the videos I seen, his finger picking and strumming doesn't match up to the music - same during Don't Tell Me and La Isla Bonita where he's also the guitarist - in one Don't Tell Me video, when he exits through the floor trap door, he stops playing guitar but we still hear the guitar finger picking). Mercy plays the piano on Bad Girl (I think she's really playing since the camera shows her hands matching up to the music)

Her mother and father as well as David's mother and father are shown on the screens during Mother and Father

Samples interpolated throughout the show:

• "I Want Your Love" by Chic during Holiday
• "In This Life" prior to "Live to Tell"
• "Act of Contrition" and "Unholy" by Sam Smith during "Like a Prayer"
• "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince during the Revolution of Love interlude
• "Fever" during the 90s interlude and after "Justify My Love"
• "You Thrill Me" and "Papa Don't Preach" during / after "Erotica"
• "Up Down Suite" prior to "Vogue"
• "Break My Soul" by Beyonce during "Vogue"
• "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" by Ennio Morricone during "Don't Tell Me"
• "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson and "Angel" during the "Like a Virgin" interlude
• "Music" during "Celebration"

That's all I can hear from streams, probably more samples we'll hear when we get the live album

[EgoRod 5,451]

Also the JML Gansta track is the same than this video:

 

She does the ' Madonna ' gregorian choir thing before LAP similar to the MDNA tour and she wears see-through hooded capes like those from the BA.

Also in the box in BS you can see digital animation like the ones she did for the NFT

[EgoRod 5,451]

6 minutes ago, dankpepe said:

The boxer guy she's currently seeing is also in the backdrop video for Erotica as the boxer

The "dancer" who plays Prince in Like a Prayer is actually her son, David. (I don't think David actually can play guitar this well because on the videos I seen, his finger picking and strumming doesn't match up to the music - same during Don't Tell Me and La Isla Bonita where he's also the guitarist - in one Don't Tell Me video, when he exits through the floor trap door, he stops playing guitar but we still hear the guitar finger picking). Mercy plays the piano on Bad Girl (I think she's really playing since the camera shows her hands matching up to the music)

Her mother and father as well as David's mother and father are shown on the screens during Mother and Father

Samples interpolated throughout the show:

• "I Want Your Love" by Chic during Holiday
• "In This Life" prior to "Live to Tell"
• "Act of Contrition" and "Unholy" by Sam Smith during "Like a Prayer"
• "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince during the Revolution of Love interlude
• "Fever" during the 90s interlude and after "Justify My Love"
• "You Thrill Me" and "Papa Don't Preach" during / after "Erotica"
• "Up Down Suite" prior to "Vogue"
• "Break My Soul" by Beyonce during "Vogue"
• "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" by Ennio Morricone during "Don't Tell Me"
• "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson during the "Like a Virgin" interlude
• "Music" during "Celebration"

That's all I can hear from streams, probably more samples we'll hear when we get the live album

You have Lucky Star intro and Material Girl  with Bo's intro before NRM. And I remember I noticed the  trumpets of EY and some D& D bit but I can't recall where.

Also Tronco Traxx: Walk for me

 

[FraP 402]

At the concert, during the final part of Bad Girl, it seemed to me that Mercy played some notes (3 notes - to be precise) from the piano arrangement of Devil Wouldn't Recognize You. Did I imagine that?

[Honey Little 3,996]

3 hours ago, Prayer said:

You forgot in meaningful relationships the video backdrop with all her... exes? Including Ingrid! 

She totally knows what she's doing. 

I don’t think she totally stopped dating Ingrid though.

[Piksel8 620]

4 hours ago, Prayer said:

You forgot in meaningful relationships the video backdrop with all her... exes? Including Ingrid! 

She totally knows what she's doing. 

Did Jenny Shimizu make the cut here? Jenny confirmed they were sleeping together while Jenny was dating Angelina Jolie.

[dankpepe 1,042]

Justify My Love is mashed up with this song:

 

[kesiak 3,036]

I also got the impression there's a sample of this interpolated in Mother & Father?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtOL_2e0004