Tour Opening Performances Ranked

[Future Lover 1,010]

In this thread, I'll be ranking ever opening performance from Madonna's concert tours from worst to best!

 

 

10. Candy Shop (Sticky and Sweet Tour 2008/2009)

 

This was so underwhelming. The opening video is interesting to watch, but that is the only really interesting thing in this performance. To start with, Candy Shop isn't really strong enough as a song to open the show, and it really bogs down this particular performance. The choreography is very well created, but it feels really minimal and seemed to always be executed lazily. Plus, the stage entrance was just so boring. A screen turning around and she is there sitting in a chair. That's it? Really?

 

 

9. Dress You Up (The Virgin Tour 1985)

 

It was the first tour. But this is still such un-entertaining intro. Madonna's shadow on a curtain for a few seconds and then she walks down some stairs and sings. The singing is done well, and she looks beautiful, but it just feels so...empty. "Don't be afraid...it'll be alright" is a cool intro chant, but it still doesn't really just scream Madonna and party.

 

 

8. Drowned World/Substitute for Love (Drowned World Tour 2001)

 

I understand fully and 100% what the intention to this performance was and I respect it. But, I have never liked opening a show with a ballad from any artist. Not just Madonna. But any artist. Madonna standing on a platform in the midst of dry ice with the dancers and band kind of aimlessly around her just really kind of confuses me. This was Madonna's first tour in eight years and it started with this. The performance is dramatic yes, but is really forgettable in my opinion. 

 

 

7. Open Your Heart (Who's That Girl World Tour 1987)

 

This performance is undeniably iconic and rightfully so. The outfit is classic and this is the perfect opening song. The only reason it's this low is that the next 6 performances just were so much more exiting. This was the first theatrical Madonna tour and this performance was great. But I feel like this performance is very separated from the rest of the show. Madonna is so bouncy and happy and everything in this song. She continues this act through Lucky Star and True Blue, but the rest of the show tends to stay serious. This just feels so separated from the show as a whole. 

 

 

6. Erotica (Girlie Show Tour 1993)

 

This tour isn't one of my favorite Madonna tours, but I will admit that it has some cool moments. This intro and opening performance is entertaining, but I feel it is a little over sexualized. The circus music is very interesting (I can think of another circus "concert" that was NO WHERE near as entertaining) and the masked figure was very mysterious. And Carrie Anne Inaba topless on a pole is really cool! I'll never forget when I found out this was the same woman who was a judge on Dancing with the Stars. Madonna coming from the stage floor as Dita was cool, but I feel there was a lot of build up to a simple pay off. It is a middle of the road intro and opening. 

 

 

5. Iconic (Rebel Heart Tour 2015/2016)

 

I actually really like this performance. I was nervous on how Madonna was going to try and top MDNA, and I am actually really satisfied with this performance. The intro video is actually probably the best video that Madonna has shown at one of her concerts. It is so sleek and sexy! The dancers marching on stage from the crowd is also really cool and I love it. The screen IN THE STAGE is amazing and the cage lowering is actually really cool! This was the PERFECT song to open the show with. This performance will grow on a lot of people. 

 

 

4. Express Yourself (Blonde Ambition Tour 1990)

 

This performance is iconic. But I don't adore it as much as everyone else does. It is this high for it's iconic status and longevity. The Fritz Lang "Metropolis" set is very cool looking and the stage transformation is ground breaking. The stairs from the stage is cool as well. The thing that bogs me down is that Madonna;s entrance is so...basic. She raises from behind the stair case. Granted what she does after is neat and wildly entertaining, the intro is a little disappointing. However, the performance itself is actually really amazing! The choreography is amazing and the nearly 8 minute performance is executed like a true pop diva should perform.

 

 

3. Vogue (Re-Invention World Tour 2004)

 

This is a genius opening song for a concert. The Beast Within is an amazing video that displays such amazing mystery and seriousness. I know I have complained about Madonna simply rising from the stage, but here it actually works. The video presented so much mystery that toy hardly even notice Madonna is on stage until she strikes her yoga poses. Madonna suspended above the stage doing yoga in a corset is just so sexy! The performance features AMAZING choreography and is so on point! Love this performance!

 

 

2. Girl Gone Wild (MDNA World Tour 2012)

 

For a tour that gets a lot of hate, it featured so amazing performances. This is one of them. The men in the robes standing on stage with a thurible. The chanting turning into Madonna's name is also very cool! The dancers with contorted body parts and the lighting cracks and the church walls on the screens create an amazing atmosphere. Then the screen parts. Madonna is in a confessional and then all at once, the show begins. I personally think Madonna looked sexier then she ever has in this opening outfit. The choreography is amazing and the moving stage is such a beauty to watch!

 

 

1. Future Lovers/I Feel Love (Confessions Tour 2006)

 

This. Opening. The video is so sexy. Madonna as a jockey and in a cage and just looking like a sexy ass bitch. And at 48 years old at the time, she looked damn sexy. Then the disco ball comes down and you wonder what it is. The the dancers on the satellite stages are so cool. Then Madonna's voice speaking with such sex appeal. Then the disco ball opens and there she is! You get so enthralled watching her handle the reigns of the dancers and everything is just amazing! 

 

P.S- DO YOU NOT THINK THAT MADONNA LOOKED SO SEXY IN THE OPENING OF MDNA LIKE HOLY HELL IM GAY BUT ID GO STRAIGHT FOR THAT!

 

 

 

 

[Future Lover 1,010]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      OMG YES SLAY OMG

 

[Fighter 28,803]

in no order CT, RIT, BAT and MDNA are the great ones. Then we have the simple but iconic ones like WTG and VT (maybe Sticky cos the tour has kinda surprisingly been a landmark for her with the GP).

[star guardian 691]

I reaaaaaaally love Vogue from RIT. Express Yourself, GGW and Future Lovers are also really great, but in the moment i'm living for that introduction video of RHT. Iconic is one of my favorite songs from Rebel Heart and i just can't get over that performance. It's just so amazing!

[Fernando 432]

my order:

1. Girl Gone Wild (MDNA World Tour 2012) 

2. Drowned World/Substitute for Love (Drowned World Tour 2001)

3. Erotica (Girlie Show Tour 1993)

4. Express Yourself (Blonde Ambition Tour 1990)

5. Iconic (Rebel Heart Tour 2015/2016)

6. Dress You Up (The Virgin Tour 1985)

7 Candy Shop (Sticky and Sweet Tour 2008/2009) 

8. Vogue (Re-Invention World Tour 2004)

9. Future Lovers/I Feel Love (Confessions Tour 2006)

10. Open Your Heart (Who's That Girl World Tour 1987)

[angelamanda623 327]

My favorite opening would have to be from the Drowned World Tour.  I'm a big sap, and after not seeing her live for eight years this song was just so emotional and poignant.  It was breathtaking.

[Lord X 208]

1. MDNA

2. Rebel Heart

3. SST

 

Honestly the rest are so lack luster to me. The more she experimented with digital and live media the better. 

[o_g_c_x 2,786]

For me the most impressive are Confessions and Rebel Heart

[reinvented_0 389]

My rank!

 

The MDNA Tour

Confessions Tour

Re-Invention (including The Beast Within)

Rebel Heart Tour

Blond Ambition Tour

Drowned World Tour

Sticky & Sweet Tour

The Girlie Show

Who's That Girl Tour

The Virgin Tour

[RUADJAI 15,147]

1. Confessions Tour (Perfection! The An-ti-ci-pay-shun)

2. Reinvention Tour (Seeing this live was surreal)

3. MDNA Tour (The intro was okay, but GGW and the stage movement make up for it)

4. Drowned World Tour 

5. Rebel Heart (Not a fan of the oversized clothes and cage) 

6. Blond Ambition (No tricks needed)

7. Girlie Show

8. Virgin Tour

9. Who's that Girl Tour

10. Sticky & Sweet Tour (This was the laziest opening video, it looked super cheap) 

[Breathless 5,286]

1. BA Tour

2. WTG Tour

3. CT

4. RIT

5 GS

6 VT

7 DWT

8 MDNA

9 S&S

10 RH (only because I haven't seen it live yet.)

[Breathless 5,286]

my rank 

 

blond ambition all the way. no other concert will ever be as good. i love  them all don't get me wrong. but i had goose bumps as she come up and out on the steps. saying do you believe in love. 

I agree 100%

[daniel10456 16]

1. Vogue (Re-Invention)

2. Girl Gone Wild (MDNA)

3. Express Yourself (Blonde Ambition)

4. Future Lovers / I Feel Love (Confessions)

5. Iconic (Rebel Heart)

6. Drowned World / Substitute For Love (Drowned World)

7. Open Your Heart (Who's That Girl)

8. Candy Shop (Sticky & Sweet)

9. Erotica (Girlie Show)

10. Dress You Up (Virgin)

[madgefan 10,160]

I've just seen S&S, MDNA, and RHT in person so my ranking would be like this:

 

1. Iconic

2. Candy Shop

3. Express Yourself

[ariosoperfumegirl 94]

I thin the RHT is professional, sop that is in the top 3, but I think MDNAT is the number one it is so good!!

[Bitch I’m Madonna 4,679]

1. Confessions Tour - Mindblowing. She won't ever top this, I think.2. MDNA Tour - Another incredibly stunning entrance. This tour had amazing visuals. The production of the show helped to enjoy it despite the terrible setlist.3. Drowned World Tour - Her return to the stage opening with a deep song that perfectly captures her growth as a person and as an artist. Then it blends right into the IMPRESSIVE performance of Impressive Instant. 4. Re-Invention Tour - Although I'm not a big fan of the GH concept, the intro really was great. The Beast Within and Vogue truly worked well as opening. However, I do think she should have opened with American Life.5. Rebel Heart - A good intro. It went downhill from there. I think she really wasted all the money on one unnecessarily long intro video that killed the production of the rest of the show budget-wise.6. Blonde Ambition - A simple but stunning entrance. Probably the best from her early years.7. Girlie Show - Nice but not really memorable.8. Sticky and Sweet Tour - Awful. Following CT this tour and opening were truly embarassing. She should have opened with Heartbeat, not this hot mess of a song. Her obsession with it and the fact she truly believes it's appropriate and fair to torture her fans with a performance of this utter piece of trash of a song is starting to make her seem delusional. (Note: I used to love CS but three performances in a row of a song that und' even a single made me hate it.)9. Who's That Girl - A snooze. But it was her second tour, so it's okay...10. Virgin Tour - MEH. I think Material Girl would have been a better opening.

[Stevo 6,436]

1. Confessions Tour - Mindblowing. She won't ever top this, I think

Sticky and Sweet Tour - Awful. Following CT this tour and opening were truly embarassing. She should have opened with Heartbeat, not this hot mess of a song. Her obsession with it and the fact she truly believes it's appropriate and fair to torture her fans with a performance of this utter piece of trash of a song is starting to make her seem delusional. (Note: I used to love CS but three performances in a row of a song that und' even a single made me hate it.)

You're right on point here. I 100â„… agree,............. well except for I never liked Candy Shop at all.Lol at the idea of her torturing us with CS.

[madgefan 10,160]

8. Sticky and Sweet Tour - Awful. Following CT this tour and opening were truly embarassing. She should have opened with Heartbeat, not this hot mess of a song. Her obsession with it and the fact she truly believes it's appropriate and fair to torture her fans with a performance of this utter piece of trash of a song is starting to make her seem delusional. (Note: I used to love CS but three performances in a row of a song that und' even a single made me hate it.)

 

I thought the same thing back in the day, Heartbeat's musical construction is similar to Iconic's and Future Lovers, made in a way they sound like opening a "big thing". However, the Sticky & Sweet performance was utter crap, boring as hell and she sang Heartbeat like shit so no, if that was going to be the opening number then I choose Candy Shop above anything 

[Bitch I’m Madonna 4,679]

I thought the same thing back in the day, Heartbeat's musical construction is similar to Iconic's and Future Lovers, made in a way they sound like opening a "big thing". However, the Sticky & Sweet performance was utter crap, boring as hell and she sang Heartbeat like shit so no, if that was going to be the opening number then I choose Candy Shop above anything

Well...what if she went for the whole boxing theme as inspiration for the first section? I actually thought about an alternative setlist for Sticky and Sweet a while ago and called it the "Jawbreaker Tour". I think that perfectly incorporates both, the sweet and the hard theme. Heartbeat basically talks about her passion for dancing and how she has been working hard to get where she is now. I think there would have been no better opening song than this. The next performance would have been a medley of Everybody, Put Your Hands Up for Detroit, Music and Last Night a DJ Saved My Life which symbolically stands for her early years and the way a DJ (Mark Kamins) basically ignited her career when he decided to play Everybody at a club.Gesendet von iP

[Adrian 706]

1. EY (Blond Ambition) - what other opening has full stadium on their feet and claping on the beat, plus singing that iconic song LIVE, best energy for opening a show

 

2. Girl gone wild (MDNA) amazing visuals and setting, just the rest of that section was to dark and musicly borring

 

3. Candy shop (Sticky) I don't know why lot of fans hate it, I think it was on point and had a great energy for a start

 

4. Future lovers (COAD) visuals and theme are great but that song is just yuck...very weak choice but visuals made it work, musicly NO

 

5. Vogue (RIT) great visuals, great oldie, nice costumes, maybe to basic but on point

 

6. Drowned world  (DWT) it worked, it was different, she was back, song was and stil is one of her best ballads

 

7. Open your heart (WTG) - powerfull, great song, live sound and she was just like she jumped out of her music video

 

8. Dress You Up (VT) - it was so iconice back then, very powerfull song and vocals, worked great

 

9. Iconic (RHT) great visuals, but I don't feel it...don't get the point... chinese theme then nuns and religion? tired...she should open it with Living for love

 

10. Erotica (GS) zzz zz z,. zzzz. zz. z...oh Fever, show finnaly started?

[madgefan 10,160]

Well...what if she went for the whole boxing theme as inspiration for the first section?I actually thought about an alternative setlist for Sticky and Sweet a while ago and called it the "Jawbreaker Tour". I think that perfectly incorporates both, the sweet and the hard theme.Heartbeat basically talks about her passion for dancing and how she has been working hard to get where she is now. I think there would have been no better opening song than this. The next performance would have been a medley of Everybody, Put Your Hands Up for Detroit, Music and Last Night a DJ Saved My Life which symbolically stands for her early years and the way a DJ (Mark Kamins) basically ignited her career when he decided to play Everybody at a club.Gesendet von iP

 

I like your idea but Music and its danceable vibe should definitely go towards the end of each concert 

[Bat-Fan 1,175]

1. EY (Blond Ambition) - what other opening has full stadium on their feet and claping on the beat, plus singing that iconic song LIVE, best energy for opening a show2. Girl gone wild (MDNA) amazing visuals and setting, just the rest of that section was to dark and musicly borring3. Candy shop (Sticky) I don't know why lot of fans hate it, I think it was on point and had a great energy for a start4. Future lovers (COAD) visuals and theme are great but that song is just yuck...very weak choice but visuals made it work, musicly NO5. Vogue (RIT) great visuals, great oldie, nice costumes, maybe to basic but on point6. Drowned world (DWT) it worked, it was different, she was back, song was and stil is one of her best ballads7. Open your heart (WTG) - powerfull, great song, live sound and she was just like she jumped out of her music video8. Dress You Up (VT) - it was so iconice back then, very powerfull song and vocals, worked great9. Iconic (RHT) great visuals, but I don't feel it...don't get the point... chinese theme then nuns and religion? tired...she should open it with Living for love10. Erotica (GS) zzz zz z,. zzzz. zz. z...oh Fever, show finnaly started?

she didnt sing Express Yourself life during BAT 😊

[madgefan 10,160]

she didnt sing Express Yourself life during BAT

 

She did! She just used some backing track from time to time. Listen to the audio from Dallas, TX.

[Bat-Fan 1,175]

She did! She just used some backing track from time to time. Listen to the audio from Dallas, TX.

ok i will check it, but I have both the japan and Nice shows on DVD and those 2 are 100% mimed, and its totally fine because singing and dancing to this song is very hard, same with Vogue

[thumby615 0]

Here's my two cents' worth: 

 

10) Rebel Heart Tour—"Iconic"

 

This is the most underwhelming and self-indulgent opening she's ever done for a tour. It's overly long (like WAAAAAAAAYYYYYY too long), has no real dramatic payoff and features a song that no one likes. And the whole Madonna-as-medieval-warrior message mixed with an abused Marilyn Monroe and Mike Tyson just doesn't do it. At all. 

 

9) MDNA Tour—"Girl Gone Wild"

 

It's not the worst song or the best song on the album—the best by far is "Love Spent," but that wouldn't make for a good show opener, unfortunately. This opening was an overwrought mess, was again way too long, and she lip-synched the entire performance (and it was quite obvious, too). 

 

8) Who's That Girl World Tour—"Open Your Heart" 

 

Meh. I love the song, and she's in high form here. But it's really dated looking and sounding with the ruf-rufs, the Shabba-Do dancing and the choreography, which compared to later Madonna efforts is actually pretty awful. And while I can appreciate the live vocals—she sounds terrible. 

 

7) Drowned World Tour—"Drowned World" 
 

This is where it actually starts to get hard and becomes an exercise in nitpicking on performances. The tour set is beautiful—like BEAUTIFUL, and this one gets top marks for entrances for the musical crew and backup singers. It's really awesome. The lights are beautiful. The colors are beautiful. And then Madonna's entrance is just kind of—well... there. But she sounds great, and she's completely live. And this definitely is in the top three tours for Best Second Song, because the performance of "Impressive Instant" kicks major ass. 

 

6) Sticky & Sweet Tour—"Candy Shop"

 

I hated this song on the album. LOVED this performance, and the C-A-N-D-Y countdown was excellent. Quick, dramatic, to-the-point, fun and colorful. She sang live, and it was a spectacular visual performance. 

 

5) The Virgin Tour—"Dress You Up"

 

It's not my favorite Madonna song, but seeing her on her very first outing and watching her hit it out of the ballpark is exciting to this day. The crowd loves it and she's completely live, and it's become an iconic video for 80s live performances. 

 

4) Girlie Show Tour—"Erotica"

 

This was the perfect way to perform this song, and to have it as the show opener for the tour. It's sexy, visually dramatic and fits the theme of the show to a T. And "Fever" may be the best second-song performance she's ever done. 

 

3) Reinvention World Tour—"Vogue"

 

Madonna has performed "Vogue" multiple times in concert—this is the second-best performance, and is the perfect show-opener for a tour that focused on greatest hits. The only thing that keeps this from being in the number 2 slot overall is that there's really no way Madonna can outdo the original performance contained within the Blond Ambition Tour, and any changes to the song end up becoming a distraction from the performance overall. 

 

2) Confessions Tour—"Future Lovers"

 

While this isn't the best song on the COADF album and of all the tour songs themselves it's in the middle of the pack—the drama and flourish that goes along with this opening KICKS ASS. Literally the ONLY thing I don't like about this opening number is the horse costume theme, which is kitschy and cheesy. Everything else rocks. 

 

1) Blond Ambition Tour—"Express Yourself"

 

This is the best concert opening of all time. Period. And the performance itself is at the top of the top 5 live performances by Madonna, along with "Like A Virgin" from the same tour, "Fever" from the GS Tour, "Frozen" from DW Tour, and "La Vie En Rose" from the RH Tour.