Madonna announces new North American dates for her Celebration Tour
Madonna has announced the rescheduled North American dates of her global Celebration Tour, several weeks after she was hospitalized for a bacterial infection. The singer released the new dates on her website Tuesday, a day before her 65th birthday.
The tour will now kick off in Europe on the originally scheduled dates. Starting in London on October 14, Madonna will go on to play in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands before touring North America.
Madonna was supposed to start her tour in Vancouver, Canada, on July 15, but Madonna postponed it after spending several days in the ICU in late June due to a "serious bacterial infection," her manager said at the time.
Less than two weeks later, Madonna took to social media to confirm she was "on the road to recovery" and "getting stronger."
"My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children," the singer wrote. "My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn't want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone."
"Live Nation is pleased to confirm that most of the North America dates of Madonna's Celebration Tour have been rescheduled and will take place immediately following the originally announced UK and Europe dates," the statement on Madonna's website said.
All tickets for previously scheduled shows will be honored on the new dates, with a few exceptions. Due to venue changes, the shows in Los Angeles and one show in New York will require fresh purchases — ticketholders will be refunded and given priority for the new venues.
Additionally, certain shows in Tulsa, Nashville, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Phoenix had to be canceled due to scheduling conflicts. "Madonna regrets the inconvenience to fans and hopes to make it up to those markets in the future," the statement said.
The Celebration Tour's North American leg will now begin in Brooklyn on December 13 and wrap up in Mexico City in April 2024.
The tour promises to cover all four decades of Madonna's remarkable career, which began with the 1982 song "Everybody" and rose to national prominence the following year with the song "Holiday."
"I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for," Madonna said when she announced the tour in January.