Madonna ready to wrap up 'Celebration' tour with her biggest concert ever, in Rio.

The Queen of Pop arrived in Brazil today!

They're expecting 1.5 million people!

She really surprised me with this tour. It went without any real hitch (after the initial postponement fiasco) andI haven’t heard of any cancellations. Despite the dramas over her late arrival, the critic’s reviews I’ve seen have been have been largely glowing. I’m happy to see her pick herself up after whatever the hell happened to her the past few years.

Janet's concert at the Passaic River is expecting tens of people!

It was a great show. I wish she'd extend it. I'd go again.

Once the Queen, always the Queen!

Getting that butt lift while she's there.

As usual Marlene did it first.

No cancellations. 81 shows- her 3rd most ever. Sold out. Glowing reviews. Happy crowds (she wasn’t late- she came on 30-45 minutes after the opening act), and now a crowd of 1.5 to 2 million.

Rumors she will extend next Fall.

She started the tour just four months after being in a coma for four days from sepsis while intubated. It makes me happy she got her normal face back, is acting way less weird now, and gave us a great, very long, both concert wise and # of dates wise, tour.

Will she sing Everybody?

Yes, r11.

It’s a Celebration

Nothing Really Matters

Everybody

Into the (Hollywood) Groove

Burning Up

Open Your Heart

Holiday

Live to Tell

Like a Prayer

Erotica/You Thrill Me

Justify My Love

Fever

Hung Up

Bad Girl

Vogue

Human Nature

Crazy for You

The Beast Within

Die Another Day

Don’t Tell Me

Mother and Father

Little Star

I Will Survive, by Gloria Gaynor

La Isla Bonita

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

I Don’t Search I Find

Bedtime Story

Ray of Light

Rain

Like a Virgin

Gimme All Your Luvin'/B***h I’m Madonna

Celebration/Music

^^^^

Wow! Even burning up?

Impressive!

When you strut, sing along with yourself on a track (no band) and lip sync, is it a concert? A show perhaps.

I sort of think of her shows as akin to Trump rallies on a larger scale. It’s too bad because she has made some great pop music in the recording studio.

R14 she sings live, to a backing track, like most of the industry. The backing track is so faint that when she goes off it, you barely hear it in the arena. You clearly hear her live voice in the arena. For instance, she sounds great on Crazy For You, but wobbly on Take A Bow. If she were to lip, I think she’d s choose to on TAB, yet she doesn’t.

She´s wearing a Norma Desmond skincare-routine mask for rehearshal.

I wonder if she will stop the show and curse out Tupã* till the temparature is to her liking.

*According to legend, after Nhanderuvuçú created the souls and waters (Iara), he created Tupã, responsible for controlling weather, climate and winds.

I'm really excited for her. I was really worried when she started the tour; it was clear she was still in recovery and could not move around the stage as much. Frightening. A the root progressed asked been moving around and dancing a lot more. She's totally got this, and she deserves this. She worked really fucking hard. Go Madonna!

R16 She's probably not wearing any makeup since it's a rehearsal and it's between 85-90 degrees out but also doesn't want the paparazzi to get a photo of what she really looks like.

I think she's one of the people who does fine under immense pressure and who falls apart left to her own devices and stuck in her flat. Good for her. I love seeing her succeed.

R18 But is it art?

R15, Aretha, Ella, Judy, Barbra, Joni and others did not and do not at any stage in their performing careers sing along with a recorded track. Gives you an idea of the mediocrity of the current pop music world if you say it’s a performing standard.

R21 = Michael Jackson 's sister.

40 years in the business! Good for Madonna!

She could send a lookalike to The Orient and make million$ more just sitting at home.

42 years, not 40.

She should have done the Rio thing as a home viewing event/PPV.

That's excellent thanks R27. I'm hoping because this will be broadcast that some kind soul will upload it to YouTube so we can all watch it.

The old bird did it...high praise for that. Against the predictions of most here, as I recall.

She was even a good sport with Kimmel on this stupid Guillermo skit.

Looks great too!

You're welcome, r28!

R21, yes but those ladies did not do choreographed dance routines like modern pop acts do. What Madonna, Janet, and even Pink with her trapeze act, do are entirely different from what songbirds Mariah and Celine do.

I don't think I have ever seen an actual celebrity transform into their impersonator. She looks more and more like Sashsa Colby as she morphs.

R29

I don´t like that old crow and make fun of her here and there. Mostly here.

However it is nice that she got herself in shape enough so that her stans are enjoying it and having a good time with the circus she provides. South Amercian audiences are a wild enthusiastic wonderful audience and will give that old hag her much graved adrenalin. (Dietrich was greeted so wildly that she had to feign unconsciousness to be able to get into the theather , carried by policemen )

Enjoy!

Eldergay huffing along to the Jane Fonda Geriatric Workout & in a 'Couple of weeks I’ll be bendy like Madonna, darling. Then I’ll be able to kiss my own arse from both directions.' ©

1.5 million with more coming in.

Almost there!

Up to 2+million

R2 are those glasses meant to look like eyes peeking out on top?

If anyone's still having trouble. This twitter account has a live stream and you can project it to your smart TV / Roku / Apple TV etc. She sounds great and that crowd is MASSIVE. Is it over a million people? Wild. And what a beautiful setting. Link below...

2.5 million estimated now

One of my best friends is vacationing in Brazil right now. He said the entire country had gone Madonna mad. Such a great idea to wrap the tour up this way. Brazilian audiences are some of the best in the world. So passionate and appreciative.

I got my new butt tonight and I’m excited, hello Rio!

She actually looks shockingly good.

It's always fun to make fun of Madonna's complete lack of self awareness, her affectations and her surgeries, but this is an undeniably moving moment -- performing a triumphant final Celebration concert in one of the most iconic locations in the world in front of millions of people less than a year after she was lying in a hospital bed at death's door. Good for her.

The show is incredible.

She's on her game and seems to actually be enjoying herself.

Damn it’s a great show.

Madge is redeeming herself. Good job 👏

Oh wow! Look at all those people! What an amazing experience.

Where are you all watching the show?

Here's some kind of live stream I just found on YouTube R49.

I don't know if it's going to be any good.

It just ended a few minutes ago, R49. There were several different livestream links on Twitter, and there were also ways to use a VPN to watch on Brazilian TV.

What in incredible setting for a concert. It will turn up on YouTube shortly hopefully. Did you watch it R51?

I did, yes. I thought it was really spectacular. If this was her last show, then she ended on a high. Even the interludes, which I've also found kind of annoying, worked, especially The Beast Within.

The audio quality was amazing, too, like listening to a concert album.

My goodness! That this 65 year old woman can still draw in that many people is incredible. She is indeed a global superstar!

It’s Rio, hon. Call us when she can get this amount in the US.

Very cool moment.

The end to her flop of a tour.

2.5 million people!

R57, you took time for that flop of a post? Your life is a flop. Her tour has been a success.

Imagine how grossly obese R57 is. What a fat flop.

3.2 million final number

Wow.

3.2 MILLION! Holy fuck!

I don't think any legitimate source is estimating 3.2 million. Live Nation has posted an estimate of 1.6 million making it perhaps the most attended concert in history. Her manager Guy also posted 1.6 million. It's absolutely massive, so no need for fans to make up 3.2 million numbers.

Most attended STANDALONE concert that should be. I think the difference being, they mean a one-off artist's concert as opposed to an artist appearing as part of a festival / event / celebration. Whatever the qualifiers, hard to argue with last night being anything other than a massive success.

I'm glad for what this opens up for other older women (not you, J Lo).

1.6 million people sounds amazing R64. I guess we'll get the proper number once everything has settled down. If Guy is posting 1.6 million then it's probably the most accurate count for now.

Expect Janbot to storm into the thread any second ;)

Good for Madge, I genuinely didn’t think she had this tour in her, but I’m glad to be proven wrong. She’s clearly sorted out whatever weird shit she’s been going through the last few years.

[quote]It’s Rio, hon. Call us when she can get this amount in the US.

Oh, STFU with your stupid ass, R55.

R67 - believe that estimate comes from Rio authorities, too...

The Rolling Stones played to 1.2 million at the same site.

Rod Stewart (of all people) played to more than 4 million there, but that was part of a New Year's Eve celebration and it's thought many were there specifically for New Year's revelry / the fireworks.

The show

[quote]It’s Rio, hon. Call us when she can get this amount in the US.

Exactly, she's got to leave the US to get that kind of number. A concert in Rio is meaningless. I'd also like to know the average age of those concert goers, unless of course it was a free concert.

And Janbot arrives.

R72 = Sean Spicer arguing about Trump crowd sizes.

[quote]Exactly, she's got to leave the US to get that kind of number. A concert in Rio is meaningless. I'd also like to know the average age of those concert goers, unless of course it was a free concert.

Janet "Miss Cancellation" Jackson would never achieve what Madonna achieved last night, in Rio or anywhere else in the world, even if she paid people to attend her concert.

Vadgebot is talking to itself again in this thread.

And no one cares about Janet at this point either.

Beyoncé and Taylor are where it’s at for everybody under forty right now.

This was a free concert in Rio correct?

Loved to see her kids as part of the concert!

Beyonce is a clown and Taylor killed a girl in Brazil.

Smart, she went to party lovIng country. I'll giver her her flowers. She deserves it. Go Mo! 🌹🌹🌹🌹

Couldn't do it here because the average American would see it as a mass casualty event in the offing..

Sad when it’s safer to do that in Brazil than America.

[quote] Beyoncé and Taylor are where it’s at for everybody under forty right now.

That’s nothing to be proud of.

I LOVE Beyonce, but she's where it's at for everyone under FIFTY right now.

Had a brief catch up with my friend who is vacationing in Brazil. He said said conservatives in Brazil were up in arms over the show because of her AIDS tribute, her embrace of LGBTQ people, her kissing of a trans woman on stage while wearing the Brazilian flag etc. Who knew the old gal would still be tormenting conservatives at this stage?

Love that kind of stuff, r84!

There aren’t enough basic white girls to fill that kind of crowd for Taylor in any city in any country.

Madonna is an old, dried up one trick pony still bilking eldergays out of their social security checks. Oooh she kissed a trans person. Aaaah she wrapped herself in a flag. Wake me when she does something original or something not stolen from 1985. Notice how neither Taylor nor Beyonce have shown up at any of her concerts.

R86 Is that you, Cheryl? Cuz your pussy stinks.

1.6 was the crowd before the concert. The official number is larger as it was reported in on Brazilian news more people were pouring in as the concert got under way.

Massive success. Suck it, haters. I bet ever psychiatrist’s phone is ringing off the hook today.

More like every agents phone is floaded with the same message: "Get me Rio 2025!"

[quote]Beyoncé and Taylor are where it’s at for everybody under forty right now.

Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album is flopping on streaming platforms. Her audience is mostly over 40.

Once a Queen...

Do people over 40 not count? JFC just STFU about that BS.

Sweet moment singing “This little light of mine.”

R86, Queen Bey does not need to mix with the hoi polloi at a Madonna concert to show reverence to the Queen Mother.

That’s because Madonna goes to HER shows.

Wow. Wish I could have been there. The old broad still has it!

Beyonce went to a Rebel Heart show in LA. Taylor Swift attended Madame X in Brooklyn. Madonna has also collaborated with both. Taylor took a backseat and played guitar during Madonna's performance of Ghosttown.

The 32 minute mark at r71 Link was really moving. The transition from Celebration to Live to Tell when AIDS hit and ended the party actually choked me up.

Thanks for posting it.

There's a whole world out there R72. We know you grossly obese, low-IQ home-schooled insular Americans all think the world begins and ends and your borders - but it most certainly doesn't.

Madonna's tour was a resounding worldwide sell-out success and she has set a new record for concert crowd numbers.

Madonna is still the Queen of Pop and the highest selling female musical artist of all time after 4 decades.

Suck it.

I grabbed the video at R71. Incredible show. And I don't think that show will stay on YouTube for long. But who knows.

I just grabbed it too R100. Good thinking it probably won't stay there for long. I use 4K video downloader if anyone else wants to grab it too. The concert is 4.37 GB in total download size.

[quote]Madonna is still the Queen of Pop and the highest selling female musical artist of all time after 4 decades.

Not in Brazil.

Here's the setlist for R71's YouTube link:

[quote] Madonna is still the Queen of Pop and the highest selling female musical artist of all time after 4 decades.

By the next decade, Taylor Swift will dethrone her as the biggest-selling female artist of all time.

Totally agree R104. After all, Madonna is 65 now - 66 in August and at the end of her career.

But lets see if Swift can hold onto the title for more than 4 decades.

R104 And? She’ll also surpass MJ and the Beatles. Streaming isn’t physical sales.

Good point R106.

She's finally got her shit together and is back to normal. She is once again the Madonna I fell in love with over twenty years ago.

I would like to apologize and take back nearly every negative past remark I have ever made about her.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to watch my Madonna Historical Collection blu rays from Brazil and relive her entire chronological videography from Everybody all the way up to Batuka and those dreadful Frozen TikTok remixes (the original full length version of Frozen from Ray of Light remains an unparalleled masterpiece).

swift doesnt have half the artistry of old madge and never will.

[quote] This was a free concert in Rio correct?

Yes and Live Nation still isn’t giving out the numbers to the other dates because it didn’t sell out. Tickets were marked down from $500 to $57. They bumped people up at every stop. The only dates that did well were in the U.K. wheee she was trashed.

[quote] She's finally got her shit together and is back to normal.

Said no one ever while she flails around with grillz in her mouth.

Agreed, R108. I’m convinced the last few years she was on drugs and had lost the plot mentally. It was disturbing to see in somebody who had always been so disciplined and in control of herself. Her brush with death clearly made her sort herself out. I just hope she doesn’t go back to the embarrassing social media videos like drinking water from a dog bowl and scary cosmetic procedures. She’s maybe the type of person that needs to be working to stay sane.

Ugh. This is Madonna's magic. She can be the most batshit, heinous cunt non-stop for over a decade, to the point where you can't remember what you ever saw in her in the first place...and then she pulls a performance like this out of her 65 year old silicone carcass and you hopelessly fall in love with her all over again.

She's a witch, I tell you. An actual witch.

She didn't phone it in.

R110 Are you really stupid, or pretending to be stupid? ALL the dates’ #s have been released. Avg per show was almost 15,000 attended.

I am happy for her. That show was pure joy.

It was a great concert. Madge looked and sounded great. But I’m afraid she turned that little African boy gay.

They way some of you fawn over that no talent gargoyle makes me kind of embarrassed for you. Did she ever learn how to sing? The 80s aren't coming back darlings. If the only way you can get people to come see you is via a free concert than you have passed your prime. Hell, I doubt she would have gotten 10,000 at a free concert in the US. Sad, so very sad.

R117 Love her. Very talented, love her voice, great songwriter, great dancer, peerless performer.

Btw, r117, she got 100s of thousands to pay at concerts in the USA. Go to touring data you jealous cunt.

R117 will not take away this huge triumph. I'm ecstatic for Madonna. Huge win for her! She's back!

R117 could those grapes be any more sour?

Why no band? Cheap?

Poor Jabba! It's back inside Janet's pussy for you, dear!

Meanwhile, Janet...

I guess it's true that if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.

I thought this tour may, in fact, kill her, but nope. She came out of it looking more fit and stronger than she's been in years.

[quote] Do people over 40 not count? JFC just STFU about that BS.

Right, what is this ageist bullshit? And on DL, a site mostly browsed by older gays??? Janbot likes to think it's 20 years old.

[quote] Ugh. This is Madonna's magic. She can be the most batshit, heinous cunt non-stop for over a decade, to the point where you can't remember what you ever saw in her in the first place...and then she pulls a performance like this out of her 65 year old silicone carcass and you hopelessly fall in love with her all over again.

Well said. Maybe I was wrong for giving up on her? It's incredible that she did this as a 65 year old woman. Maybe younger generations will end up streaming her music more.

This is The Madonna we fell in love with!

Long live the queen 👸!

Her ex, Jesus, was in the "Family and Friends" section.

[quote]Why no band? Cheap?

R120 - That was my one tiny disappointment of the tour when I saw it live a few weeks ago. But, the reason she decided to not go with a live band is because this was, essentially, a greatest hits tour and she (thankfully) recognized that people didn't only fall in love with her on those songs, but on the original production and instrumentation. So, Stuart Price came in and he mixed the backing tracks for the tour to spotlight the elements of those productions we most love. They apparently also recorded new instrumentation and backing vocals and combined those with the original tracks to produce the Celebration tour sound. He also added a ton of easter eggs -- interpolations from other Madonna songs -- sometimes overt, sometimes very subtly hidden in the mix. Unfortunately, when I saw the tour live the sound in the arena wasn't great so you couldn't pick up on all of those nuances. It was wonderful hearing all those details on the Rio telecast. Still, there's nothing like the energy of a live band. If she ever tours again I hope she'll have a band (and backup singers) with her.

So that's why Nikki Harris called this a singalong

A Nikki & Donna reunion would have been amazing. Maybe next time..?

[quote]Why no band?

Madonna hasn't used a band for her concerts for a long time. Decades. That's because she's a dance/performance act. Nobody is there is see a band - they're there to see Madonna perform.

R128 That sounds like an excuse really. The original synth sounds can be copied from the original master tapes/stems and programmed into a modern day synth workstation, replicated and played live.

She's just being a little cheap. Why pay for a whole band when she can just pay for a couple of backing vocalists and Stuart Price fiddling with a massive workstation like the Wizard of Oz?

But nonetheless I am very impressed that she didn't miss a single date and she's back on top of her game.

[QUOTE]Madonna hasn't used a band for her concerts for a long time. Decades. That's because she's a dance/performance act. Nobody is there is see a band - they're there to see Madonna perform.

R128 - Do you think you can just make shit up as though none of us went to those tours? Or, you know, have internet access?

---------------------------------------------------------

MADAME X TOUR BAND:

Madonna

Kevin Antunes: Musical Director

Monte Pittman: Guitar

Gaspar Varela: Guitar

Rickey Pageot: Piano, Accordion & Percussion

Jessica Pina: Trumpet & Background Vocalist

Ademiro "Miroca" Paris: Percussion & Guitar

Carlos Mil-Homens: Percussion

Francesca Dardani: Violin

Celia Hatton: Viola

Mariko Muranaka: Cello

Andrea "Munchie" Lanz: Background Vocalist

Dana "Yahzarah" Williams: Background Vocalist

---------------------------------------------------------

REBEL HEART TOUR BAND:

Madonna: Vocals & Guitar

Kiley Dean: Backing Vocals

Nicki Richards: Backing Vocals

Kevin Antunes: Musical Director & Keyboards

Brian Frasier-Moore: Drums

Ric'key Pageot: Keyboards

Monte Pittman: Guitar

Sean Spuehler: Vocal Mix Engineer

---------------------------------------------------------

MDNA TOUR BAND:

Madonna: Vocals & Guitar

Kiley Dean: Backing Vocals

Nicki Richards: Backing Vocals

Kevin Antunes: Musical Director, Keyboards & Programmer

Brian Frasier-Moore: Drums

Ric'key Pageot: Keyboards & Upright Piano

Monte Pittman: Guitar

Jason Yang: Violin

Sean Spuehler: Vocal Mix Engineer

---------------------------------------------------------

STICKY & SWEET TOUR BAND:

Madonna: Vocals & Guitar

Kiley Dean: Backing Vocals

Nicki Richards: Backing Vocals

Kevin Antunes: Musical Director, Keyboards & Programmer

Brian Frasier-Moore: Drums

Ric'key Pageot: Piano, Keyboards & Accordion

Monte Pittman: Guitar, Backing vocals & Cow Bell

Eric Jao (DJ Enferno): DJ

Arkady Gips: Violin & Backing Vocals

Alexander Kolpakov: Guitar & Singer

Vladim Kolpakov: Guitar, Backing Vocals & Dancer

Sean Spuehler: Sound Design

Demetrius Moore: Audience Mic Master

---------------------------------------------------------

CONFESSIONS TOUR BAND:

Madonna: Vocals & Guitar

Donna DeLory: Backing Vocals

Nicki Richards: Backing Vocals

Yitzhak Sinwani: Additional Vocals

Stuart Price: Musical Director, Keyboards & Programmer

Marcus Brown: Keyboards

Monte Pittman: Guitar

Steve Sidelnyk: Drums

---------------------------------------------------------

REINVENTION TOUR BAND:

Madonna: Vocals & Guitar

Donna DeLory: Backing Vocals

Siedah Garrett: Backing Vocals

Stuart Price: Musical Director, Keyboards & Guitar

Marcus Brown: Keyboards

Mike McKnight: Programmer & Keyboards

Monte Pittman: Guitar

Steve Sidelnyk: Drums

Lorne Cousin: Bagpipes

JFC R133. How long did that take you to compile? I saw Rebel Heart and don't remember a band.

R134, it is called research as opposed to talking out your butt.

R135 Thank you. Too often people say shit so hoping others will take it at face value. This is a bit of gaslighting, though I don’t think Chaos was doing it on purpose.

I felt very proud of our gal. The Rio concert was bliss. She did it.

R134 - I saw Rebel Heart. There was a band.

A gastric band, R137.

You have to fight lies with cold hard facts. That's what r133 did.

Medonner showed why we love her deep down. I can't believe she did this mere months after having a 4% chance of living. That concert was long and rigorous. 💙

Sorry, my quote was correct, but I tagged the wrong poster. My post at R133 was response to the poster at R131 who just makes shit up and assumes we'll swallow it hook line and sinker.

R134 - it didn't take long. I just copy and pasted from a Wiki. 2 minutes, tops.

I wish someone could tell us the name of her hot bodyguard

r141 - pics, please?

R141

She peed so much it caused a deluge, allegedly.

Icon!

Backflip, atop a giant raised cube, without a harness, in the middle of singing Ray of Light, at age 65. Okay, M, okay. Well done!

Dietrich did that too! At 75!!!

Dietrich did that too! At 75!!!

Dietrich did that too! At 75!!!

into the orchestra pit and it ended her career!

(i meant to add above ..

Sorry for the triple post mess

still has those giant implants 🤣

R151 She doesn’t, actually. Also, seeing her in person, she is tiny and her proportions are even. Her butt looks great in person. Whatever she did previously was undone.

Eyeroll R152. You can see the butt implants at R146. Perhaps reduced in size but still huge.

Madonna has NO butt, naturally. She lost what little she had in her ultra fitness and slim years.

One Night In Rio

R153 eyeroll is you thinking that is a butt implant.

r152 - yes, I was struck by how tiny she actually is in person, too.

She is listed at 5’3” which might be generous so she is definitely not statuesque. But she performs big.

Incredible shot of the opening. It's really kind of jaw dropping.

Of course Taylor (and, possibly, Beyonce) will eventually surpass this, but for now, Madonna has another record as the only woman to have six or more tours earn more than $100 million.

Touring is big business now. Artists are making a killing. Back before this touring bonanza, only a few years ago, you had to be really popular to make a lot of money touring, or tour for a long time.

Madonna only did short tours until Sticky and Sweet and even then she only did 20-25 more dates. Her longest was 88 dates whereas most do well into the hundreds.

She could pass for 20 again.

This tour turned out to be the better choice of her time than that shitty bio film.

R163 We have no idea how the film would have turned out. The tour was a great choice.

The film was heading in the down the drain direction for years because Madonna was being a control freak. She's not capable of writing and directing a picture about herself.

This tour forced her to work and produce and also be surrounded by many working people trying to get a job done. She may be the ringleader and have a lot of control but a tour is not a bespoke boutique experience coddling her and only her 24/7. Also she had to deliver to her fans. I think it's amazing she had the emotional and physical energy to deliver a 2 hour show to millions of people and have the charisma to keep their attention and make them happy.

I was curious how Who's That Girl and Blonde Ambition didn't make more money. And then I saw how few shows she had. Even though she had few shows on both tours, she made a LOT of money per show. So even before she was a touring force, she was selling out shows like crazy. And it's insane to read how 25 thousand fans hounded her when she landed in Japan.

Here is footage from Japan from when she landed in 1987

This is better footage

It doesn’t make her a better person.

[quote] It doesn’t make her a better person.

Noted, thank you

How to save a bombing tour? Oh yeah, give away tickets in Brazil. 🤣🤣🤣 Tay and Bey must be laughing their asses off.

Janbot, give it up.

R172, so grossing over $225 million is considered a bomb now?

R174, Janbot doesn't understand math. Janet's tour--assuming it wouldn't be cancelled--would have made 1/10th of that.

When Jabba and Peecake reproduce, you get r172.

She just made history, Jabba.

Cry, baby, cry.

Janet's Together Again grossed $51 million. So less than 1/4 but not 1/10.

Janet may have pocketed a lot of cash, however, because her tour redefined "bare bones".

Queen!

Who gives a fuck if she made 1/10 of what Beyonce and Taylor each made? While Beyonce is very talented, Taylor Swift is rather bland (and one of the worst songwriters ever) and Madonna has been around much longer than both of them and she has more memorable songs and albums.

Besides Payola is ten times more common now than it was back then. Digital plays and sales are very easy to manipulate (see Tidal).

No way are all of these talentless hack Gen Z performers breaking records within the first five years of their careers (like Billie Eilish) that legendary singers with actual talent took much longer to break.

Quality matters much more than quanity.

These numbers mean what people have been saying for years. She’s a nostalgia act. Nothing wrong with it but it is what it is. People want 83-2000 material from her.

One can only hope she has the common sense not to do new music anymore. She hasn’t had a number one hit in almost twenty five years. Her last new album was a major flop as was the tour to promote it. Either embrace your hits or just retire. I don’t see where else she could go at this point but do variations of this kind of tour.

I say another theater tour with Nikki and Donna where she just performs ballads.

Rain, Bad Girl and Live To Tell proved a huge hit on this tour with audiences so give them what they want.

A nice live band, perhaps a strings quartet...

No choreography needed. Make a great live album.

Cyndi Lauper was challenging Madonna to be the Queen of Pop back in the 1980s, but she fell off so quickly and severely. Her music was just as good as Madonna's, but I think her quirky appearance and personality was too much to take once the novelty wore off. It's very interesting to watch how some artists hit big overnight and then fall out of favor just as quickly.

Lauper's career was over by 1986.

R181, the Rio concert was not at all a trip down memory lane. Sure, it was a mix but hardly stale.

R185 people didn’t go to hear Bitch I’m Madonna. Please.

It was a greatest hits show. But it’s Madonna so the audience has to pretend shit like Celebration matters.

[quote]One can only hope she has the common sense not to do new music anymore. She hasn’t had a number one hit in almost twenty five years.

The assumption being that she only releases new music to have #1 hits. Madonna is well aware that she doesn't get played on US radio anymore, but that shouldn't stop her from creating new music. You don't tell writers to stop writing. You don't tell painters to stop painting. So why are you so hung up on telling Madonna to retire?

Cyndi's music hasn't aged well. True Colors is cringeworthy to listen to. Most of her ballads have been played out. I used to be a big Cyndi fan in the 80s, and into the mid-90s, but I can't bear to listen to most of her stuff now. Yes, she's the far better singer than Madonna, but many of Madonna's songs have endured and are just as pleasurable to listen to 30-40 years later.

Cyndi's music is played more on the radio today. I hear Time After Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun every time I listen to oldies stations. The only song of Madonna's I hear on radio now is Get Into the Groove. Judging by radio, I'd say that Cyndi's music has endured the best with the general public.

The radio doesn't really mean anything these days but I hear plenty of Madonna's songs on the radio. But nothing after Frozen. Based on streams, Time affter Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun have endured more than any of Madonna's songs. I mean, even Miles Davis covered Time after Time.

I turn the radio on to KOST 103.5 for my dogs when I step out of the house, and that station seems to always be playing Holiday, Borderline, Take a Bow, and La Isla Bonita. I think those songs are just as timeless as Time After Time, GJWHF.

R191, I agree. But the general public feels differently, apparently. I hear Holiday, Borderline, Like a Virgin, Material Girl, Into the Groove, Papa Don't Preach, Live to Tell, La Isla Bonita, Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, Vogue and Frozen quite a bit on the radio. IMO, only one or two of those are not great.

Remember when she died last year?

R189 I only hear the 80's and 90's. Holiday, Borderline, Material Girl, Into The Groove, Open Your Heart, True Blue and Take a Bow plus a few others are the only ones the "oldies" radio stations in my area play.

Once in a rare while I'll Remember gets played. That is one of my favorite singles. Very underrated.

Remember when R193 was a humorless cunt 1 minute ago?

R195, what can you expect from Janbot?

Madonna has a lot more hits than Cyndi, but Girls Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time are bigger than any of Madonna's hits. The radio play and the streams show that to be the case.

Cyndi has ONE true big song. Of course that gets played more. Madonna has DOZENS of hits, so her plays are spread out. Who is this bitch trying to diminish Madonna and elevate Cyndi? Cyndi voice was fucking annoying. Her speech impediment was distracting. Her music was not “just as good” after 1984.

Also, Madonna does not have a record company to push her streaming. She’s an independent artist right now. Record companies play a huge role in pushing artist’s streaming.

The Madame X tour was not a flop any stretch. Janbot cannot do math.

Touring wise, when you look at money made per show, Madonna is usually #1 or top 3 of all time. She goes far fewer shows than most. While she likes touring, she hates touring for a long time.

Her concert in Rio was a gift to the fans. I am thrilled she was able to pull this off, it was one of her longest concerts at 2 1/2 hours, and her third longest. She did it without cancelling one show and did it 4 months after being in the hospital in a coma for four days. Congrats!

What a gorgeous place to end a tour!

[quote] Cyndi has ONE true big song. Of course that gets played more. Madonna has DOZENS of hits, so her plays are spread out.

I agree with all of your post aside from this part. That's not really how it works. Michael Jackson's signature song is Beat It. But he has other songs that stream extremely well--Beat It, Don't Stop Till You get Enough, Smooth Criminal, etc. Queen is an even better example. Everyone knows Bohemian Rhapsody is their signature song but they have SEVERAL songs over 1 billion streams. If people like the song, they'll stream it.

That should say "Michael Jackson's signature song is Billie Jean".

[quote] Cyndi's music is played more on the radio today. I hear Time After Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun every time I listen to oldies stations. The only song of Madonna's I hear on radio now is Get Into the Groove. Judging by radio, I'd say that Cyndi's music has endured the best with the general public.

Sure, Jan.

[quote] Madonna has a lot more hits than Cyndi, but Girls Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time are bigger than any of Madonna's hits. The radio play and the streams show that to be the case.

Dumbest post I've seen on here in ages.

R200 You are wrong. Madonna doesn’t have a company pushing her streams. Madonna’s songs are beloved, and very diverse.

R203, butI was objecting to the idea that since Madonna has many hit songs, her streams are spread out. That's not how it really works. I agree with your comments on Madonna's catalogue, it is very diverse.

Girls and Time after Time are played constantly and are pop classics. True Colors is a frequently covered pop song that has become an anthem of the gay community.

Don’t come for Cyndi. She s done a shit ton for the gay community since the 80s. She never abandoned us like certain others did when they moved to England and married a homophobe.

Cyndi and Madonna's most streamed songs on Spotify:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun-- 1.1 billion

Time After Time-- 791 million

Hung Up-- 422 million

La Isla Bonita-- 434 million

Cyndi and Madonna's most watched videos on YouTube:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun-- 1.3 billion

Time After Time-- 519 million

La Isla Bonita-- 901 million

Hung Up-- 474 million

***Both wonderful, but Cyndi's music has the best longevity with the public.

I wouldn't say 'no' to new music from M. Especially if she's embracing her past and working with some prior collaborators like Patrick Leonard, Stephen Bray, Mirwais and maybe Stuart Price (who did such a great job arranging the music for this tour) executive producing.

[quote]Madonna doesn’t have a company pushing her streams. Madonna’s songs are beloved, and very diverse.

By a dying demographic. Her biggest fans aren't getting any younger. She is the very definition of an oldies act now. Why can't you all accept it? You sad people are still carrying on a feud with Janet Jackson that resolved itself decades okay.

This line says it all:

[quote]I wouldn't say 'no' to new music from M. Especially if she's embracing her past

Just stop the madness.

R208, please review the footage from Rio. Twenty and thirty year olds.

Of course, everyone is young when pushing 70 as I am.

I’m sure this was an unmitigated, calamitous disaster.

[quote]The Queen of Pop arrived in Brazil today!

Janet is nowhere near Brazil. She's too busy gearing up for the Summer North American second leg of her Together Again tour, to be followed up by the European leg in the fall.

Oh, Jabba! You funny. NOT.

The Burger Queen.

R207, no one wants anything from Mirwaste. He’s responsible for two flop albums now.

R206 and r208 is Jabba Janbot

R214 I always refer to him as the farting robot producer.

R214 Music was a flop? It sold 14 million WW, almost 4 in the USA.

Did Janet go to Kylie's Vegas residency to see how a successful one was done?

[quote] Music was a flop? It sold 14 million WW, almost 4 in the USA.

Music was also William Orbit. Mirwaste executive produced American Life and Madame X. The end.

[quote]Did Janet go to Kylie's Vegas residency to see how a successful one was done?

She went to visit her friend Kylie, but had already been there/done that with her own successful residency.

Except we know that's not true, Jabba, because we saw all the empty seats at EVERY SINGLE SHOW.

^You mean the ones in your AZT-addled brain. Receipts for the truth are all over Google.

[quote] What do you know about truth, Gorilla? We rub the truth in your face all the time and it doesn't stick.

Only $13M???

Bwahaha

Madonna probably spent $13M just on sets

$13 million for 18 shows in expensive Vegas is atrocious.

[quote]—Taylor & Beyonce

[quote]Madonna probably spent $13M just on drugs and plastic surgery.

Ahahahahahahahahahahaha Janbot Jabba is so insecure it has to post how other celebs reference Janet or took a pic with her. Hun, Beyonce, Miley, Katy were in Madonna’s VIDEO and Taylor performed with her. Sit the fuck down, pathetic bitch. ANYTHING to deflect from tour box office.

Beyonce was never in a MANdonna video. The delusion is astounding. Meanwhile...

As for Katy:

"Let's pay a little respect to Miss Janet Jackson!"

[quote]Hun

LOL, as if beginning your weak little comeback with "hun" is some kind of get. Gurl, sit your funky ass down in a corner somewhere.

R232 Katy Perry is a modern day second rate Cyndi Lauper minus the vocal talent.

R231 You sure about that? Huh, Janbot Jabba? ANYTHING to not talk about tour box office.

I’ll link Janet’s pathetic numbers. Rock Wich U ahahahahaha those numbers. Fuck. How embarrassing. And it gets worse from there.

[quote] Still, the tour received rave reviews, and at the end of 2008, was placed 78th on Pollstar's "Top 100 North American Tours", grossing $11.7 million.

It's like they gave her a participation trophy.

$11 million. Aahahahahahahaahahahahahahaaa LEGEND

Madonna’s 2008 tour placed #1 with $407 million NOT doing the hits with just 85 shows.

OMG, Janet canceled the bulk of her shows on that tour due to "migraine induced vertigo." Is that Jacksonspeak for "the washed up fat bitch couldn't sell any tickets?"

Man, Jabba, you sure are stupid.

r239 It got worse from there. The excuses got more and more wild. I think Janet even said she had cancer or some shit. The attendance is pathetic but the tour grosses are so small even when she had a respectable attendance figure like for her DC shows. Yet, her gross was so small meaning tickets were super duper cheap.

Janet always went cheap. She had to. No one was buying that shit full price. I would say the dumbest business decisions ever were scalpers who bought tickets to her shows. Every single one of them lost money.

Oh, and don't forget the the ticket and CD giveaways when you got into an Uber.

[quote]Beyonce was never in a MANdonna video. The delusion is astounding.

Except that time she actually was...

I'm glad she got the plastic surgery fixed. I remember when some of the really delusional and obsessive fans were saying her face only looked swollen and botched because her face-lift was still settling.

It doesn't take nearly over five years for a face-lift to settle. Unless she had a very serious (possibly age related) medical condition that caused extremely poor/slow wound healing or a serious infection from the procedure there's no way in hell.

For days this was a shockingly nice thread for Datalounge. But, I guess the honeymoon is over. Do we think these assholes constantly bickering back and forth about Janet and Madonna are just the same two people?

R244 this thread has been astonishingly good natured! Madonna threads on DL tend to be full of vitriolic hate. I’ve certainly mocked her for some of her unfortunate behaviour over the last few years, but I was a fan growing up and I’m still rooting for her. Was so happy she pulled herself back together and came out on top again. I really didn’t think she’d be able to. So fair play to her. She’s been around my entire life and I hated seeing her on a downward trajectory. I’ve enjoyed this discussion.

Then Janbot arrives and so we get all kinds of silly bullshit about Janet. I’d never block Janbot though, she’s so unhinged I find it hugely entertaining.

r244, blame Jabba who has to invade every Madonna thread just to get a little attention for his "Queen."

R244 It’s Janbot/Jabba who always posts Madonna threads because DL is so vitriolic towards her. Then it sits back and watches the carnage. Madonna fans are, of course, going to defend her.

R243 It’s been a joy to watch her triumph. Many of us are genuinely pleased she pulled it together. She was obviously going through some mental health issues, and still is, judging by her admitted panic attacks, claustrophobia, and insomnia she’s discussed on this tour. She’s never been more candid about things. She said she was told her mom just “went to sleep” which made her relationship with sleep “horrible”.

I will say, 5 years? She never looked as bad as her filters made her appear. She went on Fallon during a time when her face on Insta appeared fucked. She looked fine. She shaved her eyebrows, had horrific red braids, which didn’t help.

Good to see that Anitta hasn't got a boob job yet, but the same can't be said about her face.

[quote] Cyndi voice was fucking annoying. Her speech impediment was distracting.

This is rather harsh and over the top criticism. Cyndi's unique voice and vocals helped her stand out from other female singes. She was very much appreciated by a segment of the population that felt too awkward to fit in with the mainstream. And she has genuine and endearing personality, being the odd girl out wasn't an act for her, but an issue all her life. Mainly it was other people's problem.

R249 Oh spare me! I find Cyndi is not genuine and is a fucking phony. She can’t accept the public was quickly over her and her annoying voice. It was screechy and shrill. We just weren’t that into her and so many, including her, can’t accept it even 40 years later.

R250, wasn't that not even her real speaking voice.? I thought her real speaking voice was more gravelly.

[quote] Katy Perry is a modern day second rate Cyndi Lauper minus the vocal talent.

You are being way too generous. Katy Perry is Paula Abdul without the dancing abilities. And she also played the role of the non-singer judge on American Idol. Just like Paula!