Madonna reworks tour after health scare

Madonna’s Celebration Tour is set to kick off in Europe this autumn after the singer confirmed the postponement of its North American leg.

The 64-year-old says she is “on the road to recovery” after being hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection, which led to a “several-day stay” in intensive care.

Her Live Nation-produced global greatest hits run had been due to start this Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Rescheduled dates will be announced “as soon as possible”.

The tour is now currently scheduled to start at The O2 in London on 14 October – her first of six dates of the venue, where the European dates are also slated to finish on 6 December.

“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement,” Madonna told fans on social media. “I have felt your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.”

“The current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe”

She adds: “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children. 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.”

“My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can! The current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe. I couldn’t be more grateful for your care and support.”

Announced in January, the tour was extended multiple times after selling out 36 shows and shifting over 600,000 tickets. The 84-date outing includes more than 40 dates in North America.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of her breakout single Holiday, the pop icon is due to perform music spanning her entire career, from 1983’s self-titled debut album to 2019’s Madame X in her first tour since 2020.

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