The MDNA Tour
The MDNA Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in-support of her twelfth studio album, MDNA (2012). Comprising 88 shows, the tour began on May 31, 2012, in Tel Aviv, Israel's Ramat Gan Stadium and concluded in Córdoba, Argentina on December 22, 2012. Rumors of the singer embarking on a concert tour first began in October 2011, but nothing was confirmed until four months later, following her performance at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. As Madonna's fifth tour with Live Nation, the MDNA Tour visited not only Eurasia and the Americas, but marked the first time she performed in the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine and Colombia. Additionally, it was her first visit to Turkey since 1993's The Girlie Show. An Australian leg was planned for January 2013, but was cancelled.
| Tour by Madonna | |
Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Associated album | MDNA |
| Start date | May 31, 2012 |
| End date | December 22, 2012 |
| Legs | 4 |
| No. of shows | 88 |
| Box office | US $305.2 million ($389.03 million in 2022 dollars) |
| Madonna concert chronology | |
Described as "the journey of a soul from darkness to light", it was divided into thematic sections (a custom for the singer): Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine, and Redemption. Designers working on the tour's wardrobe included Arianne Phillips and Jean Paul Gaultier. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the production and performances. The lack of the singer's older songs, and inclusion of MDNA tracks, however, received criticism. The tour sparked several controversies due to the use of firearms, violence, partial nudity, and Madonna's political statements. French far-right politician Marine Le Pen filed a lawsuit against her, after Madonna featured a video clip comparing Le Pen to Adolf Hitler. Also, in France, one concert offered at Paris's Olympia venue was critically panned and trashed by fans for its short length. In Russia, Madonna received backlash from far-right conservatives for openly supporting feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot, and for speaking openly against the country's gay “propaganda” laws and treatment of LGBTQ+ communities.
The tour was a commercial success; with $305.2 million from 88 sold-out shows, it was named the most lucrative tour of 2012 and became the tenth highest-grossing of all time. Madonna was awarded Top Touring Artist at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards. The concerts performed at Miami's American Airlines Arena were filmed and broadcast as Madonna: The MDNA Tour through EPIX. A live album titled MDNA World Tour was released on September 10, 2013, in all formats; double-disc album, DVD, and Blu-ray.