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Re-Invention World Tour

Background

thumb|Madonna opening the show with "[[Vogue (Madonna song)|Vogue".]]
The Re-Invention Tour was Madonna's sixth worldwide concert tour in support of her ninth studio album American Life. In 2003, Madonna collaborated with photographer Steven Klein for an art installation project called X-STaTIC PRo=CeSS. The installation portrayed Madonna in different incarnations of her spiritual practices – from yogi, prophet, queen to freak and pole dancer. The publication was a worldwide success, leading to a number of exhibitions in New York, London, Paris, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Florence. After the exhibition was over, Madonna was inspired by the images from the exhibitions and decided to incorporate them into her then unplanned tour and asked Klein to help her with the task. Klein later commented that,

"The thing is, I always saw Madonna as a performance artist. And I think what I wanted to portray was the process about how a performer arrives at their work. And the thing is, what she had talked about as well, is that before a concert, what she finds very interesting is the rehearsals and the straining and maybe she would like to injure. [...] And she said that the process of making the concert became more intriguing than the final result."

The main intention of the tour was to transform Madonna's old hits musically and display her capacity for transformation and self-reflection. The tour was initially known as the Whore of Babylon World Tour. The idea was to portray Madonna as the Whore of Babylon, the figure of evil as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. However it was later changed to the Re-Invention World Tour, to make it a self-confident dig at all the critics and people who have expressed their views about Madonna re-inventing her image over the years. The official tour poster displayed Madonna in a vintage bolero gown and a large hair-bun. Air-conditioning was turned off during the tour on Madonna's request as she claimed it dried up her throat during singing.

Development

thumb|Madonna performing "[[Frozen (song)|Frozen" with the backdrop displaying the naked male figure.]]
During the rehearsals of the tour, a general setlist was decided where the show rehearsals would start with "I'm So Stupid" from American Life, "Dress You Up" (1985) and "Material Girl" (1985). But "Dress You Up" and "I'm So Stupid" were later dropped from the show. Other songs taken out from the initial set list includes "Love Profusion" Headcleaner Mix (2004), "Swim" from Ray of Light (1998), "Live to Tell" (1986) and "Take a Bow" (1994). "Nobody Knows Me" was first rehearsed in Peter Rauhofer's Perfect Private Life Mix. The opening song for the show was decided as "Vogue" (1990) for a long time, untill Madonna decided to use "The Beast Within" as the opener. The finale of the show was decided to be "Holiday" (1984) rather than "Die Another Day" (2002) with the John Lennon song "Imagine" (1971) being added to the setlist. "Don't Tell Me" (2001) was rehearsed in two versions – a French video backdrop version for the American leg and Paris shows, and the "Bitter Sweet Symphony" version for the other tour stops. Two new tracks rehearsed for the show included "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, and "I Love New York". The latter was incorporated in her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) while the former was included in her eleventh studio album Hard Candy (2008). "Ray of Light" was also rehearsed during the initial phases, but Madonna later decided to eliminate it, as performing the song at the beginning of the show would hurt her voice beforehand. Finally twenty-four of the thirty rehearsed songs ended up on being the official setlist for the show.

The costumes for the tour was created by designer Arianne Phillips. Before the show started, USA Today reported that Madonna will be making five costume changes in the tour. Phillips commented that since Madonna was revisiting her old songs for this tour, hence that was the main philosophy and inspiration behind designing the costumes. However she also noted that "Madonna has always pooh-poohed the concept of reinvention and doesn't strategize or premeditate her new look in a boardroom, so this is the greatest ironic statement of all." The T-shirts were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier and the shoes used were provided by clothing line hosiery Miu Miu. The opening dress was created by French designer Christian Lacroix and incorporated the baroque look. The second part of the displayed millitary themed outfits inspired from the Amercian Life album and designed by Phillips. The third ensemble emphasized on the emotional point of the show and hence the costumes were more quieter and displayed the silhouettes of the performers. The costumes of this segment was designed by Stella McCartney. Phase four costumes were inspired by the carnivals and was designed by Chanel. The final segment of the tour displayed traditional dresses. Other than these, Madonna wore corsets during the first segment.

Concert synopsis

thumb|Madonna performing "Material Girl" during the millitary themed segment of the show.
The central theme of the show was unity versus violence. It was divided into five acts with different themes: French Baroque-Marie Antionette Revival, Military-Army, Circus-Cabaret, Acoustic and Scottish-Tribal segments. It began with "The Beast Within", an ominous recitation from the Book of Revelation by Arabic singer Fairuz and the screens displaying Madonna's X-STaTIC PRo=CeSS installations. After "The Beast Within", Madonna appeared onstage on a rising platform in a corset, striking yoga poses to perform "Vogue". It was followed by the energetically performed "Nobody Knows Me" on a conveyor belt and "Frozen", during which video of a male and female wrestling, caressing and intertwining in water, their faces and genitals darkened by shadows so as to preserve their androgyny, were displayed on the backdrops. The millitary segment started with the sound of a helicopter in the background as Madonna's backup dancers, dressed as soldiers, crawled on their bellies as though in the middle of battle, then hugged each other as if saying goodbye. Madonna appeared onstage in camouflage pants, an olive army jacket and black beret. She started performing "American Life" as war footage of death and destruction flashed on screens behind her. During the performance Madonna ran down a lengthy V-shaped catwalk that descended from the ceiling and allowed her to reach the middle of the stadium. She also twirled army rifles during a march-like "Express Yourself" before strapping on a guitar for rock versions of "Burning Up" and "Material Girl". During these performances, the backdrops displayed mathematical equations alongwith DNA helixes rushing through the screens. Before leaving the stage for a costume change, Madonna shouted "Stop all wars" to the audience. A remix interlude of "Hollywood" featured a breakdancer, a firedancer, a bellydancer, a tapdancer and a skateboarder.
The interlude was followed by a Cabaret-like performance of "Hanky Panky", which started the Circus act. Next a jazz version of "Deeper and Deeper" was performed with two female back-up dancers. Then "Die Another Day", including Madonna and her dancers in a Tango-like choreography. After that, she was strapped into an electric chair as she started singing "Lament" from the soundtrack of the film Evita and the platform rises with her to the top. A remix interlude of "Bedtime Story" was performed as dancers swung on trapezes. An acoustic-style segment started with "Nothing Fails", with the guitar being played by Madonna herself. After that, she sang "Don't Tell Me", recreating the choreography from the song's video with her dancers. The next song played was "Like A Prayer" when Hebrew characters were displayed on the backdrops. During the performance of the combined "Mother and Father/Intervention", Catholic images were displayed on the backdrops. Madonna then performed John Lennon's pro-peace song "Imagine" when photo montages of war-ravaged children, bombed-out villages and artillery were displayed in the backdrops. At one point, a video showed a George W. Bush look-alike lovingly resting his head on the shoulder of a Saddam Hussein look-alike, as though the pair were waiting for a marriage license. Asked why she chose to cover this song Madonna simply said: "I wanted to make a statement with the ultimate peace song."

The final segment started with Scottish bagpiper players parading around the stage in kilts and playing drums and pipes. Madonna appeared onstage in similar long kilts and a white sleeveless t-shirt to perform "Into the Groove" with Scottish bagpiper Lorne Cousin. A video simulation of the rapper Missy Elliott is played after the performance, before Madonna started singing "Papa Don't Preach". During the end-segment while performing "Papa Don't Preach" and "Crazy for You", Madonna wore black t-shirts with the line "Kabbalists Do It Better" printed on them. Other lines printed on the t-shirts for various other shows included "Midwesterners Do It Better", "Italians Do It Better" and "Brits Do It Better". "Papa Don't Preach" is performed with Madonna whirling on the raised platform and then singing the song. Then the 80's ballad "Crazy for You" is played with Madonna sitting on the steps. The last two performances consisted of "Music" and the show closer, "Holiday" which was backed by a montage of morphing flags on the backdrops. The show ended with cannon shots of confetti and the phrase "Reinvent yourself" appearing onscreen.

Critical response

thumb|The performance of "[[Hanky Panky (Madonna song)|Hanky Panky" in the circus themed segment.]]
The show received positive reception from contemporary critics. David Segal from The Washington Post noted that the "difference between this show and the last, the Drowned World Tour of 2001, was striking. That show seems standoffish compared with this one, in part because Madonna has finally worked through whatever issues prevented her from performing her earliest hits. [...] Madonna has created a new performance hybrid." Segal's view was shared by Elizabeth Smith from The New York Times who also commented that "Unlike 2001's Drowned World Tour, which was dark, often hostile, Re-Invention returns Madonna to the light. She looks as if she is having a good time." Edna Gunderson of USA Today gave the concert four out of four stars and said "Madonna seems to be having a jolly good time. Whereas her last outing had technical strengths but lacked warmth, Reinvention finds Madonna reinvested emotionally. The show doesn't have the degree of flesh, carnal content or shock value that past outings delivered, but this time Madonna is opting for more heart than cleavage and more personality than profanity." Joshua Klein from Chicago Tribune commented that Madonna's show displayed more spectacle than substance.

Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine commented on the theme of the concert and said that "the best thing that can come out of Madonna revisiting (and reinventing) the past is that she, and we, will be reminded of what she does best: making us forget about the bad times, come together, release the pressure, and have a holiday. "Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times said that the concert was "a dense, dizzying, often incoherent, sometimes exhilarating night, starring a great performer who often found herself shadowboxing with her own past lives." Dan Aquilante from New York Post said that the concert "razzle-dazzled her way into the hearts of the devoted audience with an entertaining theatrical revue that was elaborately staged, costumed and cast with a full dance troupe." Thea Singer of the Boston Herald said that "Madonna brought Jewish mysticism on tour." John Hand from BBC noted that the "Re-Invention Tour happily marrie[d] past and present Madonna. [...] It is a far more rounded concert experience for the dedicated fan." However Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times felt that the show eventually took on a darker, more political tone and condemned the "weakly political Re-Invention concert [as] unsexy and uninspiring."

Commercial reception

thumb|The performance of "[[Don't Tell Me (Madonna song)|Don't Tell Me" during the acoustic segment.]]
The tickets for the tour went on-sale for the members of Icon, Madonna's official website members. However, the tour soon started selling all around the world. Originally scheduled to perform in twelve major markets in North America with additional stops in Paris and London, the demand for tickets became so high that in New York City after two Madison Square Garden dates sold out in record time, Madonna's manager, Caresse Henry, and the worldwide tour promoter Clear Channel Entertainment, decided to add new dates to the tour. Within the first five days the tour was a sell-out for the dates at Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia and Miami. High-priced ticket packages for all dates on the tour were sold from from Madonna's tour website madonnaviptickets.com. The tickets were priced at $700 per person. MTV arranged for an on-air contest titled Front and Center With Madonna Contest where fans were able to win tickets to an onstage area at any of the scheduled shows. After the tour started, mid-year it was announced that the tour has grossed $44.9 million, from the selling of 258,000 tickets at an average price of $174.17. Her average gross per show was $6,414 million with still more than half the dates being left.

Before the show was over, Billboard magazine projected a total sales of $120 million for the tour, thus making it the highest grossing tour of 2004. This was confirmed by People magazine who said that the tour grossed $125 million from all the shows, thus making it the highest grossing tour of 2004. Although musician Prince's Musicology Tour was initially projected to be the highest grossing tour, Billboard Boxscore published that the Re-Invention Tour had sold 55 out of the 56 shows and grossed $125 million. At the 2004 Billboard Touring Awards, Re-Invention Tour received the Top Tour award during the Backstage Pass Conference at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel on November 9, 2004. Madonna's tour manager Caresse Henry was awarded the Top Manager award.

Elton John allegation

thumb|The final performance of the tour, "[[Holiday (Madonna song)|Holiday" with Madonna and her dancers in Scottish kilts.]]
During the Re-Invention Tour, the Q magazine awards, Elton John accused Madonna for lip-synching in her shows. He commented "Since when has lip-synching been live? Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay $134 to see them should be shot. That’s me off her fucking Christmas card list. [...] But do I give a toss? No." Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, rejected John’s allegations by saying "Madonna does not lip-sync nor does she spend her time trashing other artists, [...] She sang every note of her Re-Invention tour live and is not ashamed that she was well paid for her hard work. [...] Elton John remains on her Christmas card list whether he is nice...or naughty." John later released a statement to Entertainment Weekly saying that he would like to apologize to Madonna for his comments. He said:

"I don't want to escalate it because I like Madonna, [...] She's been to my house for dinner. It was something that was said in the heat of the moment, and probably should not have been said. [...] Would I apologize to her if I saw her? Yeah, because I don't want to hurt any artist's feelings. It was my fault. I instigated the whole thing. But it applies to all those bloody teenage singers. [...] The reaction to it was so hysterical, It was like I said, `I think all gays should be killed or I think Hitler was right.' I just said someone was lip-synching. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I'm not going to mellow with age. I get more enraged about things as I get older because you see that these injustices go on."

Broadcasts and recordings

The show was expected to broadcast on CBS. The show was taped on the final night in Lisbon. CBS reportedly offered to pay $10 million to broadcast the concert as a two hour special but it didnot happen.
A documentary titled I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, which chronicled the tour, was released. The documentary was recorded during Madonna's performance on the tour and was finished during the recording of Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor album. The DVD+CD containing the documentary and a live album of highlights from the show was also released in May 2006. The DVD contained a two hour long look at the tour, including its rehearsal plus some performance footage, while the CD offers fourteen songs of the set list. The documentary was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Barry Walters from Rolling Stone commented that "Jonas Akerlund's 2005 kinetic yet personable documentary of Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention Tour lacks the dishy delights of the diva's 1991 Truth or Dare doc. Instead, a more worldly Madge struggles to become a less sound-bite-reliant, more sincere person. The bonus live CD proves that she's a better singer." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic complimented the release saying "as Madonna's first live CD, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret is strong and entertaining, and even if the excessive minutiae on the accompanying DVD means only hardcore fans will sit through its two hours, it's also quite well done." The release debuted at thirty-three on Billboard 200 and the top ten in Canada and the European Top 100 Albums etc.

Setlist

"The Beast Within" (Video Introduction) (contains elements of "El Yom 'Ulliqa 'Ala Khashaba")

"Vogue"

"Nobody Knows Me"

"Frozen"

"American Life"

"Express Yourself"

"Burning Up"

"Material Girl"

"Hollywood" (Remix) (Dancer/Video Interlude)

"Hanky Panky"

"Deeper and Deeper"

"Die Another Day"

"Lament"

"Bedtime Story" (Remix) (Video Interlude)

"Nothing Fails"

"Don't Tell Me"

"Like a Prayer"

"Mother and Father" (contains excerpts from "Intervention")

"Imagine"

"Into the Groove" (contains elements of "Susan MacLeod" and "Into the Hollywood Groove")

"Papa Don't Preach" (ends with a reprise of "American Life")

"Crazy for You"

"Music" (contains elements from "Into the Groove")

"Holiday" (contains elements of "She Wants to Move")

Source:

Tour dates

Source:

Box office data

Personnel

Vocals and guitar – Madonna

Background vocals – Donna De Lory and Siedah Garrett

Music director, keyboards and guitar – Stuart Price

Drums – Steve Sidelnyk

Guitar – Monte Pittman

Keyboards – Marcus Brown

Programmer and Keyboards – Mike McKnight

Bagpipes – Lorne Cousin

Dancers – Daniel "Cloud" Campos, Reshma Gajjar, Mihran Kirakosian, Paul Kirkland, Tamara Levinson, Valerie "Raistalla" Moise, Dawn Noel Pignuola, Marilyn Ortiz, SeanAries Smith, Seth Steward, Zach Woodlee, Jason Young, Sergie Ventura