Legendary pop star Madonna recently kicked off her ‘Celebration Tour’ at The O2 in London, showcasing some of her greatest hits and a few deep cuts. In an effort to get closer to her fans, the tour was designed by architecture firm Stufish with a unique concept in mind.
Ric Lipson of Stufish said, “She knew that she wanted to base the show through the eyes of her being spiritually born in New York City. From the early days of landing in Times Square and going down to the Lower East Side, CBGBs and the clubs, the places she hung out when she was young. Her concept of the show then evolved into a geography that would lay out the whole city.”
The tour was designed to capture the attention of the audience with a unique social media twist. Lipson continued, “But she’s always wanting to do something different and asked how we could do an arena tour that didn’t feel like Madame X or previous arena tours. But also one that felt correct for the way people are touring at the moment. Since 2015, social media has completely changed in the way that people are consuming things through their phones and taking shots of things. So for us, it was all about how do we display and portray Madonna in a different way that also makes her feel more connected?”
The show was praised for its detailed sound mix from producer Stuart Price, which featured snippets of Madonna’s songs that weren’t part of the setlist. During ‘Live To Tell’, Madonna traveled across the arena on a flying platform while photos of her close friends who she lost to AIDS were displayed on the screens. Lipson noted, “It’s [the platform] like a time machine. The first time she uses it is when she’s looking back at the eighties and it’s a very powerful moment, which for me is one of the most emotional things I’ve seen in a pop show. Ever.”
The North America leg of the tour kicks off at Brooklyn Barclays Center in New York on December 13. Fans lucky enough to score tickets will have the chance to see an unforgettable performance from the iconic pop star.
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