The 40th anniversary “Celebration Tour” of pop icon Madonna began on Saturday in London, thrilling fans three and a half months after the tour’s suspension due to her hospitalization for a bacterial infection.
After being discovered unconscious in her New York apartment in June, the 65-year-old US superstar spent several days in intensive care there. Since then, she has been recovering and preparing for the rescheduled 78-date tour.
She wasn’t supposed to start at The O2 Arena in London, but because Canada postponed the initial start date of July 15, it ended up becoming the opening act, much to the pleasure of UK fans.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be the opening night but as things are, it is really, really excited to see her,” teacher Kate Taylor, 46, told AFP ahead of the concert.
“I’m really excited for the greatest hits because I think that’s what we all want to see,” she added.
Janet Hutton, turning 50 on Sunday, had travelled from Slovakia to see her icon for the fourth time.
“Madonna is the queen of pop,” she said. “You have other people, like Britney or Beyonce or Ariana Grande, but there’s only one Madonna.
“And when you’re a big fan of Madonna, you feel that you live with her and we live with her now and we’re very excited to see her.”
