By all accounts, Madonna’s first world tour in eight years kicked off with a roaring success in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday (June 10).
The Material Girl continued the theme of her Scottish Highlands wedding by donning a Jean Paul Gaultier-designed kilt and sleeveless black top for the opening bars of the Drowned World Tour 2001 at the Palau Sant Jordi stadium, according to various media accounts.
The 18,000-plus sold-out crowd of Spanish revelers was reportedly so loud throughout the 20-song, two-hour set that the noise drowned out the music itself, clocking in at over 120 decibels at one point, according to one of the show’s attendees. The crowd was said to be at its frenzied maximum during “What It Feels Like for a Girl,” sung in Spanish (“‘Lo Que Siente La Mujer”) and “Gone,” when the Palau Sant Jordi was lit up with thousands of cigarette lighters.
In addition to Madonna’s kilt montage, the singer went through five additional costume changes throughout the gig, including Geisha girl, cowboy, and Spanish-influenced themes. At one point in the show, Madonna performed while flying through the air Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style, as well as while riding a mechanical bull.
The 42-year-old mother of two, joined by 10 dancers and two backup singers, mostly whipped through songs from her last two albums, Music and Ray of Light, but did include such older hits as “La Isla Bonita” and “Holiday.” Madonna played guitar on a few tracks as well, including “Candy Perfume Girl” and the aforementioned “La Isla Bonita.”
Madonna hits the Fila Forum in Milan, Italy, for two nights beginning Thursday (June 14) and hits U.S. soil July 21 in Philadelphia. Check back with allstar in July for a review of one of Madonna’s six London shows.
