| Tour by Madonna | |
.png) Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Associated album | |
| Start date | April 13, 1990 |
| End date | August 5, 1990 |
| Legs | 3 |
| No. of shows | 16 in Europe 32 in North America 9 in Asia 57 total |
| Box office | US$62.7 million[a] |
| Madonna concert chronology | |
The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, I'm Breathless. The 57-show tour began on April 13, 1990, at the Chiba Marine Stadium in Chiba, Japan, and concluded on August 5 at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann in Nice, France. Additionally, it marked Madonna's first concerts in Sweden and Spain. Originally planned as the Like a Prayer World Tour, it was supposed to be sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. However, the company cancelled the contract following the controversy surrounding the music video of "Like a Prayer".
The concert was divided into five thematic acts: Metropolis, inspired by the 1927 German Expressionist film of the same name and the "Express Yourself" music video; Religious, by Catholic themes; Dick Tracy, by the film of the same name and cabaret; Art Deco, inspired by early Hollywood movies and featuring paintings by Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka; and finally, an encore. The art direction was by Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone, while the costumes were created by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. The tour garnered positive reviews from contemporary critics and was a commercial success. It received the "Most Creative Stage Production" award at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards and grossed over US$62.7 million ($146.23 million in 2023 dollars). Madonna was named the second most successful solo touring act at the time, behind Michael Jackson.
The tour generated controversy due to its use of Catholic imagery and sexual content. Pope John Paul II urged the general public and the Christian community not to attend the tour, calling it "one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity". The protests resulted in the cancelation of one Italian show. In Toronto, the police threatened to arrest Madonna over the performance of "Like a Virgin", which featured her simulating masturbation. Nevertheless, Madonna continued the show unaltered.
A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast, including the tour's final show in Nice, which aired as a special on HBO; afterwards it was released exclusively on LaserDisc under the title Blond Ambition World Tour Live. Directed by Alek Keshishian, Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) was a documentary film chronicling the tour. Blond Ambition has been noted by critics and authors for its theatricality and fashion, which have left its mark on the work of subsequent pop acts.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).