Madonna may promise to bring musical ecstasy to the UK with the arrival of her MDNA Tour, but her stage costumes have also caused a stir over the last three decades. Click through the above gallery to view some of Madonnas best costumes from her live shows through the years and read about some of the controversies she has met along the way.
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MDNA Tour – the latest tour from Madonna see’s tracks from her MDNA album. Her tour has thrilled audience, but not without controversy. Boob flashes and swastikas have brought disapproving reports to the American star even though she has a long history of shocking her audiences. The tour also sees a welcome return of her iconic cone bras.
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Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008) – championing tracks from her Hard Candy album, the Queen of Pop broke records for ticket sales, playing 85 international dates to an audience in excess of 3.5 million fans. The star proved she still had a killer body despite turning 50 just before the tour began.
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Confessions Tour (2006) – there were leotards galore for Madonna as she toured in support of her disco themed Confessions On A Dancefloor album. The tour also made a nod to the star’s love for equestrian pursuits with dancers dressed as horses and Madonna wielding a riding crop. Flashes of her X Rays appeared on giant screens showing the break in the arm she suffered after falling off a steed previous to the tour. Here she is tightly gripping a leather merry-go horse mid song. No crash mats required.
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Re-Invention World Tour (2004) – another Queen of pop, Sir Elton John, took a swipe at Madonna during this tour claiming she lip-synched the majority of the show. Madge vehemently denied the accusation and, eventually, Sir Elton apologized for his claim. Although the tour mainly supported her American Life album, Madonna also played homage to French Baroque styles with its costumes, as well as Scottish elements.
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Drowned World Tour (2001) – the star’s first tour in 8 years, the Drowned World experience took heavy influence from the Music and Ray Of Light period of her career. Here is Madonna showing her patriotism through one of her concert costumes. Married to Guy Ritchie the year before, there was a period of time around here that some claim Madonna began to sound like she was trying to be British…
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The Girlie Show World Tour (1993) – in support of the Erotica album (released the same time as her infamous ‘Sex’ book) Madonna, not surprisingly, ruffled some feathers when this tour arrived in Puerto Rico and she rubbed the country’s flag between her legs on stage. The tour, however, was a commercial and critical success with costumes designed by Dolce & Gabbana.
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Blonde Ambition World Tour (1990) – regarded by many as Madonna’s greatest tour, Blonde Ambition also served as the source material for the (ahead of its time) behind-the-scenes documentary ‘In Bed With Madonna’ – the warts and all account of her time on the road. The cone bras by Jean-Paul Gaultier have gone down in history as one of the most captivating costume designs of all time. Madonna’s risqué on stage performance was condemned by the Pope (who campaigned to boycott the show), and she narrowly escaped arrest in Toronto for simulating masturbation during ‘Like A Virgin’.
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Who’s That Girl World Tour (1987) – supporting the ‘True Blue’ and ‘Who’s That Girl’ albums, the Who’s That Girl World Tour was the first instance of Madonna performing to international audiences with shows in Japan, Europe and across North America. Costumes incorporated characters from her music videos, with seven changes throughout her 14 track show. Although her international fans couldn’t get enough, The Pope objected to the ‘sexy’ approach of her stage show and called for the performance to be banned. Obviously there would be no stopping Madonna – even today.
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The Virgin Tour (1985) – stepping out on stage with big hair, a scrunchie and garish patterns, Madonna’s earliest tour was an 80s dream (or nightmare, depending on personal opinion) and set her on her way to world domination. Support acts for this first tour included Run DMC and Beastie Boys. With twelve albums under her belt today, and over 300 million record sales, Madonna shows no sign of slowing down.