On September 3 2009, Madonna’s Sticky And Sweet world tour was named the highest-grossing for a solo artist ever.
The tour, which finished in Tel Aviv on September 2 2009, made $408 million (£250m), according to promoters Live Nation. During the tour, Madonna played 85 shows, drawing in more than 3.5 million fans from 32 countries.
The Sticky And Sweet tour broke Madonna’s previous record for the most successful outing by a solo artist with her 2006 Confessions Tour, which grossed $194 million.
On August 31 2006, Madonna was joined on stage by Lenny Kravitz during a performance of I Love New York at a concert in Paris, France. Kravitz had previously been spotted in the audience at several stops on The Confessions Tour and was clearly a fan of the show.
The appearance followed the pair’s 1990 songwriting collaboration, Justify My Love, and its pseudo-remix, The Beast Within. They also shared the stage during a performance of Ray Of Light at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
On February 7 2007, Madonna’s live CD/DVD set The Confessions Tour bowed in the Billboard 200 album chart at #15 in the U.S. with sales of 40,000 copies. Its first week sales were nearly double the opening numbers of her previous live release, 2006’s I’m Going To Tell You A Secret, which had peaked at #33. It was Madonna’s 18th Top 20 album in the U.S.
Meanwhile, on the Canadian album charts The Confessions Tour entered at #2, also besting Secret which had peaked at #4.
On August 24 2006, clothing retailer H&M released its Madonna inspired tracksuit. Madonna and select members of her crew from The Confessions Tour were also featured in the accompanying print ad campaign, photographed by Rankin.
The success of the campaign led to more comprehensive Madonna co-branding ventures with H&M, D&G, and to the eventual launch of her own fashion brands – Material Girl and Truth or Dare by Madonna.
On July 23 2006, Madonna experienced – as she put it – “some technical difficulties in [her] brain” during a performance of Let It Will Be at the second of two Miami shows for The Confessions Tour.
After coming in too early on a vocal cue, she quickly poked fun at herself with some improvised lyrics, only to experience further issues towards the end of the song. She then humourously referenced the glitches – and nearly suffered a G.W. Bush-inspired orgasm – during her post-song banter.
The show marked the final date on the North American leg of The Confessions Tour.
(Thanks to YouTube user Ryan Keefe for the video, and to our friends at Madonnalicious and their readers for the wonderful tour pics from Miami!)
On June 22 2006, Madonna played the second of a two-night run at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The shows were the only Canadian dates during The Confessions Tour, with Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel citing scheduling conflicts with Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, which they had been attempting to route into the itinerary as well.
The concerts also marked Madonna’s welcomed return to Montreal after a thirteen year absence. She previously played at Olympic Stadium during The Girlie Show Tour in 1993, which followed up her first concerts in La Belle Province during 1987’s Who’s That Girl Tour with two dates at The Forum.
(Live photos from July 22 2006 were shared by fans via Madonnalicious.com – many thanks!)
On May 21 2006, Madonna launched her Confessions Tour with the first of three sold-out shows at The Forum in Los Angeles, California.
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