Madonna has performed well over sixty-one times in her awe-inspiring career as the lone wolf of bona fide iconoclasm in pop. Yet there are some that stand out more than others in terms of what it would mean as a notch in her (garter) belt of power and authority–and, of course, as she phrases it in Truth or Dare, “artistic integrity.” Obviously, some of her most important performances have included the wailing of “Like A Virgin” (sure to appear on the list) at the inaugural 1984 MTV VMAs. But often, it has been her later era that has been more rife with momentousness in terms of the lasting impact it would have on the culture, as well as her constant commitment to making a political statement. What follows is a list of sixty-one of said consequential performances (in chronological order) in honor of M’s sixty-first birthday.
Honorary mention: Playing Max’s Kansas City as Emmy, March 1981: Although it was no small feat for Emmy, in its original iteration as The Breakfast Club, to land a gig at CBGB, the fact that its incarnation with Madonna as the lead could get them onstage at Max’s meant something to the eventual star, who clearly took it as a boost to her confidence in choosing to ultimately ditch the Gilroy Brothers and take Camille Barbone up on her offer to manage Madonna as a solo act. Camille, too, would naturally go the way of the dodo when M had to evolve out of that whole botched attempt at a Pat Benatar sound and aesthetic. In any case, performing at Max’s gave her all the more retrospective reason to lay claim to Downtown NYC scene queen of the 80s status.
1) “Everybody” at Danceteria, December 16, 1982: As “the world premiere of Sire recording artist, Madonna,” there was a sentimental nod on the latter’s part to the club that meant so much to her meteoric ascent. For not only did M rise through the ranks of being a downtown fixture to a national household name by being a constant presence at Danceteria, but also, as legend has it, by distracting DJ Mark Kamins long enough to slip her demo tape of “Everybody” into the deck by giving him just a little kiss (at least, that’s how the Fox TV movie about her rise tells it). When the crowd kept dancing to it, he didn’t rip her throat out about the bravado of the move.
2) “Holiday” on American Bandstand: Iconic for the immortal reply to Dick Clark’s question, “We are a couple of weeks into the new year, what do you hope will happen, not only in 1984, but for the rest of your professional life? What are your dreams, what’s left?,” Madonna glibly answered, “To rule the world.”
3) “Holiday” and “Borderline” on The Dance Show 1984: Still a transitional phase before her full-blown Like A Virgin mode, these performances were notable for the fact that Madonna’s musical stylings were still being billed as “hip hop,” while her unmistakable link to her DIY roots were evident in her dancers’ (still brother Christopher Ciccone and friend Erica Bell) use of chairs that looked as though they were plucked from a discard pile of public school auditorium chairs. The raw magnetism of her star power evident in her assured glances at the camera, even at one of the most “lo-fi” points of her career, Madonna could command attention without any bells and whistles.
4) “Dress You Up” at Keith Haring’s birthday at Paradise Garage in New York City, May 16 1984: A testament to her endurance as a proverbial “scene queen of New York,” Madonna showed love for her street urchin roots by sporting an iconic pink jacket and skirt emblazoned with Haring’s signature graffiti. Her performance of “Like A Virgin” combined with the ensemble to make it just the sort of camp that only this song can yield for her every time.
5) “Like A Virgin” at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, September 14, 1984: Though Madonna would admit later in her career that the entire writhing on the ground angle was purely a means to try to get back the high heel that had fallen off as she descended from the giant cake, at the time, she made it all look as though she were the complete master of her destiny. One that would edge ever closer to global superstardom after the scandal and uproar caused by this iconic moment in the then still germinal history of both Madonna and MTV.
6) The Virgin Tour, April 10-June 11, 1985: Though it would retrospectively come across as a very modest affair by Madonna’s standards of theatricality and production value, her debut tour on a national scale was momentous for many reasons. For one thing, it proved her clout with teens throughout the land as tickets sold out instantaneously (within thirty-four minutes at Radio City Music Hall) and the term “wannabe” was coined as journalists observed girls throughout the land show up to Madonna’s show dressed in the same garb and accessories as her (then available for purchase at, um, Macy’s). In short, it was the tour that launched a thousand votes of confidence in Madonna for her potential to make a lot of corporate suits very rich with her antithetically anti-establishment message underpinning everything she said and did.
7) “Into the Groove” at Live Aid, July 13, 1985: Although Madonna performed “Holiday” and “Love Makes the World Go Round” (with Thompson Twins), it was her defiant in-between dialogue before “Into the Groove”–complete with tambourine–in which she declared, “I ain’t takin’ shit off today” that spoke to her overlayered appearance for the hot Philadelphia weather as a means to counteract the recent release of photos from her starving artist days as a nude model to Playboy and Penthouse.
8) Who’s That Girl Tour, June 14-September 6, 1987: In what would become the bridge between the inexperienced Madonna of The Virgin Tour to the larger-than-life persona of the Blond Ambition Tour, M’s Who’s That Girl Tour was her first international one, as well as her first highly technical one, featuring projections and multimedia screens that allowed her to embark upon something she would do for the rest of her career: impart a political message. This was most apparent during “Papa Don’t Preach,” in which images of John Paul II and Ronald Reagan were flashed across the screen before eventually concluding with the words: SAFE SEX. It was like a more analog version of what she would do for the “Sorry” video interlude during 2006’s Confessions Tour.
9) “I’ve Got You Babe” with Sandra Bernhard at the Don’t Bungle The Jungle benefit concert, May 24, 1989: At the peak of their friendship (one that would set many tongues wagging in the wake of her divorce from Penn that suggested Madonna may not have only been unfaithful to him with men), Madonna and Sandra Bernhard had their most fun together when they were fucking with people. This tended to mean offering plenty of “have they” or haven’t they” fodder for the media to dissect. This performance of “I’ve Got You Babe” was no exception, and served as a prime example of Madonna bending the rules of sexuality for a female pop star long before Ariana Grande loosely sung, “I like women and men.”
10) “Express Yourself” at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, September 6, 1989: Despite somehow losing every non “pity” award (you know, like Best Cinematography in a Video and Best Art Direction) to Paula Abdul for that damned runaway hit, “Straight Up,” Madonna stole the show that year nonetheless with her introduction to the ceremony in what would soon become her trademark of this performance era: a bustier.
11) “Vogue” at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, September 6, 1990: As though ever-determined to prove that while her personal life (in the form of marriage to Sean Penn) was not exactly a wild success, she chose instead to sacrifice it to a life devoted to the pursuit of art. Or at least aesthetic, which is practically the same, as Marie Antoinette would tell you.
12) “Like A Virgin” during the Blond Ambition Tour, specifically Rome and Toronto performances, May 27-29, 1990 and July 10, 1990: Deemed an all around tour de force of blasphemy by the Vatican, Madonna’s production of the Blond Ambition Tour was doomed in that country from the start (with one show in Rome eventually cancelled due to low tickets sales–encouraged by the Holy See himself, of course, as he decried the show as sacrilegious–and a labor union strike). Yet perhaps the threat of being arrested in what she would call “the fascist state of Toronto” for her “pantomime” of masturbation should have forewarn her that Italy, of all places, wouldn’t take very kindly to this particular performance either. Yet in the face of all this condemnation for it, it was still having to sing it in front of her father, Tony Ciccone, that proved most nerve-racking of all to her.
13) “Sooner or Later” at the 63rd Academy Awards, March 25, 1991: More than a legendary evening for the fact the M brought fellow pop titan Michael Jackson along as her date (before the pedophilia rumors couldn’t be ignored), it was her old school glamor, dripping with its Marilyn Monroe appeal quite literally out of her practically painted on dress, that spoke to her then current relationship with Warren Beatty, a symbol of a Golden Age Hollywood long since vanished (as further evidenced by the fact that Dances With Wolves won Best Picture that year). Luckily, Madonna brought a bit of it back that night, earning in exchange a nod for her efforts with an Oscar for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture–granted, all the credit went to Stephen Sondheim.
14) “Bad Girl” on SNL, January 16, 1993: Maybe it was slight payback for when Sinéad O’Connor somehow won Video of the Year and Best Female Video for “Nothing Compares 2 U” while up against the incomparable “Vogue,” but, in any case, did Sinéad O’Connor really think she was going to get away with ripping up a picture of the Pope the previous week on SNL and not have Madonna–the sole Queen of being the scandal maker at the center of Catholic controversy–upstage her? She couldn’t have been more wrong as Madonna took to the same stage to rip up her own photo of who she deemed was the “real enemy”: Joey Buttafuoco.
15) “Fever” on The Arsenio Hall Show, May 13, 1993: Despite the furor and outrage caused by the simultaneous release of the Sex book and her Erotica album as a one-two punch, Madonna was still in full-tilt promo mode when she took the stage for the one thousandth episode of The Arsenio Hall Show. So it was that Hall introduced her (with a smiling Rosie O’Donnell in the background) before M took the stage sitting atop a piano and smoking a cigarette as she emulated the look of her then freshly released Stéphane Sednaoui-directed video for “Fever” (with heavy inspiration from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1991 video for “Give It Away,” also directed by Sednaoui).
16) “The Lady is a Tramp” with Anthony Kiedis on The Arsenio Hall Show, May 13, 1993: Another testament to Madonna’s predilection for gender-bending performances, the duo took to the stage in matching slut–er, slit–suit ensembles as they sensually rubbed up and down on one another to their own version of this Frank Sinatra staple. They were also both wearing what the Women’s March would later call pussy hats (though one imagines they were going for a more devilish effect with them, especially Madonna, who shades Sharon Stone for having fake tits during one of her lyrical deliveries, because apparently Madonna always had beef with Stone).
17) Monologue portion between “Holiday” and “Justify My Love,” The Girlie Show, October 26 1993: Always known for “desecrating” flags with her sexual fetish for them (see: her 1990 Rock the Vote campaign), Madonna’s usual interim monologue between “Holiday” and “Justify My Love” caused a furor as she rubbed the country’s flag on her crotch. Some people have different ways of showing respect than others. Though at least she didn’t throw a roll of paper towels at anyone in the audience.
18) “Take A Bow” at the American Music Awards, January 30, 1995: Establishing her knack in the art of being a chameleon, Madonna and Babyface offered a stripped down version of the track as our pop star (at a zenith of what would now be called cultural appropriation) showcased a geisha girl chic ensemble (a fixture of 90s fashion right up there with fluevogs) and an updo that would become a staple of her “I’m elegant not sex-crazed” period.
19) “Take A Bow” on Wetten, dass…?, February 18, 1995: Marking her first stop on the European promo of Bedtime Stories, M’s appearance on the German TV show established her quote unquote softer side as she appeared in a bondage-inspired vinyl halter top, black pants and bleach blond hair extensions with Babyface at her side. But the presence of many candles for un certain ambience à la Enya was surely enough to convince people that her bad girl days were over.
20) “Bedtime Story” at the BRIT Awards, February 20, 1995: Despite a love/hate relationship with the U.K., Madonna took to the BRIT Awards stage for her most ethereal take on the track yet as she materialized onstage in a Versace gown with a wind machine that put Beyoncé’s to shame as she let her hair extensions flow with ease. It also seemed as though she had received handwritten instructions from Björk (who co-wrote the song) herself on how to deliver the performance.
21) “You’ll See” on Top of the Pops, November 16, 1995: Yet another testament to the power of Madonna as a more staid and reserved persona, “You’ll See” was that rare breed of successful single: not only a ballad but a ballad from a compilation album M released on November 3, 1995. “You’ll See” quickly launched into the British Top 20, especially when the accompanying video was revealed to be a sequel, of sorts, to “Take A Bow.” Her controlled (and yes, lip-synced) performance of it in an all black ensemble and coiffed, just above the shoulder-length hair was a sign of Madonna’s continued commitment to showing the world that she had softened, no longer the girl riding a bike naked with a bunny rabbit tale or getting eaten out by a bevy of leather daddies. Even though she might have still been doing that behind closed doors…
22) “You Must Love Me” at the 69th Academy Awards, March 24th, 1997: Still fresh from having given birth to her first child, Lourdes Leon in October of 1996, Madonna showed up all the way in a floor-length gown to deliver a powerful rendition of “You Must Love Me,” telling of one of the most crucial plot points in Evita, the film that changed the way Madonna sang forever (as critics might rudely put it, she no longer sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium after the intensive voice lessons for the film). Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice would go home with the Academy Award for Best Original Song that night, to boot–proving that every theater great ought to collaborate with M if they want an Oscar.
23) Ray of Light promo show at The Roxy, February 14, 1998: The ultimate Valentine’s Day likely would have been this as Madonna served an intimate live debut of the tracks “Sky Fits Heaven,” “Shanti/Ashtangi” and, of course, “Ray of Light.”
24) “Frozen” at the Sanremo Music Festival, February 24, 1998: Never one to shy away from her Italian roots (the very thing that has imbued her with so much love for the theatrical), Madonna appeared in all of her goth grandeur in a black floor-length dress (wielding it as wings at certain points in the performance) and crown of thorns to bring her homeland a violin-packed rendition of one of the most dramatic cuts from Ray of Light.
25) “Ray of Light” on Oprah, May 29, 1998: Having only just begun to tease her ethereal new incarnation upon the release of Ray of Light on March 3, Madonna showed up to Oprah for a performance of both the title track and the song inspired by her daughter, “Little Star.” At ease with herself and her voice in a way she never had been before, an interview with Oprah in between would reveal to bored housewives in the Midwest (the very trope M sought to avoid in fleeing from Michigan) everywhere that yoga holds the key.
26) “Shanti/Ashtangi” and “Ray of Light” at the MTV Video Music Awards, September 10, 1998: While she had her Botticelli-inspired hair on lock at Oprah, this was Madonna at her most balls to the wall on appropriating both Indian and Asian-inspired flavors for her celestial new persona. With backup dancers dressed in garb that seemed to want to pay homage to Vishnu (there is a moment of choreography that also does the same), the backdrops of the stage, too, were Indian in influence. As though Madonna had just gone through her own The Beatles discover ultimate truth in India period, she is unabashed in parading her newfound inspirations before stripping off her costume into an extremely baring white tank top with Lenny Kravitz joining her onstage to writhe over her with his guitar as he played “Ray of Light.” On a side note, no one said this was a memorable performance for it being her best vocals–in fact, perhaps slightly worse than what people said of her Eurovision appearance.
27) “Nothing Really Matters” at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, February 24, 1999: As somehow her first foray into the Grammys despite her chart-topping track record, Madonna opened the show at Shrine Auditorium in full geisha regalia (just as she did for the video itself) and accompanying Asian dancers wearing the same or the white ensembles and masks from the music video–as well as some flame twirlers for good measure. A more assured delivery than her VMA’s performance the year before, Madonna appeared poised to win that night, and win she did–for once–a total of four Grammys presented to her for her sonic innovations.
28) Music promo tour at Brixton Academy, November 28, 2000: After coming out of the other side of the twentieth century with her role as Queen of Pop firm as ever, 2000 was as busy a year for Madonna personally as it was professionally. After giving birth to her second child, Rocco, on August 11 of that year, she would also go on to marry Guy Ritchie on December 22. But not before squeezing in this little promo tour for Music, released on September 18 to acclaim for its avant-garde sound (courtesy of soon-to-be go-to producer, Mirwais Ahmadzaï). With her sold out show at Brixton (which was also streamed to nine million internet viewers, because Madonna was always about the futuristic possibilities of global reach), she presented the world with her ghetto fab cowboy incarnation, subverting it long before all this Lil Nas X bullshit. Singing “Impressive Instant,” “Runaway Lover,” “Don’t Tell Me,” “What It Feels Like For A Girl,” “Holiday” and “Music,” it would serve as the base for her eventual Drowned World Tour in 2001.
29) Drowned World Tour, June 9-September 15, 2001: Significant for being Madonna’s first tour of the twenty-first century and since 1993’s The Girlie Show, the performances for Drowned World Tour were tinged with an unabashed darkness, with such video interludes as “Paradise (Not For Me)” and “What It Feels Like For A Girl” making audience members expecting her to keep belting out “Like A Virgin” feel a bit squeamish. What’s more, it was Madonna’s first tour as “Mrs. Ritchie,” and would set the tone for Guy Ritchie’s disdain for her constant need to go on tour as opposed to play the English housewife as she tried her best to do in the pages of magazines like Good Housekeeping. What’s more, Madonna’s usual commitment to never altering anything in her show for “sensitivity” reasons was tested by the occurrence of the 9/11 attacks as she found herself in Los Angeles doing the show two days afterward.
30) On Stage and On the Record in promotion of American Life, April 22, 2003: As an unplugged approach to some of the songs on American Life, Madonna entered the once hallowed studios of MTV’s TRL to give fans a glimpse of her latest headspace with politically charged sentiments regarding George W. Bush and the Iraq War, as well as commentary on “Easy Ride,” and how it speaks to her constant desire to have a journey that is challenging so that the rewards at the end of it can feel sweeter.
31) “American Life” at Tower Records, East Village, April 23, 2003: Taking place the day after On Stage and On the Record, this set revealed how, still at the dawn of the new century, Madonna’s prescience in her concern over an America not quite in sync with the ideals it so loves to tout in theory but not in practice was in full effect at the East Village Tower–which would soon vanish from its East 4th and Broadway location just three years later. With a devoted legion of fans singing along with her to the tune of, “Do I have to change my name, will it get me far? Should I lose some weight, am I gonna be a star?,” the vibe of the audience seemed also to set the tone for the catalyst behind her upcoming theater tour for Madame X, declaring a greater need for the intimacy of small venues as opposed to impersonal arenas (though, of course, her detractors would say this excuse is merely a way to deflect that she can’t fill arenas anymore).
32) “Like A Virgin/Hollywood” at the MTV Video Music Awards, August 28, 2003: In what would become the kiss seen ’round the world, Madonna shared her stage with pop princesses of the moment Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who introduced M by doing their own renditions of “Like A Virgin” (since Madonna clearly hates singing it) before the Queen herself descended anew from the wedding cake, this time the one dressed as the groom, before delving into “Hollywood” from her American Life album. Although she kissed both women, it was her lip lock with Britney that would forever be remembered and referenced. Oh yeah, and Missy Elliott was there, too.
33) “Vogue” during the Re-Invention Tour, May 24-September 14, 2004: As far as iconic openings to tours go, Madonna has never had an issue. Starting with “Vogue” on 2004’s Re-Invention Tour proved no exception to the rule as M commenced in a forever immortal yoga pose that most women half her age could never execute. Reinventing her 1990 interpretation of “Vogue” with that French aristocratic flair, this would become one of the most signature performances of the tour.
34) “Imagine” for Tsunami Aid, January 16, 2005: In keeping with the tradition of her commitment to charity and therefore offering her celebrity to causes such as this (with funds benefitting the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake), Madonna, in a rare moment of bowing to another icon, chose to sing John Lennon’s classic call for peace, “Imagine.” Granted, she was already using it in her Re-Invention Tour, but it rather spoke to her ability for timeliness when it comes to musical relevance to a cause. Despite it being a stripped down performance, the beauty and earnestness in it was more apparent than in any other benefit she had ever appeared at.
35) “Hung Up” at MTV Europe Music Awards, November 3, 2005: In a ceremony that would perhaps somewhat foreshadow Madonna’s future in that it took place in Lisbon, she opened the show in her latest incarnation of a futuristic disco queen (for it always goes back to disco beats and culture for M) to wallop the audience with the throbbing rhythm of “Hung Up”–complete with purple leotard.
36) “Get Together” on Star Academy, November 11, 2005: While never much for reality TV, let alone singing contest reality TV, Madonna made an exception for this popular French TV series in an unabashed disco-themed getup: shimmering silver dress complete with matching knee-high boots and what she called her “weenie roll” flipped out hairstyle. When paired with “Get Together,” the effect of the outfit was truly mesmerizing.
37) Confessions on a Dance Floor promo tour on November 15, 2005 and November 19, 2005 at KOKO and G-A-Y in London: Hopelessly devoted to her gay fanbase, Madonna took to London to promote her then gayest record to date in get-ups that delivered all the feels to older gay gentleman, especially those pink hot pants at G-A-Y. M also showed love for nostalgia by incorporating a reworked version (courtesy of Stuart Price) of the dance single that started it all, “Everybody.”
38) “Hung Up” at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, February 8, 2006: Displaying her constant desire to experiment with new technology in her performances, Madonna joined the holographic Gorillaz onstage to harmonize them for a bit on “Hung Up” after they finished singing some verses from their own hit, “Feel Good Inc.”
39) “La Isla Bonita” at Live Earth, July 7, 2007: Building on a trend of Madonna reworking her canon of classic songs for live performances as a result of her own boredom with them, “La Isla Bonita” was given a gypsy twist with the help of Gogol Bordello, with frontman Eugene Hutz’ relationship extending into Madonna’s directorial realm for 2008’s Filth and Wisdom.
40) Hard Candy promo tour at Roseland Ballroom, April 30, 2008: With an intimate capacity of 2,200, Madonna took the stage in New York to give her fans a sweet taste of the fare from her Timbaland/Pharrell/Justin Timberlake-produced album, Hard Candy, with Timberlake himself joining her onstage for their single, “4 Minutes.” It was, like the Brixton Academy performance before it, but a preview of what would become her next full-scale tour.
41) Sticky & Sweet Tour, September 23, 2008-September 2, 2009: Determine to continue breaking records, it appeared, Madonna embarked on another world tour in promotion of Hard Candy, with ticket sales quickly surpassing any of her other tours of the decade. Colored with political tension as M gunned for Obama to win as opposed to his opponent, John McCain/Sarah Palin, controversy also arose when Madonna spoke out against gypsy discrimination while touring parts of Eastern Europe. That a segment of the tour was comprised as an homage to gypsy music and culture seemed to add insult to the injury. A dark pall was also cast when two workers in Marseille were killed while working on her stage.
42) Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, February 2, 2012: Blazing the trail back toward more lively performances at the Super Bowl halftime show after the NFL couldn’t seem to get over Janet Jackson’s exposed nipple in 2004 (therefore bringing their audience safe choices like Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones in the years immediately following), Madonna delivered the goods on spectacle for her show at the Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition to crowd-pleasing hits that included, “Vogue,” “Open Your Heart”/”Express Yourself” and “Like A Prayer,” she also incorporated her lead single from MDNA, “Give Me All Your Luvin'”–with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. at her side as co-cheerleaders to sing. Though M.I.A. paid a very heavy price to do so as she was fined millions by the NFL for flipping off the camera.
43) The MDNA Tour, May 31-December 22, 2012: Notable for its myriad controversies as it made its way across the globe, Madonna exhibited a continued ability to ruffle feathers even at her so-called non-peak in cities like Tel Aviv, where an image of far-right French politico Marine Le Pen first appeared onscreen with a swastika on her head, invoking threats from the French government to sue her if she showed up to France (the date of which was Bastille Day for added insult to their injury) with the video image displayed as such. Madonna’s use of firearms for several songs in the first segment of the show had already drawn contempt to begin with, which was compounded after the shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. M did not remove the guns, moving onto Istanbul to flash her tit in a largely Islamist country. More controversy occurred during her Moscow show, when she spoke in favor of Pussy Riot, freedom of speech and gay rights. The backlash from the government resulted in warnings of terrorist attacks at her St. Petersburg show. Madonna’s response was, “I’m a freedom fighter. My show. My songs. My work. My art, is all about freedom of expression. Freedom to choose to speak to act. Always with humanity and compassion. I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community, to support the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed. I don’t run away from adversity. I will speak during my show about this ridiculous atrocity.”
44) “Open Your Heart”/”Same Love” at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, January 26, 2014: Although it’s always cringeworthy when anyone performs with Macklemore, Madonna (endlessly mocked for looking like the Quaker oatmeal mascot) did so for a good cause as she showed her continued support for the rights of same sex couples, a handful of which were married during the performance.
45) “Don’t Tell Me”/”We Can’t Stop” during Miley Cyrus: MTV Unplugged, January 29, 2014: While gays that not so secretly hate women like Rufus Wainwright were horrified by the Madonna/Miley alliance, many saw the natural correlation between the two, especially when it came to Miley’s sexual charged controversies of the previous year. Oh, and the sonic meldings of country-pop based on Madonna’s Music concept and Miley’s entire shitkicker background.
46) “Living For Love” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, February 8, 2015: Debuting her first single in three years, audiences got an immediate sense that the tracks of Rebel Heart would be more suited for mainstream consumption than those from MDNA, with Madonna’s talent for putting on a spectacle evident in her more full-fledged revisiting of the toreador motif that was present in “Take A Bow.”
47) “Living For Love” at the BRIT Awards, February 25, 2015: Unfortunately memorable for being one of the only times Madonna has ever exhibited any lack of grace onstage, a wave of goading internet memes arose after Madonna’s cape got caught and she was yanked from her high perch on the stage. In the spirit of a true showman, however, she got right back up again and carried on, just as the song says.
48) “Human Nature”/”Hung Up” onstage with Drake at Coachella, April 12, 2015: In what felt to be a series of unfortunate events in terms of the masses finding reasons to ridicule Madonna for her age, Drake’s reaction to a kiss from Madonna was not as well-received as Britney’s, with Drake making a face of sheer disgust as he pulled away from her. It was the only thing anyone remembered about the performance, and it seemed no one would ever wish to be as “Big As Madonna” in that moment.
49) “Living For Love” and “Ghosttown” on The Ellen Show, March 17, 2015: Having recovered from the shock of the BRIT Awards (a subject discussed in detail) by this point, Madonna was at her most at ease while chatting with Ellen DeGeneres in between her performances of “Living For Love” and “Ghosttown.”
50) “Ghosttown” at iHeartRadio Music Awards with Taylor Swift on guitar, March 29, 2015: As though to prove the message behind her video for “Bitch I’m Madonna”–that she can hang with literally any celebrity of the moment she wants–Madonna decided to let Taylor Swift join her–looking especially monstrous in height next to famously short M–for “Ghosttown.”
51) “Bitch I’m Madonna” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, April 9, 2015: While also giving a tropical-infused rendition of “Holiday,” it was her studio-takeover performance of “Bitch I’m Madonna” that not only launched the single onto the charts, but also proved the M of yore–that endlessly tongue-in-cheek one–was still very much alive and well.
52) “Ghosttown,” “Imagine” and “Like A Prayer” at Place de la République, December 9, 2015: Happening to be in town for the Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna’s impromptu performance in Paris’ famed square stemmed from her show of love and support for those who suffered the terrorist attacks of Bataclan on November 13th.
53) Prince tribute at the Billboard Music Awards, May 23, 2016: Despite being panned by those who felt a black artist could have provided Prince with a more fitting tribute, people seemed to forget that 1) the two were both respective 80s icons that came up together and 2) well, Prince had been inside her.
54) “Borderline” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, June 9, 2016: Showing up to sing a stripped back version of “Borderline” in an androgyne look that seemed to be a power homage to Barack Obama, who made his first appearance on the show the same night. Madonna would later tell Jimmy that she only agreed to do it so she could meet Barack. And yes, that was a pretty significant image to behold.
55) “Express Yourself,” “Don’t Tell Me,” “Imagine,” “Like a Prayer,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “Rebel Heart” in Washington Square in support of Hillary Clinton, November 7, 2016: Echoing her woman of the people appearance in Place de la République, this time Madonna’s aim was to use her music to raise awareness about the importance of not voting a psychotic megalomaniac into office. But then, one supposes music did not make the people come together on this front.
56) Tears of a Clown, December 2, 2016: Reviving the act that first appeared as a treat for her Down Under fans during the Rebel Heart Tour, M revived the show as a benefit for her foundation, Raising Malawi. That Trump was such a strong contender to win the election allowed her the chance to retool some of the show, at one point singing a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with his image behind her. Relevant not only for its political leanings, Madonna showed that she had reached a point in her career where she was as free to experiment as she wished. Tears of a Clown, too, undoubtedly planted a seed for the Madame X Tour.
57) “Express Yourself” and “Human Nature” at the Women’s March in Washington D.C., January 21, 2017: Invoking the potential wrath of being accused of committing treason by threatening to blow up the White House, Madonna sang two highly tailored to the situation songs with all the vitriol in her heart. Which seemed to ache for those women who could not conveniently flee the country for Portugal.
58) Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala, St. Tropez, July 26, 2017: Not only notable for steadfastly revealing just how adept Madonna is at gathering large donations for charity from rich people, this performance, consisting of the likes of “4 Minutes” and “Ghosttown” was continued proof that Madonna performs not necessarily for the pleasure of it at this point, but because there is a motive behind it.
59) “Like A Prayer” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” at Stonewall Inn, December 31, 2018: Making a cameo to the delight of those golden gays forever hopelessly devoted, Madonna sang in appreciation of a new year that would find her back in the place that started it all for her–New York, not Stonewall Inn. The intimacy of the performance, again, seemed to set a tone for her aims in 2019’s Madame X Tour.
60) “Medellín” with Maluma at the Billboard Music Awards, May 1, 2019: Two words: augmented reality.
61) “Future” at Eurovision Song Contest, May 18, 2019: Since clearly no one was much of a fan of her “Like A Prayer” portion, let us turn to the beauty of “Future,” during which Quavo took the stage and Madonna incorporated elements of “Dark Ballet” (unbeknownst to us at the time, also partially debuting the video for it as well). Her brazen decision to show two dancers wearing the Palestinian and Israeli flag linking in unison drew almost as much criticism as her vocals. Ergo, it’s undeniable that the one constant of her career is that she has always been told she cannot sing. But as she once asserted to Dick Tracy onstage during the Blond Ambition Tour, “It’s all right, lots of people make records who can’t sing. But you’re good lookin’ and that counts for somethin’.”
With the Madame X Tour just around the corner, this smattering of sixty-one defiant performances is sure to give an indication of even more to come.
