Madonna has dodged Australia for way too long. So she’s giving a special present to those long-suffering superfans when her Rebel Heart trek works its way across Australia and New Zealand.
The Queen of Pop has added an exclusive fan show to her tour of Australasia, which kicks off Saturday night (March 5) at Auckland’s Vector Arena and now grows to 10 dates. Madonna’s so-called Tears of a Clown show will take place next Thursday (March 10) at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre and is billed as a fusion of music, art and comedy. Quite how the comedy element of the performance will play out is anyone’s guess.
Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour Surpasses $100 Million Mark
The intimate gig will now serve as a warm-up for Madonna’s Australian arena tour, which is scheduled to start March 12 at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and wind-up March 20 at Sydney’s Allphones Arena.
In a statement announcing the one-off show, Madonna said, “I wanted to do something special for Australia because you have been so patient and waited so long – the ‘Tears of a Clown’ show will make its debut on March 10. Performance art, comedy, story telling and music of course! Especially for you my Rebel Heart fans Down Under.”
Tickets will be made available to Icon fan club winners. Details on how to enter will be announced at Madonna.com and via the Telstra’s “Thanks” promotion Webpage.
The last time Madonna played here was for the Girlie Show tour of 1993. Indeed, her Auckland dates will be her first in New Zealand.
Madonna Makes History With 45th No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs Chart
The pop diva’s latest album Rebel Heart opened at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in March 2015, becoming her 11th No. 1 in Australia, a run that stretches back to True Blue which reached the summit in August 1986. No other artist can beat that tally (U2 is also on 11 No. 1s).
Madonna’s global, Live Nation-produced tour has now grossed more than $100 million.
Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour of Australia and New Zealand:
March 5 — Auckland, NZ, Vector Arena
March 6 — Auckland, NZ, Vector Arena
March 10 — Melbourne, Forum Theatre (*new show)
March 12 — Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
March 13 — Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
March 16 — Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
March 17 — Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
March 19 — Sydney, Allphones Arena
March 20 — Sydney, Allphones Arena