Madonna’s announcement Monday that her Celebration! world tour will now kick off in October in Europe — with the summer North American dates to be rescheduled following her health scare — is the result of a compromise between the singer and her team, sources told Page Six.
“Madonna told everyone she wants to do the whole thing [soon] — but her management team and her insurance company kicked back. There was a bit of a battle raging,” said one insider, adding that Madonna wanted to start the tour much sooner.
However, the insider said, Madonna’s management team as well as the tour’s insurer insisted she put the tour on hold after she was found unresponsive and suffering from a bacterial infection last month, landing her in the ICU.
“While she has some rehearsing still to do, she has been working at it for months and knows exactly what needs to be done,” the insider said. “She is just eager to get out there — as eager as her fans are to see her.”
On Monday, the Material Girl released her first statement since her illness, posting on Instagram: “Thank you for your positive energy, Prayers and words of healing and encouragement. I have felt your love.
“I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life … The current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe.”
The announcement came a day after Madonna was seen out and about on New York City’s Upper East Side this past weekend.
A friend told Page Six that, while the 64-year-old star is back on her feet, she is still “weak.”
The source added: “She gets exhausted when she walks. She was telling everyone she was well enough to do her US dates — however, no one wanted any sort of relapse and she was essentially overruled.”
Page Six has reached out to Madonna’s reps.
The tour, which the singer has been planning for nearly four years, is now due to start with a date at the 02 arena in London on October 14 – the first of four sold-out dates at the arena — before going on to Belgium, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. The North American dates will be postponed until 2024.
“My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children. My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour,” Madonna posted to Instagram. “I also didn’t want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone.”
The tour, which celebrates Madonna’s greatest hits and her 40 years at the top, was first planned before the pandemic. In the weeks before falling ill, the singer was rehearsing for 12 hours a day.
The tour was due to start on July 15 in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the star’s brush with death has made her think about her legacy.
According to The Sun, Madonna has refused to allow her estate to use her image as a hologram, citing the Whitney Houston hologram show which was criticized for being exploitative.