The MDNA Tour
The MDNA Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her twelfth studio album, MDNA. It was her fifth major collaboration with Live Nation and comprised 88 shows across Eurasia and the Americas. Following early rumors in 2011, the tour was officially announced after Madonna's performance at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in February 2012. The tour began on May 31, 2012, at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, and concluded on December 22 at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba, Argentina. It marked her first performances in Scotland, Ukraine, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as her first show in Turkey since the Girlie Show. An Australian leg was planned for early 2013 but ultimately cancelled.
The show was divided into four thematic segments —Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine, and Redemption— and described by Madonna as "the journey of a soul from darkness to light". Designed with contributions from Arianne Phillips and Jean Paul Gaultier, the production received generally positive reviews, with praise directed at its visual staging and choreography. However, critics noted the relative absence of Madonna's earlier hits in favor of MDNA material. The tour sparked several controversies, including the use of firearms and violent imagery, partial nudity, and political statements. A video interlude comparing French politician Marine Le Pen to Adolf Hitler led to a legal threat, while her support for Pussy Riot and LGBTQ+ rights during shows in Russia drew criticism from conservative groups. Additionally, an intimate concert at Pariss Olympia was widely panned by fans for its short length.
Commercially, MDNA was a major success. It grossed $305.2 million from 88 sold-out shows, becoming the highest-grossing tour of 2012 and, at the time, the tenth highest-grossing tour ever. Madonna received the Top Touring Artist award at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards. The concerts at Miami's American Airlines Arena were filmed and broadcast as Madonna: The MDNA Tour through EPIX. A live album and concert film titled MDNA World Tour was released on September 10, 2013, in multiple formats, including double CD, DVD, and Blu-ray.
Background
In early 2011, MTV News reported that Madonna would tour with the cast of American television series Glee, but her team denied the claim. Later that year, fansite DrownedMadonna published a purported 2012 tour itinerary from Live Nation listing stops in Auckland, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, China, South Korea, Japan, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv; this too was confirmed false by her publicist Liz Rosenberg. However, Madonna did partner with Smirnoff to launch the "Nightlife Exchange Project", a global dance contest judged by her, her choreographers, and manager Guy Oseary. The winner, Charles "Lil Buck" Riley, was selected at the final event in New York and invited to join her next tour.On February 5, 2012, Madonna performed at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The following day, she officially announced the 2012 World Tour, later titled the MDNA Tour. Live Nation executive Arthur Fogel described it as her most extensive tour to date, covering 26 European cities before expanding to North and South America, with an anticipated stop in Australia —her first since the Girlie Show in 1993. Venues included stadiums, arenas, and "unique outdoor sites" such as Québec City's Plains of Abraham. Madonna's twelfth studio album, MDNA, was released on March 26, and fans who purchased tickets in the US. received a free digital or physical copy. Up to 250,000 copies of the album were reportedly distributed this way.
In July, the Australian leg was officially cancelled, with a spokesperson stating the tour would end in South America as planned. The announcement prompted backlash from Australian fans, who expressed their disappointment online. In response, Madonna posted an audio message on YouTube apologizing for the cancellation and explaining that her children were her top priority. She promised that when she eventually toured Australia, it would be worth the wait, adding, "I will put on the greatest show on Earth. I haven't forgotten about you".
Development
Conception and rehearsals
The MDNA Tour marked Madonna's fifth collaboration with Live Nation and began taking shape in mid-2010, following early discussions between architect Mark Fisher, manager Guy Oseary, and promoter Arthur Fogel. Production veteran Jake Berry, known for his work on U2's 360° Tour, soon joined the team, and the tour's financial and logistical framework was finalized by the end of the year. Fogel described Madonna's tours as "cultural touch points" and "unique animals" in their ability to generate both fan excitement and global media attention. In a Facebook chat with Jimmy Fallon, Madonna revealed that the tour would not replicate her Super Bowl performance and would instead serve as "the journey of a soul from darkness to light", blending cinematic theater, spectacle, and intimate performance art. She confirmed the inclusion of violent imagery and outlined four thematic acts: Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine, and Redemption.Rehearsals began in a converted warehouse in Manhattan, later moving to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale for full production run-throughs. Madonna described the process as "brutal" and shared images of bruises sustained during rehearsals. Final rehearsals were held at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, where the tour officially launched on May 31, 2012. The performance ensemble included creative director Jamie King, longtime guitarist Monte Pittman, backing vocalists Kiley Dean and Nicki Richards, and over 15 dancers, including Smirnoff competition winner Lil Buck. Madonna also hired Basque trio Kalakan, whom she discovered in Guéthary, to perform a reworked version of "Open Your Heart". Slackliner Andy Lewis was invited to join the tour but declined.
During rehearsals, footage of performances such as "Celebration" and a mashup of "Express Yourself" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" surfaced online, sparking media interest. Numerous fake set lists circulated before MTV revealed the official lineup on May 14. The tour concluded on December 22, 2012, in Córdoba, Argentina. Madonna explained her decision to begin in Israel as symbolic, stating: "The Middle East and all the conflicts that have been occurring here for thousands of years—they have to stop".
Stage and costume design
developed, manufactured and supplied the stage for the MDNA Tour. Shaped like a triangle, the stage included a catwalk that wrapped around a VIP area and extended over the audience, descending from to in height. Multiple lifts allowed for dynamic entrances and prop reveals, while overhead tracks enabled the movement of performers and scenery. The stage stood six stories tall to ensure visibility for distant audience members. For outdoor shows, a custom inflatable roof —covering over 1,100 m² and consisting of 11 air-filled cushions— was provided by Buitink Technology in collaboration with European Future Structures NV, offering protection from weather and simplifying installation.File:Vogue .jpg|thumb|For "Vogue", Madonna donned a re-worked version of the Jean Paul Gaultier-designed conical corset.
A standout element was the massive video backdrop composed of eight tracking and rotating screens, considered the largest ever built for a concert at the time. An additional feature was the LED floor system created by Tait Tower, placed at the center of the stage. It consisted of 36 cube-shaped lifts clad in LED video. Each cube measured, could rise at a speed of per second, and reached a maximum height of. When fully retracted, the cubes aligned flush with the floor, creating a seamless performance surface. Props used throughout the show included a giant confessional, fake firearms, a motel set, chandeliers, kinetic mirrors, a swinging thurible, and a layered riser for guest musicians Kalakan. Transporting the tour required four planes.
Costume design was led by Arianne Phillips, with contributions from Jean Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, and others. For the performance of "Vogue", Gaultier created a look that included a white shirt, black tie, opera-length gloves, and a rigid, cone-shaped corset —referencing his original design from 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour but reinterpreted in 3D, using patent leather on the exterior and metallic leather inside. Phillips also designed a Joan of Arc–inspired outfit made of metal mesh and Swarovski crystals, and a 1940s-style majorette uniform. Dolce & Gabbana designed outfits for the band and backup vocalists, while Prada, Miu Miu, and Madonna's Truth or Dare brand provided over 700 pairs of shoes. Additional wardrobe pieces featured lingerie, harnesses, bandolier vests, ram’s head masks, and custom jeans. Madonna made eight costume changes throughout the show.
Multimedia and video
Madonna enlisted Canadian multimedia company Moment Factory to design the tour's visual content, marking their second collaboration following the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. The team had four months to conceptualize and produce multimedia for 12 songs, including "Papa Don't Preach", "Express Yourself", "Vogue", "I'm a Sinner", "Like a Prayer", and "Celebration". The process involved full 2D and 3D animation, with video shoots conducted in India, New York, and Montreal. According to Moment Factory content creator Johanna Marsal, ideas were developed collaboratively with show director Michael Laprise, video director Stefaan Desmedt, and choreographers Rich + Tone. Concepts were shaped by stage costumes and audience perspective, and had to be approved by Madonna. Marsal noted that the team had creative freedom and worked closely with lighting and set designers to ensure cohesion.The visuals ranged from photorealistic to surreal. "Girl Gone Wild" opened in a digitally rendered cathedral, while "Gang Bang" featured blood-splatter effects filmed over three days in Montreal. For "I'm a Sinner", Moment Factory captured psychedelic footage from the back of a moving train in India. The finale, "Celebration", was described as a riot of color and movement. Other collaborators included Tom Munro and Johan Söderberg, who created a video for "Nobody Knows Me" that morphed Madonna's face with global figures like Sarah Palin, Hu Jintao, and Pope Benedict XVI, exploring themes of intolerance and judgment. Munro also directed a noir-inspired video of Madonna being stalked by masked clowns for "Justify My Love". The mashup of "Express Yourself" and "Born This Way" incorporated Roy Lichtenstein-style visuals and animated "monsters" devouring imagery from Madonna's past tours, and a lightning bolt referencing David Bowie's Aladdin Sane persona. Slant Magazines Sal Cinquemani described the sequence as a deliberate jab at Gaga, given the use of "monsters" —a term Gaga uses for her fanbase. During the performance of "Vogue", the logo of magazine of the same name was prominently displayed onscreen. Additional video cameos featured Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and M.I.A. on "Revolver", "I Don't Give A", and "Give Me All Your Luvin'", respectively.
One of the most complex technical challenges was mapping visuals onto the moving cube lifts at the center of the stage. According to Desmedt, a custom-configured DR controller developed by UVA was used to achieve the precise projections. He noted that working on Madonna’s show differed from typical concerts due to its highly theatrical nature: "Whereas usually you'd be cutting to the music, here you're cutting to very tiny details. It's less flexible".