Re-Invention World Tour
The Re-Invention World Tour was the sixth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her ninth studio album, American Life. It began on May 24, 2004, at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and concluded on September 14 at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal. The tour marked Madonna's return to the stage after three years and included her first-ever concerts in both Portugal and Ireland. Initially rumored in late 2003 and officially announced in March 2004, the tour's title referenced the singer's reputation for reinvention, as well as her aim to rework and reimagine older songs. The 24-track set list was divided into five thematic acts —Marie Antoinette, Military, Circus, Acoustic, and Scottish-Tribal— with costumes designed by Arianne Phillips, Stella McCartney, Christian Lacroix, and Karl Lagerfeld.
Critical reception ranged from positive to mixed. While many reviewers praised Madonna for performing the "classic" songs absent from her previous Drowned World Tour, others critiqued the concert's themes and political tones. Nevertheless, the tour was a commercial triumph, grossing over $125 million from 56 sold-out shows and drawing an audience of more than 900,000, making it the highest-grossing tour of 2004. It won Top Tour at the 2004 Billboard Touring Awards. Controversy briefly surrounded the tour when Elton John accused Madonna of lip syncing —a claim denied by her team and later retracted by John. The tour was later chronicled in the 2005 documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
Background
In August 2002, Madonna collaborated with photographer Steven Klein on X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS, a multimedia art installation designed to explore and deconstruct her public image. Featuring "stark" visuals and disorienting footage that portrayed her in surreal, regal settings, the project debuted in New York in March 2003 and traveled to several European cities. Around this time, she released her ninth studio album, American Life, and promoted it with performances at MTV's Total Request Live, the HMV store on Oxford Street, and appearances on Top of the Pops and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. She also made headlines with a performance alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.Talk of a concert tour began circulating in late 2003, with Madonna's manager confirming plans for either late 2004 or early 2005. By January, Madonna herself said she had show ideas in mind, and rehearsals were reported to be underway by March. Early working titles included Whore of Babylon World Tour 2004, and Scottish bagpiper Calum Frase revealed he had been invited to participate. On March 23, 2004, the Re-Invention World Tour was officially announced. Manager Caresse Henry said it would be a high point in Madonna's career, and a welcome return that would remind audiences of her strength as a live performer. Drawing partial inspiration from X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS, the tour marked her first in three years and included her debut in Ireland. Scheduled shows in Tel Aviv were canceled due to security concerns, though Madonna expressed disappointment, saying she would have gone if it were up to her. The tour opened on May 24 in Inglewood, California, and concluded on September 14 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Development
Conception and set list
One of the main criticisms of 2001's Drowned World Tour was the omission of Madonna's "classic hits". According to Henry, this feedback led the singer to rethink her approach for Re-Invention, opting to perform songs spanning her entire career. As she explained on Total Request Live, "We're talking old and new like they've never been done before." The tour title, Re-Invention, was described by Christianity Magazine as a self-aware nod to critics who had long commented on her ever-changing image. Madonna herself said the name reflected the need to approach her older material from a new angle, highlighting its irony. Thematically lighter than Drowned World, Re-Invention centered on the contrast between unity and violence and was divided into five thematic acts acts: Marie Antoinette, Military, Circus, Acoustic, and Scottish-Tribal. Henry called it a "brilliant performance show—extravagant, but more in line with how shows used to be."The set list was carefully refined during rehearsals, beginning with over thirty potential songs. Tracks like "Dress You Up" and "I'm So Stupid" were considered but ultimately dropped —some due to technical challenges, like learning guitar chords. "Vogue" was initially intended as the opener before being replaced by "The Beast Within". Other rehearsed songs that didn’t make the cut included the Headcleanr Mix of "Love Profusion", "Swim" from Ray of Light, "Take a Bow", and "Live to Tell". The final set list featured twenty-four tracks, including a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine", which Madonna called "the ultimate peace song". "Don't Tell Me" was performed in two variations —one with a French skyline backdrop, another sampling The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony". "Ray of Light" was removed due to vocal strain. Two new songs were also created during the process: "The Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You" and "I Love New York", both later reworked into future studio albums.
Rehearsals and stage setup
returned as creative director for tour, continuing his long-standing collaboration with Madonna. The production team also included guitarist Monte Pittman, keyboardist and musical director Stuart Price, bagpiper Lorne Cousin, backing vocalist Siedah Garrett, and longtime backing vocalist and dancer Donna De Lory. A troupe of 12 dancers —three of them trapeze artists— rounded out the ensemble. Dancer auditions were held in New York and Los Angeles between February and March 2004, with rehearsals taking place at the Forum. Choreographer Allan Dekko was brought in specifically for "Express Yourself", which featured a military theme; he later described Madonna as pleasant to work with and capable of meeting the show’s physical demands.The production, estimated at $1 million, featured an ambitious stage design. It included a rotating turntable that could rise nearly and spin at speeds up to, along with a conveyor belt that ran along the front edge of the stage. Five massive video screens—one weighing seven tons—formed the multimedia backdrop, moved by 160 individual motors. Additional elements included 130 rigging points, an elaborate lighting system, and a four-ton Claire Brothers line array sound system. A V-shaped catwalk was suspended from the ceiling, descending over the crowd during certain numbers. The show also used striking visual props such as a skateboarding half-pipe and an electric chair, with footage from the X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS installation featured throughout. Notably, there was no opening act.
Fashion
The wardrobe for the Re-Invention tour was overseen by designer Arianne Phillips, who stated that the costume design followed the same approach as the tour itself —reworking past material with new presentation. Madonna underwent five costume changes during the concert, with contributions from designers Stella McCartney, Christian Lacroix, and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. Each act featured a distinct visual style. Lacroix, who had previously collaborated with the singer on X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS, recreated one of the corsets from that project for the tour's opening: a champagne-colored, crystal-studded piece with Baroque inspiration. The second segment, tied to the American Life album, included military-inspired outfits described by Phillips as "real rock 'n' roll". The third act, influenced by the work of Federico Fellini and traditional circus aesthetics, featured bold chorus girl corsets by Lagerfeld. For the more subdued fourth act, McCartney designed minimal garments that emphasized performer silhouettes. The final segment incorporated kilts from USA Kilts, blending traditional Scottish elements with contemporary streetwear touches. Additional wardrobe pieces included T-shirts by Jean Paul Gaultier and shoes by Miu Miu. The official tour poster featured an image from X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS, showing Madonna in a 17th-century-style dress, crawling toward the camera.Concert synopsis
The show opened with "The Beast Within", a spoken-word interpretation of the Book of Revelation accompanied by imagery from X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS. As the visuals ended, Madonna emerged from below the stage in the Lacroix corset and performed "Vogue" with yoga-inspired poses. She followed with "Nobody Knows Me" dancing solo on the conveyor belt while lyrics flashed onscreen. The act closed with "Frozen", sung amid clouds of dry ice and beneath video projections from Chris Cunningham, showing a naked androgynous couple wrestling underwater.The Military segment opened with the sound of helicopters and dancers dressed as soldiers crawling and embracing onstage. Madonna then appeared atop a stack of TV sets, wearing military fatigues and a beret, to perform "American Life". The backdrops showed the song's original music video, intercut with imagery of war, wounded children, and actors resembling George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein. Midway through the performance, the V-shaped catwalk descended from the ceiling, allowing the singer and dancers to move above the audience. "Express Yourself" featured rifle twirling, while rock-infused versions of "Burning Up" and "Material Girl" closed the act, and had Madonna on electric guitar.
The Circus act followed, introduced by a remix interlude of "Hollywood" showcasing a firedancer, a belly dancer, a tap dancer, a skateboarder, and Rider–Waite tarot animations. "Hanky Panky" was staged like a burlesque show, while "Deeper and Deeper" was reimagined as a slow lounge number. "Die Another Day" was choreographed as a tango and ended with Madonna being strapped into an electric chair, leading into the ballad "Lament" from Evita. The act concluded with a video interlude set to a remix of "Bedtime Story", featuring imagery of Madonna lying on a giant scanner and singing in front of a mirror. As the video played, aerial dancers descended from the ceiling on swings.
"Nothing Fails" opened the Acoustic segment, performed by Madonna on acoustic guitar. "Don't Tell Me", "Like a Prayer" and a mashup of American Life album tracks "Mother and Father" and "Intervention" followed; the latter performance incorporated religious imagery and footage of the singer's late mother. "Imagine", with Madonna singing amid visuals of war-torn areas and children, closed the act. The final Scottish-Tribal segment opened with live bagpipers and "Into the Groove", performed with Missy Elliott appearing onscreen. Madonna wore a kilt and rotated between T-shirts bearing phrases like "Kabbalists Do It Better" or "Italians Do It Better". She followed with "Papa Don't Preach" and "Crazy for You", which she dedicated to her fans. "Music" featured a hip-hop remix and illuminated staircase, while the finale, "Holiday", featured the cast atop the catwalk as confetti rained down and the words "Re-invent Yourself" appeared onscreen.