The Girlie Show World Tour

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The Girlie Show
Tour by Madonna
Supporting album	Erotica
Start date	September 25, 1993
End date	December 19, 1993
Legs	3
Shows	7 in Europe 16 in America 16 in Japan and Australia 39 in Total
Madonna tour chronology
Blond Ambition World Tour (1990)	The Girlie Show (1993)	Don't Tell Me Promo Tour (2000)

The Girlie Show was the third world concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, visiting America, Europe and Asia. Madonna's inspiration for the name of the tour was a painting called "Girlie Show" by Edward Hopper. The 1941 oil-painting shows a burlesque dancer which represented very much the theme of the tour. It was Madonna's first (and so far only) tour to reach South America, Turkey, Israel and Australia. ^[1]

[edit] Tour Information

Proclaiming after her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour that she would "never go on tour again", it only took her three years until she hit the road again. After that, she said that if "you ever hear me say again 'I'm never going on tour again', don't believe me." ^[2]

The Girlie Show was mounted in support of Madonna's 1992 album, Erotica. The show had a central visual theme, Burlesque Circus. She said it was "a mixture of a rock concert, a fashion show, a circus performance, a cabaret act and a burlesque show". The show had a more complex stage than those from Madonna's previous tours. It had a runway/catwalk that led from the center of the main stage to a minor stage at the end, a number of elevators, three elevated platforms behind the stage and a revolving platform in the middle of the main stage.

The stage took 24 hours to be mounted properly and was directed by Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone.

Madonna played an uncharacteristically spare five dates in the U.S. and another three in Canada. It was speculated that this may have been related to the Erotica album's particularly low sales in that country and the backlash surrounding Madonna's book, Sex.^[3]

[edit] Broadcasts and recordings

Initially, the November 20, 1993 show, the second of two dates at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, was to be filmed and aired on HBO in the United States. However, a massive storm forced the cancellation of the show, so the November 19 show (which had been filmed as a "safety show") was aired instead. This show was released worldwide on VHS and Laserdisc on April 26, 1994 as The Girlie Show - Live Down Under. Another recording was made during the Japanese leg of the tour and shown only on Japanese television; Live in Japan 1993 - The Girlie Show. This version has never had a commercial release. ^[4]

[edit] Public response

The Girlie Show was a substantial success.

Uproar developed in Puerto Rico after Madonna rubbed the Puerto Rican flag between her legs on stage.^[5] A German politician called for a boycott of Madonna's only German show in Frankfurt (which was already sold out) because of nudity and pornographic content. The date was eventually cancelled, but, according to a spokesperson of Madonna, the cancellation was due to stage set-up problems and had nothing to do with the proposed boycott. ^[6] Similar problems in Israel occurred when Orthodox Jews staged protests to force the cancellation of the singer's first-ever show in that country. The protests were unsuccessful as the show was sold out and went on as scheduled. ^[7]

Many critics accused the show of failing to reach the standards set by her previous Blond Ambition tour. Madonna's brother and artistic collaborator, Christopher Ciccone, stated that although the stage appears simpler at the front, it is by far more complicated than anything Madonna has done from the back.

The video for the tour, The Girlie Show - Live Down Under, was nominated for the Grammy Award of Best Long Form Music Video in 1995.

The tour grossed $60.3 million.^[8]

[edit] Opening Acts

• UNV (some USA venues)
• Yonca Evcimik and Kenan Doğulu (Istanbul)
• Peter Andre (Australia)
• Mario Pelchat (Montreal)

[edit] Setlist

The following is the official setlist: ^{[9] [10]}

1. "The Girlie Show Theme"
2. "Erotica"
3. "Fever"
4. "Vogue"
5. "Rain" ¹
6. "Express Yourself"
7. "Deeper and Deeper"
8. "Why's It So Hard"
9. "In This Life"
10. Dancers Interlude: "The Beast Within"
11. "Like a Virgin" ²
12. "Bye Bye Baby"
13. "I'm Going Bananas"
14. "La Isla Bonita"
15. "Holiday"
16. "Justify My Love"
17. "Everybody Is a Star"
18. "Everybody" ³

¹ contains an excerpt from "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" and "Singin' in the Rain"
² contains an excerpt from "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)"
³ contains an excerpt from "Dance to the Music" and "After the Dance"

[edit] Tour Dates

Cancellations (2): October 2 Festhalle Stadium, Frankfurt, Germany; November 20 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia, rescheduled for December 4th.

Dates: 39 (40 scheduled)

[edit] Personnel

• Vocals: Madonna
• Director and Production Designer: Christopher Ciccone
• Musical Director: Jai Winding
• Entire Production Staged by: Jeffrey Hornaday
• Choreographed by: Alex Magno, Keith Young
• Additional Choreography by: Michelle Johnston, Niki Haris
• Costumes by: Dolce & Gabbana
• Additional Costumes: Rob Saduski
• Keyboards: Jai Winding, Michael Beardon
• Guitar: Paul Pesco
• Bass: Victor Baley
• Drums: Omar Hakim
• Percussion: Luis Conte
• Additional Keyboards: Mike McKnight
• Background Vocals: Niki Haris, Donna DeLory
• Dancers: Ungela Brockman, Christopher Childers, Michael Gregory, Carrie Ann Inaba, Jill Nicklaus, Ruth Inchaustegui, Luca Tommassini, Carlton Wilborn
• Lighting Designer: Peter Morse
• Personal Security to Madonna: Earl Gabbidon, Bob Izzard
• Publicity: Liz Rosenberg, Warner Bros Records.

[edit] Refereences