Madonna: Tears of a Clown
Concert by Madonna | |
Start date | March 10, 2016 |
---|---|
No. of shows |
|
Attendance | 2,000 |
Madonna concert chronology |
Tears of a Clown[1] was a show by American singer Madonna, first held at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia on March 10, 2016. The singer had not included Australia during her previous five concert tours, until the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016), so she created the show for her Australian fans since they had waited so long for her to perform there. Madonna explained that the idea behind Tears of a Clown was to combine music and storytelling, being influenced by clowns. Tickets for the first show were made available to members of Madonna's official fan club, Icon, and were non-transferable, with the person's name printed on them.
The first show of Tears of a Clown started four hours late, with the delay being caused by Madonna rehearsing. It consisted of Madonna singing acoustic versions of her songs while dressed as a clown, interspersed with the singer telling jokes and anecdotes. Tears of a Clown received positive reviews from critics who appreciated the stripped down, confessional nature of the singer's performance and the choice of the songs and the comedy. Madonna denied reports of her being drunk on stage, calling them false and sexist. She revived the show on December 2, 2016, performing at Miami's Faena Forum as a benefit gala, to auction memorabilia and raise money for her Raising Malawi charitable foundation. Tickets were expensive, and the auctioned items included Madonna's tour dress and wedding photographs, as well as paintings that she owned.
Background
Madonna had last toured in Australia in 1993 with
I've had this idea in my head for this show Tears of a Clown which is a combination of music and storytelling. Because at the end of the day I do think of myself as a story teller. But it's rough as f---, [sic] so bear with me and give me all the support you can. It's from the heart. I chose to debut this work in progress, this rough rehearsal, here in Australia because I feel so bad about cancelling on you guys the last time. I'm sorry. You've been so patient, you waited for so long, I feel like I owe you a present, so this is your present ... I want to make a disclaimer ... If anyone thinks they came here to see a finished final show, there's the door. This is some brand spanking new shit. I don't know if you like it raw.[6]
Tickets were made available to members of Madonna's official fan club, Icon, and winners with details announced at Madonna.com and through concert promoter
Synopsis
On the day of the show, the doors at Forum Theatre were supposed to open at 8:30pm, but since Madonna rehearsed well into the night, the show started later at midnight. The show started with Madonna appearing onstage, in a clown's costume consisting of a billowing dress, pink and yellow stockings, circling the stage in a tricycle.
Other acoustic versions of songs followed, including "I'm So Stupid", "Paradise (Not for Me)", "Joan of Arc" and "Don't Tell Me". Before performing the next song, "Mer Girl", Madonna explained that once she was at her father's house and she visited the place where her mother was buried; the place, overgrown with weed, became an inspiration behind the song.[11] Then Madonna sang an acoustic version of "Borderline" followed by "Take a Bow". The encore was an acoustic version of "Holiday" featuring Madonna playing the ukulele accompanied by her band and her dancers dressed as clowns.[12]
Critical response
Cameron Adams from News.com.au wrote: "[Madonna] poured much of her sadness into her intimate two-hour Tears of a Clown show, peppering emotional renditions of her hits with cheeky jokes and banter."[8] In another article reviewing the show, Adams noted that Tears of a Clown was "the sort of thing you never thought you'd see a superstar do". He complimented Madonna's jokes, chatting about her life in-between songs, for being "raw and vulnerable" and confessed that it was "fascinating — and difficult — to watch. We're not used to Madonna on stage doing anything less than a fully rehearsed, slick stage show." Concluding the review, Adams believed that Tears of a Clown professed Madonna's touring direction into the future.[6] Writing for The Independent Nick Levine noticed that the singer "tested out her stand-up comedy skills with a series of risqué jokes and took the opportunity to defend her controversial fashion sense."[10] Debbie Cuthbertson from The Sydney Morning Herald gave a positive review of the show, saying "For the queen of self-control, it was an open, at times even vulnerable insight into her persona. She seemed relaxed, drinking Cosmopolitans as she spoke at length between songs." Cuthbertson also commended the choice of Forum Theatre as a venue believing it to be "inspired, and her crew lit up the grand old dame in a way that showcased all her delicate charms in a way I can't recall any other act having ever done."[13]
Lachlan Kanoniuk, music critic for
After the show ended, several media outlets reported that Madonna may have been drunk during the performance; however, Madonna blasted these reports, by responding: "Thanks for supporting me. Too bad people don't know the art of acting and playing a character. I could never do any of my shows high or drunk. And yes underlying all of this is sexism and mysongony [sic] which proves that not only do we not get equal pay but we are still treated like heretics if we step out of line and think outside the box! Sexism is alive and kicking but i am #livingforlove."[17]
Successive show
In October 2016, Madonna announced plans of collaborating with
Madonna was aided by her son David Banda, who was adopted by the singer from Malawi; Banda introduced Madonna and told the audience who bought the tickets about how "lucky" he was. The Tears of a Clown show was over an hour long, with Madonna giving her opinions on the
Set list
The following set list was obtained from the concert held on March 10, 2016, at the Forum Theater in Melbourne, Australia.[21] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
- "Send In the Clowns"
- "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
- "X-Static Process"
- "Between the Bars"
- "Nobody's Perfect"
- "Easy Ride"
- "Intervention"
- "I'm So Stupid"
- "Paradise (Not for Me)"
- "Joan of Arc"
- "Don't Tell Me"
- "Mer Girl"
- "Borderline"
- "Take a Bow"
- "Holiday"
Dates
Date (2016) |
City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
March 10[22] | Melbourne | Australia | Forum Theatre |
December 2[23][a] | Miami | United States | Faena Forum |
Notes
References
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (May 13, 2017). "Madonna Sydney Rebel Heart And Melbourne Tears of A Clown Shows Head To DVD". Noise11. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ "Madonna to tour Australia for the first time in 23 years". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Waddell, Ray (March 2, 2015). "Madonna To Launch 'Rebel Heart' World Tour in August". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Brandle, Lars (March 3, 2016). "Madonna Announces Intimate Music, Art and Comedy Club Show for Australian Fans". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c Northover, Kylie (March 10, 2015). "Countdown on for Madonna's Tears of a Clown 'comedy' show before Rebel Heart tour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Adams, Cameron (March 10, 2016). "Emotional Mads opens up about son". News.com.au. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Adams, Cameron (March 9, 2016). "Madonna in Australia on Rebel Heart tour: Tears of a Clown rehearsals under way". News.com.au. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c Adams, Cameron (March 9, 2016). "Madonna at Forum in Melbourne for Tears of a Clown Show". News.com.au. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna starts Melbourne concert more than four hours late". CBS News. November 10, 2015. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Levine, Nick (March 10, 2016). "Madonna plays gig dressed as a clown and rides a child's tricycle for 'Tears of a Clown' show". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (March 11, 2016). "Madonna clowns around and sheds tears for Rocco at Melbourne show". BBC News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ S. He, Richard (March 11, 2016). "Inside Madonna's intimate 'Tears of a Clown' show in Melbourne". Junkee.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Cuthbertson, Debbie (March 11, 2016). "Madonna's intimate Melbourne show Tears of A Clown a unique confessional". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ Kanoniuk, Lachlan. "Madonna Clowns Around at Melbourne Show After Three Hour Delay". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
- ^ Gibb, Francis (March 10, 2016). "Tears of a clown as Madonna sobs for son". The Times. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ Lisi, Jon (May 3, 2016). "Is 'Madonna Tears of a Clown' a Laughing Matter?". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ Leung, Andrew (March 15, 2016). "Madonna Calls Backlash for Her 'Tears of a Clown' Performance in Australia Sexist". Mic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ a b Herrera, Chabeli (November 25, 2016). "For $5,000, you can see Madonna dressed as a clown. Oh yes, she'll sing". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Madonna raises $7.5M for Malawi, slams Trump in Miami show". CNBC. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- Extra. December 2, 2016. Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (March 11, 2016). "Madonna clowns around and sheds tears for Rocco at Melbourne show". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ Gracie, Bianca (March 11, 2016). "MADONNA PERFORMS INTIMATE 'TEARS OF A CLOWN' SHOW IN MELBOURNE". Fuse. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (November 27, 2016). "Miami Art Basel: Madonna reviving Tears of a Clown performance". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ Krelenstein, Greg (December 5, 2016). "INSIDE MADONNA'S EPIC ART BASEL CHARITY AUCTION AND PERFORMANCE". V. Visionaire. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
External links