Sticky & Sweet Tour

The Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008/09) was the eighth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, launched in support of her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008). It marked her first live undertaking after signing a new 360 deal with Live Nation. Following a series of promotional appearances, Madonna announced the tour in May 2008, with shows booked across Europe, North and South America, including numerous new cities for the singer; though initially planned, and mentioned in interviews, the tour ultimately did not visit Asia, Australia or New Zealand. Supporting acts varied, and included French DJ Bob Sinclair, English DJ Paul Oakenfold, and Swedish singer Robyn.

The Sticky & Sweet tour was split into two legs: Leg I ran from August-December 2008, with the singer touring parts of Europe, North and South America. Leg II, which was announced in early 2009, ran from July-September of that year. This second leg was focused mainly on different European markets, many of which Madonna would be visiting for the very first time. Indeed, Sticky & Sweet became one of the singer's most comprehensive and extensive tours of the continent, much to the delight of her European fans. First-time concerts were held in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia and Serbia. The tour also visited Seville, Valencia, and Zaragoza (Spain) for the first time, respectively, and marked Madonna's 15-year return to Tel Aviv, Israel, following 1993's Girlie Show tour.

The show was divided into four thematic segments: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave, and described as a "rock-driven, dancetastic journey". Critical reception was generally positive, with praise for the tour’s production value, choreography and Madonna's stage presence. Commercially, the tour was a major success; after earning $282m ($411.84m in 2024) in ticket revenues, it became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist, at the time. An additional $129m ($188.4m in 2024) was generated from the 2009 summer leg, bringing the final gross to $411m ($600.24m in 2024), making it the second highest-grossing tour of all time after the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour (2005-2007). Sticky & Sweet remained the highest-grossing tour by a female artist for fifteen years, only being surpassed by Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in 2024, which grossed over $2 billion.

History

In October 2007, Madonna officially announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, the label she had been signed to since the beginning of her career. She entered into a landmark $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation, covering future music ventures including touring, merchandising, and sponsorships. In March 2008, The Sunday Telegraph reported that Madonna was planning to finally re-visit Australia—something she had not done since 1993 and had canceled on her previous two tours due to scheduling conflicts. Promoter Michael Chugg was quoted as having said that a world tour "will happen" and it was "actively being discussed".

Around this same time, in spring 2008, Madonna herself hinted at tour plans during an interview with Z100-FM, saying: "I might tour in the fall, it's still a possibility." In April 2008, the Daily Mirror stated that the European leg of the tour would likely begin sometime in September, with negotiations reportedly already underway for a September 11 date at London's Wembley Stadium.

Hard Candy, Madonna's final studio album under Warner Bros, was released on April 29, 2008. She promoted it with exclusive, intimate concerts at New York City's Roseland Ballroom and the Paris Olympia, and headlined BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. During a May 1, 2008, interview at On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Madonna confirmed the tour. A week later, Live Nation and Arthur Fogel announced the Sticky & Sweet Tour, the first major event under their new partnership with Madonna.

Development

Conception and stage setup

According to Daryl Easlea, author of Madonna: Blond Ambition (2012), the singer envisioned the Sticky & Sweet Tour as "bringing the dance floor to the stadium", delivering a "nonstop party", in contrast to the politically-driven, message-heavy Re-Invention (2004) and Confessions (2006) tours. The show was described as a "rock-driven, dancetastic journey" divided into four thematic acts: Pimp, a blend of 1920s deco with modern "gangsta glam"; Old School, referencing the early 1980s New York hip hop dance culture, with Keith Haring's art; Gypsy, inspired by Romani folk music and dance; and Rave, an energetic finale with some Middle Eastern influences.

Jamie King was brought on again as creative director, with Kevin Antunes as musical director. The production involved 250 crew members, 69 guitars, 12 trampolines, and 100 pairs of kneepads, as reported by NME. The performance ensemble was made up of Monte Pittman on guitar and backing vocalists Kiley Dean and Nicki Richards, with 12 dancers including Sofia Boutella, as well as visual artists like Hamutsun Serve and the Kolpakov brothers Sasha and Vladim.

The set design, more compact than its predecessors', was T-shaped with a treadmill-style moving catwalk leading to a central B-stage; a Swarovski-studded "M" was seen on either side of the stage. Seventeen HD video screens, with three measuring 20’ x 20’, created a 60’ seamless backdrop, controlled via XLNT's InMotion3D software. These screens played a key role in the show's visual storytelling: during "4 Minutes" and "Beat Goes On", the panels shifted to create a dynamic, immersive environment for virtual "duets" with Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams. For "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" and "Beat Goes On", a pair of concentric, cylindrical stealth screens descended from above; though constructed from flat LED panels, they were customized into a rounded form using cable ties and small uprights, according to video engineer Jason Harvey.

The show's visuals were coordinated using Mac Pros, with footage arriving from London, New York, and Los Angeles. Highlights included brightly colored, childlike animations in the style of Keith Haring for "Into the Groove" (1985), and a video starring Britney Spears, shown tied-up in an elevator during "Human Nature" (1995); Madonna described it as a metaphor for Spears' public and personal struggles. For the 2009 extension, Marilyn Minter's Green Pink Caviar—featuring a giant tongue licking neon icing—accompanied opening number "Candy Shop". Props used throughout the concert included a crystal-studded M-shaped throne, a 1935 Auburn Speedster, and a full boxing ring.

Scandals

In typical Madonna fashion, Sticky & Sweet pushed some "buttons" with the public and sparked a few moments of controversy and backlash. In one instance, the video interlude for "Get Stupid" drew conservative criticism in America for showing images of then-US Republican presidential candidate John McCain alongside such dictators as Adolf Hitler and Robert Mugabe, while aligning Barack Obama with figures such as John Lennon and Mahatma Gandhi. Representatives from both political campaigns were displeased with the montage, saying it was "outrageous" and "offensive". Later, when election results were announced, Madonna openly celebrated Obama's electoral win during the concert in San Diego, California, shouting it was "the best day of my fucking life" as images of the president-elect and the words "We Won" appeared onscreen. The singer also repeatedly mocked vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) during her New Jersey and New York City shows, joking that Palin was banned from concerts, even threatening to "kick her ass" during a performance of "I Love New York". When later asked about the comment, while attending the premiere of her directorial debut Filth and Wisdom, Madonna dismissed her "threats" to Palin as a metaphor.

In 2009, at her first-ever concert in Romania, Madonna publicly denounced the rampant discrimination of the Roma/Romani ("Gypsy") community in Eastern Europe as they are often the targets of prejudice, with many living on the fringes of society. Despite the singer expressing her beliefs in "freedom and equal rights for everyone", many cries of disapproval and jeers were elicited by the nearly 70,000-strong crowd. Publicist Liz Rosenberg later said that Madonna had been inspired to speak out after touring with Roma musicians—who formed a core part of the "Gypsy" third act of the show—and would not comment any further.

Also in Europe, Madonna was fined £135,000 (nearly US $180k) for exceeding her allotted time at Wembley Stadium; she sparked media commentary after dedicating "Like a Virgin" to Pope Benedict XVI during her show in Rome, a city the singer has repeatedly performed in on nearly every tour.

In Bulgaria, Madonna was criticized by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for scheduling her concert on August 29, 2009, a day of fasting for Orthodox Christians, and for showing what the Church described as a "disrespectful and intolerant" attitude toward Christianity, accusing her of misusing religious imagery in her performances. Similarly, in Poland, controversy arose when the concert date coincided with the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Marian Brudziński, a (former) member of the League of Polish Families (LPR), urged authorities to cancel the show. Meanwhile, Bishop Piotr Jarecki, then-president of the Council for Social Affairs of the Polish Episcopate, attempted to defend the artist, stating that the timing was likely a scheduling coincidence rather than an act of malice.

Live broadcasts & recordings

The shows at Buenos Aires' River Plate Stadium were filmed and later broadcast as Madonna: Sticky & Sweet, first airing on Sky1 and subsequently on EPIX. The broadcast was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and CD in 2010 under the title Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Marseille stage collapse and crew deaths

On July 16, 2009, at approximately 17:15 GMT, during setup for Madonna's show at Stade Vélodrome, in Marseille, southern France, a portion of the stage set collapsed, claiming the lives of two crew members, 53-year-old Charles Criscenzo and 23-year-old Charles Prow. The accident also injured eight others. According to officials, the roof became unstable while being lifted by cranes, causing one piece to fall. The concert was immediately canceled. At a subsequent show in Udine, Italy, Madonna addressed the accident to the audience, asking them for a moment of silence in expressing her condolences. The singer came to Marseille on the day the show was originally scheduled, July 19, meeting with the victims' families and visiting the injured workers in hospital. A public statement was also made by Madonna, in which she said she was "devastated" by the news. Nearly 12 years later, in February 2021, a French court found four individuals guilty of involuntary manslaughter and injury in connection with the collapse; Jacqueline Bitton, head of Live Nation France at the time, received a suspended two-year sentence and a €20k (US $23k) fine. Tim Norman, of the Edwin Shirley Group, was also given a suspended two-year sentence and fined €15k ($17.4k). Two other managers involved received suspended sentences and fines. Live Nation France and Tour Concept were fined €150,000 ($174.6k) and €50,000 ($58.2k) respectively. Three other defendants were later acquitted.

Setlist

Setlists were slightly altered between the 2008 and 2009 legs of the tour, respectively; in Act II, "Holiday" replaced "Heartbeat" in 2009, while "Ray of Light" was replaced by "Frozen" in Act IV.

Act I: Pimp

1. "The Sweet Machine" (Intro); (with elements of "Manipulated Living", "4 Minutes" & "Give It 2 Me")
2. "Candy Shop" (with elements of "4 Minutes" & "Beat Goes On")
3. "Beat Goes On" (with elements of "And the Beat Goes On")
4. "Human Nature" (with elements of "Gimme More" & "What You Need")
5. "Vogue" (with elements of "4 Minutes" & "Give It to Me")
6. "Die Another Day" (Remix) (interlude; with elements of "Planet Rock" & "Looking for the Perfect Beat")

Act II: Old School

1. "Into the Groove" (with elements of "It's like That", "Double Dutch Bus", "Toop Toop", "Apache", "Jam On It" & "Jump")
2. "Heartbeat"
3. "Borderline"
4. "She's Not Me"
5. "Music" (with elements of "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" & "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life")

Act III: Gypsy

1. "Rain" / "Here Comes the Rain Again" (interlude)
2. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
3. "Spanish Lesson"
4. "Miles Away"
5. "La Isla Bonita" / "Lela Pala Tute"
6. "Doli Doli" (Performed by the Kolpakov Trio)
7. "You Must Love Me"

Act IV: Rave

1. "Get Stupid" (interlude; with elements of "Give It 2 Me", "4 Minutes", "Voices" & "Beat Goes On")
2. "4 Minutes"
3. "Like a Prayer" (with elements of "Feels Like Home")
4. "Ray of Light"
5. "Hung Up" (with elements of "A New Level")
6. "Give It 2 Me"

Notes

• During the initial 2008 leg, Madonna took random requests from some audiences for acapella renditions of select songs, including "Holiday" (1983), "Dress You Up" (1984), "Like a Virgin" (1984), "Material Girl" (1984), "Open Your Heart" (1986), "Express Yourself" (1989), "Secret" (1994), "Beautiful Stranger" (1999), "American Life" (2003) and "Sorry" (2005).
• "I Love New York" was performed during the second concert in New York City, October 7, 2008.
• During the third New York show, on October 11, 2008, Madonna dedicated "You Must Love Me" (1996) to her daughter Lourdes in honor of her 12th birthday. That night, she was also joined by Pharrell for their song "Beat Goes On" and "Give It 2 Me".
• Britney Spears made a surprise appearance at the Los Angeles concert during "Human Nature", for which she had been a part of the multimedia video for the tour; Justin Timberlake also appeared that night for his and Madonna's song, "4 Minutes".
• Prior to the Los Angeles show's start, an equipment malfunction damaged part of the roof, affecting some stage lighting. Despite this, it was deemed safe and the show continued as scheduled, with Madonna stating: "Even though my stage roof was damaged[,] and some lights and effects aren't working, I want to do the show anyway because I don’t want to disappoint my fans."
• "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (1996) was performed during the Buenos Aires, Argentina, concerts.
• In Copenhagen, Denmark, Madonna and the audience sang "Happy Birthday" to her son Rocco, who turned nine that day.

Shows

List of 2008 concerts

Date (2008)	City	Country	Venue	Opening act	Attendance (Tickets sold / available)	Revenue
August 23	Cardiff	Wales	Millennium Stadium	Paul Oakenfold	33,460 / 33,460	$5,279,107
August 26	Nice	France	Stade Charles-Ehrmann	Robyn	41,483 / 41,483	$4,381,242
August 28	Berlin	Germany	Olympiastadion		47,368 / 47,368	$6,048,086
August 30	Zürich	Switzerland	Militärflugplatz Dübendorf		70,314 / 70,314	$11,093,631
September 2	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Amsterdam Arena		50,588 / 50,588	$6,717,734
September 4	Düsseldorf	Germany	LTU Arena		35,014 / 35,014	$4,650,327
September 6	Rome	Italy	Stadio Olimpico	Benny Benassi	57,690 / 57,690	$5,713,196
September 9	Frankfurt	Germany	Commerzbank-Arena	Robyn	39,543 / 39,543	$6,020,706
September 11	London	England	Wembley Stadium	Paul Oakenfold	73,349 / 73,349	$11,796,540
September 14	Lisbon	Portugal	Parque da Bela Vista	Robyn	75,000 / 75,000	$6,295,068
September 16	Seville	Spain	Estadio La Cartuja		47,712 / 59,258	$4,874,380
September 18	Valencia		Circuit Ricardo Tormo		50,143 / 50,143	$4,941,980
September 20	Saint-Denis	France	Stade de France	Bob Sinclar	138,163 / 138,163	$17,583,211
September 21
September 23	Vienna	Austria	Danube Island	Robyn	57,002 / 57,002	$8,140,858
September 25	Budva	Montenegro	Jaz Beach		47,524 / 47,524	$3,463,063
September 27	Athens	Greece	Olympic Stadium		75,637 / 75,637	$9,030,440
October 4	East Rutherford, NJ	United States	Izod Center	Paul Oakenfold	16,896 / 16,896	$2,812,250
October 6	New York, NY		Madison Square Garden		61,586 / 61,586	$11,527,375
October 7
October 11
October 12
October 15	Boston, MA		TD Banknorth Garden		26,611 / 26,611	$3,658,850
October 16
October 18	Toronto, ON	Canada	Air Canada Centre		34,324 / 34,324	$6,356,171
October 19
October 22	Montreal, QC		Bell Centre		34,301 / 34,301	$5,391,881
October 23
October 26	Chicago, IL	United States	United Center		30,968 / 30,968	$5,777,490
October 27
October 30	Vancouver, BC	Canada	BC Place Stadium		52,712 / 52,712	$5,389,762
November 1	Oakland, CA	United States	Oracle Arena		28,198 / 28,198	$4,964,765
November 2
November 4	San Diego, CA		Petco Park		35,743 / 35,743	$5,097,515
November 6	Los Angeles, CA		Dodger Stadium		43,919 / 43,919	$5,858,730
November 8	Las Vegas, NV		MGM Grand Garden Arena		29,157 / 29,157	$8,397,640
November 9
November 11	Denver, CO		Pepsi Center		23,501 / 23,501	$4,434,020
November 12
November 16	Houston, TX		Minute Maid Park		41,498 / 41,498	$5,170,100
November 18	Detroit, MI		Ford Field		30,119 / 30,119	$2,395,900
November 20	Philadelphia, PA		Wachovia Center		13,790 / 13,790	$2,318,530
November 22	Atlantic City, NJ		Boardwalk Hall		13,293 / 13,293	$3,321,000
November 24	Atlanta, GA		Philips Arena		14,843 / 14,843	$2,632,952
November 26	Miami Gardens, FL		Dolphin Stadium		47,998 / 47,998	$6,137,030
November 29	Mexico City	Mexico	Foro Sol		104,270 / 104,270	$10,428,743
November 30
December 4	Buenos Aires	Argentina	River Plate Stadium		263,693 / 263,693	$18,274,292
December 5
December 7
December 8
December 10	Santiago	Chile	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos		146,242 / 146,242	$11,385,499
December 11
December 14	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Maracanã Stadium		107,000 / 107,000	$7,322,269
December 15
December 18	São Paulo		Estádio do Morumbi		196,656 / 196,656	$15,462,185
December 20
December 21

List of 2009 concerts

Date (2009)	City	Country	Venue	Opening act	Attendance (Tickets sold / available)	Revenue
July 4	London	United Kingdom	The O2 Arena	Paul Oakenfold	27,464 / 27,464	$5,873,149
July 5
July 7	Manchester		Evening News Arena		13,457 / 13,457	$2,827,517
July 9	Paris	France	Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy		15,806 / 15,806	$2,306,551
July 11	Werchter	Belgium	Werchter Festival Park		68,434 / 68,434	$7,190,295
July 14	Milan	Italy	San Siro		55,338 / 55,338	$6,507,798
July 16	Udine		Stadio Friuli		28,362 / 28,362	$3,236,277
July 21	Barcelona	Spain	Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys		44,811 / 44,811	$5,010,557
July 23	Madrid		Vicente Calderón Stadium		31,941 / 31,941	$4,109,791
July 25	Zaragoza		Recinto de la Feria de Zaragoza		30,940 / 30,940	$2,015,381
July 28	Oslo	Norway	Valle Hovin		79,409 / 79,409	$10,481,500
July 30
August 2	Saint Petersburg	Russia	Palace Square		27,103 / 27,103	$4,431,805
August 4	Tallinn	Estonia	Tallinn Song Festival Grounds		72,067 / 72,067	$5,924,839
August 6	Helsinki	Finland	Jätkäsaari		85,354 / 85,354	$12,148,455
August 8	Gothenburg	Sweden	Ullevi Stadium		119,709 / 119,709	$14,595,910
August 9
August 11	Copenhagen	Denmark	Parken Stadium		48,064 / 48,064	$6,709,250
August 13	Prague	Czech Republic	Chodov Natural Amphitheater		42,682 / 42,682	$3,835,776
August 15	Warsaw	Poland	Bemowo Airport		79,343 / 79,343	$6,526,867
August 18	Munich	Germany	Olympiastadion		35,127 / 35,127	$3,655,403
August 22	Budapest	Hungary	Kincsem Park		41,045 / 41,045	$3,920,651
August 24	Belgrade	Serbia	Ušće Park		39,713 / 39,713	$1,738,139
August 26	Bucharest	Romania	Parcul Izvor		69,088 / 69,088	$4,659,836
August 29	Sofia	Bulgaria	Vasil Levski National Stadium		53,660 / 53,660	$4,896,938
September 1	Tel Aviv	Israel	Yarkon Park		99,674 / 99,674	$14,656,063
September 2
Total					3,545,899 / 3,557,445	$407,803,266