LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 14: (Exclusive Coverage) Madonna performs during opening night of The Celebration Tour at The O2 Arena on October 14, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation)
Photo: WireImage for Live Nation, Kevin Mazur. All rights reserved.
“Waiting for Madonna is like waiting for God” – in Cologne, fans of the singer had to wait a long time until the show finally started. Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., but the artist only took the stage in the Lanxess Arena shortly after 10 p.m.
“No show, already an hour and a half late,” complained some on X (formerly Twitter), who probably didn’t know that Madonna’s Celebrations Tour usually starts later than usual for concerts.
And who can blame the fans – according to another post, the show should start at 8:30 p.m. on the ticket. But that probably means the pre-show. At the start in London, the audience was warmed up with music in advance.
In the past few weeks, Madonna has always come on stage between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. – so the first Germany show is no big exception. But there is still room for some mockery: “Is Madonna taking a Nana Nap or is she just rude?” writes a user who was also waiting in the Lanxess Arena for the concert to start.
Despite the delay: the stadium is well filled. At 10:05 p.m. Madonna finally appeared on stage and, as at the previous shows, started with “Nothing Really Matters”.
The previous setlist (as of 11:10 p.m.)
Nothing Really Matters
Everybody
Into the Groove
Burn Up
Open Your Heart
Holiday
Live To Tell
Like a Prayer
Erotica
Papa Don’t Preach
Justify My Love
Fever
Hung Up
Problems to expect when leaving after the Madonna show
Madonna will probably perform for a good three hours today too. This means that many visitors will not start their journey home until after one in the morning. The current GDL strike could throw a spanner in the works. S-Bahn and regional trains were not as usual tonight – but the railway is trying to find alternative offers to bring the fans home.