Sticky & Sweet Tour

Sticky & Sweet Tour

Tour by Madonna
File:S&SCandy Channel.jpg Madonna performing "Candy Shop" during her 2008 World Tour
Associated album	Hard Candy
Start date	August 23, 2008
End date	September 2, 2009
Legs	4
No. of shows	44 in Europe 30 in North America 11 in South America 2 in Asia 87 Total
Madonna concert chronology

The Sticky & Sweet Tour is the eighth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna to support her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. The show tours Europe, the Americas and Israel. It is Madonna's first major venture from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation, following the Hard Candy Promo Tour. The tour gained many achievements in 2008, including becoming the highest grossing tour by a female artist, breaking the previous record held by Cher on her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, which grossed $250 million. The tour is estimated to have grossed $US280 million as of December 2008. In January 2009, Live Nation annouced that Madonna will continue her tour into 2009, in Europe, finishing with two dates in Israel.

Background

The world tour was officially confirmed by Guy Oseary, Madonna's manager and Arthur Fogel, Live Nation's CEO Global Touring and Chairman Global Music on May 8, 2008. To promote the tour, a website was released on the day of the first show. The tour is described as a "rock driven dancetastic journey". The show features four acts:

• Pimp: A mashed up homage to 1920's deco and modern day gangsta pimp. Madonna makes a grand entrance dressed by Givenchy.
• Old School: Madonna tips her hat to her early 80's downtown New York City dance roots with flashes of Keith Haring and the dance culture vibe of the time including the birth of rap.
• Gypsy: A VIP trip to La Isla Bonita infused by the spirit of Romanian folk music and dance. A tour de force.
• Rave: Far eastern influences emerge all sparkly and sporty.

Madonna's statements

Performing "Vogue".

During the "Get Stupid" video interlude, the audience viewed images of disaster throughout the ages along with images of Hitler and Mugabe. US Republican presidential candidate John McCain was featured in the segment as well along Hitler and Mugabe. Images of John Lennon, Gandhi and Al Gore are featured towards the end of the video along with US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The video caused an uproar in the political world, especially to McCain's camp. Tucker Bounds, McCain's spokesperson stated:

The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time [...] It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits.

At the conclusion of the presidential election, the image of McCain was removed from the video. During her performance at Petco Park, Madonna (and fans) congratulated President-Elect, Barack Obama, on his historic win for presidency of the United States. Madonna stated, "This is a historical evening. This is a motherfucking important evening and we are lucky to be sharing it with the World [...] This is the beginning of a whole new world. Are you ready?! Are you fucking ready?!" The video screens displayed images of Obama along with the message, "We Won". During her show at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Madonna dedicated her song "Like a Virgin" to Pope Benedict XVI. She stated:

I'm gonna dedicate this song to the Pope, because, I know he loves me. I am a child of God! And you know what else?...[begins to sing first verse of Like a Virgin].

Neither Pope Benedict XVI nor the Vatican have made any remarks towards the dedication or any comments made.

About the show

The show begins with "The Sweet Machine", a 3D animation video, displaying a piece of candy being manufactured and used as a Pin-ball. As the video ends, "Candy Shop" begins, with Madonna appearing on a 'M' throne. "Beat Goes On" features Madonna and her dancers dancing with a vintage Rolls-Royce while Pharrell and Kanye West appear on the video screens behind. Madonna then plays the electric guitar for "Human Nature" which features a video of Britney Spears, trapped in an elevator, who sings along to some of the verses in the song. A modernized "Vogue is the final song for this section which leads to a video interlude for "Die Another Day", featuring Madonna as a boxer on screen, while her dancers perform a faux boxing match.

The next section, inspired by the style and culture of early 80's New York, begins with Madonna skipping on stage for "Into the Groove". This performance is a mash-up with "Toop Toop" by Cassius and features the artwork of friend Keith Haring. She then performs a double dutch dance interlude which leads to "Heartbeat". During that song, Madonna's dance movements are controlled by her back-up dancers as if they were puppeteers. Madonna then re-invents "Borderline" as a rock version on electric guitar. "She's Not Me" follows and shows Madonna making fun of her various incarnations and styles from the music videos of "Open Your Heart", "Material Girl", "Vogue" and "Like a Virgin". This section ends with "Music" which contains elements of "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" and excerpts from "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life". A short video is played featuring a tagged subway train. The "doors" of the train then close to take in Madonna and her dancers. The "Rain" video interlude is then played on the video screens featuring an animated pixie finding shade under a petal during a rainstorm. This version contains musical elements from "Here Comes the Rain Again" by Eurythmics.

File:S&s-intothegroove.jpg

Performing "Into The Groove"

In the next section, "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" features Madonna cloaked behind a circular video screen which features imagery of waves splashing and rain. Madonna then performs "Spanish Lesson" featuring a flamenco-influenced dance solo by Alexander Kolpakov. She plays the guitar once again for "Miles Away". "La Isla Bonita" features the Ukrainian-gypsy group, Kolpakov Trio, incorporating the gypsy wedding song, "Lela Pala Tute". Madonna and her dancers sit aside, for a solo performance from the trio of the traditional song, "Doli Doli". Madonna then returns to the stage for "You Must Love Me", the Academy Award winning song from, Evita. The act ends with "Get Stupid", a video interlude about global warming, famine and other global issues.

For the final act, Madonna returns on stage for a virtual duet with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland for "4 Minutes". The next song is a remix of "Like a Prayer" featuring elements from "Feels Like Home" and video screens depicting messages from the Bible, Qur'an, Torah and Talmud. The electric guitar is played again for the performance of "Ray of Light". Madonna then seeks audience participation, asking for requests for "an oldie but goodie". She sings the first verse and chorus before moving onto a rock version of "Hung Up". A brief video plays featuring a modern take on classic arcade games, then Madonna returns on stage for the finale performance, "Give It 2 Me", ending the song with a sing-a-long of the chorus. The show ends as the words "Game Over" appear on the video screens.

Opening acts

• Robyn (Europe) (select venues)
• Benny Benassi (Rome)
• Paul Oakenfold (Europe, North America & South America) (select venues)
• Bob Sinclar (Paris)

Setlist

Performing "Beat Goes On" as Pharell Williams and Kanye West appear on-screen

2008

1. "The Sweet Machine" (Video Introduction) (contains elements from "Manipulated Living", "4 Minutes", "Human Nature" and "Give It 2 Me")
2. "Candy Shop"
3. "Beat Goes On"
4. "Human Nature" (contains excerpts from "Gimme More")
5. "Vogue" (contains elements of "4 Minutes" and "Give It To Me")
6. "Die Another Day" (Remix) (Video Interlude)
7. "Into the Groove" (contains elements of "Toop Toop", "Body Work", "Jump", "Apache" and "Double Dutch Bus")
8. "Heartbeat"
9. "Borderline"
10. "She's Not Me"
11. "Music" (contains elements of "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit", with excerpts from "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life")
12. "Rain" (Remix) (Video Interlude) (contains elements of "Here Comes the Rain Again")
13. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
14. "Spanish Lesson"
15. "Miles Away"
16. "La Isla Bonita" (contains excerpts from "Lela Pala Tute")
17. "Doli Doli" (Kolpakov Trio solo) (Dance Interlude)
18. "You Must Love Me"
19. "Get Stupid" (Video Interlude) (contains excerpts from "Beat Goes On", "Give It 2 Me", "4 Minutes" and "Voices")
20. "4 Minutes"
21. "Like a Prayer" (contains elements of "Feels Like Home")
22. "Ray of Light"
23. "Hung Up" (contains elements of "Give It 2 Me" and "4 Minutes")
24. "Give It 2 Me" (contains elements of "Fired Up!" (Club 69 Mix))

2009

1. "The Sweet Machine" (Video Introduction) (contains elements from "Manipulated Living", "4 Minutes", "Human Nature" and "Give It 2 Me")
2. "Candy Shop"
3. "Beat Goes On"
4. "Human Nature" (contains excerpts from "Gimme More")
5. "Vogue" (contains elements of "4 Minutes" and "Give It To Me")
6. "Die Another Day" (Remix) (Video Interlude)
7. "Into the Groove" (contains elements of "Toop Toop", "Body Work", "Jump", "Apache" and "Double Dutch Bus")
8. "Holiday"
9. "Dress You Up"
10. "She's Not Me"
11. "Music" (contains elements of "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit", with excerpts from "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life")
12. "Rain" (Remix) (Video Interlude) (contains elements of "Here Comes the Rain Again")
13. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
14. "Spanish Lesson"
15. "Miles Away"
16. "La Isla Bonita" (contains excerpts from "Lela Pala Tute")
17. "Doli Doli" (Kolpakov Trio solo) (Dance Interlude)
18. "You Must Love Me"
19. "Get Stupid" (Video Interlude) (contains excerpts from "Beat Goes On", "Give It 2 Me", "4 Minutes" and "Voices")
20. "4 Minutes"
21. "Like a Prayer" (contains elements of "Feels Like Home")
22. "Frozen"
23. "Ray of Light"
24. "Give It 2 Me" (contains elements of "Fired Up!" (Club 69 Mix))

Additional notes

• Before her performance of "Hung Up", Madonna asks the audience for a song request. "Express Yourself" has become the most requested song. Other songs include: "Like a Virgin", "Holiday", "Open Your Heart", "Lucky Star", "Dress You Up", "I Love New York", "Beautiful Stranger", "American Life", "Burning Up", "Sorry", "Secret", "Material Girl", and "Everybody". Madonna typically sung the first verse and chorus before moving into "Hung Up".
• At the October 11, 2008 performance at Madison Square Garden, Madonna dedicated "You Must Love Me" to her daughter, Lourdes as it was her 12th birthday. At the same show, Pharrell Williams joined Madonna onstage for both "Beat Goes On" and "Give It 2 Me".
• At the November 6, 2008 Los Angeles show, Madonna was joined onstage by Britney Spears during the performance of "Human Nature". Later that night, Justin Timberlake joined Madonna onstage to perform "4 Minutes".
• At the November 26, 2008 performance in Miami at the Dolphin Stadium, Madonna was joined onstage by Timbaland during the performance of "4 Minutes" and by Pharrell Williams for "Give It 2 Me".
• During the performances at River Plate Stadium, Madonna included excerpts from "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" during the performance of "You Must Love Me".

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
Europe
August 23, 2008	Cardiff	Wales	Millennium Stadium
August 26, 2008	Nice	France	Stade Charles Ehrmann
August 28, 2008	Berlin	Germany	Olympic Stadium
August 30, 2008	Zürich	Switzerland	Military Airfield
September 2, 2008	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Amsterdam Arena
September 4, 2008	Dusseldorf	Germany	LTU Arena
September 6, 2008	Rome	Italy	Olympic Stadium
September 9, 2008	Frankfurt	Germany	Commerzbank Arena
September 11, 2008	London	England	Wembley Stadium
September 14, 2008	Lisbon	Portugal	Parque da Bela Vista
September 16, 2008	Seville	Spain	Olympic Stadium
September 18, 2008	Valencia		Circuito Ricardo Tormo Cheste
September 20, 2008	Paris	France	Stade de France
September 21, 2008
September 23, 2008	Vienna	Austria	Danube Island
September 25, 2008	Budva	Montenegro	Jaz Beach
September 27, 2008	Athens	Greece	Olympic Stadium
North America
October 4, 2008	East Rutherford	United States	Izod Center
October 6, 2008	New York City		Madison Square Garden
October 7, 2008
October 11, 2008
October 12, 2008
October 15, 2008	Boston		TD Banknorth Garden
October 16, 2008
October 18, 2008	Toronto	Canada	Air Canada Centre
October 19, 2008
October 22, 2008	Montreal		Bell Centre
October 23, 2008
October 26, 2008	Chicago	United States	United Center
October 27, 2008
October 30, 2008	Vancouver	Canada	BC Place Stadium
November 1, 2008	Oakland	United States	Oracle Arena
November 2, 2008
November 4, 2008	San Diego		Petco Park
November 6, 2008	Los Angeles		Dodger Stadium
November 8, 2008	Las Vegas		MGM Grand Garden Arena
November 9, 2008
November 11, 2008	Denver		Pepsi Center
November 12, 2008
November 16, 2008	Houston		Minute Maid Park
November 18, 2008	Detroit		Ford Field
November 20, 2008	Philadelphia		Wachovia Center
November 22, 2008	Atlantic City		Boardwalk Hall
November 24, 2008	Atlanta		Philips Arena
November 26, 2008	Miami		Dolphin Stadium
November 29, 2008	Mexico City	Mexico	Foro Sol Stadium
November 30, 2008
South America
December 4, 2008	Buenos Aires	Argentina	River Plate Stadium
December 5, 2008
December 7, 2008
December 8, 2008
December 10, 2008	Santiago	Chile	Chile National Stadium
December 11, 2008
December 14, 2008	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Maracanã Stadium
December 15, 2008
December 18, 2008	São Paulo		Morumbi Stadium
December 20, 2008
December 21, 2008
Europe
July 4, 2009	London	England	The O2
July 5, 2009
July 7, 2009	Manchester		Manchester Evening News Arena
July 9, 2009	Paris	France	Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
July 11, 2009	Werchter	Belgium	Werchter Festival Park
July 14, 2009	Milan	Italy	San Siro Stadium
July 16, 2009	Udine		Friuli Stadium
July 19, 2009	Marseille	France	Vélodrome Stadium
July 21, 2009	Barcelona	Spain	Olympic Stadium
July 23, 2009	Madrid		Vicente Calderón Stadium
July 25, 2009	Zaragoza		Recinto de la Feria de Zaragoza
July 28, 2009	Oslo	Norway	Valle Hovin Stadium
July 30, 2009
August 2, 2009	St. Petersburg	Russia	Palace Square
August 4, 2009	Tallinn	Estonia	Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
August 6, 2009	Helsinki	Finland	West Harbour
August 8, 2009	Gothenburg	Sweden	Ullevi Stadium
August 9, 2009
August 11, 2009	Copenhagen	Denmark	Parken Stadium
August 13, 2009	Prague	Czech Republic	Chodov Natural Amphitheater
August 15, 2009	Warsaw	Poland	Bemowo Airport
August 18, 2009	Munich	Germany	Olympic Stadium
August 20, 2009	Ljubljana	Slovenia	Ljubljana Hippodrome
August 22, 2009	Budapest	Hungary	Kincsem Park
August 24, 2009	Belgrade	Serbia	Ušće Park
August 26, 2009	Bucharest	Romania	Parc Izvor
August 29, 2009	Sofia	Bulgaria	Vasil Levski National Stadium
Asia
September 1, 2009	Tel Aviv	Israel	Hayarkon Park
September 2, 2009

Postponed dates

• December 3, 2008 - River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina (rescheduled for December 5th)
• December 6, 2008 - River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina (rescheduled for December 8th)
• July 29, 2009 - Valle Hovin, Oslo, Norway (rescheduled for July 28)

Cancelled dates

• July 8, 2009 - Men Arena, Manchester, England
• July 28, 2009 - Trab-Arena Hamburg Bahrenfeld, Hamburg, Germany

Proposed Australian leg

Originally, Live Nation reported that Madonna's 2008 world tour would make stops in the Americas and Europe. However, in March 2008 (before the tour was announced), Australian press reported that Madonna plans on making a stop in Australia for her 2008-09 world tour. She is quoted as saying: "How bad do you want me to be there? [...] There's a chance. It's been a while. It's the least I can do."

Music promoter and manager Michael Chugg stated that an Australian leg "will happen" and that local promoters are working hard to make it happen. Madonna apologized to her Australian fans during her last tour, the Confessions Tour, saying that she tried to work Australia into her schedule but ultimately could not. If so, this will be Madonna's first visit to the country since The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993. . In October 2008, Sunrise, the syndicated Australian talk show reported that Madonna will tour Australia in January 2009. Reporter, Molly Meldrum states that Madonna's divorce from Guy Ritchie prompted her to include more dates on her tour.

Madonna agreed to performances in Sydney and Melbourne but were later cancelled. Michael Coppel stated, "Madonna was coming to Australia, the dates were resolved, then economics got in the way [...] It's unknown territory at the moment. A lot of tours went on sale before the dollar crashed. We are only starting to see the affect of the economy on the tour industry".

With the announcement of the 2009 extension, the Herald Sun reported that Madonna currently has plans to tour Australia in September 2009, with one show in Melbourne pencilled in for the Telstra Dome. It was later reported that the rumored date was false. Arthur Fogel of Live Nation Global Touring stated, "[...] there is no validity to the reports. Madonna has only toured Australia once -- back in 1993".

Box office score data

Venue	City	Tickets Sold / Available	Gross Revenue
Millennium Stadium	Cardiff	33,460 / 33,460 (100%)	$5,279,107
Stade Charles Ehrmann	Nice	41,483 / 41,483 (100%)	$4,381,242
Olympic Stadium	Berlin	47,368 / 47,368 (100%)	$6,048,086
Military Airfield	Zurich	70,314 / 70,314 (100%)	$11,093,631
Amsterdam Arena	Amsterdam	50,588 / 50,588 (100%)	$6,717,734
LTU Arena	Dusseldorf	35,014 / 35,014 (100%)	$4,650,327
Olympic Stadium	Rome	57,690 / 57,690 (100%)	$5,713,196
Commerzbank Arena	Frankfurt	39,543 / 39,543 (100%)	$6,020,706
Wembley Stadium	London	73,349 / 73,349 (100%)	$11,796,540
Parque da Bela Vista	Lisbon	75,000 / 75,000 (100%)	$6,295,068
Olympic Stadium	Sevilla	47,712 / 59,258 (82%)	$4,874,380
Circuito Ricardo Tormo Cheste	Valencia	50,143 / 50,143 (100%)	$4,941,980
Stade de France	Paris	138,163 / 138,163 (100%)	$17,583,211
Danube Island	Vienna	57,002 / 57,002 (100%)	$8,140,858
Jaz Beach	Budva	47,524 / 47,524 (100%)	$3,463,063
Olympic Stadium	Athens	75,637 / 75,637 (100%)	$9,030,440
Izod Center	East Rutherford	16,896 / 16,896 (100%)	$2,812,250
Madison Square Garden	New York City	61,586 / 61,586 (100%)	$11,527,375
TD Banknorth Garden	Boston	26,611 / 26,611 (100%)	$3,658,850
Air Canada Centre	Toronto	34,324 / 34,324 (100%)	$6,356,171
Bell Centre	Montreal	34,301 / 34,301 (100%)	$5,391,881
United Center	Chicago	30,968 / 30,968 (100%)	$5,777,490
BC Place Stadium	Vancouver	52,712 / 52,712 (100%)	$5,389,762
Oracle Arena	Oakland	28,198 / 28,198 (100%)	$4,964,765
Petco Park	San Diego	35,743 / 35,743 (100%)	$5,097,515
Dodger Stadium	Los Angeles	43,919 / 43,919 (100%)	$5,858,730
MGM Grand Garden Arena	Las Vegas	29,157 / 29,157 (100%)	$8,397,640
Pepsi Center	Denver	23,501 / 23,501 (100%)	$4,434,020
Minute Maid Park	Houston	41,498 / 41,498 (100%)	$5,170,100
Ford Field	Detroit	30,119 / 30,119 (100%)	$2,395,900
Wachovia Center	Philadelphia	13,790 / 13,790 (100%)	$2,318,530
Boardwalk Hall	Atlantic City	13,293 / 13,293 (100%)	$3,321,000
Philips Arena	Atlanta	14,843 / 14,843 (100%)	$2,632,952
Dolphin Stadium	Miami	47,998 / 47,998 (100%)	$6,137,030
Foro Sol Stadium	Mexico City	104,270 / 104,270 (100%)	$10,428,743
River Plate Stadium	Buenos Aires	263,693 / 263,693 (100%)	$18,274,292
Chile National Stadium	Santiago	146,242 / 146,242 (100%)	$11,385,499
Maracanã Stadium	Rio de Janeiro	107,000 / 107,000 (100%)	$7,322,269
Morumbi Stadium	São Paulo	196,656 / 196,656 (100%)	$15,462,185
	TOTAL	2,337,308 / 2,348,854 (99%)	$270,454,518

Achievements

• Madonna's performances at Stade de France, Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Military Airfield ranked #3, 13, 15 and 20 on Billboard's Top 25 Boxscores of 2008, respectively.
• The tour ranked in third in Billboard's "Top 25 Tours" , with a gross of over US$180 million (by mid-November 2008).
• Pollstar ranked the tour the leading North American grosser for 2008 at $105.3 million.

Record sellouts

• On September 11, 2008, Madonna performed to a sell-out crowd of over 74,000 fans and a gross of over $12 million USD and surpassed all previous grosses at both the old and the new Wembley Stadiums.
• Madonna staged a concert there as part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour on September 14, 2008 in front of 75,000 spectators.
• This record breaking performance adds another first, following the Zurich performance in front of 72,000 fans was the largest audience ever for a concert in Switzerland. .
• The September 20th, 2008 concert at the Stade de France sold 80,000 tickets in less than ten days, prompting Live Nation to announce a second and final show at the venue.
• 50,000 tickets for Madonna's Vancouver concert were sold in 29 minutes.
• Due to instant sellouts in Toronto at Air Canada Centre on October 18th and Montreal at the Bell Centre on October 22nd, second shows in both markets have been added -- October 19th in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre and October 23 at Montreal's Bell Centre..
• The two shows in Mexico City sold out in less than 3 hours.
• Madonna's show in Montenegro was performed to almost 70,000, the biggest-ever event held in the small Adriatic republic. .
• Madonna's was the most successful concert ever held in Greece- the single show in Athens drew 75,637 fans.
• In New York City, Madonna's four sell-outs at Madison Square Garden shows added up to a record breaking 23 sold out performances since 2001 at that venue - a record for most appearances for a single artist in this decade..

Madonna’s 2009 European leg continuation of last year’s Sticky & Sweet tour, also produced by Live Nation, is selling out again; it has already moved 1 million tickets worth $100 million in total, according to tour producer Arthur Fogel at Live Nation. Ticket sales for the 2009 leg of Madonna’s phenomenally successful “Sticky & Sweet Tour” went on sale this weekend and tour promoter Live Nation has already reported immediate sell-outs.

• In London and Manchester where tickets sold out in minutes on Friday, second shows have now been confirmed for July 5th in London and July 8th in Manchester, marking Madonna’s final UK dates in 2009.
• The Helsinki, Oslo (July 30), Gothenburg (August 9), Werchter and Tallinn concerts all sold out on the same day tickets went on sale.
  • In Helsinki, Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet August 6th performance (80.000 tickets were sold in less than three hours), will be the biggest show by one artist ever organized in Finland.
  • In Oslo, all 40,000 tickets available for the July 30 concert were sold in 34 minutes, prompting Live Nation to announce an extra concert on July 29.
  • In Gothenburg, all 56,000 tickets available for the August 9 concert were sold in two hours, causing Live Nation to announce an extra concert on August 8.
  • In Werchter, over 70,000 tickets were sold for the Werchter Festivalpark concert, making it an incredible one-day sell-out event.
  • In Tallinn, all 70,300 tickets available for Madonna's concert at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds were purchased in just over 24 hours, a record for Estonia. The record previously belonged to Metallica, who sold all of the tickets available for their concert at the same venue in three days.
• In Tel Aviv, where tickets sold out in two weeks, a second date have been added, making a total of two concerts in Israel.

Critical response

Madonna's tour has generated great reviews:

• The Independent gave the show 4 stars and quotes: "If those who took in this spectacular opening to Madonna's world tour have seen anything as slick, innovative and energetic in recent months, then please point it out. The choreography, visuals and live talent were world class and mind-blowingly well executed, intelligent and witty."
• The Times: "In the premiere league of song-and-dance spectaculars, the queen of pop remains unrivalled and undefeated."
• The Sun: "Without question Madonna is still the Queen of Pop. Long live the Queen."
• The Daily Mail: "Nobody does a big stadium show quite like Madonna - this is a theatrical, two hour blockbuster."

Broadcast and recordings

According to the Argentine newspaper, La Nación, the tour DVD was filmed during the performances at River Plate Stadium. In the interview with Chris Lamb (tour production director) stated that Madonna chose the Argentine audience because of the strong emotional bond that they share. The article did not mention a release date.

In May 2009, BlackBerry were given exclusive rights to show 10 preview performances from the DVD release, to their users of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone for a limited time only. These performances include: "Candy Shop", "Beat Goes On", "Vogue", "Die Another Day", "Music", "Spanish Lesson", "Miles Away", "La Isla Bonita", "Get Stupid", and "4 Minutes."

On June 15, 2009, UK newspaper, The Sun, exclusively announced that the show would be broadcast on Sky1 on July 4.

Personnel

• Show Director: Jamie King
• Music Director: Kevin Antunes
• Lighting Director: Mac Moiser
• Video Director: Christian Lamb, Frank the Plumber, Eugene Riecansky, Steven Klein, James Lima, *Nathan Rissman, and Tom Munro
• Supervising Choreographer: Stefanie Ross
• Choreographer: Richmond Talauega, Anthony Talauega, Dondracio Johnson, Alison Faulk, Aljamaal Jones and Jason Young
• Assistant Choreographer: Jamal Sims, RJ Durell and Aakomon Jones
• Specialty Choreographer: Riki Onodera, Yuki Yoshida, Charles Park, Prince Jron, Yaman Okur, Brahim Rachiki, Jason Lester, Natasha Bielenberg, Flii Stlez, Danielle Polanco, Stephonie Webb and Julian Phillips
• Assistant Specialty Choreographer: Khadijah Maloney, Stacey Hipps and Shavonne Monfiston
• Sound Design: Sean Spuehler
• Light Design: LeRoy A. Bennett
• Video Design: Veneno, Inc.
• Production Design: LeRoy A. Bennett
• Costume Design: Arianne Phillips, Riccardo Tisci (for Givenchy), Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney, Moschino, Stefano Pilati (for Yves Saint Laurent), Kiki de Montparnasse, Michael Schmidt, Roberto Cavalli and Jeremy Scott
• Manager: Guy Oseary
• Publicity: Liz Rosenberg
• Legal: Grubman, Indursky & Shire
• Fiances: TMI Productions
• Logistics: Sevvy Enfield
• Promoter: Live Nation Global Touring

Band

• Guitar: Madonna, Alexander Kolpakov², Vadim Kolpakov² and Monte Pittman
• Keyboards: Kevin Antunes and Ric'key Pageot

Programming: Kevin Antunes

• Backing Vocals: Kiley Dean, Arkady Gips², Alexander Kolpakov, Vadim Kolpakov, Monte Pittman and Nicki Richards
• Drums: Brain Frasier-Moore
• Violin: Arkady Gips
• Piano: Ric'key Pageot
• Accordion: Ric'key Pageot
• Cow Bell: Monte Pittman
• Tour DJ: Eric Jao
• Dancers: Vadim Kolpakov, Leroy Barnes, Sofia Voutella, Jason Boyd, Emilie Capel, William *Charlemoine, Paul Kirkland, Jennifer Kita, Kento Mori, Yaman Okur, Charles Park IV, Valeree Pohl, Anthony Rue Jr., Nilaya Savnis, Jason Young, Riki Onodera¹ and Yuki Yoshida¹

Crew

Production

• Assistant Show Director: Tiffany Olson
• Tour Production Director: Chris Lamb
• Party Tour Manager: Frankie Enfield, Vicki Huxel and Jason Milner
• Assistant Party Tour Manager: Ramey Shippen
• Sound Crew Chief: Mark Brnich
• Keyboard Technician: Robert Longo and Steve Borisenko
• Guitar Technician: Steve Borisenko and Tommy Simpson
• Programmer: Ali Staton, Troy Eckermann and Cory Fitzgerald
• Drum Technician: Chris Achzet
• Production Assistant: Dana Szpunar
• Laser Crew Chief: Martin Potoczny
• Laser: David Fonner

Video

• Video Creative Director: Alex Czetwertynski
• Video Producer: Tim Johnson, Chris Stiven, John Myers, Caroline Gibnet, Michael DiGirolamo, *Nicola Doring, and David Nord
• Animation: Rockstar and Ring of Fire
• Editor: Danny Tull, David Nord and A. Johan Soderberg
• Video Crew Chief: Oman Montes
• Video: Carson Austin
• Video Engineer: Jason Harvey
• Video Technician: Eric Geiger, Gavin Thompson, Rusty Reed and Mark Woody
• Projectionist: Brett Thierbach

Costumes

• Assistant to Costume Design: Annie Psaltiras, Terry Anderson and Sarah Laux
• Second Assistant to Costume Design: Laura Morgan & Haley Lieberman
• Shoppers: Deirdre Wegner and Jeriana San Juan
• Costume Coordinator: Amy Teets
• Costume Crew Chief: Tony Villenueva
• Costume Dept. Producer: Tangi Crawford
• Wardrobe Dresser: Tony Villenueva, Lisa Nishimura, Pam Lewis, Michael Harrell, Susan Hokestra and V. Bradley
• Tour Costume Road Supervisor: Lana Czajka
• Costume Illustrator: Phillip Boutte Jr. and Jane Kennedy
• Costume Construction: John Schneeman Studio Limited, Jennifer Love Costumes, Costume Labs, *Martin Keehn, Izquierdo Studios and Bill Hargate Costume
• Specialty Craft Work: Michael Schmidt
• Alterations: Costume Lab
• Hair & Makeup Crew Supervisor: Edward Hunt
• Hair and Makeup: Arianne Phillips, Gina Brooke and Andy LeCompte
• Dressing Room Coordinator: Jamie Laurita
• Dressing Room Assistant: Lisa Bruno
• Dressing Room Designer: Hayley Newstead

Staging

• Production Supervisor: Benny Collins
• Advance Production Manager: John Conk
• Stage Manager: Jerry Vierna
• Theatrical Stage Manager: Mike Morobitto
• FOH Engineer: Tim Colvard
• Site Coordinator: David Reuss
• Advance Site Coordinator: Benny Collins and Thoms Reitz
• Head Rigger: Phil Broad
• Rigger: Andy Laidler and Gana
• Advance Rigger: Billy Daves, James Johnston and Kurt McLauglin
• Cyberhoist Motors: Martin Hoops
• Motor Control: Bill Settle
• Head Hydraulics: Ted Schroeder
• Hydraulics: Bob Hood and Patrick Harbin
• Delay Technician: Bryan Procuk
• RF Technician: Chris Messina
• IT: Cyrus Tavadia
• Monitor Engineer: Matt Napier
• Monitor Technician: Demetrius Moore
• Lighting Crew Chief: Glenn Powers
• Advance Lighting Crew Chief: Rodney Clay
• Lighting Consultant: Matt Mindlin
• Advance Lighting Crew: Alex Johnson, Craig Hancock, Craig McDonald, Jacob Sullivan, David *Prior, Olaf Pottcher and Jason Dixon
• Lighting Technician: Gavin Tomkins, Jason Windfree, Ty Brooks, Pter Feher and Russel Lyons
• Head Carpenter: Bruce Haynes
• Carpenter: Ty Bramwell, Bob Madison, Dan Gurchik, Dan McNabb, John Hawkins, icke Merlo, Tay *Skairus, Jeff LaRive and Lonnie Adams
• Spot Operators: Jeff LaRive and Lonnie Adams
• PA Technicians: Bill Flugan, Chez Stock, Ronald Sharpless and Daniel Klocker
• Props: Jorge Guadalupe
• Cargo: David Bernstein, Kevin Roach and Mandy Parodi
• Power: Mike Costa
• Backline Crew Chief: Steve Borisenko
• Backline Technician: Willie Benevides
• Road Merchandise Manager: John Spank, Paul Nolan and John Ellis

Other

• Drivers: Abel Meza, Greg Gates, Paul Jennings and Jason Desimone
• Masseuse: Michelle Peck
• Trainer: Tracy Anderson
• Chef: Mayumi Nishimura and Marco Pernini
• Catering: Amanda Cummingham, Andy O'Brien, Gareth Jones, Gemma Daly, Heath Wildy, Ian Reilly, Jean-Claude Monard, Darin Wey, Jodi Weston Brake, Kelvyn MacKenzie, Lucy Clough, Patrick Killalea, Scott Findlay and Marcus Jones
• Tour Security Director: Scott Nichols
• Production Security Coordinator: Liam Wheatley
• Security: Jerry Meltzer, Amir Feingold, Daniel Engleberd, Patrick Golden, Michael Cole and Hugo Rodriguez
• Hotel Advance: Sarah Currie and Courtney Rousso

¹ A member of Hamutsun Serve
² A member of Kolpakov Trio
Source:

References

External links

• Madonna's Official Web Page
• Sticky & Sweet Tour
• Live Nation's Sticky & Sweet Tour