LONDON (VIP NEWS) — Fresh of her halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVI comes details of the Madonna 2012 World Tour.
The trek will begin May 29 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and will be her most extensive tour ever in terms of number of dates, according to Arthur Fogel, CEO of Live Nation Global Touring, worldwide producers of the tour. The tour will take Madonna to Australia for the first time in 20 years, as well as many markets she has never played before.
This will be Madonna's fifth tour with Fogel and Live Nation, and second under her long-term multi-rights deal with the promoter. Her last tour, Sticky & Sweet in 2008-2009, grossed $408 million according to Billboard Boxscore, the highest ever for a solo artist and third-highest of all time. Prior to that, Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour grossed $194 million, according to Boxscore, then the highest ever for a female artist.
The 2012 tour will follow the release of Madonna's new album "MDNA," due March 26 on Live Nation Entertainment/Interscope Records, which creates myriad cross-promotional opportunities, according to Fogel. Having the recording and touring (not to mention merchandising and other rights) under one umbrella "gives you the freedom to line up all the different elements to sell tickets and to sell records," he says. "It's as great a set-up as you could have. If this doesn't work, I'm going into plumbing."
The tour will play arenas, stadiums and unique outdoor sights, including the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. Fogel tells Billboard.biz that production for the tour is in the conceptual stages, but did say, "it will be big and can get bigger," depending on the venue.
The tour will play 26 European markets, including London, Paris, Milan and Berlin, before hitting North American shores beginning Aug. 28 in Philadelphia.
While there are "certain variables" that come with routing a Madonna tour, Fogel says planning begins with the amount of time the artist makes available for touring and then producers using that time to maximum effect. "There's basically an established window and we need to fit into that window whatever we can that makes sense logistically," he says. "Of the shows we're doing, I'd say 25%-30% will be markets she's never played before. There's still a few left. We'll get to these markets where she's never been, some exciting new places, and get back to Australia after too long a time."
Madonna 2012 World Tour Itinerary:
Europe
29-May Tel Aviv, Israel Ramat Gam Stadium
3-Jun Abu Dhabi Yas Arena
7-Jun Istanbul, Turkey Turk Telecom Arena
11-Jun Zagreb, Croatia Maksimir Stadium
14-Jun Milan, Italy Stadio San Siro
16-Jun Florence, Italy Stadio Franchi
20-Jun Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi
24-Jun Coimbra, Portugal Estadio Cidade de Coimbra
28-Jun Berlin, Germany O2 Arena
2-Jul Copenhagen, Denmark Parken Stadium
4-Jul Gothenburg, Sweden Ullevi Stadium
7-Jul Amsterdam,The Netherlands Ziggo Dome
12-Jul Brussels, Belgium Stade Roi-Baudouin
14-Jul Paris, France Stade De France
17-Jul London, UK Hyde Park
21-Jul Edinburgh, UK Murrayfield Stadium
24-Jul Dublin, Ireland Aviva Stadium
29-Jul Vienna, Austria Ernst-Happel-Stadion
1-Aug Warsaw, Poland National Stadium
7-Aug Moscow, Russia Olimpiski Arena
8-Aug St. Petersburg, Russia SKK Arena
12-Aug Helsinki, Finland Olympic Stadium
15-Aug Oslo, Norway Telenor Arena
18-Aug Zurich, Switzerland Stadion Letzigrund
21-Aug Nice, France Stade Charles-Erhmann
