Tireless tourers! As Madonna, 64, recuperates after working six day weeks ahead of her 84-date world tour… a look at other pop veterans and their gruelling workloads
Everyone wants to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous, but the hard graft that goes into earning those sprawling homes, lavish holidays and designer wardrobes is a little less enviable.
Just ask Madonna. At 64-years of age many people are weighing up the possibility of retirement, but the pop legend was still putting in the long hours before the real work had even began.
With a punishing 84-date Celebration Tour on the near horizon, Madonna was believed to be working six day weeks while preparing for her first show in Vancouver on July 15.
But after being rushed to hospital with a reported bacterial infection over the weekend – the likely result of a relentless schedule – the pop veteran’s tour has been postponed while she works her way back to full health.
She could be forgiven for pulling the plug altogether, but Madonna is expected to reschedule her gruelling six month tour and hit the road at a later date.
Touring over three legs and countless countries in front of hundreds of thousands of fans, It’s a workload that would likely exhaust even the sprightliest performer, but she’s not the only star to be pushed to face gruelling work schedules for the sake of their fans – and their coffers.
Read on for a comprehensive list of tireless tourers.
Grafter: At 64-years of age many people are weighing up the possibility of retirement, but Madonna was still putting in the long hours before performing a single date on her now postponed Celebrations tour
1.SIR ELTON JOHN – FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD (2018-2023)
The iconic singer-songwriter announced his last ever tour way back in January 2018, but no one expected a rapidly spreading virus to turn an already gruelling three year roadshow into a five year odyssey.
The mammoth tour began in Allentown, Pennsylvania that September, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Sir Elton and his team postponing all British and Irish dates, its third North American leg and European leg and in 2020,
Further setbacks occured the following year, when the pop icon was forced to reschedule more shows after breaking his hip.
The tour eventually resumed in January 2022, but two shows in Dallas were temporarily postponed after Sir Elton tested positive for coronavirus.
Now 76-years of age, the star is finally reaching the end of his 333 date tour, with his final UK performance taking place at the Glastonbury Festival on June 25.
He will perform his last ever live show at Stockholm’s Tele2Arena on July 8.
Iconic: Sir Elton John The iconic singer-songwriter announced his 333 date farewell tour way back in January 2018, but no one expected a rapidly spreading virus to turn an already gruelling three year roadshow into a five year odyssey
GUNS N’ ROSES – USE YOUR ILLUSION (1991-1993)
The American rock band spent two years touring the globe in support of albums Use Your Illusion and Use Your Illusion II.
Noted at the time as their longest ever tour, the group performed a staggering 194 shows across 27 countries, starting with Rio de Janeiro on May 24, 1991.
The Use Your Illusion Tour was ambitious not just because of its size, but also because of the technical elements that required more than 130 staff to travel with the band as they worked across two enormous stages.
They performed their final show in Buenos Aires on July 17, 1993, but bass player Duff McKagan later claimed they barely made any money for the first year due to escalating production costs.
Hardcore: Guns N’Roses spent two years touring the globe in support of albums Use Your Illusion and Use Your Illusion II.
Impressive: The Use Your Illusion Tour was ambitious not just because of its size, but also because of the technical elements
LADY GAGA – THE MONSTERS BALL (2009-2011)
Monsters Ball was the second worldwide tour by Lady Gaga and covered a two year period from 2009 to 2011.
Launched in support of her debut EP The Fame Monster and debut album The Fame, the conceptual tour – described as an ‘electro pop opera’ – comprised 203 concerts across five consecutive legs.
Hampered by recurring fibromyalgia – a condition that can cause pain throughout the body – Gaga worked her way through 117 North American dates by crossing into Europe, where 64 more shows awaited.
There were an additional 15 shows in Oceania, four in Asia and three in Latin America, with Gaga performing her final show in Mexico City on May 6, 2011.
Hard at work: Monsters Ball was the second worldwide tour by Lady Gaga and covered a two year period from 2009 to 2011
Gruelling: Launched in support of her debut EP The Fame Monster and debut album The Fame, the conceptual tour – described as an ‘electro pop opera’ – comprised 203 concerts across five consecutive legs
THE ROLLING STONES – A BIGGER BANG (2005-2007)
After years of filling stadiums across the globe they could’ve been forgiven for putting their feet up, but The Rolling Stones decided to hit the road for in 2005 for what would be their most ambitious and undeniably lucrative tour to date.
Launching at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on August 10 of that year, the legendary band performed 147 shows in total over a two year period.
While the roadshow took a physical toll, it reaped huge financial benefits for Sir Mick Jagger and his bandmates, earning an incredible $558,255,524 and becoming the most profitable rock tour of all time.
They performed their final show in front of a homegrown audience at London’s O2 Arena on August 26, 2007.
Here we go: The Rolling Stones decided to hit the road for in 2005 for what would be their most ambitious and undeniably lucrative tour to date
Grafters: Launching at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on August 10 of that year, the legendary band performed 147 shows in total over a two year period
U2 – U2 360° (2009-2011)
The Irish band kicked off their most ambitious tour to date in 2009, a two year odyssey covering 110 shows across the globe in support of their twelfth studio album, No Line On The Horizon.
Kicking off in Barcelona on June 30, the show’s complex stage set saw the group performing on a circular stage that afforded them a panoramic view of the audience.
This involved the construction of a four-legged, spider-like structure referred to as The Claw, which stood at 164 feet – making it the largest stage ever constructed for a live show.
A total of 7.3 million people had paid to watch the band across 24-months as they performed their final show in Moncton, Canada on July 30, 2011, with the tour bringing in a whopping $736.4 million.
Hard at it: U2 kicked off their most ambitious tour to date in 2009, a two year odyssey covering 110 shows across the globe
Stunning: The elaborate set involved the construction of a four-legged, spider-like structure referred to as The Claw, which stood at 164 feet – making it the largest stage ever constructed for a live show
TINA TURNER – BREAK EVERY RULE (1987-1988)
The late singer was at her peak as a solo artist when she took to the road for her sixth tour – breaking box office record across thirteen different countries in the process.
It became the third highest-grossing tour by a female artist in North America in 1987, with Tina – by then 48-years of age – the highest grossing female touring artist of the 1980s, having earned $11.3 million for 78 shows in her home country and a collective $60million from global ticket sales.
Launching in Munich on March 4, 1987, the relentless roadshow squeezed 218 shows into a 12-month period before closing on March 30 1988 in Osaka.
To date, her performance in Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro hold the record for the largest paying concert audience by a female audience, with 180,000 fans buying tickets top watch her onstage.
True legend: Tina Turner was at her peak as a solo artist when she took to the road for her sixth tour – breaking box office record across thirteen different countries in the process
Success: It became the third highest-grossing tour by a female artist in North America in 1987, with Tina – by then 48-years of age – the highest grossing female touring artist of the 1980s
SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY – OUT THERE (2013-2015)
While only covering 91 shows, Beatles legend McCartney was fast approaching his 71st birthday when he kicked off his Out There tour in Belo Horizonte on May 4 2013.
The iconic musician performed classics from his extensive back catalogue while working his way across the globe, earning $275 million in the process.
Memorable nights included a show at Warsaw’s National Stadium and Verona’s National Amphitheatre, while McCartney also toured Japan for the first time since 2002.
He played his final show in Buffalo, New York, on October 22, 2015.
Main man: While only covering 91 shows, Beatles legend McCartney was fast approaching his 71st birthday when he kicked off his Out There tour in Belo Horizonte on May 4 2013
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