Madonna made a very public faux pas at a show on her ‘Celebration’ tour this week when she asked why a fan had remained seated, only to realise they were in a wheelchair.
At a stop at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Thursday (March 7) as part of her extensive career-retrospective tour, the Queen of Pop was preparing to introduce her next song when a particular fan caught her eye.
“What are you doing sitting down over there?” she asked, while pointing at the fan. “What are you doing sitting down?”
After taking the microphone and walking to the edge of the stage, the realisation dawned on her, and she quickly added, “Oh, okay.”
“Politically incorrect, sorry about that. I’m glad you’re here.”
Watch the moment as caught by another fan below:
And when Madonna complained that there was a person sitting down during her concert, and seconds later she realized it was a wheelchair user. pic.twitter.com/hDvERFmsFN
— Avid ( Fan Account ) 👹 (@avid_original) March 8, 2024
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At the same show, Madonna welcomed Kylie Minogue onto the stage for a pair of live duets to celebrate International Women’s Day. The two pop icons sang a rendition of ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, as well as Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’.
“Now, this is what we call survival,” Madonna said during the performance. “It’s a privilege for me to be up here singing with you… God bless you, never give up.”
Minogue, who was wearing a black Madonna t-shirt also told the crowd she felt “amazing” for joining the singer on stage, and explained that the duet had not happened before as they both like to “take our time”.
Madonna also opened up on stage recently about the “near death experience” she had last year after a serious bacterial infection led her to being admitted into the ICU.
At another Kia Forum show on March 4, she recalled how she “literally couldn’t walk from my bed to the toilet” during the illness. After a four-day induced coma, she also said that he first word after waking was “no”.
“And I’m pretty sure God was saying to me, ‘You want to come with us? You want to come with me? You want to go this way?’ And I said, ‘No, no’.”
Last month, Madonna unveiled a new and final date on her global tour due to fan demand, to take place in Miami’s Kaseya Center on April 9, 2024, bringing the tour to 80 dates total.
Reviewing the ‘Celebration’ tour in London, NME awarded the show five stars, writing that it was the “emotional moments that make this show truly special”.
It added: “The whole thing is a thrilling reminder that Madonna isn’t just a pop star, but also a cultural force who genuinely changed the world by chafing against what society expects from women in the public eye. That’s something worth celebrating in the dazzling, dynamic and at times slightly discombobulating way she presents it here. Really, you wouldn’t have her any other way.”