The 20,000 people at the O2 arena in London were treated to a two-hour concert where Madonna looked back on her 40 years as an artist with classic hit songs such as "Like a prayer", "Holiday", "Vogue" and "Ray of light" as well as classic stage costumes.
"The Queen of Pop Shows Why She Still Owns Her Crown," reads the headline of Rolling Stone's review. And the evening was made extra solemn by an acoustic version of "I Will Survive" – and by Madonna's story about how close she actually was to dying this summer.
It was in June that 65-year-old Madonna contracted a severe bacterial infection and was forced to postpone the start of the tour from July to October.
The children on stage
"I didn't think I'd make it, and neither did the doctors. I woke up surrounded by all my children. I didn't really know where I was, but angels protected me," she said, according to Rolling Stone.
Several of her children were also with her on stage. Daughter Mercy accompanied her mother on piano in "Bad Girl", son David played guitar in "Mother and father" and daughter Stella was among the dancers in "Don't Tell Me".
Variety also praises prominence, saying that Madonna "is still the reigning queen of pop music," even though the lack of a live band makes the concert lose some power, especially when the pre-recorded music got stuck at some point.
"Anthems of Protest"
Madonna's activism also got a lot of space on stage. Among other things, she called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and to stand up for LGBTQ people's rights.
The BBC's reviewer writes that Madonna's old songs fit well with the political setting of the new show and that it says a lot about pop music's ability to change meaning:
"When Madonna started, she was making party music. Now those same songs can be anthems for protest, self-discovery, solidarity and freedom."
On October 28, it will come to Tele2 Arena in Stockholm.