Madonna, 02 Arena

She may have endured more than her fair share of gaffs – not least her recent tumble off the Brit Awards stage – but Madonna Louise Ciccone is still the Queen of Pop. To promote her new album Rebel Heart, which has attracted her strongest reviews since Confessions on a Dance Floor a decade ago, she will be paying a trip to London’s 02 Arena this December.
Rebel Heart shows Madonna both at her most subtly self-reflexive and her most dancefloor-ready, with even single ‘Living For Love’ having a sense of intimacy that belies its house trappings. Although her voice – never the strongest weapon in her arsenal – has lost some of its clout, Madonna still has undeniable presence, and across the album adapts herself to a score of different genres, including reggae, ska and dubstep.
Of course, new material will only make up part of the show. There will certainly be a chance to hear a range of her classic singles. And what singles they are, from the synthy bubblegum pop of ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Like A Virgin’ to the epic melodrama of ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ and ‘Like A Prayer’, all the way to her successive successful reinventions like ‘Vogue’, ‘Frozen’ and ‘Hung Up.’ If you’re a believer in the cult of Madonna, this will be a night to remember.