madge is back

Madonna tour is back on track following illness with new dates for Dallas

Madonna is coming to Dallas.

Photo by Ricardo Gomes

Not long after battling for her life following a serious illness, Madonna is making her triumphant return.

The pop icon has rescheduled her wildly anticipated, worldwide Celebration Tour, with new dates that include two shows in Dallas: Sunday, March 24, and Monday, March 25, 2024, both at American Airlines Center.

Those dates are rescheduled from the original dates of September 18 and 19. Fans will recall that the 84-date tour, a nod to her 40-year career anniversary, was initially set to kick off on July 15 in Vancouver, Canada.

Other newly rescheduled dates in Texas include Houston on March 28-29 at Toyota Center, and Austin on April 14-15 at Moody Center.

The tour will officially kick off with four sold-out shows in London this October and will travel across Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands) throughout 2023.

The North American leg will begin on December 13 in New York at at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with new show dates just added.

Fans can visit the tour sites on Live Nation and Ticketmaster for updates and more information.

Sadly for some fans across the U.S., the following shows are now canceled: July 27 in Tulsa, December 22 in Nashville, January 15 in San Francisco, January 18 in Las Vegas, and January 20 in Phoenix.

After developing a serious bacterial infection on June 24, Madonna spent several days in the ICU for what has been widely reported as septic shock — an often fatal syndrome. Sepsis, a notoriously fatal condition occurring after infection, has been linked to celebrity deaths including Muhammad Ali and Patty Duke Astin.

Five weeks ago, Madonna confirmed the reports with an apologetic message to fans and staff. "My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children," she wrote on Instagram. "My second thought was that I did not want to disappointment anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn't want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show."

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But now, the pop powerhouse is back. Here are the full North American tour dates, included rescheduled and new performances.

Madonna - The Celebration Tour - 2023/2024

12/13/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/14/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/16/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center MSG - 8/27/2023*
12/18/2023 Washington Capital One Arena Original Date (no change)
12/19/2023 Washington Capital One Arena 9/2/2023
1/8/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/30/2023
1/9/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/31/2023
1/11/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/13/2023
1/12/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/14/2023
1/15/2024 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 8/5/2023
1/18/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/19/2023
1/20/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/20/2023
1/22/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/23/2023
1/23/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/24/2023
1/25/2024 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 12/20/2023
1/29/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/26/2023
2/1/2024 Chicago United Center 8/9/2023
2/2/2024 Chicago United Center 8/10/2023
2/5/2024 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 8/7/2023
2/8/2024 Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 8/2/2023
2/13/2024 Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center 7/30/2023
2/17/2024 Seattle Climate Pledge Arena 7/18/2023
2/18/2024 Seattle Climate Pledge Arena 7/19/2023
2/21/2024 Vancouver Rogers Arena 7/15/2023
2/24/2024 Sacramento Golden 1 Center 1/13/2024
2/27/2024 San Francisco Chase Center 10/4/2023
2/28/2024 San Francisco Chase Center 10/5/2023
3/1/2024 Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena 10/7/2023
3/2/2024 Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena 10/8/2024
3/4/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com - 9/27/23*
3/5/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com - 9/28/23*
3/7/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com - 9/30/23*
3/9/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com - 10/01/23*
3/11/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Kia Forum - 1/7/24 & 1/8/24*
3/13/2024 Palm Desert Acrisure Arena 1/11/2024
3/16/2024 Phoenix Footprint Center 7/22/2023
3/19/2024 Denver Ball Arena 7/25/2023
3/24/2024: Dallas, American Airlines Center 9/18/2023
3/25/2024: Dallas, American Airlines Center 9/19/2023
3/28/2024: Houston, Toyota Center 9/13/2023
3/29/2024: Houston, Toyota Center 9/14/2023
4/1/2024 Atlanta State Farm Arena 9/5/2023
4/4/2024 Tampa Amalie Arena 9/7/2023
4/6/2024 Miami Kaseya Center 9/9/2023
4/7/2024 Miami Kaseya Center 9/10/2023
4/14/2024: Austin, Moody Center 9/21/2023
4/15/2024: Austin, Moody Center 9/22/2023
4/20/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/25/2024
4/21/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/27/2024
4/23/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/28/2024
4/24/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/30/2024

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Show business

Texas’ ban on certain drag shows ruled unconstitutional — again

Photo by Dave Soto on Unsplash

Prominent Mexican drag queen Mikaela La Brava.

Texas once again cannot enforce its restrictions on some public drag shows after a federal judge declared a 2023 law unconstitutional for the second time.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner initially declared Senate Bill 12 unconstitutional in September 2023 only a few months after it was passed by the Texas Legislature, citing First Amendment violations. More than two years later in November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unblocked the law and returned the case to Hittner with specific instructions on how to reassess it.

Hittner reaffirmed his ruling Tuesday, August 25, stating in his order that besides removing several plaintiffs and defendants from the lawsuit, the appellate court’s decision “did not disturb” his prior decision declaring SB 12 unconstitutional. The ruling again pauses the law, which had gone into effect in March after the 5th Circuit’s decision.

The ruling described SB 12 as overly broad in its definitions of performance and nudity, stating that provocative cosplay at conventions, swimming athletes, or Dolly Parton and Elvis impersonators could potentially be penalized under the law.

“The vast majority of the law’s numerous applications violate the First Amendment because all the performances that it has an actual impact on are constitutionally protected and are targeted for prohibition based on content and viewpoint,” Hittner wrote.

The suit was originally filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, two counties three district attorneys, and one county attorney by two community pride groups, two entertainment groups, and Brigitte Bandit, a drag queen and longtime Texas LGBTQ+ rights activist. After the 5th Circuit’s ruling, the two pride groups were removed as plaintiffs and Paxton was left as the sole defendant, which Hittner said satisfied the higher court’s instructions.

Tiffany Epiphany and Brigitte Bandit Tiffany Epiphany with local celeb and activist Brigitte Bandit at an Austin Pride parade. Photo by Natalie Grigson

“We use our performances to assert liberation, power, and joy with our community,” Bandit said in a statement provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which represented the plaintiffs. “As a lifelong Texan, I’m sick of this state trying to censor art and stoke hatred and violence against drag artists and the LGBTQIA+ community.”

SB 12 as adopted in law contains no language explicitly referencing drag performances, however a previous version while in the Legislature specifically included references to drag. Hittner noted in Tuesday's ruling that opponents of drag performances are not obligated to attend them.

“Finally, for those who find such activities as described in this case offensive, the solution is relatively simple … just don’t go,” he wrote.

Hittner also denied a request from Paxton for a supplemental trial and new discovery in the case. Paxton, in a social media post Tuesday, said his office would seek an appeal to the ruling to protect Texas kids.

“This is a profoundly flawed decision that endangers our children and is an affront to Texas values,” he said.

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This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

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