Never underestimate the Queen of Pop. Four months after Madonna was admitted to the intensive care unit with a bacterial infection that prevented her from participating in the North American leg of her 2023 tour, she triumphantly launched her long-awaited celebratory tour in London on October 14. She took her children on stage to mark the special occasion.
Madonna has six children: Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco Ricci, 23, David Banda, 18, Mercy James, 17, and twins Stella and Ace, 11 Trey.
A family affair on opening night
Throughout the show, Madonna was joined by five of her six children, showing off their versatility. First, Mercy James accompanied her on piano as she performed her 1992 single "Bad Girl" for the first time in more than three decades.
Lourdes joins her next show, Vogue. She helped Madonna judge and score the dancers dancing on stage, including 11-year-old Estere.
The performance coincided with Lourdes' birthday, so Madonna paid tribute to Lourdes by singing an a cappella excerpt from her 1998 song "Little Star." (The birthday girl asked her mother not to sing "Happy Birthday.")
Later in the show, Estere's twin sister Stella joined Madge on stage to perform "Don't Tell Me," recreating the dance from the 2000 music video.
Eventually, her son David played guitar on two songs: the 2003 deep cut "Mother & Father," which featured a photo of his biological father; and the 1986 single "La Isla Bonita," which featured him in mid-air Soaring above the mother on the center platform.
Madonna addresses her health issues
During a quiet vocal moment of the show, Madonna addressed her recent health scare, saying she feared for her life.
"I didn't think I would make it. Neither did my doctor," she said. "That's why I woke up and found all my kids sitting around me. I forgot about five days of my life, or my death, I didn't really know where I was."
Before performing a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," the singer credited her six children for helping her through the health crisis and helping her get on stage again.
"The angels are protecting me and my children are there. My children save me every time," she told the crowd. "If you want to know my secret, how I got through this and survived, I think, I have to be there for my kids. I have to live for them."
