Madonna Hits The West Coast For Mega-Successful ‘Rebel Heart Tour’

2015 got off to a bad start for Madonna, who was still suffering from the leak of her album, Rebel Heart, which was pushed up to a March release. Then, there was her performance at the BRIT Awards, which had a dancer pulling Madge from the top of a staircase. Madonna carried on like a pro, but instead of praise, she received mostly sexist and ageist comments.

Though sales for Rebel Heart weren’t brisk, the album did receive (overall) good reviews. Metacritic has Madonna’s album at a solid 68. The album has sold over 800,000 copies worldwide — a number artists such as Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Mariah Carey most likely won’t be able to touch. But according to Madonna’s critics, it’s a “flop.”

Then, there was that performance with Drake at Coachella — perhaps the lowest point of Madonna’s career, besides her appearance on David Letterman‘s show in 1994? Even some of Madonna’s biggest fans were asking what has happened to her. Then, Madonna went into hiding, rehearsing for the Rebel Heart Tour. Thankfully for Madonna and her fans, her latest tour appears to be a commercial and critical highlight of her 32-year career.

Earlier this week, Madonna hit San Jose for a sold-out show. The reviews, as they have been for her other shows, have been excellent. The San Francisco Examiner couldn’t decide which part of the show was the best.

“The nearly two-and-a-half hour show, which started late at 10:15 p.m., was a visual and aural feast from start to finish.”

The review goes on to praise Madonna for her looks, her crisp vocals, and the happiness she displayed before the sold-out crowd. KTVU was also impressed by the show. They liked the fact Madonna performed a lot of songs from her album Rebel Heart, although some reviewers thought she played too much of that album. The review also pretty much summarizes Madonna’s career in one part.

“The song spoke to how she has worked heard and spoken her mind while never letting anyone speak for her. She has worked hard throughout her career to get to where she is today and won’t let anyone else put her down. It’s not an ego push, but we all know and feel she didn’t become this superstar overnight.”

Before performing in San Jose, Madonna thrilled fans in Portland. She even thrilled non-fans. The Rebel Heart Tour turned Madonna-hater Lizzy Acker of the Willamette Week into a Madonna fan.

“Consider this my formal apology for any negative thing I have ever said about Madonna. I take it all back. Anything disparaging, unkind or even lightly mocking thing I ever said about Madonna. I renounce every bit of sarcasm in last week’s Madonna paper dolls. ” Lizzy Acker said.

Acker was absolutely blown away by the show, and even called it the best arena show she’s ever seen. Acker liked how even though Madonna sang some older hits, she was not relying on past glory. Instead, she was showing the audience where she is now.

After playing a show in Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday night, Madonna is headed to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, and then to the LA Forum in Los Angeles on Tuesday. She will then end the first leg of her tour at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego on Thursday. Tickets for all of these shows are nearly sold out, so if you are a Madonna fan and live in those areas, you may want to get tickets as soon as possible.

[Featured photo by Larry Busacca / Getty Images]