If Blue Ivy Carter taught us anything, it’s that pop stars need not look further than their immediate family when hiring performers for their world tour. Madonna took note. After delays following her health scare earlier this year, Madge’s Celebration tour finally kicked off tonight at London’s O2 Arena and featured appearances from her daughters Lourdes Leon and Mercy James.
Mercy accompanied her mother on piano as she performed “Bad Girl,†which marked the first time the 1992 ballad has been included on one of her tour set lists.
Madonna also credited her children for getting her through her near-fatal health scare. “If you wanna know my secret, and you wanna know how I pulled through and how I survived. I thought, I’ve got to be there for my children. I have to survive for them,†she told the crowd, before performing an acoustic version of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive†on guitar.
The set list, tasked with revisiting the Queen of Pop’s expansive, four-decade career, features hits ranging from “Vogue†and “Ray of Light†to “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.†But despite Rosie O’Donnell being in attendance, “This Used to Be My Playground†from A League of Their Own devastatingly didn’t make the cut.