When they met, she was 61 and he was 25. They wrote that Madonna had a new “boyfriend”

Madame X’s tour began on September 17, 2019 in Brooklyn. At the door, people were faced with a “drastic” choice: either put their phones and smartwatches in Yondr cases, or not go in. For many, it was a moment of great crisis comparable to having to sacrifice their hand – or part of their brain. Madonna had her reasons for doing so. she wanted the audience to accompany her and experience the spectacle, instead of tirelessly recording videos for posterity. During the next stages of the tour, complaints were replaced by praise from the audience delighted with the room free of cell lights and the communal experience look,” said Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone.

There are 2,000 seats at the Howard Gilman Opera House, which were occupied on September 17 by Madonna’s friends – including Rosie O’Donnell, Debi Mazar, Anderson Cooper and Spike Lee – and her ardent fans. In Brooklyn, the artist could basically say and do whatever she wanted. The audience was delighted with her. Critics also generally liked Madame X. NME’s Rhian Daly called the show “a stunning cascade of theatrical scenes and powerful political messages.”

The prose of life entered

After a spectacular beginning of the tour, the prose of life entered into action. On September 19, the concert started two and a half hours late, which Madonna commented on jokingly: “I don’t like keeping you waiting. But I have an injury, six children and lots of wigs.” On October 7, the artist postponed the show due to a knee injury.

Apart from the handstands, Madonna didn’t do many complicated dances on the Madame X route, but she did climb ladders and steep stairs. In fact, the setting seemed designed precisely to aggravate her ailments.

After ending a long string of concerts in New York – the last show at the Howard Gilman Opera House was on October 12 – Madonna had only two days off before six concerts in Chicago. She needed more time. Whether it was due to problems with the “very specialized equipment” cited in the official announcement, or the artist’s health, the beginning of the series of performances in Chicago was postponed by a day, postponing the first one from the original schedule to another date. This, in turn, resulted in a delay in Madonna’s arrival to next city, San Francisco.

Upon reaching California, the artist told the audience that she had caught a cold, had a torn ligament and a knee problem. She was obviously stiffened. She rose very slowly from her kneeling position, and when she had to move her knees together and apart while standing on the piano, she could barely move them. There was a reason she was grumpy.

Madonna. A rebellious life. Biography Znak Publishing House

She loudly made it clear that she did not like the illuminated viewer’s crown in the dark theater, the opening and closing of the doors leading to the toilets, and the chatter in the audience. “Don’t talk when I’m talking,” she said, then added: “Don’t talk when I’m not talking, either.” According to Aidin Vaziri, who reported on the show in the San Francisco Chronicle, the artist also accused the audience of being lazy. But in San Francisco she could afford it. Just like in New York, she was on her home turf there too. There was no doubt that any transgressions will be forgiven. Vaziri found the spectacle “spectacular.”

She was already in foreign territory

In the next city on the route – Las Vegas – Madonna was already in foreign territory. When she took the stage at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace at half past eleven that night, the audience went wild. The most angry people had to be escorted out of the room. However, many of those who watched the performance complained about the high temperature because Madonna ordered the air conditioning to be turned off. Soon, almost half of the audience was shouting unpleasant comments at her. The audience did not want her speeches, especially about social or political problems. It was Vegas. People wanted a show. […] The artist struggled through two more shows in Las Vegas. On November 12, she was supposed to start a series of eleven shows in Los Angeles, but Live Nation announced that her first concert in the city was canceled. When she finally showed up at the Wiltern Theater, she could count on industry people, other stage-goers, fashion lovers, young artists who wanted to be her, and her legions of gay fans to support her even when her body failed her. […]

Last night in Los Angeles, Madonna was joined by Swae Lee to perform Crave with her. The artist hugged him with a broad smile, saying, “Bird is back.” As the two danced to the disco version of the song, covered in black boas, Madonna seemed truly happy. The joy numbed the pain for a moment. But only for a moment. Two days later, the artist canceled all three show in Boston. In a message about it, she wrote: “Please forgive me for this unexpected turn of events. Putting on my show every night brings me a lot of joy and having to cancel the show is a form of punishment for me pain.” She also stated that she needed to rest to survive the rest of the tour. She was only halfway through.

Madonna performed four more times in Philadelphia before reaching Miami – the last city of the American leg of the tour, where she was to give seven concerts at the Fillmore on South Beach. Before she got there, a Miami man filed a lawsuit against Live Nation, alleging that the tour operator refused to refund tickets despite changing the show’s time.

The case gained wide publicity and had a negative impact on the attitude of some listeners, who showed up at the Fillmore on December 14 in a moody mood. They became even grumpier when Madonna was three hours late. Others were angry that the artist did not want to use air conditioning. The temperature in Fillmore was unbearable. The audience shouted, “Air conditioning! Air conditioning!” Madonna replied, “Fuck you, I’m cold. Take off your damn clothes.” But unlike the squabbles in Las Vegas, the banter in Miami was more like banter between family members. The audience was delighted with Madonna, and Madonna with the audience – until December 22.

They wrote that she has a new “boyfriend”

Fans who arrived at the last show in Miami – some on foot, others by car, still others by plane – learned that the concert had been canceled. Information about this appeared just two hours before the scheduled start time of the show. People were furious. No reason was given for this decision and various rumors began to circulate on social media. The anger intensified when photos were published of Madonna and her new lover kissing on a balcony in Miami, and when she herself posted photos of them having fun together on social media. Madonna’s new man was twenty-five-year-old dancer Ahlamalik Williams.

Their romance made headlines: Madonna had a new “boyfriend.” But their relationship was no fling. Williams worked with Madonna on the Rebel Heart tour and attended almost every one of her shows since then. Their relationship developed over the years. But this was not discussed in the media. The focus was on the thirty-six-year age difference between them and – after the cancellation of the Miami performance – on the feeling of betrayal that fans felt, thinking that the artist had abandoned them and was having a great time.

Before Madonna decided to explain herself, she remained silent for several key days. Finally, she posted on Instagram in which she talked about the “indescribable” pain she felt. The day before the canceled concert, when she climbed a ladder to sing Batuka, she suffered so much that she had tears in her eyes. Every evening she prayed to make it through. until the end of the show. She spent two days in the company of doctors: “Ultrasound, X-ray and other tests. Tapping, checking and more tears.” The first recommendation was rest. Madonna agreed to comply. She thanked fans for their patience, but some of them had had enough. More lawsuits were brought to court.