Arts & Entertainment
Madonna announces 35-city tour
D.C. show slated for September

Madonna brings her ‘Rebel Heart’ tour to D.C. on Sept. 12.
Pop icon Madonna has recovered from her fall at the BRIT Awards to announce a new, 35-city “Rebel Heart” tour this summer.
The tour kicks off Aug. 29 in Miami before heading to Europe. Dates in Asia and Australia are expected to be announced soon. Madonna is slated to play the Verizon Center in D.C. on Sept. 12, 2015; those tickets go on sale March 16.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit Madonna.com or LiveNation.com. A list of announced dates follows:
NORTH AMERICA:
Date City Venue
Aug. 29 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena On Sale Mar. 9
Sept. 2 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Sept. 5 San Juan, PR Coliseo de Puerto Rico On sale Mar. 21
Sept. 9 Montreal, QC Bell Centre On Sale Mar. 14
Sept. 12 Washington, DC Verizon Center On Sale Mar. 16
Sept. 16 New York, NY Madison Square Garden On Sale Mar. 9
Sept. 19 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center On Sale Mar. 9
Sept. 24 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center On Sale Mar. 16
Sept. 26 Boston, MA TD Garden On Sale Mar. 16
Sept. 28 Chicago, IL United Center On Sale Mar. 9
Oct. 1 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena On Sale Mar. 23
Oct. 3 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall On Sale Mar. 16
Oct. 5 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre On Sale Mar. 9
Oct. 8 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center On Sale Mar. 16
Oct. 11 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place On Sale Mar. 9
Oct. 14 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena On Sale Mar. 9
Oct. 17 Portland, OR MODA Center On Sale Mar. 23
Oct. 19 San Jose, CA SAP Center at San Jose On Sale Mar. 9
Oct. 22 Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena On Sale Mar. 23
Oct. 24 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Oct. 27 Los Angeles, CA Forum On Sale Mar. 16
EUROPE / UK:
Nov. 4 Koln, Germany Lanxess Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Nov. 7 Prague, CZ O2 Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Nov. 10 Berlin,Germany Mercedes-Benz Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Nov. 14 Stockholm, Sweden Tele 2 Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Nov.17 Herning, Denmark Jyske Bank Boxen On Sale Mar. 9
Nov. 21 Turin, Italy Pala Alpitour On Sale Mar. 16
Nov. 24 Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi On Sale Mar. 16
Nov. 28 Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis On Sale Mar. 9
Dec. 1 London, UK O2 Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Dec. 5 Amsterdam, Holland Ziggo Dome On Sale Mar. 9
Dec. 9 Paris, France Bercy On Sale Mar. 9
Dec. 14 Manchester, UK Manchester Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Dec. 16 Birmingham, UK Barclaycard Arena On Sale Mar. 16
Dec. 20 Glasgow, Scotland The SSE Hydro On Sale Mar. 16
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)














Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
