The Confessions Tour (album)

The Confessions Tour
The face of a woman, made to look greenish. Her mouth is a little open as if she is saying something. Above her the name the word "The Confessions Tour" appear.
Live album by Madonna
Released January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26)
Recorded August 16, 2006
Genre Pop, dance
Length 73:14 (CD)
122:38 (DVD)
Label Warner Bros., Semtex Films
Director Jonas Åkerlund
Madonna chronology
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret
(2006)		 The Confessions Tour
(2007)		 Hard Candy
(2008)
Madonna video chronology
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret
(2006)		 The Confessions Tour
(2007)		 Celebration: The Video Collection
(2009)

The Confessions Tour is the second live album by American recording artist Madonna. It was released on January 26, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the album chronicles Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour. It was recorded at Wembley Arena during the London stop of the tour, and was released in both CD and DVD format. The DVD contains the whole tour and the CD includes thirteen highlights. Notable among the omitted footage includes the live performance of "Live to Tell" which faced strong opposition from religious groups. The album became the first release from Semtex Films, a production company founded by Madonna in 2006.

The Confessions Tour received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Some preferred the DVD versions to the CD, while others complimented the finale of the tour. After its release, the album reached the top of the official charts in a number of European nations while reaching the top ten in Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom. It reached a peak of fifteen on the Billboard 200 albums chart in United States. At the 50th Grammy Awards held on February 10, 2008 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.

Contents

Background

Following the 2006 live release I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, Madonna released her second live album,The Confessions Tour. The album was recorded at Wembley Arena on August 15 and 16, 2006, during the London stop of her 2006 Confessions Tour, which was promoting her 2005 studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor.[1] It became the first release from Semtex Films, a production company founded by Madonna in 2006.[2][3] Released in both DVD and CD formats, the album fully captures the tour as directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The DVD release consists of the full twenty-one song set list of the tour, while the CD captures thirteen highlights from the same.[1] The tour was first shown on NBC during the Thanksgiving of 2006. This broadcast was recorded in the DVD, with some extended footage added.[4] Madonna's performance of "Live to Tell", while hanging from a glass embellished crufcifix, faced strong reaction from the media and religious groups. "Live to Tell" was followed by the performance of "Forbidden Love" from the Confessions on a Dance Floor album, where Madonna took off a crown made of thorns from her head.[5] Following the media reaction to these performances, they were eliminated from the CD version but were included in the DVD.[6] Asian media and services company Fridae reported that the album was banned in Singapore, Malaysia and parts of East Asia, because of the inclusion of the performances in the DVD.[5]

Critical response

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
About.com 3.5/5 stars[6]
Allmusic 2.5/5 stars[1]
BBC Music (B)[7]
The Hindu (Positive)[8]
Pitchfork Media (4.2/10)[9]
Slant Magazine 3/5 stars[10]
Stylus Magazine (A-)[4]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic felt that the CD version of the album was "not all that much fun to hear, even if the reinterpretations of the 20-year-old hits are interesting. The DVD doesn't feel as cold thanks entirely to the pizzazz of the visuals and the determined efficiency of the show, but even so, this is primarily of interest to the diehards who don't mind purchasing another live CD/DVD set just a year after the first."[1] Ed Gonzalez from Slant Magazine felt that the concert finale in the album "is a reminder that Madonna's music need not be motivated by sex or politics to be good as long as it displays a smidgen of heart and soul."[10] Thomas Inskeep from Stylus Magazine also complimented the finale of the tour. According to him, "[The Confessions Tour] is almost exclusively up-tempo, staged within an inch of its life yet more vivacious than anything she’s done in years. Its CD companion is a pared-down 13 tracks taken from the live show, and good God it smokes." However, he felt that the disc loses its momentum during the "Confessions" part, which demonstrates a trio of individuals confessing about their sufferings in life.[4] Tom Young from the BBC said that he did not see the actual performances on the tour and felt that "some of the magnitude of the performance is lost and the track/scene changes appear needlessly long-winded. [...] As far as live albums go, this is a job well done."[7] Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork Media gave a negative review for the album, stating "Madonna herself is mostly to blame. On stage, she draws from a deep well of amazing pop songs and has the money and power to reinvent this sort of traveling circus. So why not try to break down the wall between performance and audience and hold a gigantic rave? [...] Åkerlund gives you everything you don't want from a concert film: incessant quick cuts that you give you no sense of space or stage, overdubbed music and vocals that give you no sense of performance, and only a few shots of the audience to gauge their excitement."[9] Bill Lamb from About.com said that "The Confessions Tour provides abundant evidence that [Madonna] remains tremendously relevant from an artistic point of view. As with any aesthetically challenging project, portions may fall flat, but the high points are tremendous."[6] The Hindu commented that "Madonna pulls out all stops in this effort turn the world into a dance floor and one just has to doff one’s hat to her energy."[8]

Commercial reception

A faraway image showing a blue crystal cross and a blond woman standing on a platform on the cross. The woman is wearing a red shirt and dark brown pants. Her hands are spread apart along the cross's breadth to symbolize as if she has been crucified. Behind the cross, a backdrop is centrally illuminated
The performance of "Live to Tell" on the Confessions Tour where Madonna hanged from a mirrored cross to sing the song. The performance was met with strong reaction from religious groups who deemed it anti-Christian.

In the United States, the album debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 40,000 according to Nielsen Soundscan.[11] It has sold a million copies there according to Billboard.[12] In Canada, it debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart.[13] The Confessions Tour was not able to enter the official ARIA Albums Chart, but debuted at number-one on the Australian Top 40 DVD chart, on the issue dated February 12, 2007.[14] It was on top of the DVD chart for four non-consecutive weeks. At the year end Australian chart for 2007, The Confessions Tour became the twenty-seventh best selling DVD in Australia.[15] The album was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipment of 10,000 copies in DVD units.[16] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart.[17] In Japan, the album reached number ten on the Oricon weekly albums chart and was present on the chart for twelve weeks.[18] Across Europe The Confessions Tour reached the top of the charts in Belgium (Wallonia), Italy, Portugal and Spain, while reaching the top ten of the rest of the European nations. In Mexico, New Zealand and Norway, the album just missed the top ten of the charts.[19] The commercial success in Europe enabled The Confessions Tour to debut at position two on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums chart, behind Norah Jones' studio album Not Too Late.[20] At the 50th Grammy Awards held on February 10, 2008 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, the album won a grammy in the Best Long Form Music Video category.[21]

Track listing

DVD track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Future Lovers/I Feel Love"   Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Donna Summer, Peter Bellotte, Giorgio Moroder 8:04
2. "Get Together"   Madonna, Stuart Price, Anders Bagge, Peer Astrom 5:19
3. "Like a Virgin"   Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg 4:08
4. "Jump"   Madonna, S. Price, Joe Henry 4:56
5. "Confessions"   Madonna, Patrick Leonard, Daniel "Cloud" Campos, Sofia Boutella, Leroy "Hypnosis" Barnes 3:55
6. "Live to Tell"   Madonna, P. Leonard 5:10
7. "Forbidden Love"   Madonna, S. Price 4:24
8. "Isaac"   Madonna, S. Price 6:45
9. "Sorry"   Madonna, S. Price 5:02
10. "Like It Or Not"   Madonna, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Henrik Jonback 4:51
11. "Sorry" (Remix) Madonna, S. Price 3:37
12. "I Love New York"   Madonna, S. Price 5:43
13. "Ray of Light"   Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtis, Christine Leach 6:26
14. "Let It Will Be"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï, S. Price 7:32
15. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"   Madonna, W. Orbit, Rod McKuen, Anita Kerr, David Collins 5:00
16. "Paradise (Not For Me)"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï 5:05
17. "Music Inferno"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï, Leroy Green, Tyrone Kersey 7:49
18. "Erotica"   Madonna, Shep Pettibone, Anthony Shimkin 4:47
19. "La Isla Bonita"   Madonna, P. Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch 5:02
20. "Lucky Star"   Madonna 4:36
21. "Hung Up"   Madonna, S. Price, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus 9:24
22. "Credits"     3:31

CD track listing

Digital download and iTunes bonus tracks

Formats

Credits and personnel

Charts, certifications and procession

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
Position
Argentina Albums Chart[22] 2
Australian Top 40 DVD Chart[14] 1
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[19] 3
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[19] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[13] 2
Czech Albums Chart[23] 1
Danish Albums Chart[19] 5
Dutch Albums Chart[19] 2
European Top 100 Albums[20] 2
Finnish Albums Chart[19] 5
French Albums Chart[19] 2
German Albums Chart[24] 2
Hungarian Albums Chart[25] 1
Irish Albums Chart 10
Italian Albums Chart[19] 1
Japanese Albums Chart[18] 10
Mexican Albums Chart[19] 16
New Zealand Albums Chart[19] 23
Norwegian Albums Chart[19] 15
Polish Albums Chart[26] 5
Portugal Albums Chart[19] 1
Spanish Albums Chart[19] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[19] 8
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 2
UK Albums Chart[17] 7
U.S. Billboard 200[11] 15

Certifications

Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
Argentina Platinum[27]
Australia Gold[16]
Belgium Gold[28]
Brazil Gold[29]
Finland Gold[30]
Germany 2× Platinum[31]
Mexico Gold[32]
Poland Platinum[33]
Portugal Gold[34]

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
Soundtrack '96–'06 by Elisa		 Italian Albums Chart number-one album
February 1, 2007 – February 15, 2007		 Succeeded by
Il vuoto by Franco Battiato
Preceded by
Siempre by Il Divo		 Spanish Albums Chart number-one album
February 4, 2007 – February 11, 2007		 Succeeded by
Recordando by Shaila Dúrcal
Preceded by
Ördögi Angyal by Ruzsa Magdi		 Hungarian Albums Chart number-one album
February 4, 2007 – February 18, 2007		 Succeeded by
Not Too Late by Norah Jones
Preceded by
Si aujourd'hui by Maurane		 Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart number-one album
February 10, 2007 – February 17, 2007
Preceded by
A Vida Que Eu Escolhi by Tony Carreira		 Portuguese Albums Chart number-one album
February 11, 2007 – March 8, 2007		 Succeeded by
A Vida Que Eu Escolhi by Tony Carreira
Preceded by
Corrida by Kabát		 Czech Albums Chart number-one album
February 11, 2007 – February 25, 2007		 Succeeded by
65 — Originální nahrávky největších hitů by Karel Svoboda
Preceded by
And Through It All: Robbie Williams Live 1997-2006 by Robbie Williams
Beside You in Time by Nine Inch Nails		 Australian Top 40 DVD chart number-one DVD
February 12, 2007 – March 5, 2007 (first run)
March 12, 2007 – March 19, 2007(second run)		 Succeeded by
Beside You in Time by Nine Inch Nails
Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne by Eagles

Release history

Country Release Date
Europe January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26)
Worldwide January 29, 2007 (2007-01-29)
United States/Canada January 30, 2007 (2007-01-30)
Australia February 3, 2007 (2007-02-03)
South Korea February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)
Japan March 7, 2007 (2007-03-07)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2007-01-30). "allmusic ((( The Confessions Tour > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?sql=10:wxfexqurldke. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  2. ↑ Madonna The Confessions Tour (liner notes) 2007
  3. ↑ "Madonna sets up Semtex Girls". Contactmusic.com. 2006-02-19. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/madonna%20sets%20up%20semtex%20girls_19_02_2006. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Inskeep, Thomas (2007-02-23). "Madonna – The Confessions Tour – Review". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/madonna/the-confessions-tour.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Editor, News (2007-02-06). "Singapore bans Madonna's Confessions Tour DVD for mock-crucifixion scene". Fridae. http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=1850&viewarticle=1. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lamb, Bill (2007-02-27). "All That Is Madonna". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://top40.about.com/od/albums/fr/madonnaconf.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Young, Tom (2007-02-21). "Review of Madonna – The Confessions Tour". BBC (BBC Online). http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/wjn8/. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Anthikad-Chhibber, Mini (2007-05-28). "Madonna – The Confessions Tour". The Hindu (The Hindu Group). http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/05/28/stories/2007052851540300.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Deusner, Stephen M. (2007-02-23). "Album Review: The Confessions Tour". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9937-the-confessions-tour/. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Gonzalez, Ed (2006-12-23). "Madonna: The Confessions Tour". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/features/confessionstour.asp. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cohen, Jonathan (2007-02-07). "Better 'Late' Than Never: Jones Debuts At No. 1". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/news/better-late-than-never-jones-debuts-at-no-1003542795.story. Retrieved 2009-02-01. 
  12. ↑ Waddell, Ray (2009-12-19). "The Long Good-Bye". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc): 63. ISSN 0006-2510. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "allmusic ((( The Confessions Tour > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfexqurldke~T3. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "ARIA Top 40 DVD" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Pandora.nla. 2007-02-12. http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20070220-0000/issue884.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  15. ↑ "ARIA 2007 year-end chart" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Pandora.nla. 2007. http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20080120-0000/issue931EOY.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "2008 DVD Accreditations". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2008DVD_000.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-21. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sexton, Paul (2007-02-08). "Mika, Norah Jones Rule U.K. Charts". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/news/mika-norah-jones-rule-u-k-charts-1003541704.story. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "コンフェッションズ・ツアー・ライヴ" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2007-03-07. http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/162927/products/music/696749/1/. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  19. ↑ 19.00 19.01 19.02 19.03 19.04 19.05 19.06 19.07 19.08 19.09 19.10 19.11 19.12 19.13 19.14 "Madonna – The Confessions Tour (album) worldwide". Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Madonna&titel=The+Confessions+Tour&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sexton, Paul (2007-02-15). "Norah Continues Euro Chart Supremacy". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i2c138f8d07e5fc3604d7271047da8e69. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  21. ↑ Press, Associated (2008-02-10). "Amy Winehouse dominates with 5 awards, Kanye West takes 4". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (MSNBC). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23101297/. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  22. ↑ "Argentina's Top 20 albums, Segunda Quincena de Enero". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. 2007-03-14. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?CodOp=ESVP&CO=5. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  23. ↑ "TOP50 Prodejní – Madonna – Confessions Tour DVD". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=14&titul=144387&sec=95a49be1c4f1fdbf3424a8d03955831f. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  24. ↑ "Chartverfolgung – Madonna – The Confessions Tour". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. 2007-02-12. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/Madonna/The+Confessions+Tour/longplay. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  25. ↑ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez- lista". Mahasz. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. 2007-02-18. http://www.mahasz.hu/m/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=archivum. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  26. ↑ "Poland's Top 50 Albums". OLiS. 2007-02-12. http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=370&lang=en. Retrieved 2009-10-15. 
  27. ↑ "Intérprete Título – Madonna – The Confessions Tour". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. 2007-01-24. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=The+Confessions+Tour&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=2&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  28. ↑ "Gold and Platinum certifications – Belgium". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Ultratop 50. 2007-03-12. http://www.ultratop.be/en/certifications.asp?year=2007. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  29. ↑ "Madonna Níveis de Certificação". Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. 2007. http://www.abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  30. ↑ "Finland – Tilastot – Madonna". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. IFPI.fi. 2007. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/madonna. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  31. ↑ "Gold/Platin datenbank – Musikvideo award". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Musikindustrie.de. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank_beta/. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
  32. ↑ "Madonna – Certificaciones Encontradas". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. 2007-03-14. http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=Madonna&titulo=&disquera=&certificacion=todas&anio=todos&categoria=todas&Submitted=Buscar&item=menuCert&contenido=buscar. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  33. ↑ "Polish Platinum certified albums". Związek Producentów Audio Video. http://zpav.pl/plyty.asp?page=platynoweDVD&lang=en. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  34. ↑ "Discos de Ouro e Platina". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. 2007. http://www.afp.org.pt/estatisticas.php?smenu=discos. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 

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