Madonna cries as she honors victims of Pulse nightclub shooting

Madonna has long used her platform to uplift the LGBTQ+ community, and during her most recent concert, she paid tribute to the victims of the horrific 2016 attack. mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

The Queen of Pop invited survivors and loved ones of those killed in the June 2016 shooting to the Miami stop of her tour. Celebration Tour at the Kaseya Center on Tuesday, April 9. During the show, the Material Girl, 65, spoke passionately about those affected by the tragedy, which killed 49 innocent people.

“I want to bring attention to this moment because nightclubs, music and dancing are what bring us together. They should not be places or things we do that bring us sadness, tragedy, murder, death, pain, suffering and trauma. But unfortunately, human beings are always stuck in some kind of rut,” Madonna said.

“I will always stand up for gays, always, because gays have always stood up for me,” she told the crowd, describing the tragic event as “the worst terrorist attack since 9/11.”

As Madonna spoke to survivors and their families, she began to choke up and admitted to feeling “moved” by the moment. “I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, make them dance, make them happy, not judge them. It’s not supposed to happen. Don’t forget that,” he said. -she declared.

The “Music” singer then paid tribute to several survivors and highlighted the impact the shooting had on their lives, including the loss of friends, gunshot wounds and mental health issues.

“When are we going to learn? It’s a rhetorical question, but I’m telling you we’re all part of this – you know why? Because we’re all judging each other,” she continued. “We think we’re so high, we think we’ve seen it all, we’ve done it all, but even I say bad things to others. Even I judge.”

Madonna added: “We are all guilty of discrimination in one way or another, which is why we globally contribute to these hate crimes. Therefore, I ask you all to remember your responsibility, and I ask you all to remember that you have the ability to shine a light on the world and make a difference.”

After being handed a guitar, the Grammy winner started crying as she asked the audience to turn on their phone flashlights.

“Light up this room to remind us all that their lives were not taken in vain and that each of us has the ability to shine our own light on each other and share it with the world, share it with our friends, share it with our families, share it with our loved ones, share it with the people we don’t understand, share it with the people we think are our enemies because at the end of the day, we don’t understand “We have fucking enemies! We are our own enemies. Don’t forget that,” Madonna concluded.

After the speech, she performed a moving acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

Throughout The Celebration Tour, Madge has embedded the show with touching tributes – from montages that reflect those she has lost within her own family, like herself. motherto deceased musicians.

During her performance of the 1986 classic “Live to Tell,” she specifically takes a moment to reflect on people like Keith Haring, Freddie Mercury and many others who died of AIDS.

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While the series thoughtfully addresses various tragedies, it is also as much a celebration of the queer community that has enhanced Madonna’s career and inspired her over the years, as it is a retrospective of her career.

The “Hung Up” singer kicked off her Celebration Tour last October at London’s O2 Arena. The show, which lasts two hours, marked the hitmaker’s return to the stage after his hospitalization in the summer of 2023 due to serious bacterial infection.

Since the tour began, the music legend has attracted attention for the spectacle of the show and its various surprises. During the “Vogue” portion of the set, she brought out a myriad of special guests, including FKA twigs, Kylie Minogue, Pamela Anderson And Julia Garner And Julia Foxboth of whom are rumored to appear in his long-awaited biopic, which is currently on hiatusamong many others.

Madonna began the American leg of her tour in late 2023 with several concerts in New York and Washington DC in December. In 2024, she hits the road to resume the remainder of the North American dates, which continue in the United States until April 15 before heading to Mexico City for five shows at the end of the month.

Next month, on May 4, the “Like a Prayer” singer will officially bid farewell to The Celebration Tour with a big farewell show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She will conclude the tour with a free historic concert on Copacabana Beach at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel.

The concert is sponsored by Itaú Apresenta and “will be free as a thank you to his fans for celebrating over four decades of his music during the epic world tour,” according to a press release.