Blond Ambition World Tour Live
Blond Ambition World Tour Live is a video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna released exclusively on LaserDisc by Pioneer Artists on December 13, 1990. It contained the Blond Ambition World Tour's final show, filmed at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann in Nice, France, on August 5, 1990. The concert had previously been broadcast on American network HBO as Live! Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour 90, and became one of its highest rated specials. The decision to release it exclusively on Laserdisc grew when Pioneer Artists signed up to sponsor the tour; the company also wanted to use Madonna to reach a new demographic and increase Laserdisc sales. It received positive reviews, with some critics saying it captured the concert better than the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) and the HBO broadcast. At the 34th Annual Grammy Awards, it won for Best Music Video-Long Form, becoming the first Grammy award Madonna received in her career. With over 100,000 copies sold, Blond Ambition World Tour Live was one of the highest selling laserdiscs of its time.
Blond Ambition World Tour Live
Background[edit]
The Blond Ambition World Tour was Madonna's third concert tour. It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer and the Dick Tracy soundtrack I'm Breathless. Contemporary critics praised its fashion and theatricals and it grossed over US$62.7 million ($146.23 million in 2023 dollars[1]) from 57 concerts.[2][3] It was subject to controversy due to its sexual and Catholic imagery. In Italy, a private association of Roman Catholics called for a boycott of the shows in Rome and Turin; Pope John Paul II urged the general public and the Christian community not to attend the tour.[4][5] During the first show in Toronto, on May 27, local police threatened to arrest Madonna for "lewd and indecent display", specifically the masturbation scene during the performance of "Like a Virgin" (1984).[6]
In May 1990, Jonathan Takiff from The Pittsburgh Press reported that the first Japanese shows from the tour were recorded and set to be released on Laserdisc by Pioneer Artists, one of the tour's main sponsors.[7] Takiff also reported that the final show on Nice, France, would be broadcast on MTV.[7] Two months later, HBO confirmed they had signed on Madonna and would broadcast the tour's final show in what would be her first television special.[8] HBO spokesperson Betty Bitterman stated that "it's a very hot item that attracted all major players. We're not concerned about any negative feedback. We decided to do the show and that was that".[8] When asked if the network would edit or censor the singer's "lewd" behavior, Bitterman responded that "if she's doing it, the audience will see it. We're not editing anything out. [...] We want it to feel live - as if you were there".[9] During the concert Madonna told the cameras: "You know what I have to say to America? Get a fucking sense of humor, okay?".[10]
It was not a pay-per-view special, as the channel wanted to distinguish itself from its pay-TV rival, Showtime, and it was predicted to be HBO's highest rated special since Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno's heavyweight fight, which aired in February 1989.[11][8] Advertised as "America's No. 1 female pop star in a live-by-satellite performance of one of the summer's biggest pop music events", Live! Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour 90 aired on Sunday August 5, 1990, at 9 p.m. and gave HBO a record for the highest ratings ever for an entertainment special at the time; around 4.5 million people tuned in.[10]
Impact[edit]
Blond Ambition World Tour Live was released exclusively on LaserDisc by Pioneer in order to boost both format and device sales for CD Videos in the United States.[32] Music critic Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times called it a move "virtually unprecedented in the video industry".[12] Pioneer's president, Steven Galloway, stated: "Madonna is the ideal artist to reach the new demographics".[12] Ultimately, the release reportedly helped boost the CD video market up to that point in the U.S.[33] The title "brought much-needed publicity to the laser format", commented Chris McGowan from Billboard.[27] Complimenting Madonna's release, CD Review's Tim Riley said "launching a laserdisc collection is an exercise in frustration".[34]
Blond Ambition World Tour Live earned Madonna her first Grammy win for Best Long Form Music Video at the 34th ceremony.[35] Of this win, Galloway said that "we couldn't be more thrilled [...] Hopefully it will bring an even higher level of awareness and attention to the laserdisc format, and music videos in particular on laserdisc".[36] The HBO broadcast also won a category at the CableACE Awards.[37]
Notes[38]
Credits per the notes of Blond Ambition World Tour Live[38]