Madonna Brought Her Children Onstage For The Opening Night Of Her Tour

Never underestimate the Queen of Pop. Four months after she was admitted to the ICU for a bacterial infection, which sidelined the North American leg of her 2023 tour, Madonna triumphantly kicked off her long-awaited Celebration Tour in London on Oct. 14. She brought her children onstage to mark the special occasion.

Madonna has six children: 27-year-old Lourdes Leon, 23-year-old Rocco Ritchie, 18-year-old David Banda, 17-year-old Mercy James, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere.

Opening Night’s Family Affair

Throughout the show, Madonna was joined by five of her six children, who showed off their versatile talents. First, Mercy James accompanied her on the piano as she performed the 1992 single “Bad Girl” for the first time in over three decades.

Lourdes joined her for the next number, “Vogue.” She helped Madonna judge and score ballroom dancers who were voguing on stage, including 11-year-old Estere.

The show fell on Lourdes’ birthday, so as a tribute, Madonna sang an a cappella snippet from 1998’s “Little Star,” which was written about Lourdes. (The birthday girl had requested her mom not sing “Happy Birthday.”)

Later in the show, Estere’s twin sister, Stella, joined Madge onstage for “Don’t Tell Me,” recreating the 2000 music video’s choreography.

Lastly, her son David played guitar for two songs: on the 2003 deep cut “Mother & Father,” during which a photo of his birth father was shown; and the 1986 single “La Isla Bonita,” for which he soared above his mom on a mid-air platform.

Madonna Addresses Her Health Scare

During a quiet acoustic moment of the show, Madonna opened up about her recent health scare, saying she was scared for her life.

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it. Neither did my doctors,” she said. “That’s why I woke up with all of my children sitting around me. I forgot five days of my life, or my death, I don’t really know where I was.”

Before going into an acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” the singer credited her six children for pulling her through the health crisis and helping her get onstage again.

“The angels were protecting me, and my children were there. And my children always save me every time,” she told the crowd. “If you want to know my secret and you want to know how I pulled through and survived, I thought, I have to be there for my children. I have to survive for them.”