Madonna: The Girlie Show/Book and Cd

The Girlie Show World Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna and was launched in support of her fifth studio album, Erotica issued in 1992. The tour visited the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Madonna's inspiration for the name of the tour was a painting called "Girlie Show" by Edward Hopper. The tour is estimated to have grossed over US$70 million. Two separate television specials were broadcast during the tour, one made during the Japanese leg of the tour and shown only on Japanese television; Madonna Live in Japan 1993 - The Girlie Show and an HBO special Madonna Live Down Under - The Girlie Show which was later released in 1994 by Warner Music Vision on home video. Photography for promotional material, posters and publicity for the show was by Herb Ritts (1952-2002), a famous American fashion photographer who died of AIDS complications. Madonna also got him into music video direction by having him direct her "Cherish" video in 1989. Other images from the same shoot were also included in this book, "The Girlie Show" book released in 1994. The show had the central visual theme of a "sex circus". Described as "a mixture of a rock concert, a fashion show, a carnival performance, a cabaret act and a burlesque show", the show had a more complex stage than those from Madonna's previous tours: it had a runway that led from the center of the main stage to a minor stage, a revolving elevated platform in the middle of the main stage, balconies in the rear of the stage, and a giant illuminated "Girlie Show" sign above stage, among other features. The tour was directed by Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone; costumes for the tour were designed by Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. The show was divided into four sections: Dominatrix, Studio 54, Weimar Cabaret, and Encore. The concert tour began in London in September 1993 and ended in Tokyo in December 1993.