Gaynor congratulated the pop legend on the start of the Celebration Tour, which includes an acoustic rendition of her 1978 classic
Gloria Gaynor gave Madonna a big shout-out for making an acoustic cover of “I Will Survive” part of her massive Celebration Tour.
Sharing a video of the cover, Gaynor wrote on Twitter, “@Madonna congratulations on the launch of #TheCelebrationTour… So happy that you are in good health and ready to have a holiday with fans around the world! By the way, you have excellent taste in music.”
Madonna’s rendition of “I Will Survive” slots in near the end of her career-spanning Celebration Tour setlist. Video from the opening night of the tour at the O2 Arena in London showed the pop star strumming an acoustic guitar and singing the first verse and chorus — along with the entire crowd singing. It’s a powerful moment in and of itself, and it also turns out the acoustic cover transitions perfectly into one of Madonna’s own, “La Isla Bonita.”
It seems clear why Madonna chose to include “I Will Survive” in her show: The Celebration Tour was supposed to kick off earlier this year, but the singer had to postpone the dates after she was hospitalized with a dangerous bacterial infection.
On stage at the tour opener, Madonna addressed the health scare, saying, “I didn’t think I would make it, and neither did my doctors. 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. But the angels were protecting me. And my children were there. And my children always save me, every time.”
The U.K. and European leg of Madonna’s Celebration tour will run through the early fall, with the North American leg launching on Dec. 13 in Brooklyn. Additional dates are scheduled through spring 2024.