if she takes any "tips" from beyonce marketing wise, then i think she'll tour without a new album. it would be a huge brand strengthening exercise and the casual fans would finally get what they've always wanted, a proper greatest hits tour. for whatever reason, the more i think about it, the more i feel that might be what is going to happen next.

of course, i would love a new album first, but i wonder if she will have her business head on and see the bigger picture. album sales are in toilet generally at this time, while a tour would bring in the dollars for live nation and it could bring a lot of casual fans back on board. whatever people say about her live performances, everybody knows the gems in her back catalogue, people also know she puts on a spectacle live and puts 100% into her shows.

i could be way off the mark, but it wouldn't surprise me and i think i might start saving just in case.

Grammy seem to have confirmed Madonna is appearing.

Regarding a tour. I still have no idea why a greatest hits tour hasn't happened yet. That's what so many want. The money that could be made from that would probably give her the highest grossing tour in history. I can't understand why Live Nation haven't pushed for it.

Madonna confirmed her appearance at the Grammys on her Instagram.

I'm not too bothered about her performing with Katy or Beyoncé or whoever. It's not like there's any real mystique or whatever about her in that regard since her performances with esteemed artistes like Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and... Psy.


Madonna clearly doesn't want to do that though.

How do you know she doesn't want to do it?

The timings haven't ever been right in the past. The closest she came to doing that sort of tour was with Reinvention but that was purely because American Life bombed in America and they needed to sell the tour off the back of old content.

I don't think she should do a Greatest Hits tour at this time. It would be great to do it sometime before she finally stops touring, but not now. She doesn't need the money and that would only play into people's idea that she is all about money and has no artistic value, which we as fans know is not true but is what the general public thinks. Every older artist does a GH tour so that's hardly original.
It might be hard to do because of her contract with Live Nation, but I actually think she should do the opposite right now. She should release a great artistic new album, but not immediately go on tour to promote it, but do a lot of the other promotion, tv, radio, magazines, video etc. That's what she needs to portray to the general public that she is still a vibrant artist, not a nostalgia act. I love Hard Candy and MDNA, but I know a lot of people don't and so she needs a real artistic album to really get some critical acclaim, not a GH tour. Not touring right away would really allow people to appreciate the album. Not touring would also allow her to do different types of music than might normally work in a huge arena or stadium.

Some fan said Rocco posted on his instagram a guitar riff of a Fleetwood Mac song. It would be amazing if she did something related to Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. Stevie is a true icon and one of my all time favourite artists. Stevie's solo album, The Wild Heart and Madonna's first album were the first records I ever bought.

I don't think you have to worry Josh. The Grammys usually try to put performers who are different or you wouldn't really expect together. I'm not saying Madonna is like Katy or Beyonce but in some people's minds they are both pop divas so I don't see them doing that because it wouldn't be so unexpected. I'm thinking maybe Macklemore who has the song about gay rights? The guitar playing wouldn't go with Katy or Beyonce, I don't think, I would love to see her perform with Lorde but that probably won't happen. The press release said she is performing with a nominee.

Seems to be a lot of teasing going on in regards to the Grammys.

You don't think she is about to spring a surprise single on us do you? A few on Twitter got worked up over #BlackWidow being Madonna's Grammy teaser pic.

Not sure if I'm buying into it yet...

live nation is a huge factor in all of this and people forget she has huge responsibilities to deliver revenue under the terms of the contract. knowing her, she wouldn't bill it as a greatest hits tour anyway, but with no new material to promote, people would naturally assume that she'll be playing her hits and i agree, it would be a huge success.

beyonce toured last year with no new album to promote and no one accused her of being a heritage act. instead it created a lot of buzz and a thirst for new material. besides, she is 55 and she has had an amazing career with an abundance of big hits. what would be the point in all of that, if she didn't play to those strengthens occasionally?

like i said, i could be way off the mark and i would actually prefer a new album, but artists have find alternative ways of making money in the music industry today. so considering her ties with live nation, i would assume they will be thinking from more of a business prospective.

here we go again.

All her tours have been very successful. It's not like her tours based around new material have flopped and the only way she can sell out arenas and stadiums is to do a greatest hits tour. So I don't see Live Nation pressuring her to do a GH tour if that's not what she wants to do.

I think I know who she will perform with at the Grammys. I think it will be with Paul McCartney and Ringo Star who are doing a mini-Beatles reunion and tribute. It makes sense with the picture of her with the guitar, the fact she has been pictured with Paul before, and appearing with some of the Beatles would be the most iconic and something unexpected as musically they don't have a lot in common which is how the Grammys likes to group performers. I think that's got to be it. So the people who always complain that she only performs with young hip people should be happy she's hooking up with a legend older than she is, but I'm sure they will still complain anyway.

i don't remember suggesting anything of the sort, but a standalone tour would do her no harm at this stage. her contract with live nation has seen her doing things like promoting her perfume at a time when people would have expected her to be promoting her album, so i wouldn't underestimate their influence over her business decisions.

I won't complain about that as long as they don't perform 'Lady Madonna', which would be horrifically cheesy.

But she's seated beside Katy Perry and her songwriters, so it really looks like it'll be Katy. Still better than LMFAO though. I'm still holding out hope for Daft Punk at the same time.

Just because they are sitting together doesn't mean they will perform together. That would be too easy and too much of a giveaway. The Grammys likes to surprise people. Katy's music doesn't go with her instagram picture of her playing the guitar though. Plus, the Grammys as I said like to mix people have nothing in common which doesn't apply to Katy and Madonna. Daft Punk would be great, but they already have Stevie Wonder and Pharrell. Wouldn't adding Madonna be too many different singers.
I think either Paul or Macklemore is most likely.

The Grammys have just officially confirmed Madonna as a performer on their website, but not who she's performing with (or if she's performing with anyone) - this was expected though, they'd want to keep Madonna's guest appearance a surprise.

Here's hoping it's the lead single from #artpopforfreedom or #secretprojectqueenofpop or whatever her next album's gonna be called.


Alright.

Keep in mind though that I'll murder you for getting my hopes up if she ends up rapping Juicy J's verse in 'Dark Horse' wearing #grillz and dressed like Katy's pimp.

I don't think it's going to be new single by her. She's going to perform with a nominee so I'm guessing it would probably be one of their songs. I think if you're not a nominee yourself this year you don't get to perform alone. I know this is heresy but I really am not that huge on Paul or the Beatles even though they are one of the most successful artists. So honestly, performing with Paul doesn't excite me that much. I don't mind Katy. I like some of her songs. But I don't see them matching Madonna and Katy up. But I always enjoy Madonna's live performances so I'm sure it will be great whoever it is with.

It's been confirmed that Madonna WILL perform at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards this weekend!!

It's about time Madonna did a performance! Because for the last several years she hasn't done any (Apart from her tours)

Madonna has drifted into the background recently, and It would be really nice to see Madonna performing again!

But what will she sing!? She has no new new material, Or does she? Unless she has secretly been working on new material and is going to reveal a new song, Because I very much doubt she will sing anything from MDNA...

Or will she just go for an oldie but goodie that will be mashed up with another artists song?

Can't wait to find out! Either way it is so exciting to know Madonna is going to be performing again! I've missed her!

That's a good point about Madonna's skill as a performer. At least we'll have that to salvage if it turns out to be a wee bit of a mess.

But I'm being very negative right now - it could be completely brilliant. I guess I just want Madonna to really impress everyone and prove her talent as a musician again at something like the Grammys, not as a spectacular popstar. Everyone saw that at the Superbowl, they need no more evidence of Madonna as a showgirl.

The photo of her with the guitar is potentially a good sign.

Of all the times, Madonna has performed at a major event, I don't remember it ever being terrible or a mess. It's varied from good to amazing. People doubt her but she always comes through as a performer so I"m not worried about it being bad. I don't know, I think people like to see her as a spectacular popstar and a showgirl. The Grammys is a spectacle so I'm not sure if something very low key would work. It might be a let down for some people.

I really hope she is dueting on Get Lucky.

New material would total blow everyone away though. Even if it is a long shot.

Yay! Guy has confirmed she is about to start on her new album! late 2014 release would be likely I'd say

Jesus, now I'm a fair bit excited.

I'll start saving for the tour next year!

i am glad the album seems to be coming first actually, but i don't want her to rush the process. i am prepared to wait until whenever, as long as the album is high quality. i don't think she has to prove anything in terms of sales or chart dominance, but i do think she needs a return to form musically. i am very pleased with this confirmation though.

omg, she's been pap'd at the airport sporting her grills again. i know she said they were "here to stay" and it was hilarious her turning up at events grinning with them in, but wearing them at an airport?

On twitter, someone said she is performing with Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert. Makes sense as part of her activist stance around the Secret Project etc. because they have the Same Love song about gay rights.

If you haven't heard their song here's the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

according to this, mary will be performing with billy joe armstrong. i had to laugh at the article where they referred to her as "the "superstar" singer". of all the songs including her grammy nominated work they could have mentioned, but they chose that one.