Black silk lace trimmed boustier – worn on stage at the “Blonde Ambition” Tour ( Start date April 13, 1990 – End date August 5, 1990) and signed in gold pen by Madonna

The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, I’m Breathless. The 57-show tour began on April 13, 1990, in Chiba, Japan, and concluded on August 5, 1990, in Nice, France. Additionally, it marked Madonna’s first concerts in Sweden and Spain. Originally planned as the Like a Prayer World Tour, it was supposed to be sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. However, the company cancelled the contract following the controversy surrounding the music video of “Like a Prayer”.

The concert was divided into five thematic segments: Metropolis, inspired by the 1927 German expressionist film of the same name and the “Express Yourself” music video; Religious, by religious themes; Dick Tracy, by the film of the same name and cabaret; Art Deco, inspired by early Hollywood films and featuring paintings by Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka; and finally, an encore. The art direction was by Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone, while the costumes were created by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. The tour garnered positive reviews from contemporary critics and was a commercial success. It received the “Most Creative Stage Production” award at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards and grossed over US$62.7 million ($124.2 million in 2020 dollars). Madonna was named the second most successful solo touring act at the time, behind Michael Jackson.

The tour generated controversy due to its use of Catholic imagery and sexual content. Pope John Paul II urged the general public and the Christian community not to attend the tour, calling it “one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity”. The protests resulted the cancellation of one Italian show. In Toronto, the police threatened to arrest Madonna over the performance of “Like a Virgin”, which featured her simulating masturbation. Nevertheless, Madonna continued the show unaltered.

A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast, including the tour’s final show in Nice, France, which aired as a special on HBO; afterwards it was released exclusively on Laserdisc under the title Blond Ambition World Tour Live. A documentary film, Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991), was released chronicling the tour. The Blond Ambition World Tour has been noted by critics and authors for its theatricality and fashion, which have left its mark on the work of subsequent pop acts. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine included the tour on a list of the greatest tours of the past 50 years.