Madonnamade the kickoff to herintimateMadame Xtheater toura family affair.

For the first of her 17 shows Brooklyn’s BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, the singer, 61, had three of her children — Mercy James, 13, andtwin daughters Estere and Stelle, 6 — appear onstage to lead the sold-out crowd into a sing-a-long of Madonna’s 1989 anthem “Express Yourself.”

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Madonna performing Billboard

Also in the room were Madonna’s good friendsRosie O’Donnell,Anderson Cooper, Spike Lee andDebi Mazar. O’Donnell even factored into the show: When Madonna took a selfie with a Polaroid camera and offered it to the highest bidder in the room, the actress and comedian walked onstage to offer her cash.

For herMadame Xtour debut, Madonna enforced a strict no-cellphone policy that had attendees seal away their devices in pouches that were unlocked at the end of the performance.

Madonna’s longtime manager Guy Oseary posted a backstage photo after the show, showing Madonna alongside filmmaker JR, O’Donnell, Mazar, Lee and Cooper. “The show was so good!! Congrats to the incredible Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone,” he captioned the pic. “You were amazing!!!”

The setlist leaned heavily on tracks from her latest album, but also included classics like “Human Nature,” “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer.”

The tour includes multiple shows at the BAM throughout September and October, plus a short residency at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago in October, then another at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater in November.

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Dates at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston, the Met Philadelphia, and the Jackie Gleason Theatre at the Fillmore Miami Beach will also stretch through December.

Come January, Madonna will head to Europe for shows in Lisbon, Portugal, London, and Paris.

Madame X, her first album since 2015, sees the Grammy winner shedding her famous persona in favor of an alter ego, which she has described as a “secret agent traveling around the world, changing identities, fighting for freedom, bringing light to dark places” in a promotional Instagram video.

The “Like a Virgin” singer has so fardropped the singles“Medellín,” with Colombian reggaeton starMaluma, “Crave,” and “I Rise.”

source: people.com