Sources close to Madonna, who had to freeze the start of her The Celebration Tour due to a serious bacterial infection, assured that the 64-year-old singer put her health at risk by wanting to compete with singers younger than her.
For example, Taylor Swift, 33, is currently embarking on a 117-date tour that is expected in the industry to be the highest-grossing of all time.
“The countdown was really on. Madonna had all the spotlight on her on tour (to celebrate four decades in music). She was working overtime and she was clearly exhausted. People around her have been politely reminding her that she’s not 45 anymore, let alone 25. She needed to pace herself. Trying so hard was extremely risky,” a source told The Sun.
According to the same British media, hours before collapsing and being admitted to a hospital in an emergency, the “Queen of Pop” had locked herself in a studio next to Katy Perry to prepare a surprise at her concerts.
Page Six also pointed out that the “Like a Virgin” interpreter had been rehearsing at least twelve hours a day to be ready for the ribbon cutting of The Celebration, which was to be on July 15 in Vancouver.
“Many of us felt that the constant allusions to her age put pressure on her to compete (with other female artists). She relieves us that she has been forced to rest and put her health first,” the source, who belongs to the star’s inner circle, told The Sun.
He even pointed out that seeing Madonna push herself to the maximum, some remembered the death of Michael Jackson in 2009, who died before starting his This Is It tour.
“Nobody would have dared say it out loud, but there was the concern of a Michael Jackson-type situation if he didn’t hit the brakes a bit.”
Madonna is currently recovering at her home in New York and, according to the insider, is in good spirits and receiving visitors.
However, he has rejected the proposal to reduce the scale of The Celebration, which includes, so far, 84 concerts around the world.