The Virgin Tour was officially announced on March 15 , 1985 , by Warner Bros . Records . Prior to the tour , Madonna 's only live performances were limited to evening shows at Danceteria , CBGB and Mudd Club , and only the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards , where she performed her song " Like a Virgin " . Following the success of the '' Like a Virgin '' album , the record label wanted to milk-in the success of the album by sending Madonna on a worldwide tour . However , the tour was restricted within United States and Canada . It did not visit Europe , Asia or other continents . Early on there were plans to schedule dates in Britain and Japan due to Madonna 's large fan bases in both countries , however the final schedule did not reflect the idea . In the end several more U.S. dates were added and the tour was moved to larger concert venues due to overwhelmingly strong ticket sales . Madonna was quite nervous to perform in front of a huge audience , and singing with a live band for the first time . During a 2009 interview with '' Rolling Stone '' , interviewer Austin Scaggs asked Madonna regarding her feelings and emotions during the tour , since it was the first time she was playing in arenas . Madonna replied saying , " That whole tour was crazy , because I went from playing CBGB and the Mudd Club to playing sporting arenas . I played a small theater in Seattle , and the girls had flap skirts on and the tights cut off below their knees and lace gloves and rosaries and bows in their hair and big hoop earrings . I was like , ' This is insane ! ' After Seattle , all of the shows were moved to arenas . I 've never done a bus tour . Everyone says they are really fun . " After the tour was confirmed , Madonna and her troupe started working on it . Madonna wanted it to be " loud and brazen , and a reflection of my street-style and DGAF attitude . " She wanted a concert where people can enjoy themselves as much as she would enjoy performing . Commenting on the development , Madonna said " I normally hate performances where there is just a singer singing , and a lame-ass band playing in the background ; or shows where there is a rocker screaming his lungs out and jumping on the crowd . That just plain sucks ! That 's why I wanted something different , something that would be memorable . " For the show , Madonna collaborated with her designer friend Maripol for the clothes and the fashion . Maripol operated a small fabric boutique called Maripolitan in Greenwich Village , where the designs and the clothes for the tour were decided by her and Madonna . Rehearsals for the show started in late February , with auditions and choosing the dancers going on in-between . Madonna specifically wanted male back-up dancers , citing that the " provocating moves that I do on stage works better with men beside me . " To further promote the tour , Warner Bros . Entertainers Merchandise Management Corp. introduced the Boy Toy collection , named after the belt buckle Madonna wore on the '' Like a Virgin '' album cover picture . It consisted of a rectangular buckle , with the words " Boy " and " Toy " emblazed on it in gold color . For choosing a music director for the tour , Madonna 's manager Freddy DeMann contacted record producer Patrick Leonard , who had just returned from the Victory Tour by The Jackson 5 . At first Leonard said no , feeling exhausted from the Victory Tour , but after he spoke to Madonna on the phone , he found her charming , and agreed to sign for the tour
1984 MTV Video Music Awards
1984 MTV Video Music Awards
The Virgin Tour