As soon as the tour was announced, tickets were sold out almost everywhere.
In San Francisco, tour shirts were selling at a clocked rate of one every six seconds. All 17,672 tickets for Madonna's show at New York City's «Radio City Music Hall» were completely sold out in a record-breaking 34 minutes.
Both the shows at Chicago's «UIC Pavilion» were sold in a single day with a record breaking 18,000 tickets being sold.
In Philadelphia, record breaking 31.000 tickets were sold in under four hours.
Along with ticket sales, merchandise associated with the tour also sold rapidly. T-shirts, posters and promo-magazines featuring Madonna's image were picked up by the fans, even though most them were overpriced compared to the market value.
After its end, «The Virgin Tour» was reported to have grossed over $5 million, with Billboard Boxscore reporting a gross of $3.3 million.
Warner Bros. decided to send Madonna on the tour, after «Like a Virgin» became a huge success. After its official announcement on March 15, 1985, Madonna and her team started working on it. Madonna wanted the tour to be a reflection of her own self and collaborated with designer Maripol for the costumes, Patrick Leonard, record Producer, was signed as the music director for the tour.
The stage was circular in shape and consisted of ramps around it, with lighting arrangements hanging about 30 feet above the stage. Four giant screens lined the outer perimeter of the stage, on three sides.
The set list consisted of songs from «Madonna» and «Like a Virgin» the songs were performed by Madonna, who was backed by two dancers, as she moved energetically across the stage. The show ended with Madonna in a wedding dress, performing «Like A Virgin» and «Material Girl».
The Virgin Tour received mixed reception from critics, but was a commercial success. As soon as the tour was announced, tickets were sold everywhere. Macy’s New York department store was flooded with buyers, who bought the tour merchandise like the crucifix earrings and fingerless gloves. After its end, the Virgin Tour was reported to have grossed over $5 million, with Billboard Boxscore reporting a gross of $3.3 million.
The tour was recorded and released in VHS, as «Live - The Virgin Tour», and received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
With the commencement of the Virgin Tour, people (especially women) thronged to see it wearing clothes inspired by Madonna. This frenzy regarding Madonna gave rise to a new term called «wannabe» a word that was ultimately officially recognized by the Webster’s Dictionary in May 1991.
