Seated on a giant throne fit for a queen of her caliber, Madonna [ tickets ] took the stage of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday (8/23) to kick off her "Sticky & Sweet" world tour.

According to reports from the UK, the superstar's two-hour theatrical extravaganza included more than 20 songs broken into four sections: Pimp, an homage to 1920's deco and modern-day gangsta pimp; Old School, a tip of the hat to Maddy's early '80s New York City dance roots; Gypsy, which calls on the spirit of Romanian folk music and dance; and Rave, a sporty take on Far Eastern influences.

Giant, mobile video screens allowed Madonna to duet with Britney Spears, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, and dance with several virtual Justin Timberlakes, according to The Times newspaper of Britain.

Though critics of the opening performance had different opinions about the show's many elements, they all agreed on one thing: 50-year-old Madonna defies her age with her youthful appearance, hard body and athletic dance routines.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, her 16 dancers and 12-piece band certainly came to the show prepared, having spent more than 650 hours rehearsing, according to Maddy's website.

The European leg of the tour continues tomorrow (8/26) in Nice, France, and runs through late September. Madonna is set to kick off her North American run Oct. 4 in East Rutherford, NJ, and follow that with a sold-out, four-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The Grammy winner has double shots scheduled in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver, Mexico City, and Oakland, CA, and, since last check, she's added a second show in Boston and a new stop in Detroit. North American dates are listed below and those overseas can be found at Madonna's website.

The performer is supporting her 11th studio album, "Hard Candy," which surfaced in April and debuted at No. 1 in more than 30 countries, including the US. Her latest single, "Give It 2 Me," has become her 39th No. 1 club hit, according to her website.

Madonna's previous album, 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor," sold more than 8.5 million copies and her 2006 outing to support the set became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist, according to a press release. She's hoping to break her own record with the "Sticky & Sweet" tour.

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