Shocking. Explosive.

That's Madonna for you.

The 45 year-old pop diva kicked off her worldwide Re-Invention tour at The Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on May 24.

Clad in a cream gold corset, Madonna delivered an electrifying performance with images of war displayed on the screen.

She sang American life to the sound effects of bomb explosions. She grooved to some of her old hits like Celebrate and Vogue as well. But her rendering of John Lennon's Imagine stood out.

Spirituality and the Jewish Kabbalah formed some of the other themes of the show.

It is rumoured that Madonna almost didn't do the concert owing to death threats to her family and herself. Her publicist refused to comment.

Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty Images