Watch: Madonna is Still the Queen of Pop. Here's Why

Two years ago when Madonna hit the road with her "Madame X Tour," a flurry of negative headlines and bad press seemed to overshadow everything else having to do with the tour and its accompanying album, Madonna's fourteenth. While the reviews for the album were mostly positive – it was her best reviewed album in almost fifteen years – the tour itself seemed to be a never-ending source of issues.

The tour was a novel one for Madonna (and for pop music in general). Rather than going out on the road and doing another arena tour (which Madonna revolutionized and perfected, by the way) she chose to perform a string of smaller, more intimate shows in a handful of cities around the world, almost like mini residencies. She also did something else unprecedented: She banned cell phones from the theatre and made concertgoers lock their phones away.

But trouble started from the very first string of shows at Brooklyn's Howard Gilman Opera House. Madonna regularly kept fans waiting for three hours before taking the stage, a move that incensed fans and even led to one lawsuit being filed. She ran into the same problem in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the latter of which saw fans booing her and asking for a refund.

But that's not even the worst of it. 18 tour dates were canceled due to chronic pain from an injury she sustained on stage. Still, every concert she performed sold out, and it raked in an impressive $51 million. But now that the dust has settled around all the drama, it's time to focus on what didn't make headlines two years ago. For those who saw it, the "Madame X Tour" was an unforgettable evening – one in which the Queen of Pop could shed the bombast of arenas and stadiums and give fans a once-in-a-lifetime, intimate evening with her Madgesty.

Fortunately, the tour was professionally filmed and will be released on October 8 on Paramount+. And for anyone who has ever seen any of the countless other tours she has released on video, they're an indispensable look at just why Madonna remains the best at what she does more than 40 years into her career.

In honor of "Madame X" finally streaming to the masses, here's a look back at Madonna's career with five reasons why she remains the undisputed Queen of Pop.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Last winter, with the advent of Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, Madonna became the first artist in history to achieve 50 number one hits. The song that put her over the top? "I Don't Search I Find" from "Madame X." Aside from the Dance chart, she's the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and has sold over 300 million albums worldwide.

Top Grossing Solo Tour

In support of her 11th studio album "Hard Candy" in 2008, Madonna toured the world with what many consider to be a defining tour, not only for Madonna herself, but for all of pop music. The result? More than $408 million in ticket sales, making it – to this day – the highest-grossing tour of all time for a female artist, and the 10th- highest-grossing tour of all time. Madonna is largely credited with inventing the modern arena concert spectacle, and the "Sticky & Sweet" Tour is a prime example of why that's true. And yes, it's still available to watch.

Madonna The Actress

It goes without saying that Madonna has been dogged her entire career by unfairly harsh criticism when it comes to her acting chops. While it is true that some of her choices of films may leave a lot to be desired ("Swept Away," anyone?), Madonna has earned the right to call herself an actress. Don't believe us? Re-watch "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Dick Tracy," "A League of Their Own," and, yes, "Evita." Her chops have stood the test of time. What's more, Madonna holds the Guinness World Record for Most Costume Changes in a Film for Evita.

The Super Bowl

Even Madonna naysayers had to admit: She pulled off one of the greatest Super Bowl halftime Shows of all time back in 2012, and it's a performance that still holds up today, unlike, well, most others. At the time, it was the most-watched halftime show in the history of the Super Bowl.

She Never Forgot The LGBTQ+ Community

Madonna would not have a career without the LGBTQ+ community. When she first moved to New York at 19, she fell in with a largely gay community of artists, dancers, and musicians who undoubtedly influenced, well, just about everything she did and still does. Just as Madonna's star was rising, AIDS was devastating the lives of those around her, and she became a fearless, early supporter of gay rights. Look back at video clips of old interviews with her. She was a staunch and unapologetic ally before it was fashionable, and she still is to this day.