It consisted of Madonna singing acoustic versions of her songs while dressed as a clown, interspersed with the singer telling jokes and anecdotes.

Tears of a Clown received positive reviews from critics who appreciated the stripped down, confessional nature of the singer's performance and the choice of the songs and the comedy.

[2] To promote the album, Madonna announced the Rebel Heart Tour, and confirmed that she would be coming to Australia with the concert, as well as visit New Zealand for the first time.

[7] Prior to the show The Sydney Morning Herald reported that fans started queuing up in front of the venue, while Madonna rehearsed inside, as well as at Hisense Arena.

[5][7] Images and songs rehearsed were leaked to fan website Drownedmadonna.com, along with Madonna's manager Guy Oseary uploading pictures on Instagram.

Madonna made several references to clowns on her own Instagram account, including uploading a short video of her riding a small tricycle.

The show started with Madonna appearing onstage, in a clown's costume consisting of a billowing dress, pink and yellow stockings, circling the stage in a tricycle.

Three songs followed with Madonna joining the band and sitting down with her guitar, including "X-Static Process", a cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars", "Nobody's Perfect" and "Easy Ride".

[12] Cameron Adams from News.com.au wrote: "[Madonna] poured much of her sadness into her intimate two-hour Tears of a Clown show, peppering emotional renditions of her hits with cheeky jokes and banter.

[6] Writing for The Independent Nick Levine noticed that the singer "tested out her stand-up comedy skills with a series of risqué jokes and took the opportunity to defend her controversial fashion sense.

"[10] Debbie Cuthbertson from The Sydney Morning Herald gave a positive review of the show, saying "For the queen of self-control, it was an open, at times even vulnerable insight into her persona.

Cuthbertson also commended the choice of Forum Theatre as a venue believing it to be "inspired, and her crew lit up the grand old dame in a way that showcased all her delicate charms in a way I can't recall any other act having ever done.

Kanoniuk also compared the show to Prince's Piano & A Microphone Tour, and complimented her singing during "Between the Bars", describing it as "no costume changes, no highly synchronised dance moves, just Madonna playing an acoustic guitar and baring her soul on stage.

"[14] Francis Gibb from The Times found Madonna's performance during "Intervention" as an intimate and "naked" moment for the singer due to the legal battle.

"[17] In October 2016, Madonna announced plans of collaborating with Art Basel to revive the Tears of a Clown show, at a benefit gala on December 2, 2016 at Miami Beach's Faena Forum.

[19] One of the new songs included in the set list was Britney Spears' "Toxic" (2004), which Madonna sang slowly, as images of Trump were displayed in video backdrops.

The Associated Press reported that "[the] night was punctuated by [Madonna's] sardonic humor, corny clown jokes, controversial political statements and heartfelt moments about how much the hospital project means to her.