The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Madonna, to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008). It was Madonna's first major venture under a new ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation. Following a series of promotional appearances in support of Hard Candy, the tour was announced in May 2008, with concerts in Europe and North America; additionally, it marked the singer's first dates in Latin America in fifteen years. The first part of the tour began on August 23, 2008, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and ended on December 21 at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil. Afterwards, it was announced that Madonna had decided to resume the tour in the summer of 2009, with twenty-seven more concerts, mostly in European markets she had either never played in or visited in several years; the 2009 extension started on July 4 at the O2 Arena in London, England, and concluded on September 2 at the Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel. Though initially planned, the tour did not visit Australia and East Asia due to financial problems and the financial recession. The show was described as a "rock driven dancetastic journey" and, like previous tours by the singer, was divided into different thematic acts: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave.

Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. Released by Warner Bros. Records on April 19, 2008, it was her last album for the company after a 25-year history. Madonna began working on Hard Candy in early 2007, and collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, the Neptunes, and Nate "Danja" Hills to produce a dance-pop album incorporating hip hop, electropop, disco, electro, funk, and R&B.