Madonna started her latest tour last night, a week after turning 50, offering 40,000 fans in Wales two hours of her trademark high-energy disco, costume changes and controversy.
The singer plans at least 50 Sticky and Sweet concerts under her new association with music company Live Nation Inc. She plays across Europe and the Americas in 2008, with more dates to be confirmed. Madonna’s 2006 Confessions tour had ticket sales of $195 million, the most for a female artist, said Billboard.
Her two-hour show at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium included a video interlude seen by some fans as an attack on John McCain, the U.S. Republican presidential candidate, whose image they noticed briefly flashed up alongside Adolf Hitler and Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe.
“Trust the Queen of Pop to stir things,” said Jo Elder, 35, of London, who has attended 15 Madonna concerts, and was wearing a Material Girl hat. “She’s more manic as she gets older. I’ve never seen so many people dancing, it was really infectious.”
Madonna’s show had 24 songs, 250 crew, eight costume changes and 16 support artists who break danced, pole danced and flamenco- stepped in fetish and bondage outfits. The star first appeared through a haze of lasers on a black leather throne and launched into Candy Shop off her latest album Hard Candy.
The set featured recent material alongside reworkings of some old hits. Borderline was speeded up by thumping guitars, La Isla Bonita spiced with gypsy fiddle and Like a Prayer boasted heavy bass and a techno beat.
The concert was split into four sections — Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave — with Madonna managing to skip a rope and do press-ups without losing breath and while singing. She signed off with Give It to Me and grinned before the house lights came on with a flashing display which read “Game Over.”
Not everybody was so happy.
“It said `7:30 p.m. start’ on my ticket and she didn’t come on until well past 9 p.m.,” said John Barry, 40, of California. “I’ll travel the world for Madonna, and she’s sensational, but she has to remember to keep her loyal fans with her. Sadly, she’s just getting more arrogant.”
Source: Bloomberg.com
