Madonna gets into a grim groove
Source: Agencies |
June 2, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
POP superstar Madonna kicked off a new world tour on Thursday wishing peace on the Middle East, even as she showcased grim dance routines depicting violence and bloody gunmen among her more colorful numbers.
Madonna, 53, mixed hit over three decades in music with tunes from her recent album, "MDNA," before a packed audience, at Ramat Gan stadium in Tel Aviv, and took a sly dig at younger diva Lady Gaga.
"She's not me!" Madonna sang at the end of "Express Yourself," which she reworked to include a sampling of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
That song from Lady Gaga has been cited by many music fans and critics as being very similar to Madonna's late 1980s dance club smash.
Despite occasional lighthearted touches, such as a baton-twirling routine in cheerleader formation, the dominant mood at Thursday's concert seemed more grim with a stage shrouded in black and red and costumes that often appeared ominous.
"Like a Virgin," a dance tune that helped propel Madonna to stardom, was performed as a mournful cabaret.
And in a routine for "Revolver," she wielded a Kalashnikov rifle, used by many modern-day insurgents, while one dancer favored an Israeli Uzi.
The exertions never sapped her singing, though she did become breathless during remarks to the audience.
"I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason. As you know, the Middle East and all the conflicts that have been occurring here for thousands of years - they have to stop," she said to cheers.
A devotee of Jewish mysticism, Madonna distributed free tickets to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Madonna, 53, mixed hit over three decades in music with tunes from her recent album, "MDNA," before a packed audience, at Ramat Gan stadium in Tel Aviv, and took a sly dig at younger diva Lady Gaga.
"She's not me!" Madonna sang at the end of "Express Yourself," which she reworked to include a sampling of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
That song from Lady Gaga has been cited by many music fans and critics as being very similar to Madonna's late 1980s dance club smash.
Despite occasional lighthearted touches, such as a baton-twirling routine in cheerleader formation, the dominant mood at Thursday's concert seemed more grim with a stage shrouded in black and red and costumes that often appeared ominous.
"Like a Virgin," a dance tune that helped propel Madonna to stardom, was performed as a mournful cabaret.
And in a routine for "Revolver," she wielded a Kalashnikov rifle, used by many modern-day insurgents, while one dancer favored an Israeli Uzi.
The exertions never sapped her singing, though she did become breathless during remarks to the audience.
"I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason. As you know, the Middle East and all the conflicts that have been occurring here for thousands of years - they have to stop," she said to cheers.
A devotee of Jewish mysticism, Madonna distributed free tickets to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.
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