Queen of Pop sets additional date, says universality of music can draw attention to peace efforts.
By DAVID BRINNMadonna 390(photo credit: Lucy Nicholson / Reuters)
Not content to open her upcoming MDNA world tour in Israel on May 29, pop icon Madonna announced Wednesday that she would be giving an additional show on May 31, under the banner “Concert for Peace.” Both shows will take place at Ramat Gan Stadium.“Music is so universal and if there’s any chance that through my performance I can bring further attention and enlightenment to honor the peace efforts in the Middle East and help people come together, it would be an honor for me. It is my way of thanking those who are making so much effort toward bringing peace to the Middle East,” said Madonna in a statement simultaneously posted on her fan club website and released by promoter Shuki Weiss.To make the concert title more concrete, Madonna is arranging for organizations in Israel working toward those goals to receive tickets to the show. According to the statement released by Weiss, the names of the organizations and individuals have not been finalized.For the general public, tickets for the second show will be available beginning Friday at 10 a.m. through the Castel and Eventim ticket agencies, and will be available at the reduced price of NIS 240. Tickets for the first show have sold out, except for some pricey VIP packages.According to Weiss, hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be accompanying Madonna and her 350- person entourage, including performers (with her daughter Lourdes as one of her dancers), stage and technical crew. And among the 30,000 tickets sold to the tour debut were over 2,000 travel packages, including hotel accommodations, for tourists arriving from abroad.Madonna last appeared in Israel in 2009, when she closed her “Sticky and Sweet” tour here. The tour became the second-highest grossing tour of all time with $408 million in receipts. Between two other tour appearances and visits to attend events at the Tel Aviv Kabbala Center, she has been a frequent visitor and pro-Israel advocate.The fact that she chose Israel to begin her world tour and will be arriving a week early to hold rehearsals has been seen as a boost for the country, which has witnessed some performers canceling shows and others opting not to appear here at all.At age 54, she shows no signs of slowing down, having appeared before 112 million people in February during the Super Bowl halftime show. Her new album, MDNA, is slated to be released next week, but MTV reported Wednesday that the anticipated album had been leaked online. Tracks include “Turn Up the Radio,” “Gang Bang,” “I’m Addicted” and “I F**ked Up.”
