Camacho
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No Madonna shows reported in this week's BB Boxscore
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http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=1981
11 September 2006, 22:35
Famous Russian theologian advises Madonna to watch The Passion of the Christ to reassess her crucifixion on stage
Moscow, September 11, Interfax - Madonna should watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to understand why the crucifixion scene in her show is an insult to people, a professor at Moscow Church Academy, deacon Andrey Kurayev, told Interfax.
"It's amazing how backward some people can be in our times, especially in America Most probably, Ms. Ciccone hasn't seen The Passion of the Christ. I would be glad to send her a CD of it," father Andrey said.
After this film showed a strikingly naturalistic portrayal of the crucifixion and how painful it was, it could be thought that no more vulgarities of the "I am crucified by critics" or "I bear the cross of my creation" could be possible, he said. Hardly anyone who watched The Passion of the Christ would use a cross as a piece of jewelry, he added.
"From any point of view, even a secular one, a cross symbolizes supreme pain and it's not good to use it for a show. She [Madonna] uses other people's pain to create her image and earn money," father Andrey said.
Replying to those who think that Madonna has already secured a place in world pop music history, he said that the Church "does not care about assessments of her stage activity."
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Ooh riot police
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http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.htm..._issue=11586025
Sep 11 2006 12:55PM
Madonna to arrive in Moscow on Monday evening - PR manager
MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Organizers of the pop star Madonna's Russian tour have confirmed Madonna will arrive in Moscow on Monday.
"Madonna will arrive in Moscow in the afternoon on Monday for certain," PR manager for the singer's Russian tour Anton Atrashkin told Interfax.
Asked whether a special meeting is being planned with the participation of the singer and the press and fans, Atrashkin said, "Yes, it is. The meeting will take place on September 12, after tens of thousands of people have enjoyed a live performance by the world's top singer of our times."
Madonna is to give a concert at the Luzhniki sports complex on September 12.
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Russians Confess They Want to See Madonna
The Orthodox Church's condemnation of the pop singer seems only to add to the hoopla. Fans buy 37,000 concert tickets in three days.
By David Holley, Times Staff Writer
September 11, 2006
MOSCOW — In the eyes of Tatyana Myasoyedova, a pensioner who joined a recent protest against a Madonna concert set for Tuesday night, the pop icon's first performance in Russia is part of a plot against her nation.
"The United States first destroyed our great country, the Soviet Union, then they destroyed our economy and now they are sending this horrible young woman to destroy our souls," said Myasoyedova, interviewed during a recent rally of about 100 demonstrators organized by the Orthodox Standard Bearers Union, a group combining religion and nationalism.
Angered by a controversial scene in Madonna's worldwide "Confessions" tour in which she sings "Live to Tell" while suspended on a mirrored cross, the Russian Orthodox Church and its most active supporters have bitterly condemned the show and warned believers not to go. But their words have had little deterrent effect.
"The use of the cross is not merely an advertising stunt, though this is indisputably one of her motives. It is an indication of a person's spiritual problems," Orthodox spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin told the Russian news agency Interfax a few days before ticket sales began. "Of course, it would be more than strange for an Orthodox person to give the spiritual problems of this singer greater publicity by attending her concerts."
The most visible effect of the church's attacks on the 48-year-old singer has been to boost a wave of hoopla surrounding the show. It swiftly sold out and has been rescheduled at a bigger, 52,000-seat venue.
"It doesn't matter what some religious activists say about her," said Ivan Stolyarenko, 20, an economics student who paid $375 for a ticket. "It is high time everybody understands that we are a free people, and we have a right to welcome anyone we want — and what's more, that every artist has a right to self-expression and that no religious or political dogmas should stand in the way here anymore."
Concert organizers said that the 37,000 tickets available for the original venue, an outdoor square near Moscow State University, sold out in three days, at prices ranging from $57 for the cheapest dance floor tickets to $943 for the best seats. The least expensive tickets still available last week for the new location, a sports stadium, cost $300.
Madonna launched her world tour in May at the Forum in Inglewood, and it is due to end this month with performances in Japan. Religious leaders in other countries have also criticized the cross scene.
Pyotr Razanin, 23, a security guard who waited in line for hours to buy tickets, said that in principle he agreed with the church's criticism.
"I support the Russian Orthodox Church, and I think that they are right when asking people to stay away from the concert," he said, explaining that the main reason he was buying tickets was to resell them at jacked-up prices.
But he just might save a ticket for himself, he added. "Most likely I will go, because it is such a rare opportunity," he said.
Alexander Prokhanov, editor in chief of Zavtra, a left-wing nationalist newspaper, said that "grandiose adoration for this lady singer on the part of a significant portion of the Russian population" reflected a spiritual emptiness in post-Soviet Russia.
"There is a gaping emptiness, a gigantic vacuum, a total abyss reigning in the Russian consciousness now," Prokhanov said. "Historically, it was filled with religious symbols or Soviet signs and dogmas, which imbued the souls of Russian citizens with horrors or utopian dreams. But there was never such emptiness as we observe now…. And this vacuum readily sucks in such illusory components of today's culture as Pepsi-Cola, McDonald's and Madonna."
It can be argued, however, that Madonna's popularity in Russia simply means the country is becoming more like the West.
Some observers holding a harsher view of the nation's history see the buzz generated by Madonna as a positive sign that a generation freed of the burdens of the past will soon come to power in Russia.
"If you look at the people who stand in lines to buy tickets for her show you may notice that a big majority of them are in their 30s and 40s," said Boris Lifanovsky, a commentator for Musical Instruments, a quarterly journal. "Many of these people undoubtedly represent the emerging middle class of Russia, and this is also very indicative and very important. This is our first generation of free-thinking, open-minded and independent people."
Lifanovsky said he thought the church had made a mistake by rushing to condemn Madonna's show. "It is a really futile and counterproductive effort which I am absolutely sure will never stop people who want to see Madonna," he said.
Andrei Kurayev, a professor at the Russian Theology Academy, said the focus of protests against Madonna was not her art as a whole but the Crucifixion scene that formed the most controversial part of this tour.
"We are talking about just one gesture she makes during one of the numbers in the show, when she sings elevated over the stage on a cross and wearing a crown of thorns," Kurayev said. "You don't need to go far to understand the abject vulgarity of it."
Chaplin, the Orthodox spokesman, said in an interview that the church had no choice but to state its view even if that added to the publicity surrounding her visit.
"We had to express our opinion no matter what, because this lady uses crosses, prayer beads and other religious symbols of Christianity in what has nothing to do with our religion," he said. "Once she even said that Christ would endorse her message, but we don't think so, and I think we can and we must speak out about it."
During the show's Crucifixion scene, video flashes shots of African children orphaned by AIDS, and numbers ticking away on a screen represent the 12 million African AIDS orphans.
In a May interview with the New York Daily News, Madonna defended the scene as part of an appeal to the audience to donate to AIDS charities.
"I don't think Jesus would be mad at me and the message I'm trying to send," she said. "Jesus taught that we should love thy neighbor."
Stolyarenko, the economics student, said he hoped Madonna would be followed by more top pop stars.
"No one has a right to tell us what to see and whom to listen to and admire," he said. "This is the main thing for us today. I like her style, I like her ever-changing image and I like her songs — and nobody will stop me from seeing her perform on Tuesday."
david.holley@latimes.com
Times staff writer Sergei L. Loiko and Yakov Ryzhak of The Times' Moscow Bureau contributed to this report.
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http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11585786
Sep 10 2006 2:03PM
Madonna to arrive in Moscow Monday (Part 2)
MOSCOW. Sept 10 (Interfax) - The world pop star Madonna is expected to arrive in Moscow on Monday, Madonna's international tour promoter Arthur Fogel has announced.
Madonna is arriving in Russia tomorrow and will reside at a hotel. She is eagerly awaiting her Moscow performance and wants to come to Russia, Fogel told the press in Moscow on Sunday.
It will be the best show in her world tour, Fogel said.
The pop star will sing 18 songs - a special set for the whole of her world tour. She did not demand anything special for her stay in Moscow and has yet to make up her mind on the sightseeing program, Fogel said.
In remarks about the Luzhniki stadium, where Madonna will sing on Tuesday, Fogel said it is a world-class venue for both sports competitions and shows.
The pop singer's tour manager Chris Lamb said rain would be an unpleasant occurrence. Madonna will dance a lot during the show and the stage must be dry, he said.
The organizers have been following weather updates. The forecast has been good thus far, he said.
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Platinum Seats 1 category 25 000 r. = 736 euro
Platinum Seats 2 category 20 000 r. 589 euro
Golden Seats 1 category 10 000 r. 294 euro
Golden Seats 2 category 8 000 r. 235euro
Silver Seats 4 500 r. 132 euro
Bronze Seats 3 000 r. 88 euro
Front Of Stage 1 500 r. 44 euro
General Admission 1 500 r. 44 euro
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topic posted on Cher's forum: -link-
Posted: 9/7/06 7:58 am
Cher's tour gross VS Madonna's
I wrote to Billboard about this never ending subject and because I was bored reading everywhere that Madonna was having the best-selling concert tour by a female ever...
Here's my letter to Keith from AskBillboard:
"Hi Keith
I follow the lengthy discussion here with pleasure. One subject, though, has all my attention: the tour figures of Cher's 3-year Farewell Tour and Madonna current Confessions Tour. How is it possible that everybody hypes the fact that Madonna might gross over $200 million, beating Cher record, while the Cher record is not clear.
In a previous discussion, you stated that Cher grossed "a reported $194,6 million from 280 shows between June 2002 and April 2005". Problem is the tour datas spread here and there only count the U.S.A, Canada and Mexico dates and therefore do not include the 45 shows played in Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand between 2004/05. There was only one Boxscore released off these 45 shows: show #300. Feb 22, 2005 /Christchurch, NZ / Westpac Centre - $808,635 - 6'895 out of 7'099. Where are the other Australian/NZ datas?
With 44 datas missing, you can easily assume that Cher never ending trek grossed way over $230 million.
So what's going on here? Does Clear Channel hide those figures? Does Boxscore have them or not (were they even reported)? Doesn't Cher's camp proud of this amazing achievement? Just wondering!
Best regards from France
Clement"
Here is what Keith responded a few days letter:
"Hi Clement,
Really, it all comes down to what has been *reported* to us. Unfortunately, if a promoter opts not to report their figures to us, we can't track their data.
Keith"
Any help in resolving this case is appreciated. And yes, Madonna, will gross more than $200 million.
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10 September 2006
MADGE'S SPRAY-ON BLUE SKY
Will Stewart In Moscow
RUSSIAN weather experts are to spray the sky above a Moscow stadium so it doesn't rain on a show by Madonna.
Grey clouds are expected during her concert next Tuesday at the Luzhniki stadium.
But they will be "spiked" in advance by 10 planes spraying chemicals forcing them to release rain before they reach the Russian capital.
The system was originally developed to keep Red Square rallies dry in Soviet times, and was used for the G8 summit.
Meanwhile, security has been stepped up for her first gig in Russia following death threats to her and her two children. As she arrives in Moscow today her hotel has been turned into a virtual fortress.
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http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/09/07/012.html
Madonna Ticket Exchange Begins
By David Nowak
Staff Writer
An estimated 2,500 Madonna fans braved the rain to exchange their out-of-date concert tickets at Luzhniki stadium on Wednesday, six days before the pop diva's debut gig in Moscow.
The concert -- originally scheduled for Sept. 11 at Vorybyovy Gory -- was moved back a day by organizers and switched to the 84,000-seat stadium for security reasons.
Ticket holders began lining up more than two hours before the Luzhniki ticket windows opened at noon, but after the initial rush, the line did not exceed 100 people throughout the day.
Though some fans complained that their new seats were not as close to the stage as the seats they had for the original venue, most were simply relieved to get a ticket.
"We're not happy about our new seats. We originally had tickets for the dance floor," said Vika, 21, a Madonna fan who was placed 33 rows away from the stage at Luzhniki.
"But we're so happy to be able to see Madonna; we've waited so long," said her friend Yulia, 19. The pair was looking forward to Madonna's controversial crucifixion scene, which has spurred protests across Europe this summer.
A number of Orthodox Christian groups have called for the cancellation of the concert because of the scene.
"We're afraid [of protests], of course, but we would do anything to see Madonna," Yulia said.
A smartly dressed man who asked not to be named said he had arrived from St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning for the swap, but was left waiting for hours while staff inspected his original ticket.
"They think it's not a genuine ticket," he said.
Ticket scalpers outside the stadium were offering seats at the concert for 10,000 rubles ($375).
The stadium's ticket offices will be open through Monday for ticket holders to exchange their old tickets, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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''Confessions'' certified Platinum in Poland.
It has just been announced that Madonna has been awarded with a certificate for making ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' platinum in Poland.
Thanks to Roman.
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http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060904/53496365.html
Orthodox groups protest "anti-Madonna" concert in Moscow
MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - Hundreds of Orthodox Christians gathered in central Moscow Monday to demand the cancellation of a Madonna concert later this month in the latest wave of criticism to hit the American singer's controversial tour.
Religious groups in Europe condemned a section of the pop star's show, which will play in Moscow on September 12, that features a song with the 48-year-old apparently being crucified on a giant cross studded with small mirrors. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Muslim community have advised believers to stay away.
"The pop star calling herself Madonna is abusing the Cross," said Valentin Lebedev, head of the Union of Orthodox Citizens. "At her concert in Luzhniki stadium, she will sing her songs hanging on the Cross in the image of Christ wearing a crown of thorns."
The protesters at the sanctioned demonstration carried black posters and flags with inscriptions such as "God Save Russia" and "With Belief in God, Freedom or Death!"
Some of the protesters pierced a picture of the American pop icon with a wooden stake and then demonstrably tore it apart. They also cursed the organizers of the singer's tour, Confessions on the Dance Floor, and then moved on to praying.
Leonid Simonovich-Nikshich, an organizer of the action and head of the Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods, was even more outspoken, "We have declared a new holy inquisition that will fight all villains who oppose Christ, sacred symbols and the Orthodox Church."
He said the Cross was an instrument saving humankind from sin and death.
Vladimir Osipov, head of the Christian Revival Union, said Madonna was an "American Satanist", "an anti-Christ forerunner and anti-Madonna," because everything she did contradicted the image of the Virgin Mary.
Osipov also accused the American singer, who raised a storm of criticism from religious groups in 1989 with the video to her hit Like a Prayer and has since courted criticism with explicit videos, of taking Christianity for a soft target.
"I would like to see her abusing the religion of international bankers - she would have immediately been cornered and sent back to the streets," he said. :retard:
The protesters said they hoped the authorities in Moscow would cancel Madonna's debut concert, which has already been forced to change venue because of crowd-safety concerns, and called on the public to be more active in expressing its discontent.
At least 40,000 tickets to the concert in Luzhniki that can accommodate 70,000 people are already thought to have been sold.
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http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/09/01/concertads.shtml
Madonna Concert Ads Removed From Moscow Streets for Security Reasons
Moscow authorities demanded that cellular provider Vimpelcom remove the billboards featuring ads with the slogan: “Break your way to Madonna concert!” the PRIME-TASS news agency reported Friday.
Chairman of the Moscow city committee for advertising, information and decoration has sent a letter to Vimpelcom asking to change the slogan as it could allegedly be considered as a call for violent action during the concert, the company reported in a press-release.
Vimpelcom said it would replace the billboards despite the fact that they believe that the slogan was not in any way calling for violence.
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http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.htm..._issue=11580469
Aug 31 2006 9:54AM
Organizers of Madonna's Moscow concert deny cancellation rumors
MOSCOW. Aug 31 (Interfax) - Anton Atrashkin, PR manager of the Russian tour of U.S. pop idol Madonna, has flatly denied media rumors about the cancellation of the singer's concert in Moscow.
"That's absolute nonsense. Besides, no educated person has ever trusted the sources of such rumors," he told Interfax on Thursday.
It was announced earlier this week that Madonna would perform at Luzhniki stadium on September 12.
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http://en.rian.ru/culture/20060831/53358383.html
Madonna concert organizers scotch rumors of Moscow cancellation
13:20 | 31/ 08/ 2006
MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Organizers of American pop diva Madonna's hotly anticipated debut concert in Moscow rejected media rumors Thursday that the singer had decided to cancel the show for security reasons.
Russian tabloid Zhizn reported that Madonna, 48, had been informed about possible terrorist attacks in Moscow during her show and had decided to call off her show in the Russian capital even though tens of thousands of tickets have been sold. The Moscow tour date has also disappeared from the schedule on Madonna's official site.
But Anton Atrashkin, a PR manager of Madona's tour, said the rumors were total nonsense.
"The situation has not changed at the moment and the concert will take place September 12, as scheduled," he said adding that Madonna's managers had visited Moscow Wednesday and were satisfied with the concert's venue.
The concert, part of Madonna's world tour to promote her 10th studio album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor", had been rescheduled from September 11 to 12 to avoid it clashing with the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The concert's venue was also moved from the Vorobyovy Gory hill overlooking the capital in front of Moscow State University to the Luzhniki stadium, also in the southwest of the capital.
The decision to hold the event at the Luzhniki was made by NCA, an official partner of LIFE NATION, the singer's concert organizer, and the Moscow authorities, NCA President Mikhail Shurygin said Monday.
"I assure you that Madonna's concert will take place September 12 at the Luzhniki sports center," he said.
Controversy has dogged the tour as religious groups have condemned a section of the show, which features a song in which Madonna is apparently crucified during her concerts on a giant cross studded with small mirrors. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Muslim community have advised believers to stay away.
Madonna already cancelled her concert in Israel eighteen months ago when Palestinian extremists threatened to kill her and her two children.
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Thursday, August 31, 2006. Issue 3487. Page 3.
Madonna Ticket Swap Starts Monday
The organizer of Madonna's upcoming Moscow concert said holders of the 36,000 tickets already sold could begin exchanging them Monday.
Vladimir Kiselyov told the newspaper Trud in an interview published Wednesday that the concert would not be canceled as a result of weeks of confusion that ended Tuesday, when the date and venue of the concert were changed.
Kiselyov is general director of a state-owned management company called Kreml, or Kremlin, which is part of the Presidential Property Department. Kreml has emerged in recent days as the lead organizer of Madonna's concert, now scheduled for Sept. 12 at Luzhniki stadium.
Kiselyov told Trud he had just returned from London, where he met with Madonna's representatives and discussed security for the concert. Tickets will be verified at four checkpoints at the stadium, and concertgoers will be given special bracelets.
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No shows reported this week. Maybe next week.
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nightlife's pics
panoramic from denito
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Don't believe flimsy Buzzjack forum rumors that have absolutely no back-up from anywhere. The tour ends in Japan.
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Drownedmadonna
French Sales
Madonna enjoys the highest jump in the album chart this week, climbing from 77 to 10, thanks to a new retail price (9.99€)
thanks to JP
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http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/30/001.html
Kremlin Bails Out Madonna Concert
By David Nowak
Staff Writer
At times it seems that nothing gets done in Russia without direct intervention from the Kremlin. On Tuesday, Madonna's upcoming Moscow concert proved to be no exception.
After weeks of confusion and backroom wrangling, it emerged Tuesday that the pop diva's show would most likely be held Sept. 12 at Luzhniki stadium.
But when it came time to brief the press, the private management company hired to arrange the concert and the official spokesman for the Russian leg of Madonna's "Confessions" tour were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the announcement was made by Vladimir Kiselyov, general director of a state-owned management company called Kreml, or Kremlin, which is part of the Presidential Property Department.
Kiselyov's announcement raised as many questions as it answered, however.
For starters, it became clear later Tuesday that the new venue and date for the concert were not yet set in stone.
First Deputy Mayor Lyudmila Shevtsova told Interfax that officials from City Hall, the police department and the Emergency Situations Ministry had met with Kiselyov during the day to to iron out the details and sign a deal with Luzhniki as soon as possible.
The concert was originally scheduled for Sept. 11 on a hill near Moscow State University. All 36,000 tickets were sold in just four days, Aug. 8-11, a record for concerts in Russia.
Now all those tickets will have to be exchanged -- in person.
Kiselyov said tickets could only be swapped through Ticketpro, the company contracted to sell the tickets in the first place. He added that the details of the ticket exchange had to be worked out. "But this service will have to be provided right up to the last minute," he said.
When contacted Tuesday, Ticketpro and 19-00.ru, a partner ticket web site, said they were working on a procedure for the swap.
Kiselyov also said that an additional 16,000 tickets would be sold for the concert at Luzhniki. The stadium can hold 52,000 spectators for such concerts, he said.
Kiselyov said Tuesday that Luzhniki had always been the organizers' first choice for Madonna's concert. They chose an alternative because there was a possibility that the Spartak football team might be playing an important Champions League match in the stadium on Sept. 11.
When it was announced that Spartak would play its match in Germany on Sept. 12, and that Luzhniki was free, concert organizers decided to move the show, Kiselyov said.
As for the change of date, Kiselyov explained that the organizers belatedly realized it would be "unethical" to hold a concert on Sept. 11, the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. He thanked journalists for pointing this out to the organizers.
Kiselyov did not say, however, who would pick up what seems certain to be an enormous tab for the ticket exchange and new advertising to make sure that concert-goers turn up on the right day and at the right place.
A source within Kreml, who requested anonymity, suggested the state-owned company would absorb the additional costs.
The Madonna saga began earlier this summer. Madonna's management agency, U.S.-based Live Nation, hired St. Petersburg event management company NCA to arrange the Moscow show, which is sandwiched between the singer's concerts in Western Europe and Japan.
Live Nation and NCA then hired Anton Atrashkin on a two-month contract to be the spokesman for the concert. Atrashkin seems to have been quickly cut out of the loop.
City security officials began raising concerns about the Vorobyovy Gory site near Moscow State University early last week. They said repeatedly that they could not provide security for the 250,000 people expected to attend the concert.
Where they got that figure remains unclear. Kiselyov dismissed the figure Tuesday and blasted city officials for speculating.
City Hall's chief security liaison, Nikolai Kulikov, proceeded to suggest holding the concert at an airfield in Tushino, in northern Moscow, where 13 people were killed in July 2003 in a suicide bomb attack linked to Chechen terrorists.
Atrashkin said one week ago that he had "heard nothing about a possible change of venue." On Tuesday, the official concert spokesman said he knew nothing more about the reasons for the change of date and venue than reporters, though he called the change "unfortunate."
NCA president Mikhail Shurygin could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The Madonna concert is hardly the first organizational fiasco the city has seen. During City Day celebrations in 1997, for example, police estimated that 3.5 million people turned out to watch Jean-Michel Jarre's laser show -- also at Moscow State University. People blocked traffic on all streets within kilometers of the area. The crowd stormed public transport, and some people even rode on the roofs of trolleybuses.
Most recently, a concert by Eric Clapton was canceled abruptly in July after authorities withdrew permission to hold it on Red Square, as scheduled, the musician's publicist said at the time.
The organizer of the aborted Clapton concert was Kreml, which was founded in 1999 to arrange cultural and entertainment events, primarily in the Kremlin and on Red Square, according to the mission statement on the company's web site.
In the past, Kreml has arranged everything from concerts for opera singers Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo to a 2002 exhibition tennis match between Boris Becker and Pat Cash.
The involvement of Kreml, and therefore of the Presidential Property Fund, in the Madonna concert could have political repercussions as well, given that the Orthodox Church has taken a strong stand against the show.
Earlier this month, Father Vsevold Chaplin, a church spokesman, urged believers not to attend.
"For an Orthodox believer there is no point of attending [Madonna's] concerts or helping her propagate her spiritual problems via self-advertisement," he said.
On Monday, 350 teachers at a church school in the Sverdlovsk region sent an open letter to the Prosecutor General's Office, Mayor Yury Luzhkov and the Moscow city government asking the authorities to ban the controversial "Crucifixion" number in Madonna's show, which has also generated protests in Europe.
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More on the Moscow show change
Posted: 29 August 2006
madonnalicious visitor Polina brings us more news about the Moscow show:
According to leading Russian newswires agency Interfax, Madonna approved Luzhniki as a new venue for her only Moscow concert. Date of the concert has been changed as well as the venue. Now she will perform in Moscow on Tuesday 12 September.
All tickets purchased earlier have to be exchanged though a certain procedure (although this procedure is not disclosed yet). Luzhniki is capable of accepting around 60,000 people which means more people will have a chance to see Madonna’s amazing show.
Tour management announced that extra 16,000 tickets will be issued, reports RIA Novosti. It is estimated that ticket exchange as well as extra sales will start Thursday 31 August.
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http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=...9&PageNum=0
Madonna's concert organizers push date of show to September 12
28.08.2006, 19.44
MOSCOW, August 28 (Itar-Tass) - Madonna's concert will take place in the Grand Sport Arena of the Luzhniki complex in Moscow, and the date of the show has been pushed to September 12, president of the NGA company Mikhail Shurygin told Itar-Tass on Monday. The company is the main organizer of Madonna's Russian tour.
The initial date was September 11 and the original venue - Vorobyevy Gory /Sparrow Hills/ was replaced with Luzhniki for security reasons.
"It's a fine piece of news for the fans, because Luzhniki has a larger capacity compared with the floor at Vorobyevy Gory. In addition, Luzhniki is more acceptable in terms of security," Shurygin said.
"As I've learnt, vice-president of the Live Nation company Tim Daudall thanked the Moscow mayor for the support," he added.
Initially, it was planned that the U.S. pop diva will perform at Vorobyoby Gory /Sparrow Hills/, but city authorities objected saying it will be difficult to fully ensure the safety of the public and the singer.
The Tushino airfield was offered as an alternative site, and although the show organizers did not like the idea, city police continued to insist on it.
The grand sport arena of Luzhniki is one of the largest football stadiums of the word. The obvious advantage of the facility is its unique overhang over spectators' stands, in terms of design and construction. Luzhniki can accommodate 85,000 spectators.
Tickets for Madonna's show with a price of 1,500 roubles /some 56 U.S. dollars/ upward were sold out a month before the date.
Madonna started her world tour in Los Angeles in May. It covers 34 cities in the United States, 20 in Europe, including Moscow (in September), and two cities in Japan. She celebrated her 48th birthday in London on August 16.
The organizers promised that they would do everything to make sure that the singer sees the best of Moscow.
She will be offered a unique cultural program including not only a historical and architectural Moscow but "also Moscow the glamorous, with its restaurants, boutiques and night clubs."
The safety of the U.S. singer will be ensured in accordance with top world standards.
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http://www.interfax.com/3/187453/news.aspx
07:02 GMT, Aug 28, 2006
Moscow govt confirms Madonna's show at Luzhniki
Madonna's concert is scheduled to take place at the Luzhniki sports center, First Deputy Moscow Mayor Lyudmila Shvetsova told Interfax on Monday.
"We are preparing a draft order on assisting holding Madonna's performance at the Luzhniki," she said.
"The organizers have already said that the place suits them well," the first deputy Moscow mayor said, adding that "security for the concert-goers and other organizational issues can be guaranteed" at the Luzhniki.
It was reported earlier that organizers planned to hold the September 11 concert at Vorobyovy Gory.
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They're not my calculations, I copied and pasted it from "jeyanh" on the Icon forum. I think some of his #s are a bit off actually and that she'll gross in the $190 million range.
Moscow press reports/reviews
in ARCHIVE - Madonna
Posted
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2353074,00.html
The Times September 12, 2006
Ticket chaos as Moscow is hit by Madonna mania
From Tony Halpin in Moscow
AFTER a pop career spanning a quarter of a century Madonna will stage her debut concert in Moscow tonight amid controversy over ticket sales and security fears.
The world’s biggest-selling female artist was scheduled to perform in a park close to Moscow State University. More than 35,000 tickets were sold within days of becoming available, but police demanded a change of venue two weeks ago amid fears that as many as 200,000 could gatecrash the event. Organisers switched the concert to the Luzhniki Stadium, the largest in the Russian capital, and announced that an extra 20,000 tickets would be available, ranging in price from 1,500 roubles (£30) to 25,000. The average monthly salary in Russia is just under 10,000 roubles.
Fans with tickets for the original event, scheduled to be held yesterday, were infuriated when they were told that they would have to exchange them for new ones.
They were given five days to change the tickets and told that they would be denied entry to the concert unless they did.
Anton Antrashkin, spokesman for the organisers, told The Times that he did not know how many fans were still holding old tickets.
“They can change their tickets even on the day of the concert but we are encouraging them to do it earlier because many people will come from abroad and other cities in Russia and they will need to do it too,” he said.
Organisers have imposed tight security for the visit, refusing even to say at which airport Madonna would arrive. Units of Omon special police will be on duty at the venue alongside Russia’s largest private security firm. There are concerns that the concert could become a target for terrorists.
General Vyacheslav Kozlov, the chief of Moscow’s public security police, told Interfax news service: “About 3,500 policemen, including 400 Omon fighters, as well as police with dogs, bomb technicians and soldiers from the Dzerzhinsky special task division, will be ensuring security.”
Mr Antrashkin said that police cordons would be placed around the stadium to prevent those without tickets from attempting to get into the concert.
But such concerns appeared over-stated. Visitors to the stadium found that tickets in all price ranges were still available. The longest queue appeared to be made up of people seeking refunds after learning that tickets they had bought for the dancing zone in front of the stage were being exchanged for ones high up in the stands.
One disappointed fan said that tellers had told him there were too many people with tickets for the standing area.
Valerie and Natalie Zimoglyat had no such problems after travelling by overnight train from Kiev in Ukraine to change their tickets. The sisters said that they had paid 5,000 roubles each for tickets costing 1,500 roubles through ticket agents in Ukraine. Madonna’s Confessions tour began in May and is expected to be the most financially lucrative in history by a female artist, with gross revenues of $200 million.
Her show has roused the ire of religious authorities in Moscow for a song in which she undergoes a mock crucifixion wearing a fake crown of thorns. The Russian Orthodox Church called on its faithful to boycott the concert, accusing the singer of exploiting religious symbols.
More than 200 members of a radical Orthodox group tore up posters of the singer at a demonstration in the city last week and threatened to do everything possible to prevent the concert from taking place.