Madonna's first-ever concert in Russia is going to be a day late.
- Sep 12, 2006
AceShowbiz - Has provoked protest at earlier stops of her "Confessions" tour in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands among others, Madonna in fact won't stop performing. The pop sensation even brings her upcoming performance to Russia, marking her first ever concert there.
Previously planned to hold her tour on September 11th, coincide with the 5th years admonition of the terror attacks, Madonna was forced to have her trek a day late after critics said it would be disrespectful to the victims of incident.
The fact that the tour has been delayed for one day, however, could not redeem the protests accompanying it. The show's finale, showing Madonna sing "Live to Tell" while suspended from a cross has been protested by numbers of religious groups, encouraging people to boycott the concert.
"This lady has been glorifying human passions with the help of religious symbols for years, crosses, statues and beads. Now she thinks it is time for her to crucify herself in public. It means the singer is in need of spiritual help," Father Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, was quoted as saying.
Despite all the controversy, the show will surely keep going on with tens of thousands of fans expected to attend. Police on Monday promised extensive security measures for the more than 50,000 ticket holders, including passing each of them through metal detectors and package inspection points. In all, some 7,000 police will be on duty for the concert, including riot police stationed outside the stadium.
