Madge Smashes Swiss Ticket Record

Madonna’s August 30 show at the festival ground at Dubendorf pulled 72,000 people and broke the attendance record for a Swiss concert.

Stefan Rupp from show promoter Good News confirmed it narrowly beat the 2006 record, when a few hundred less turned up to the old military airfield just outside Zurich to see The Rolling Stones, which was presented by the same company.

He said he was confident Good News would recoup the 13 million Swiss Francs ($11.7 million) it took to produce the event. More than 60,000 tickets moved within two-and-a-half hours of the onsale. It’s the first time Madonna played Switzerland.

Meanwhile, her tour is attracting plenty of tabloid interest in the U.K., where the Daily Mirror quotes an unnamed “insider” saying her crew has threatened to quit because they’re staying in cheap hotels while Her Madgeness enjoys such upmarket digs as an £11,000 per night castle.

“Everyone is absolutely furious with her and some of them want to walk out of the tour,” the “insider” said. “They feel they are being treated like second-class citizens, despite all their hard work over the last few months.”