Features
Madge Tour Ends In Controversy
After a passionate thank-you speech to a predominantly Israeli audience at Hayarkon Park, she wrapped herself in the national flag and described the country as “the centre of the world’s energy.”
Having upset a section of her Romanian audience in Bucharest Aug. 22 by telling them they needed to be more accepting of their Roma (or gypsy) compatriots, various blog site entries suggest she had a similar effect on sections of the Tel Aviv crowd.
“Madonna – Go away,” read one entry, while others suggested she’d do more for “peace and harmony” by also draping herself in the Palestinian flag.
It seems the aging pop diva can cause a furor merely by stepping on Israeli soil.
Having embraced the Kabbalah religion, a mystic strand of Judaism, she’s dismayed Jewish Kabbalah rabbis who claim she is grossly misinterpreting their doctrine.
Her show included several motifs from Kabbalah, although some devotees may have been puzzled when she planted a passionate kiss on one of her female dancers – an act clearly not mentioned in any Kabbalah school of thought.
Later a video list of good versus bad world leaders was projected behind the singer as she carried out her “Get Stupid” song.
The video included a large portrait of Adolph Hitler, which was definitely a first on a big screen in mid-town Tel Aviv.
During her final stage speech conveying her joy to be back in Israel, Madonna said: “It has been 16 years since I last performed here and that is too long. I will not stay away that long again.”
The last European show on the second leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour was a second night at Hayarkon Park Sept. 2.