Odds & Ends: Madonna, Eagles Of Death Metal, Motion City Soundtrack

Madonna reportedly kept fans at Thursday’s Melbourne gig waiting for nearly four hours past the scheduled 9 p.m. show time. But after waiting more than two decades to see Madge, what’s a few more hours?

The pop star booked the intimate fan club show at the 1,500-capacity Forum Theatre as a “small gift for Australia for being so patient.” The Australian excursion, which officially kicks off March 12 at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, marks her first tour Down Under in 23 years.    

The gig – called “Tears of a Clown” – promised performance art, comedy, storytelling and music.

“At approximately 12:50 a.m., the curtain rose and the show finally began as Madonna made her way onstage dressed in a pink wig while riding a bright pink tricycle,” Daily Mail Australia reported.   

Although she’s started shows late before, she tried out something new Thursday by drinking on stage.

A self-proclaimed superfan named Michael told Australia’s The Music that Madonna treated the audience to performances of songs rarely done live, including 1983’s “Borderline” and 1994’s “Take A Bow.” The Music added that she “stumbled her way through many others, stopping and restarting the performance multiple times.”

As for the comedy, Michael told The Music “every single punchline was below the belt – you’d expect nothing less from Madonna. … It wasn’t a comedy stand-up routine, it was just a couple of jokes and stories between songs.”

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Debbie Cuthbertson was a big fan of the show, writing, “For the queen of self-control, it was an open, at times even vulnerable insight into her persona. She seemed relaxed, drinking Cosmopolitans as she spoke at length between songs.”

Nearly four months after the tragic terrorist attack at Eagles of Death Metal’s Paris gig, frontman Jesse Hughes revealed in an interview with Fox Business Network this week that he thought something fishy was going on with the security working Le Bataclan Nov. 13.  

During the interview the musician said he thought it was weird that the security guard backstage at the Nov. 13 show didn’t look at him.  

“I immediately went to the promoter and said, ‘Who’s that guy? I want to put another dude on,’” Hughes told Fox Business Network (via Rolling Stone). “And he goes, ‘Well some of the other guards aren’t here yet,’ and eventually I found out that six or so wouldn’t show up at all.”

Hughes added, “It seems rather obvious they had a reason not to show up.”

A representative for the venue responded to Hughes’ accusation with the following statement (via Variety):

“Jesse Hughes spread some very grave and defamatory accusations against the Bataclan teams. A judicial investigation is undergoing. We wish to let justice proceed serenely. All the testimonies gathered to this day demonstrate the professionalism and courage of the security agents who were on the ground on November 13. Hundreds of people were saved thanks to (these agents’) intervention.”

Eagles Of Death Metal’s show was one of several locations in Paris targeted in a coordinated terrorist attack that killed 130 people, including 89 at the venue.

You can call it a breakup or an indefinite hiatus, but either way, Motion City Soundtrack is saying goodbye to its fans. The Minneapolis-based rock band posted a statement on its website earlier today titled “So Long, Farewell.” The good news is that the group is planning one last tour.

Here’s the statement in full:

Hello, friends.

It has been a quiet winter for us. We’ve had some time at home after a very busy 2015. With this time, we’ve been able to think about the past, present, and future of Motion City Soundtrack. All of this thinking has lead to several conversations, and these conversations have lead us to a very bittersweet realization:

We have no idea what the future holds, but for now we are done.

Needless to say, we’re feeling all the feels – you may be as well. If so, or if you’ve ever been touched by our music, we ask you to come out and sing along with us one last time in 2016.

Please stay tuned for a very special final tour announcement on Monday. You can sign up to our email list HERE to be the first to hear the news. We really hope to see each and every one of you out there one more time.

Thanks for all the love over the years. It really means a lot to us – and it always will.

Josh, Justin, Jesse, Matt, and Tony

Motion City Soundtrack released its sixth studio album, Panic Stations, in 2015. Stay tuned for the final tour routing.