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Madonna was spotted leaving the Arch Hotel in London with a mystery man (Bodyguard) on Friday afternoon (July 20). The Material Girl stepped out covered in a long black trench coat, large-framed sunglasses, and black open-toed heels.             Wielding a silver revolver, Madonna took the stage at Hyde Park in London today (July 17th) for her MDNA tour. The Material Girl was clad in tight black clothes including fingerless gloves, breast-baring top with a leopard bustier peeking out, tall heels, and a silver studded gun holster on her leg. Madge was pre-warned not to make the same mistake as Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen did Saturday Night (July 14th). The two superstars had their microphones cut off as the concert ran over the venue's curfew time. Live Nation's promoters have contacted Madonna's managers to ensure it doesn't happen with the MDNA show. Its COO John Probyn said, "It won't happen again. We've had lengthy conversations with Madonna's people. They contacted us. We've worked out with them what time she needs to go on stage to finish on time. That's all in hand." The Huffington Post reports that the 53-year-old pop icon's MDNA tour is on track to gross over $450 million from ticket sales alone, making it one of the most successful tours of all time. Hollywood Gossip  Neil McCormick reviews US pop star Madonna's concert at Hyde Park, part of her MDNA Tour.
No one pulled the plug on Madonna at Hyde Park. Well, Who would dare? Judging by the content of this show, she might garrotte, kick, shoot or whip any antagonist, then make a sanctimonious speech about world peace over their broken and bleeding body. It was a typically sensationalist and schizophrenic Madonna production, mixing sex, ultra violence, religion, kitsch and politics to bizarre but entertaining effect. It has been an interesting week of Hyde Park concerts, with big guns all impressing in very different ways. Springsteen did it with charisma, emotional content and dynamic rock power. Paul Simon did it with subtlety, detail and complex musical interplay. Madonna did it with lights, dancers, giant video screens, hydraulics, costume changes, flying drummers, tightrope walking, cheerleaders, a basque folk trio ... And music too. I have criticised Madonna in the past for an over reliance on backing tracks and backing singers to fill in the vocal gaps while she's doing her yoga moves. But amidst the autotuned super choreographed dance productions, the real highlight of this show was a stripped back version of Like A Virgin, performed to piano and violin in the style of Brechtian cabaret. Fragile and intense, it openly embraced the ever present subtext of her age, displaying a sexual vulnerability that was far more resonant and effective than her brief stint as a superannuated cheerleader during Gimme All Ure Luvvin. I honestly did not suspect she had that performance in her. It suggests that she might actually have somewhere creative to go as her pop appeal wanes. Her latest album, MDNA, has been a bit of a flop, in large part I suspect because she's trying too hard to keep up with the kids. Live she plays to different strengths, emphasising her showomanship with enough drama and spectacle to cover up the gap in class between her classic hits and rather more feeble recent stabs at electropop. The opening section is actually quite unpleasantly aggressive, particularly the blood spatter and multiple murders set piece for Gang Bang, although its hard to deny that aggression suits her. Madonna stomps around the set in black leather like an aging dominatrix, which is hard to equate with the love in at the end, with monks, Bhuddists and gospel singers joining in a happy clappy version of Like A Prayer.  Madonna was today warned she will be cut off just like Bruce Springsteen if she over-runs a strict curfew when she plays Hyde Park.
The singer, 53, is set to perform before 50,000 fans today in her first appearance in England for four years. But she has been told not to over-run the 10.30pm curfew after the plug was pulled on Springsteen as he duetted with Paul McCartney in front of a sell-out 80,000-crowd on Saturday. John Probyn, chief operating officer of Live Nation, said: “It won’t happen again. We’ve had lengthy conversations with Madonna’s people. They contacted us. We’ve worked out with them what time she needs to go on stage to finish on time. That’s all in hand.” Asked whether the plug would be pulled on Madonna if she were to run over, Mr Probyn said: “Yes. We’d have no choice. We are effectively breaking the law if we carry on. There’s not a lot we can do. She will finish on time.” Westminster council today revealed it received one complaint about the noise from Springsteen’s gig on Saturday night, with a second yesterday. The council, which has cut the maximum number of concerts in Hyde Park from 13 to nine from next year, said Springsteen had not breached its 75 decibel maximum. Last night Paul Simon also stayed within the sound limit, though many concert goers complained the music was not loud enough — a complaint of many who attended the Springsteen gig. Police concerns about the need to evacuate the crowd via Hyde Park Corner were behind the decision to cut the sound before 10.40pm as Springsteen and McCartney sang Twist and Shout. Springsteen said “I’ve waited for this moment for 50 years” as he introduced the ex-Beatle to the crowd. Guitarist Steve Van Zandt tweeted afterwards: “Is there just too much fun in the world? We would have been off by 11 if we’d done one more. On a Saturday night! Who were we disturbing?” Rachel Gould, who Springsteen plucked out of the crowd to dance with him on Dancing in the Dark, said: “10.30pm is very early to end a gig. I was just really disappointed he didn’t get the chance to finish the set off. The last song is always where he thanks Clarence Clemons, who was his saxophone player.” Clemons died last year. Fan Adam Coulter said: “It seemed extraordinarily petty-minded. History was being made before our eyes. Bruce seemed so happy to be back in the UK. Is this going to make him think twice about coming back?” A Westminster spokeswoman said: “These time limits are a compromise between the interests of the organisers on one hand and local residents on the other, and are put in place for a reason — to get people out safely and to minimise disruption for residents.” Mark Field, Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said: “It’s a matter of getting the right balance. There have been a number of occasions where these concerts have over-run and I think it’s right that the organisers decided to put their foot down and pull the plug.” | 
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