Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour has only been in Australia a week, but she’s already generating a lot of buzz for her noteworthy performances.
First she has being accused of performing drunk or high (allegations she has vehemently denied and accused of sexism) one night and then delaying a performance for two hours, the 57 year old exposed a female fan onstage Thursday night in Brisbane.
Madonna brought a woman to the stage at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and went on to pull her tube top down, exposing her breast to thousands of people.
“She’s the kind of girl you just want to slap… on the ass,” she said flirtatiously, adding, “And pull…” before yanking the woman’s top down.
Madonna said; “Oh shit. I am so sorry, sexual harassment. You can do the same to me.” And then gesturing to her tights, said, “You want to make my hole big again?”
As fan footage went viral, the fan insisted she wasn’t going to sue Madonna and defended the singer and said the incident was the “best moment of my life.”
“It was the best night,” she told The Courier Mail. “She was calling me a Victoria’s Secret model the whole time I was on stage, which is so flattering.”
The fan, Georgiou, who is a barista and an aspiring model, explained how she wore her mother’s tube top to the concert but had to keep adjusting it throughout the night as it was too large.
She added, “Only I get to decide if I’m humiliated or not. Why would people assume I am humiliated by my own breast, nipple or body?”
Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour has been plagued by issues since she began its Australian leg at the beginning of March.
On Wednesday fans complained when she emerged onstage in Brisbane two hours later than billed. The pop star attempted to brush off her tardiness, joking: “You were here too early. You should have taken your time doing your hair and makeup. Then I wouldn’t have been late.”
There were also suggestions she performed to “half-empty” crowds in the city after angry fans sought refunds.
And last week Madonna was forced to deny claims she was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at a concert in Melbourne.
The tour comes in the midst of the singer’s ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie over their 15-year-old son Rocco.
Onstage at a more intimate show in Melbourne earlier in March, Madonna appeared to cry as she dedicated a song to the teenager. “Everybody knows the saga of me and my son Rocco. It’s not a fun story to tell or think about,” she opened up to select fans.
These ongoing work and life problems have seemingly interconnected, leading to tabloid headlines of a “meltdown.”
But British PR guru Mark Borkowski says it isn’t easy for stars of Madonna’s magnitude to postpone tour dates to deal with personal matters because of the huge financial implications it could have on organizers and insurance companies.
“Unfortunately one of the prices of Madonna’s global fame is that you’re committed to a huge tour that’s being sold out a year in advance. It’s difficult to stop working and deal with the situation,” he explains to Newsweek.
“This is a huge emotional distraction for her, it’s not surprising, any human and any parent would understand this.
“The problems are likely what’s happening backstage with the promoter, insurance companies, that don’t allow her to take time out. Somehow only bereavements allow bands to do that.”Addressing the controversy around her latest shows, Borkowski adds, “Madonna’s damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. What people are feeding is the emotional turmoil that make up what is a public soap opera.”
While the star’s tour may seem hampered by her personal problems, it’s unlikely it will affect her career in the long-run.
“Madonna is pretty good at using the fabric of the media to paint her new narrative. Whether it’ll kill off Madonna—no, it makes her more interesting. People that haven’t bought tickets might buy tickets out of curiosity,” says Borkowski.
Source: Billboard
