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29
July 2006
Madonna
Ready For European
Tour
Final
preparations are being
made as Madonna
kicks off the European
leg of her 'Confessions'
tour in
Cardiff.
The
show on Sunday at the
Millennium Stadium will
be the biggest arena yet
for the world tour,
which started in the Los
Angeles in
May.
Around
59,000 fans are expected
for the show, the first
of 21 dates across
Europe, including eight
in London.
Adapting
her show to each venue,
the singer will include
an equestrian theme
during the opening in
Cardiff.
The
star's tour director
Chris Lamb, from
California, has worked
with Madonna for 20
years.
He
and his "army" have been
constructing the set in
the stadium since
Monday. With 150 workers
over from the USA, Mr
Lamb said they also
employed around 200
local people.
"We've
done 35 shows in America
in indoor arenas, this
here is the first
stadium show for two
years," he
said.
"People
are not coming to see a
rock concert - this is a
show, closer to theatre
than a rock
concert."
Mr
Lamb said the cost of
the concert was
"enormous" but added it
was all relative the
whole expense of the
tour.
After
two decades of working
with Madonna Mr Lamb
believes the singer will
never retire.
"I
don't think she'll ever
stop. She's a
perfectionist, focused
and she knows every
little thing about the
show," he added. "She
wants to outdo herself
and challenges
herself."
And
with regards to the set
she "comes up with the
basic idea and is
involved from square
one."
The
tour director said the
set was "enormously
technical" and was state
of the art with its
video show.
Chris
Lamb has worked with the
singer for 20
years.
However
two large silver "disco
horses" backdrops placed
on each side of the
stage have not been
approved by Madonna
yet.
Even
though she's seen the
drawings Mr Lamb awaits
her verdict before they
get final
approval.
The
media, invited to the
stadium on Friday, were
not allowed to
photograph
them.
DJ
Paul Oakenfold will open
the Hung Up singer's
concert at 1900 BST and
will perform his set for
around an hour and a
half before Madonna's
two-hour
show.
There
will be a "golden
circle" to hold around
3,000 fans in front of
the stage on a first
come first serve
basis.
Madonna's
tour continues at
Wembley Arena and
finishes in Prague
before it moves to Japan
in September.
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