Madonna gets first Wembley honour
Madonna has unveiled a bronze cast of her hands outside Wembley Arena, becoming the first star to be honoured in the venue’s new Square of Fame.
The singer, who plays the first of eight dates at the venue tonight, said it was a “great honour” that made her “feel like an honorary Brit“.
Venue owners Quintain Estates wants the square to be a “Hollywood-style feature” to honour top performers. It hopes to add Kylie Minogue and George Michael casts in coming months.
Madonna said: “I look forward to seeing other artists adding their handprints alongside mine.” Following the unveiling, she returned to rehearsals for the first London show of her hit Confessions Tour.
“No matter how many concerts you do, you still have to do rehearsals,” the 47-year-old said.
Cast-makers had taken imprints of the star’s hands in New York during the US leg of her world tour that began in Los Angeles in May, and 21 European dates kicked off in Cardiff on Sunday.
The European leg will include Madonna’s first ever concert in Russia, at Moscow University, on 11 September.
Quintain Estates deputy chief executive Nick Shattock said: “Madonna is officially the greatest female star in the world and we are delighted that she is the first of what will only be a few major names to be celebrated in the Square of Fame.”
Wembley Arena reopened in April following a ?35m refurbishment.
From BBC News. Thanks to Paul.