Madonna dismisses Paris backlash
From Billboard.biz:
Madonna’s intimate performance at the Olympia club in Paris last Thursday (July 26) – planned as a peace-making show after she insulted political figure Marine Le Pen during an earlier Paris performance – drew boos and “refund!” cries when the pop superstar left the stage after just 45 minutes. But in a new statement on her web site, Madonna called the surprise show “a magical moment,” and argued that only a handful of attendees were “pretending” to be upset with the performance.
“Playing the Olympia was a magical moment for me and it was real treat to do this special show for my fans and be so close to them,” reads the statement. “Unfortunately at the end of the show – after I left the stage – a few thugs who were not my fans rushed the stage and started throwing plastic bottles pretending to be angry fans. The press reports have focused on this and not the joyous aspect of the evening. But nothing can take away or ruin this very special evening for me and my fans. When I looked out in the audience, everyone I saw had a smile on their face. I look forward to having this wonderful experience again.”
Madonna also addressed the Olympia club incident during a pause at her performance in Vienna on Sunday night. “Wherever I go, whatever kind of show I do, be it at a stadium, a sports arena, or a little tiny nightclub in Paris, I always do it with my complete heart and soul,” she told the crowd.
The Olympia show was streamed live on YouTube, and by Friday morning the channel disabled comments on the video, which had garnered more “dislike’s” than “like’s.” Fan-shot videos from after the performance show a stage littered with plastic bottles and other paraphernalia.
The extra stop on Madonna’s world tour supporting her new album, MDNA, was never supposed to be a full show, Madonna’s spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg told The Hollywood Reporter. Rosenberg said that the event was “planned as a heartfelt thank you to France And by the way, she put on a fabulous show which was streamed for millions of fans around the world.”