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As always, Madonna has a way of making her presence known. Just ask the 50,000 fans who attended her concerts this week in Israel, the pop star’s first performances there in 16 years.
“I shouldn’t have stayed so long away,” she told the crowd midway through a recent show. “Every time I come here, I get so supercharged with energy. I truly believe that Israel is the energy center of the world. And I also believe that if we can all live together in harmony in this place, then we can live in peace all over the world.”
Meanwhile, the Jewish state was gripped with “Madonna Fever.” Radio stations played Material Gal songs virtually non-stop throughout this week. On Israel’s Army Radio, a DJ interrupted a song briefly to say, jokingly, “Tonight, Aunt Esther [Madge’s kabbalistic nom de plume] is playing at Hayarkon Park.”
The diva even dined with Israel’s parliamentary opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was to receive Ms. Ciccone at his Jerusalem residence tomorrow.
David Brinn, a music critic for the Jerusalem Post, said Madonna’s performances are a sign that Israel is becoming more attractive as a concert venue. The Pet Shop Boys played there in July, Lady Gaga was in the Jewish state last month, the rock band Faith No More recently played Tel Aviv, and the great Leonard Cohen is slated to perform there later this month.