Madonna readies for Abu Dhabi concert following ‘violent’ Tel Aviv performance

Pop sensation Madonna is set to light up a UAE stage on Sunday night as she prepares to perform in Abu Dhabi as part of her world tour.

The concert in the Emirati capital, which has sold an estimated 28,000 tickets, follows a performance on Thursday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, in which Madonna called for peace in the Middle East and raised awareness towards the ongoing conflicts raging throughout the region.

But the Tel Aviv show was criticized for presenting violent imagery.

“For a show that was originally billed as a ‘Concert for Peace,’ the opening night of Madonna’s world tour in Tel Aviv featured a disproportionate amount of violence,” the Hollywood Reporter stated early Sunday, citing the weapons and religious imagery used during the first part of the concert.

Others noted Madonna’s use of “grim dance routines depicting violence and bloody gunmen among her more colorful numbers,” Dan Williams of Reuters news agency said.

In the Abu Dhabi performance, Madonna is expected to combine the old and the new, performing hits the music world has come to recognize over the past three decades.

Meanwhile, the 53-year-old pop star has taken an unusual decision during her concert in Abu Dhabi, refusing to allow air-conditioning units to be set up during her time on stage.

(Written by Matthew Bolton)