Madonna was protected by 10,000 soldiers and riot police at her Moscow concert.
Russian officials were reportedly so concerned about riots at the ‘Hung Up’ singer’s show at the Luzhniki Stadium on Tuesday night (12.06.09) that they crammed the 55,000 venue full with security forces.
The Russian Orthodox Church had previously staged protests against her self-crucifixion stunt, which has become an infamous part of her ‘Confessions’ tour, and the star was allegedly living in fear after receiving death threats from the Russian mafia.
Before the show started, all ticket holders were forced to go through metal detectors and have their bags checked.
There were also sniffer dogs, explosive experts and soldiers from the Dzerzhinsky special task force on hand.
One fan said: "There was very little atmosphere or dancing Madonna was really struggling to get the crowd going. Most events have a security presence but this did seem extraordinary. I was at the G8 summit and the security was comparable." Despite the excitement surrounding the concert, the Luzhniki Stadium was a third empty. It is believed the reason is because tickets cost up to £500, nearly two and a half times a monthly Moscow wage.
Police ordered the concert to change venues from a park close to Moscow State University just two weeks ago, over fears that 2000,000 people would gatecrash the show.
© bangshowbiz.biz
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