Stunner
07-20-2006, 12:32 PM
Credit For This Rumor Goes To: Newjerseyblog.blogspot.com
I'm a Madonna fan. I admit it. Most of my formative years were during the 80's and I'm still a sucker for the stars who launched their careers back then.
So, I shelled out a lot of money to see her perform at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on July 16, 2006. Aside from the lack of air conditioning (it allegedly disrupts her voice) and the 90 degree heat inside by the end of the show, I thought it was a very good performance. She did a few old songs as well as some of her bigger hits over the last few years. It was better than the Re-Invention Tour and probably as good as the Drowned World Tour.
With that said, I arrived at Boardwalk Hall at about 8:45. The ticket said showtime was 8:00. Most concerts start late, so I figured that I would have just missed the beginning. I was a little surprised that she hadn't taken the stage, but happy that I didn't miss anything.
I made my way through the crowd and went to find my friends. As I walked past the back of Boardwalk Hall, I noticed a very large American flag (probably 20x30) clumped up in a pile on the floor. The flag had clearly been hanging on the back wall of the venue, held up by some sort of pully system, but was taken down and "stored" in a pile on the floor.
When I got to my seat, I mentioned it to my friends. They saw the same thing when they walked by to get to their seats. Although we joked about how Madonna probably forces venues to take everything off the wall if it doesn't have her name on it, the four of also remarked that it was pretty rude to have the flag in a pile on the floor. The lights dimmed and she took the stage a few minutes later, at about 8:55.
So why do I mention all this now, 3 days later? Well, the rumor floating around is that the reason Madonna was so late to take the stage was the American flag. She saw it hanging on the wall, as big as day directly across the Hall from the stage, and she demanded that it be removed before she started the performance (it may be that her "people" saw it and they forced the issue, but its a distinction without much of a difference). She got her way. The flag came down.
Now, I didn't see the flag come down, but I did see it in a big pile on the floor. I don't know if the rumor is true, but there is at least some supporting anecdotal evidence that the flag was removed from the wall in some haste.
The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get with her. Why couldn't the flag stay on the wall? Was it going to affect her performance? Does it offend her that much that she wouldn't be able to sing? Was she afraid that people would think she was pro-flag or, God forbid, pro-American? I fully support any person's right to disagree with how the country is run and disagree with the people who run it. What I don't understand is why those same people can't also simply be proud to be an American and why they find the American flag so offensive.
I'm a Madonna fan. I admit it. Most of my formative years were during the 80's and I'm still a sucker for the stars who launched their careers back then.
So, I shelled out a lot of money to see her perform at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on July 16, 2006. Aside from the lack of air conditioning (it allegedly disrupts her voice) and the 90 degree heat inside by the end of the show, I thought it was a very good performance. She did a few old songs as well as some of her bigger hits over the last few years. It was better than the Re-Invention Tour and probably as good as the Drowned World Tour.
With that said, I arrived at Boardwalk Hall at about 8:45. The ticket said showtime was 8:00. Most concerts start late, so I figured that I would have just missed the beginning. I was a little surprised that she hadn't taken the stage, but happy that I didn't miss anything.
I made my way through the crowd and went to find my friends. As I walked past the back of Boardwalk Hall, I noticed a very large American flag (probably 20x30) clumped up in a pile on the floor. The flag had clearly been hanging on the back wall of the venue, held up by some sort of pully system, but was taken down and "stored" in a pile on the floor.
When I got to my seat, I mentioned it to my friends. They saw the same thing when they walked by to get to their seats. Although we joked about how Madonna probably forces venues to take everything off the wall if it doesn't have her name on it, the four of also remarked that it was pretty rude to have the flag in a pile on the floor. The lights dimmed and she took the stage a few minutes later, at about 8:55.
So why do I mention all this now, 3 days later? Well, the rumor floating around is that the reason Madonna was so late to take the stage was the American flag. She saw it hanging on the wall, as big as day directly across the Hall from the stage, and she demanded that it be removed before she started the performance (it may be that her "people" saw it and they forced the issue, but its a distinction without much of a difference). She got her way. The flag came down.
Now, I didn't see the flag come down, but I did see it in a big pile on the floor. I don't know if the rumor is true, but there is at least some supporting anecdotal evidence that the flag was removed from the wall in some haste.
The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get with her. Why couldn't the flag stay on the wall? Was it going to affect her performance? Does it offend her that much that she wouldn't be able to sing? Was she afraid that people would think she was pro-flag or, God forbid, pro-American? I fully support any person's right to disagree with how the country is run and disagree with the people who run it. What I don't understand is why those same people can't also simply be proud to be an American and why they find the American flag so offensive.