Tickets to the much heralded Madonna concert in Bucharest, to be held in Parcul Izvor on August 26th, went on sale yesterday. Not general sale, of course. Oh no. Only for clients of Vodafone. (We know all this because we got SMS Spam from Vodafone telling us).
So there’s one reason we do not want to go: SMS Spam, which does not deserve to be rewarded. Another is the fact that we saw her in action at Wembley in 1987 (when she was good).
Price of tickets? High, from 120 lei for a standing place on the outskirts of Ploiesti to a whopping 2,250 lei for a ‘VIP package’ which includes a seat placed where you might be able to see her, some warm beer and plenty of tarts in sunglasses. But the price is no reason not to go. That’s how much it costs to see Madonna. You can’t expect stars to lower their retainers simply because the audience is poorer (this is one reason major stars have given Romania a wide-berth until now).
No, the real reason we will not be going is because we know exactly what kind of afternoon and evening it will be.
To get in you will have to get there horribly early (latecomers will not be admitted). As we are talking August you can expect temperatures to be in the high 30s. You will not, however, be allowed to bring in any liquids (even still water), and you will have to pay exorbitant prices for refreshments from concession stands. These will be few and far between, queues will be long and they will run out of water long before Madonna comes on stage. Basically, by the time she does appear you would have been standing up in the heat for a good couple of hours. Add in the fact that she hasn’t released a decent record for 20 years and you have no reason whatsoever to go.
And then there’s the hype. Oh the hype. Expect to hear about little else from now until then. You will be kept up to date on the woman’s every movement, from what she eats for breakfast to the colour of the sheets on her hotel bed. Expect interviews on Stirile Pro TV with the chambermaid who will be cleaning her room (which will be accompanied by a comparative graphic showing her salary and that of Madonna). Expect Catalin Radu Tanase to report live from the airport as her plane lands ‘A aterizat Madonna. Repet. A aterizat Madonna.’ OTV will no doubt do a special along the lines of
‘BOMBA ZILEI: MADONNA STIE UNDE E ELODIA!‘
You think we’re joking? Wait and see.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Ahh, yes, I was right. From the poorly laid out entrances, to the ridiculous number of streets closed, to the fact that even with Vodafone sponsoring the event, you could not get a signal, everyone and their grandmother and kid on the shoulders having a video camera (which would have been forbidden in well organized venues) to capture every single detail (as if watching the news coverage was not enough), to the people passed out & throwing up on the ground, to not being able to get to the actual section that you paid for and then people getting into the section that they didn’t pay for.
Way to go Romania…when Madonna announced it was her first time in Bucharest, she was also secretly announcing it would probably be her last. Because boo’ing her and her opinion over an obvious fact (just like any other time someone mentions something wrong) and then when given the microphone to sing the lyrics and then embarrassing yourself by not actually knowing the lyrics really brings big names to your country.
Yes, yes it does.
And that’s exactly why we didn’t go. As for the booing, I think any performer who starts preaching instead of performing deserves to be booed, whether its Madonna on Gypsies or Bono banging on about Africa.
Again, everyone seems to be ignoring the elephant in the room…the unorganization that will be everywhere, and that is rather customary and rampant all over the city.
It all started with a fight with officials and Madonna’s road crew over what the layout should be immediately after the pre-sale tickets were announced, with officials not thinking that those paying the higher prices should be rewarded with a few pruned trees & shrubs near their seats & placed where sound & sights would be equal to the cost of the ticket. The seating chart displayed on myticket.ro was then deemed incorrect so we will only really know what was decided on when we get there and then really, who can we complain to, or better yet, who will listen.
Well said. And I doubt that the media will report any organisational difficulties. We will be relying on those who are going (such as Mrs. Bucharest Life and friends) to tell it as it was.
excuse me … are you stupid … the whole world go to madonna concerts and are sold out . the show is the best in the world. The tickets are in general really high but in bucharest they are not (45, 100, 150) euroes are nothing . dont be stupid (i am sorry for using this word but is got crazy from what i read). European and ameriucan fans if will hear the prices ould laugh because they are not at all high . also see those numbers:
ATHENS GREECE= 75.000 TICKETS AND 10.000.000 DOLLARS . TICKETS FROM (80-250)
ALSO I GOT TICKETS FOR MARSEILLE(FRANCE) 140 EUROES AND IT WASNT THE MOST EXPENSIVE … WATCH IN MADONNA WEBSIDES OR WIKIPEDIA THE SOLD OUT SHOWS AND THE MINUTES THEY GOT SOLD .
ROMANIAN PEOPLE IT’S A CHANCE
MADONNA FOR EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, parcul Izvor, I can watch it for free from my father’s balcony :-s
I can even rent the balcony =))
Who knows. Maybe we will get a nice surprise. Maybe the organisation will leave us stunned with admiration. Rest of what we wrote is valid though… especially the OTV bit!
That was fun written. I never met anyone who claimed Madonna to be their favourite singer. But I read she sold in Sweden, Gothenburg 100.000 seats in 20 minutes. She used to be good, but now she’s known mostly because she’s known sort of.As for the organizers, EMagic, I was pleased with the Iron Maiden concert I attended. We who queued to get in got free mineral water because they opened the gates 1 hour late. We got mineral water 3 times actually while queuing, I couldn’t believe I was in Romania. Then we got beer included in the ticket price. And the sound was good.
The answer to this offer will be provided at the Arenele Romane, on April 26, 8.00 PM. Tickets are cheaper too (not that price would be of any relevance). As for the aforementioned star, sorry, I can’t walk you out in no morning dew.