Madonna gets a gun on her MDNA tour

With the opening Tel Aviv concert a day away, gossip columnists ponder use of military props

By Jessica Steinberg

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30 May 2012, 4:23 pm 1

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Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Guns 'n dancers on the MDNA stage (Courtesy official Madonna Facebook page)

How will the crowd react when faced with Madonna and her dancers packing heat? According to gossip columnist Perez Hilton, who supposedly will be in attendance at Thursday night’s concert, this latest show includes a piece in which Madonna aims a pistol at the crowd while her dancers hold machine guns.

Madge gets her gun (Courtesy official Madonna Facebook page)

Of course, this particular crowd is accustomed to women — and men — slinging guns over their backs, but those photos from rehearsals of dancers wearing gas masks bring back unpleasant memories of the 1991 Gulf War, as well as a visual of what’s sitting on our closet shelves.

The gas-masked dancers (Courtesy official Madonna Facebook page)

One wonders if it’s Madge possibly pandering to the IDF-serving Israeli public, or just part of her overall aim to annoy the anti-violence elements of the population. That said, perhaps it’s all about making her guests feel comfortable, as word has it that Sacha Baron Cohen, in his current persona of General Admiral Aladeen of the fictional Republic of Wadiya, will be in attendance, and he’s all about women and ammunition.

Or maybe she’s attempting to attract concert producers in Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria, countries where “we would love to go play,” as Madonna’s Israeli-born manager, Guy Oseary (it’s pronounced Ozeri in Hebrew), recently told the Hollywood Reporter.

Time will tell, but for now, Israeli fans couldn’t be more pleased that Madonna is opening her MDNA tour in this part of the Middle East.