Backstage at Madonna's Glittering 'MDNA' Tour

Backstage at Madonna's Glittering 'MDNA' TourThe pop icon's show features elaborate design details $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Madonna's enormously successful MDNA tour, slated to hit Yankee Stadium in New York twice next week, arguably features her most ambitious stage costumes to date. The dramatic gender-bending looks for the singer and her cadre of dancers push design conventions to their limits, with the cantilevering, crystalline, patent-leather footwear alone worth a hundred editorials. In this backstage tour video by Swarovski, whose glimmering gems adorn Madge's costumes an astounding 315,000 times, you can appreciate the exhaustive breadth of the MDNA design aesthetic.

In the behind-the-scenes footage, wardrobe supervisor Lana Czajka explains that preparation for each evening's show begins at 9 a.m., when 30 racks of clothes are steamed, pressed and retouched. "Most of our sparkle happens during 'Vogue,'" she notes, pointing to a noirish collection of Venetian masks, top hats and riding crops. An extremely impressive, armored chainmail look containing thousands of micro-crystals provides a true spotlight moment, as does the jeweled MDNA tee featured in the "Celebration" finale.

Such meticulous detailing befits a pop queen like Madonna. "She is involved with everything," head dresser Tony Villanueva emphasizes. "She has final say."

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Paul van Dyk Attacks Madonna's 'Molly' Reference

Paul van Dyk performs at Pacha in New York.

Electronic dance music star Paul van Dyk has told Billboard that Madonna's drug reference in her appearance at the Ultra Music Festival last weekend is "the biggest mistake of her career." The pop star made a surprise cameo at the event to introduce headliner Avicii, asking the audience "How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?," a slang term for seeking ecstasy.

"I don't think she was thinking much," the producer said. "The only thing she was probably thinking was, 'I need to connect with a young crowd,' and she made the biggest mistake of her career." Van Dyk echoed the sentiment of fellow EDM star Deadmau5, who attacked the singer in a series of tweets earlier this week. "Madonna was so stupid to actually call out drug abuse in front of a crowd of 18-year-olds," says van Dyk. "This is not what our music is about. It's really counterproductive."

Madonna responded to Deadmau5 on Twitter, insisting that she does not support drug use and claiming the comment was actually a reference to the song "Have You Seen Molly" by Cedric Gervais, with whom she wanted to work on her latest album, MDNA.

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Paul van Dyk Attacks Madonna's 'Molly' Reference

Paul van Dyk performs at Pacha in New York.

Electronic dance music star Paul van Dyk has told Billboard that Madonna's drug reference in her appearance at the Ultra Music Festival last weekend is "the biggest mistake of her career." The pop star made a surprise cameo at the event to introduce headliner Avicii, asking the audience "How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?," a slang term for seeking ecstasy.

"I don't think she was thinking much," the producer said. "The only thing she was probably thinking was, 'I need to connect with a young crowd,' and she made the biggest mistake of her career." Van Dyk echoed the sentiment of fellow EDM star Deadmau5, who attacked the singer in a series of tweets earlier this week. "Madonna was so stupid to actually call out drug abuse in front of a crowd of 18-year-olds," says van Dyk. "This is not what our music is about. It's really counterproductive."

Madonna responded to Deadmau5 on Twitter, insisting that she does not support drug use and claiming the comment was actually a reference to the song "Have You Seen Molly" by Cedric Gervais, with whom she wanted to work on her latest album, MDNA.

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New Reviews: Madonna's Explicitly Emotional 'MDNA'

In this week's slate of Rolling Stone reviews, Joe Levy praises Madonna's new album MDNA, in which the pop queen gets emotionally explicit as she deals with the fallout of her divorce from Guy Ritchie. Also, Jody Rosen says Odd Future's latest is a mesmerizing set of tunes in which the controversial rap crew rise above their limitations, and Anthony DeCurtis digs the "rough-hewn elegance" of Justin Townes Earles' latest Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now.

ALBUMS

Madonna - MDNA

Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now

Miike Snow - Happy to You

The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

Odd Future - The O.F. Tape Volume 2

All-American Rejects - Kids in the Street

Dev - The Night the Sun Came Up

Lionel Richie - Tuskegee

Mouse on Mars - Parastrophics

Rusko - Songs

Shinedown - Amaryllis

Various Artists - In the Mix: Dancepop Anthems

Spoek Mathambo - Father Creeper

SONGS

Justin Bieber "Boyfriend"

Nicki Minaj featuring Lil Wayne "Roman Reloaded"

Titus Andronicus "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus"

Dr. John "Revolution"

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New Reviews: Madonna's Explicitly Emotional 'MDNA'

In this week's slate of Rolling Stone reviews, Joe Levy praises Madonna's new album MDNA, in which the pop queen gets emotionally explicit as she deals with the fallout of her divorce from Guy Ritchie. Also, Jody Rosen says Odd Future's latest is a mesmerizing set of tunes in which the controversial rap crew rise above their limitations, and Anthony DeCurtis digs the "rough-hewn elegance" of Justin Townes Earles' latest Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now.

ALBUMS

Madonna - MDNA

Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now

Miike Snow - Happy to You

The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

Odd Future - The O.F. Tape Volume 2

All-American Rejects - Kids in the Street

Dev - The Night the Sun Came Up

Lionel Richie - Tuskegee

Mouse on Mars - Parastrophics

Rusko - Songs

Shinedown - Amaryllis

Various Artists - In the Mix: Dancepop Anthems

Spoek Mathambo - Father Creeper

SONGS

Justin Bieber "Boyfriend"

Nicki Minaj featuring Lil Wayne "Roman Reloaded"

Titus Andronicus "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus"

Dr. John "Revolution"

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Malawi Officials Blast Madonna's School Plans

Madonna performs during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

The government of Malawi has accused Madonna of refusing consultation over her plans to build 10 new schools in the impoverished African nation. Malawi's Ministry of Education spokeswoman Lindiwe Chide told Reuters that the government was "fed up" with the pop icon, complaining that she did not inform authorities when she scrapped plans for a girls academy due to the alleged mismanagement of funds. "Now she decides to announce that she plans to build 10 schools without getting authority from us again," Chide said of the singer's partnership with the non-profit organization buildOn. "We now feel like this is all about propping up her global image and not in our interest."

"She has no mandate to decide where she wants to build a school because she doesn't know our needs and where we want new schools," Chide told Reuters. "She first needed to consult us, get permission from us before doing anything."

"This is simply not true," Trevor Neilson, the head of the Global Philanthropy Group, fired back in a statement released by Madonna's spokesperson. "The government of Malawi has been fully updated on Madonna's effort to provide funding for ten schools to be built in communities where there are no schools." According to Neilson, Madonna's Raising Malawi organization had communicated with Malawi's Minister of Education and that buildOn had discussed the project with local officials and "cleared all plans for school construction with them."

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Malawi Officials Blast Madonna's School Plans

Madonna performs during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

The government of Malawi has accused Madonna of refusing consultation over her plans to build 10 new schools in the impoverished African nation. Malawi's Ministry of Education spokeswoman Lindiwe Chide told Reuters that the government was "fed up" with the pop icon, complaining that she did not inform authorities when she scrapped plans for a girls academy due to the alleged mismanagement of funds. "Now she decides to announce that she plans to build 10 schools without getting authority from us again," Chide said of the singer's partnership with the non-profit organization buildOn. "We now feel like this is all about propping up her global image and not in our interest."

"She has no mandate to decide where she wants to build a school because she doesn't know our needs and where we want new schools," Chide told Reuters. "She first needed to consult us, get permission from us before doing anything."

"This is simply not true," Trevor Neilson, the head of the Global Philanthropy Group, fired back in a statement released by Madonna's spokesperson. "The government of Malawi has been fully updated on Madonna's effort to provide funding for ten schools to be built in communities where there are no schools." According to Neilson, Madonna's Raising Malawi organization had communicated with Malawi's Minister of Education and that buildOn had discussed the project with local officials and "cleared all plans for school construction with them."

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New Reviews: Madonna's New Single Is 'Dashed Off'

Madonna, 'Give Me All You Luvin''

In this week's slate of Rolling Stone reviews, Jody Rosen pans Madonna's "dashed off" new single "Give Me All Your Luvin'," on which the pop icon comes off like "a stressed-out party host" desperate to show her guests, M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, a good time. Also, Will Hermes says that Paul McCartney's new covers album finds the former Beatle "transforming influences rather than mirroring them," and Joe Gross raves about Sharon Van Etten's breakthrough record Tramp, which he says "plays like a female version of Beck's Sea Change."

ALBUMS

Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

Die Antwoord - Ten$ion

Ben Kweller - Go Fly A Kite

Lindstrøm - Six Cups of Rebel

The Fray - Scars and Stories

Dierks Bentley - Home

The Doors - L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary Edition)

SONGS

Madonna featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. "Give Me All Your Luvin'"

M.I.A. "Bad Girls"

Jack White "Love Interruption"

Willis Earl Beal "Evening's Kiss"

Screaming Females "It All Means Nothing"

K'naan featuring Nelly Furtado "Is Anybody Out There"

Bonnie Raitt "Right Down the Line"

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Madonna’s Glittering Super Bowl Spectacle

Madonna performs during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Madonna packed some serious spectacle into her twelve-minute halftime show for Super Bowl XLVI. Ushered in on a golden chariot pulled by a phalanx of centurions, Madonna opened the set with her 1990 hit "Vogue," flanked by dancers dressed to match the set’s Roman-fantasia theme.

As "Vogue" segued into 2000’s "Music," break dancers dressed in white track suits took their place beside Madonna, along with a tightrope aerialist. After a brief interlude with LMFAO and a few bars of "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It," the stage gave way to a troupe of cheerleader-dancers for Madonna’s brand-new single. "Give Me All Your Luvin’," from the forthcoming album MDNA, brought with it Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

The high school sports theme continued as a drum corps marched onto the stage along with Cee Lo Green. The set veered briefly through "Open Your Heart" (reaching all the way back into 1986’s True Blue) and "Express Yourself" before settling into the opening chords of "Like A Prayer." A church choir dressed in black and white robes now took the stage to back Madonna and Cee Lo for the gospel-tinged 1989 anthem. In the final moment of the show, gold beams projected up into the sky as Madonna disappeared from the stage in a massive plume of smoke. The words "World Peace" appeared across the field in gold lights. 

You can watch the show in its entirety below.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Madonna’s Glittering Super Bowl Spectacle

Madonna performs during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Madonna packed some serious spectacle into her twelve-minute halftime show for Super Bowl XLVI. Ushered in on a golden chariot pulled by a phalanx of centurions, Madonna opened the set with her 1990 hit "Vogue," flanked by dancers dressed to match the set’s Roman-fantasia theme.

As "Vogue" segued into 2000’s "Music," break dancers dressed in white track suits took their place beside Madonna, along with a tightrope aerialist. After a brief interlude with LMFAO and a few bars of "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It," the stage gave way to a troupe of cheerleader-dancers for Madonna’s brand-new single. "Give Me All Your Luvin’," from the forthcoming album MDNA, brought with it Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

The high school sports theme continued as a drum corps marched onto the stage along with Cee Lo Green. The set veered briefly through "Open Your Heart" (reaching all the way back into 1986’s True Blue) and "Express Yourself" before settling into the opening chords of "Like A Prayer." A church choir dressed in black and white robes now took the stage to back Madonna and Cee Lo for the gospel-tinged 1989 anthem. In the final moment of the show, gold beams projected up into the sky as Madonna disappeared from the stage in a massive plume of smoke. The words "World Peace" appeared across the field in gold lights. 

You can watch the show in its entirety below.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »

Madonna's Charity to Begin Work on Schools in Malawi

Madonna appears on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" at NBC Studios in Burbank, California.Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Madonna's troubled Raising Malawi charity will soon break ground on the construction of schools in the impoverished African nation, but the schools will be run by the community rather than the singer's organization. Work on the first school will begin on March 30th in the Kasungu region, and all 10 of the planned schools are planned to be completed by June of 2013. Raising Malawi is contributing $300,000 to the non-governmental organization BuildOn to create the schools. BuildOn has already built 50 schools in Malawi and 427 schools around the world.

"This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of BuildOn we can maintain our ongoing commitment to move forward efficiently," Madonna said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I have learned a great deal over the last few years and feel so much more confident that we can reach our goals to educate children in Malawi, especially young girls, in a much more efficient and practical way."

Raising Malawi has faced some difficulties in achieving its goals toward building schools for girls in the nation in the past year. The organization dropped plans to build a $15 million school in March, resulting in the firing of several board members who were accused by auditors of extravagant expenditures on cars, housing and various luxuries. The group also encountered problems in acquiring land for the project.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »

Madonna's Charity to Begin Work on Schools in Malawi

Madonna appears on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" at NBC Studios in Burbank, California.Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Madonna's troubled Raising Malawi charity will soon break ground on the construction of schools in the impoverished African nation, but the schools will be run by the community rather than the singer's organization. Work on the first school will begin on March 30th in the Kasungu region, and all 10 of the planned schools are planned to be completed by June of 2013. Raising Malawi is contributing $300,000 to the non-governmental organization BuildOn to create the schools. BuildOn has already built 50 schools in Malawi and 427 schools around the world.

"This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of BuildOn we can maintain our ongoing commitment to move forward efficiently," Madonna said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I have learned a great deal over the last few years and feel so much more confident that we can reach our goals to educate children in Malawi, especially young girls, in a much more efficient and practical way."

Raising Malawi has faced some difficulties in achieving its goals toward building schools for girls in the nation in the past year. The organization dropped plans to build a $15 million school in March, resulting in the firing of several board members who were accused by auditors of extravagant expenditures on cars, housing and various luxuries. The group also encountered problems in acquiring land for the project.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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