Las Vegas Weekly

November 7, 2008 · 11:40 AM

Megastars Madonna and Lindsay hit town this weekend

By Robin Leach

Madonna during the Romanian gypsy segment.

Photo: Kevin Mazur for Givenchy/ImageNet

It’s a dream weekend of fan frenzy and paparazzi pandemonium. The arrival of megastars Madonna and Lindsay Lohan is a guaranteed global phenomenon this weekend in Vegas.

Equipment and scenic trucks for Madonna’s back-to-back, sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena “Sticky & Sweet” shows tomorrow and Sunday rumbled into town early today after packing up from last night’s wow-whammy of star power at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

In fact, Lindsay was among the celebrity crowd watching, and, just as Luxe Life reported yesterday, 50-year-old Madonna succeeded in getting former lovers Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake back on stage with her -- however, not together, just separately.

“It’s Britney, bitch!” hollered the former Disney Mouseketeer Ms. Spears, dressed safely in a white tuxedo jacket and black pants as she sang Madonna’s hit “Human Nature,” which includes the line, “Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex.”

Britney had just learned from England that the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards show there had named her a double winner with Album of the Year and Best Act of 2008! Former boyfriend Justin Timberlake stayed out of sight until Britney had left the stage, and then he joined Madonna for a live version of their huge hit “4 Minutes.”

Fans at the sold-out, two-hour, nonstop show went wild, including Lindsay -- curiously without gal pal Samantha Ronson, model beauty Heidi Klum, American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, actor Donald Sutherland and actresses Lucy Liu, Elizabeth Banks and Mila Kunis.

No word if Britney and/or Justin will commute into Vegas and repeat for the newly separating Mrs. Guy Ritchie’s weekend shows here. Just what can you expect from the multi-personality Madonna?

First here’s her 24-song set list in order: “Candy Shop,” “Beat Goes On,” “Human Nature,” “Vogue,” “Die Another Day,” “Into the Groove,” “Heartbeat,” “Borderline,” “She’s Not Me,” “Music,” “Rain,” “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You,” “Spanish Lesson,” “Miles Away,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Doli Doli,” “You Must Love Me,” “Get Stupid,” “4 Minutes,” “Like a Prayer,” “Ray of Light,” “Like a Virgin,” “Hung Up” and “Give It 2 Me.” Her cute costumes and outrageous outfits add to the cool theatrics and stunning dance routines. It’s all pure entertainment from Ms. Ciccone, instead of controversy as in her 2006 Confessions Tour.

The show will start with an animated Willy Wonka-inspired short tied to her new CD Hard Candy, and then the pop princess appears center stage on her M-shaped throne. Her dancers are in tuxedos and tails for the opening number. Madonna Louise, who has successfully kept her career at the top for 25 years, eventually gyrates across the stage and out on a catwalk extending halfway into the arena floor.

All in all, an extraordinary achievement for the girl from Michigan who struggled unsuccessfully to find work as a New York City dancer back in the ’70s before trying her singing career. She signed with Warner Bros. in 1982 after demos in Manhattan’s gay nightclubs sparked attention. Madonna has racked up 11 big-selling albums since, plus seven Grammys, four MTV Video Music Awards and one Golden Globe for her starring role in Evita. No wonder tickets in the $500 price range were snapped up, and some scalpers expect to get $5,000 by the weekend.

First up though, tonight, is actress Lindsay Lohan appearing for the first time back at Pure nightclub in Caesars Palace without an ankle-monitoring bracelet for previous alcohol-driving incidents. She and Samantha have teamed to celebrate the 6126 holiday collection fashion showcase, with part of the proceeds benefiting Lindsay’s precious Ovarian Cancer Research charity.

After having their hair styled at hair king Michael Boychuck’s Color salon in Caesars, the twosome will walk the red carpet together around midnight tonight -- and Luxe Life will be right there in the flashbulb frenzy. We’ll see if they talk about their intimate relationship or their views -- if any -- of California’s Election Day decision this week to ban gay marriage with the passage of Proposition 8. Click back here tomorrow morning for our first photos of the day in Morning Call.

Share This