Material girl nets €2m for Slane gig

FANS of material girl Madonna spent almost €12,000 a minute yesterday on tickets for her concert in Slane this summer.

The country went mad for Madonna as fans paid out over €3.5 million in the first five hours of ticket sales. Eager fans had to fork out €88.50 per ticket.

Anxious to prove they were ecstatic about Esther as Madonna calls herself these days her supporters snapped up over half of the 80,000 tickets on sale for her first-ever Irish concert at the Co Meath venue on Sunday, August 29.

Madge, as husband Guy Ritchie likes to call her, stands to pocket at least €2m from ticket sales.

Although the concert did not sell out within hours, unlike U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Slane shows, concert promoters MCD said sales were still ahead of expectations.

Bans on block bulk sales and group bookings were introduced to minimise the number of tickets falling into the hands of touts.

"The tickets are only available to people living in the 32 counties, while they are also restricted to six tickets per person," said MCD spokesperson Justin Green. He confirmed the formal licence for the concert has still to be approved by Meath County Council.

Large numbers of fans queued at various Ticketmaster outlets around the country from early morning, while thousands more made bookings over the phone and internet.

"Interest in the concert has been phenomenal as it is the first time Madonna has played Ireland. It will also possibly be her last appearance here, so our advice to fans is it's better to buy their tickets sooner rather than later," Mr Green said.

Although some concerns have been voiced about the cost of tickets, prices for Madonna's Slane gig compare favourably with her shows at Madison Square Garden in New York this weekend. US concert-goers have forked out up to €250 to see the 45-year-old singer.

Madonna's Irish concert promises to be one of the highlights of her 55-date, Re-Invention world tour as it will be performed in front of one of the largest single audiences. The singer is perform many top hits from her lengthy career, including Like A Prayer and Papa Don't Preach, during a spectacular two-hour music and dance extravaganza.