Madonna begins world tour

Madonna kicks off her world tour in Wales tonight.

Fresh from celebrating her 50th birthday, the singer will be giving a two-hour performance to thousands of fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Madonna and her band spent more than 650 hours rehearsing for the Sticky and Sweet Tour, following on from urban-themed album 'Hard Candy'.

She travelled with a 250-strong entourage to the Welsh capital, including a chiropractor and masseuse, for a show that promises eight costume changes, 16 dancers and a 12-piece band.

Fans starting queuing outside the stadium last night to secure their places ahead of the 7.30pm performance, which is broken into four sections.

Madonna is due to enter the stadium in a Givenchy outfit for the first section, called 'Pimp', which is described by her publicists as "a mashed-up homage to 1920s deco and modern-day gangsta pimp".

Next comes 'Old School', which sees Madonna paying homage to her early 1980s New York City dance roots.

'Gypsy', inspired by Romanian folk music and dance, is described as "a VIP trip to La Isla Bonita", referring to one of her best-known hits, and includes three Romanian musicians playing acoustic instruments.

The final section is 'Rave', in which "far-eastern influences emerge all sparkly and sporty".

In a show likely to attract as much attention for the costumes and props as the music, Madonna has employed 36 designers to create her look. There are 3,500 separate clothing items involved in the show, with three racks of clothing for Madonna's stage wardrobe.

After Cardiff, the tour heads to venues across Europe, including London's Wembley Stadium on September 11, before travelling to the United States, South America and Mexico.