Madonna performed a raunchy striptease on stage as she returned to the UK.
I like to live dangerously
The 53-year-old chart superstar, who is no stranger to controversy, stripped down to a sheer bra to expose a No Fear tattoo on her back, before pulling down her pinstripe trousers to reveal a black lacy thong under fishnet tights as she sang a stripped-back version of her hit Like A Virgin at London’s Hyde Park on Tuesday.
It was her first performance in the UK in four years since her Sticky and Sweet tour in 2009.
Her toyboy boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, one of her backing dancers, then fastened a corset around her.
“I like to live dangerously,” she said.
As she performed in front of around 50,000 fans, Madonna − whose real name is Madonna Louise Ciccone − made sure she did not fall foul of the authorities by finishing her show minutes before the 10.30 p.m. curfew, which saw Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen being cut off for over-running.
The Queen of Pop, previously married to British film-maker Guy Ritchie, introduced her 11-year-old son Rocco, who joined her as a dancer on stage.
She performed tracks from her latest album MDNA as well as classic favourites like Papa Don’t Preach, Hung Up and Vogue − and even took a pop at music rival Lady Gaga by incorporating a rendition of Gaga’s Born This Way during Express Yourself.
Madonna, who was supported by US electro-pop duo LMFAO and French DJ-producer Martin Solveig, brandished two guns on Revolver and Gang Bang and joked about the weather when it began to rain.
“Everybody, say your prayers to make the rain go away,” she quipped.
Madonna has raised plenty of eyebrows already on her MDNA world tour. She appeared to weep on stage during her Berlin performance and pulled down her bra and flashed her breast on stage, while singing Human Nature during a show in Turkey. In Rome she pulled down her trousers to expose her bottom − under a G-string and lacy tights − to concertgoers.
The singer is facing a lawsuit in France brought by the far-right National Front for screening a video showing party leader Marine Le Pen with a Nazi swastika on her forehead at a weekend concert at the Stade de France near Paris.