Material Girl Madonna worth £60m to Edinburgh
Madonna performing at the SuperBowl. Picture: Getty
THE Material Girl will bring a ray of light to the capital this summer, with hospitality chiefs expecting a boost of up to £60 million when Madonna plays her first ever Scottish concert at Murrayfield.
Council bosses have welcomed the news that the pop megastar will grace the capital in July, saying it will help boost Edinburgh’s reputation as a musical city. Her Highland wedding to film director Guy Ritchie, at Skibo Castle, Sutherland in 2000, boosted tourism in the area.
Despite a three-decade career, which has seen her acquire superstar status around the world, July’s date will represent Madonna’s inaugural show in Scotland. It is one of only two UK dates on her upcoming world tour.
The announcement has delighted city authorities and live music enthusiasts alike, who stressed that Edinburgh has long been “underrated and undersung” in musical terms.
The 53-year-old musician and actress’s Murrayfield gig on 21 July will come as Scottish tourism officials will be working around the clock to entice tourists north of the Border during the London Olympics, which begin a week later.
Graham Bell, spokesman for the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s going to be fantastic for Edinburgh and fantastic for Scotland when a superstar like Madonna comes to play the city.
“Many people coming will spend money at Murrayfield for the evening, and accommodation for the night. It’s hard to put an exact figure on it, but it could be as much as £60m.
“The paucity of the return for Scotland from the Olympics, despite what was promised, will be rebalanced if things like this can be made to happen.”
Steve Cardownie, festivals and events champion at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome Madonna to Edinburgh. The city has an excellent track record of hosting world class events and festivals and will be a truly fitting place for such an international star to entertain the thousands of Scottish fans this summer.
“Aside from the substantial benefit this will bring to the economy, the concert will reinforce Edinburgh’s place on the national and international stage as an attractive place to live, to visit, to study and to invest in.”
Robin Murray, online editor at Clash, an influential music magazine based in Dundee and London, said the concert was good news for Edinburgh’s music scene, but said it was “ironic”, coming at a time when smaller venues are suffering.
He said: “This will be one of the biggest gigs in Scotland for a while, and it shows the ferocious appetite that exists for live music in Scotland. Murrayfield is being used more and more as a gig venue. Kings of Leon had a massive stadium show there last year, and it’s good for the city.
“Edinburgh is definitely underrated and undersung as a musical city, but it’s ironic that it’s being announced at a time when the Bongo Club is shutting down and Cabaret Voltaire is stopping live shows.”
But while music experts expressed confidence the gig would sell out rapidly, with people travelling from across the UK, some fans last night took to social networking sites to criticise the price of the tickets, which could cost up to £125.
They registered their displeasure at the price of the tickets, which will be available for £125, £80, £75, £70, £60 and £45.
Adele Fairbairn wrote on Twitter: “Just checked the prices for madonna at murrayfield and what a rip off!!!” Another user, Adrian GreatWhiteWolf, scoffed: “What a rip off.”
Despite the cost of the tickets, Mr Murray expected the gig to sell out. He said: “Her last tour, the Sticky & Sweet tour, was one of the highest grossing tours of all time, and this will be no different, the dates will sell out. I expect it won’t just be people from Scotland going to Murrayfield, but from all over the world.”
The announcement of Madonna’s first tour in three years comes just days after her headline grabbing half-time appearance during Sunday evening’s Super Bowl in the US.
Tickets for the Edinburgh show go on sale on Friday from.livenation.co.uk
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Comments
There are 21 comments to this article
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Charlie McFarley
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:08 AMWhether it is the Windsor wedding or hosting the G20, MTV awards, Commonwealth governments get-together or this concert, there is never a shortage of vacuous tubes ready to produce some mythical figure of the projected benefits and long-term gain for tourism. Horse manure!
Graeme M
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:12 PMI get a laugh at all these older 'has-been' American artists who roam the world, hoping people will remember them, and 'cleaning up' the silly people on pensions and the like!...Here in OZ, they keep advertising them on TV for weeks before hand, like a sort of brain-wash pattern.."Oh I might as well go, seeing its on" fraternity. I mean, what's so special about Madonna?, its like your mum doing the two-step, hi.
Tarheel Scot
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:38 PMIts sad that the first response of your council and Chamber is to count the money. Now I have a little better understanding as to why the Tram project could be so poorly managed. Your leaders are like kids at Christmas when rich Uncle Harry shows up for dinner. If you will take care of your city the money will take care of itself.. Carl @ 14. City leaders everywhere tend to do that. I wonder if 60 m assumes zero cash flow as a base or if this amount is above and beyond what the city would normally gross during the same time period were there no concert at Murrayfield. I could not help but think of your Tram project when I saw that McDonna (good one, TartanCult) was coming to Edinburgh. Although council's execution of the Tram project has been deplorable I am a firm believer that rail based transit, properly planned and executed, is essential to the viability of any city of substantial population and density, especially any city that considers itself world class. So far your progress has been disappointing (how is that for an understatement?).. Had the Tram Line been completed on time the concert goers (and tens of thousands will be from outside of Scotland) could have made great use of it and your reputation even more enhanced. . As for the high ticket prices, rest assured that the business side of music knows what the market will support. It will be a sellout and there will be scalpers at the gates.
Rugal
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 03:18 PM£60m? Considering the drunken street party is supposed to bring in £35m a year I cannot for the life of me work out how one single concert could generate £60m.....What did the city do before we had a full time Festival and Events Champion?
Rhynieman
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 02:53 PMMadonna at Murrayfield...says everything...maybe she should consider hanging up her boots as well.
Afredo Garcia
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:29 PMOne hops that not a penny of public money will flow to promote or assist this purely commercial enterprise. That includes Visit Scotland. One also hopes that the Johnston Press are suitably rewarded for so much free publicity.
Blinkered
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:15 PMOne hopes Nicola Sturgeon has noted that putting up prices does not always deter consumption.
Account deleted
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:48 PM60m thats slighty optimistic surely?
Turnbull
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:13 PM£60m to Edinburgh......... Dear Madonna to save you time and to cut out the middle men just make the cheque out to the idiots in charge of the trams, we might get them finished this side of 2100.
Niebiosa tam sa naprawde nieskrzydlowe ludzie tam
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:52 AMGroan, jings all we are going to hear this year is rubbish about the Queens Jubilee, and Madge coming to Edinburgh, what a disappointing prospect :(
Niebiosa tam sa naprawde nieskrzydlowe ludzie tam
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:48 AMAnd remember come election time, it was Stevie Cardownie (AKA a friend of Madonna), that pulled it off ! as if !
Tintock Pete
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:34 AM£125 plus booking fee and card charges no doubt.
Curious Yellow
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:38 AMEbeneezer - who's the tw@t? You appear to have addressed your comment to yourself....
Shah Hoorsur
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:35 AMBingo wings......yeeeeeuch!
themanwith2brains
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:29 AMnaw peter. the word is p1sh or your talking though a hole in ur erse
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