Material Girl Madonna worth £60m to Edinburgh

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 www.livenation.co.uk