Dubai: That’s it. All 22,000 tickets to see Madonna perform at Yas Arena, Abu Dhabi, on June 3 sold out on Monday, according to organisers Flash Entertainment.
“The Abu Dhabi show marks the first time Madonna has performed in this region. We knew from the day we announced the show that tickets were sure to sell out extremely quickly. Her fan reaction has been overwhelming and with immediate sell out, Madonna’s show in Abu Dhabi now holds the record for the most popular event we have ever staged,” a spokesman for Flash said.
Madonna fans queued up on Monday morning to buy tickets for her UAE debut concert and cheered as counters opened at exactly midday as promised at Virgin Megastore outlets in Mall of the Emirates and The Dubai Mall on Monday.
At Mall of the Emirates, bean bags and chairs were laid out for those who came early. Charmaine Borg, first in line, said she came to the mall at 7.30am for the midday sale start.
Marton Broetel, a visitor from Germany, said it was his birthday on Monday and that he was treating himself to Madonna tickets.
“I need to do some budget planning with airline tickets and all but Madonna is worth it,” he said.
Shylla Sandava said she took the day off from work to stand in line. “I tried to buy tickets at the pre-sale but it didn’t work out. I didn’t want to take any more chances so here I am,” she said.
Each customer was allowed to purchase eight tickets each.
At the Virgin Megastore outlet in The Dubai Mall, staff were trying to lighten things up as people queued up and Madonna’s tracks played loudly in the background.
Honelyn Igle, 31, a Dubai resident since 2007, was the first out with her two tickets. She said she had been at the store since 9am.
“It wasn’t as crazy as I expected but I wasn’t taking any chances,” she said.
One happy customer, who bought eight General Admission tickets for Dh495 each, said he was planning to sell them for double later.
Meanwhile, some fans who were waiting to purchase tickets online at thinkflash.ae had to wait in a virtual queue for about 30 minutes before gaining access.
Organiser Flash Entertainment had previously announced that only 22,000 tickets will go on sale for the Madonna concert, only her second stop in the World Tour to promote her 12th studio album, MDNA, out March 26. The first phase of the tour will cover multiple cities in Asia, North America and Europe.
