Madonna to charge for Plains of Abraham show
Quebec City concert among 5 Canadian stops during singer's 2012 World Tour
CBC News
Posted: Feb 7, 2012 12:35 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 7, 2012 1:40 PM ET
Tickets for Madonna's Sept. 1 Quebec City show will cost between $85 and $350. (Michael Conroy/AP)
Pop superstar Madonna will become the first artist to charge admission for a major show on Quebec City's historic Plains of Abraham.
Concert promoters are expected to announce details of the American singer's show Tuesday afternoon.
Madonna, who is coming off a spectacular Super Bowl half-time show last weekend, has included the Sept. 1 concert in Quebec City as part of her 2012 World Tour.
The tour, which kicks off May 29 in Tel Aviv, also includes four other Canadian cities, including:
- Bell Centre in Montreal, Aug. 30.
- Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Sept. 10.
- Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Sept. 12.
- Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Sept. 29.
Show must comply with policies
The Plains have been used for large-scale concert events in the past.
Paul McCartney and Céline Dion played free shows to commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary in 2008.
Other artists, like the Black Keys, Elton John and Arcade Fire, have taken part in the city's Festival d'été, which requires a festival pass, but doesn't come with a charge for each individual concert.
The Plains of Abraham prohibits most commercial activity on the site and has never allowed a single artist to hold a paid event like this.
According to the grounds' usage policy, strict criteria are applied in the selection process of any request to use the site.
Forbidden usage, according to the policy, includes commercial activities like shows with an an admission fee, when they are not an integral part of an event like a festival that is primarily non-commercial.
The National Battlefields Commission, which is responsible for the Plains site, is not commenting on why the Madonna show was permitted.
A spokesperson said all shows must comply with the federal commission’s policies.
Tickets for Madonna’s show go on sale Feb. 17, and are expected to range from $85 to $350.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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