The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Wales

Even at 50, the queen of pop just can't stop courting controversy. As Madonna kicked off her international 'Sticky and Sweet' tour Saturday night, she took a none-too subtle swipe at the presumptive Republican nominee for US President. Amid a four-act show at Cardiff's packed Millennium Stadium, a video interlude carried images of destruction, global warming, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe - and US Senator John McCain. Another sequence, shown later, pictured slain Beatle John Lennon, followed by climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama.

The rest of the show had the usual Madonna fixtures: sequins, fishnets, and bondage-style outfits drawn from the 3,500 items of clothing reportedly whipped together by 36 designers specifically for the tour. Dancers sauntered across stage in top hats and tailcoats, and Madonna tried her hand at break-dancing and pole dancing. Some 40,000 fans - many in pink cowboy hats and boas - were treated to a heavy metal version of 'Borderline,' while 'La Isla Bonita' served as backdrop for a flamenco routine. The show, billed as a musical mishmash of 'gangster pimp,' Romanian folk, rave, and dance - was an homage to Madonna's continuous reinventions over the past three decades.