Hayarkon Park was transformed into a lavish Las Vegas showroom Tuesday night, as Madonna brought her Sticky & Sweet show to Tel Aviv for the first of two concerts marking the end of her world tour.

“Get up out of your seats,” she commanded the crowd in the opening song, “Candy Shop,” and the sold-out audience of 50,000 happily complied.

At one point in the show, Madonna said, “It’s been 16 years since I played in Israel. I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.”

“Israel is the energy capital of the world,” she continued. “If we can live together in harmony in this place, we can live in peace all over the world.”

During the electrifying finale, “Give It 2 Me,” Madonna grabbed an Israeli flag out of the crowd and paraded with it on stage.

By early in the afternoon the area surrounding the park had begun to take on a festive atmosphere, as hundreds of fans of the American icon waited outside the gate for the 5:30 p.m opening, in order to nab prime standing room.

“We are going to run straight to the stage,” said Uriel, 26, from Ra’anana, who was waiting with a friend. “I didn’t sleep last night at all. I’m so excited.”

Orit, 32, from Holon, brought a pillow with her to ease the burden of the long wait. “We’ll stand as long as we have to,” she said.

It turned out the fans had to wait until 9:22 p.m., when Madonna and crew hit the stage to a sea of lit cellphones, following an innocuous 45-minute electro-dance mashup by DJ Paul Oakenfield.

Tour production manager Chris Lamb was right when he told reporters on Monday that Madonna didn’t put on a rock concert, she put on a show. Forget the Kabbala, the paparazzi subterfuge, the dinners with politicians and all the other trappings that have dominated her visit here so far. Madonna presented a dazzling display of Broadway-worthy spectacle, with choreography, props and stunning visuals, all creating a sensory explosion.

She proved during her show that she has lost nary a step. In fact, she’s gotten even better.

Local radio stations played Madonna songs through Tuesday. On Army Radio, a DJ interrupted a song briefly to quip that “tonight, Aunt Esther is playing at Hayarkon Park.”

Late on Monday, the diva dined with Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, who also was one of the many VIPs to attend Madonna’s concert last night. Others included British actor Sasha Baron Cohen and Israeli pop star Ninet Tayeb. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is to host Madonna at his Jerusalem residence on Friday.

From an article by The Jerusalem Post.