Fans of Madonna complained on Tuesday that she snubbed a pair of her longtime former backup singers to put the limelight on Kelly Ripa as she took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City Monday.
Singers Niki Haris and Donna De Lory worked with Madonna, 65, between the years of 1987 thru 2001, and had been seen in the 1990 music video for her hit Vogue and her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare.
Madonna did not acknowledge the tandem, who perform together professionally as Niki + Donna, causing ‘some grumbling from fans’ when the spotlight was focused on Ripa, 53, during the high-profile concert in the Big Apple, Page Six reported.
The outlet reported that a number of longtime fans were hoping for a Blond Ambition tour reunion with Haris and De Lory, who performed at the venue Green Room 42 on Saturday and Sunday.
Haris and De Lory appeared on The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast last week about the possibility of joining Madonna onstage at the show.
Fans of Madonna, 65, complained on Tuesday that she snubbed a pair of her longtime former backup singers to put the limelight on Kelly Ripa, 53, as she took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City Monday
Singers Niki Haris (L) and Donna De Lory worked with Madonna from 1987 until 2001, and had been seen in the 1990 music video for her hit Vogue and her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare
Haris told the outlet, ‘I have no right to give any information that is not completely confirmed as of this moment. With that said, we take joy wherever we can find it – if it’s on our stage, at Madison Square Garden, wherever the joy is … the bottom line is, we’re in town.’
De Lory said on the podcast: ‘No matter what, we’re just gonna have a great time.’
Amid her recent musical tour, Madonna has welcomed onstage her kids Lordes Leone and Rocco Richie, her boyfriend Joshua Popper and celeb pals such as Julia Fox and Diplo during a segment in the show that focuses on her song Vogue.
One-time Vogue dancer Jose Xtravaganza’s appearance was a hit with fans when she brought him onstage for the segment last week, a source told Page Six.
De Lory told fans at a meet and greet Saturday that she would be at the show, a source told the outlet.
‘She said they wouldn’t be mic’d or anything, which led me to believe maybe [Madonna] would make them Vogue judges,’ the source said.
An insider told the outlet that they had been invited to the concert as guests of Madonna and were positioned close to the stage.
Fans were left ‘stunned and saddened’ when Ripa was brought onstage instead of Madonna’s longtime backup singers, the outlet reported.
The outlet reported that a number of longtime fans were hoping for a Blond Ambition tour reunion with Haris and De Lory, who performed at the venue Green Room 42 on Saturday and Sunday
Amid her recent musical tour, Madonna has welcomed onstage a number of guests during a segment in the show that focuses on her song Vogue
Fans were left ‘stunned and saddened’ when Ripa was brought onstage instead of Madonna’s longtime backup singers, the outlet reported
A concertgoer told the outlet that Madonna ‘didn’t even acknowledge’ Haris and De Lory at the show.
The pair did not mention the purported snub in a set of Instagram posts they put up Tuesday.
‘We had so much fun last night for a girls night out celebrating with you all!!’ the duo said on Instagram. ‘We loved playing our 2 shows in New York and we promise to be back soon! Thanks for making our time here so special and for holding us so dearly in your hearts always!’
Ripa took to Instagram Tuesday with a slideshow of her time at the event, which she attended with husband Mark Consuelos. She captioned the post, ‘It was 10’s across the board last night with the icon herself, @Madonna!!!!’
Ripa was one of a number of celebrities in attendance at Monday’s show, according to the outlet, as other notable names at the event included Demi Moore, Uma Thurman, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Ana Navarro and Amy Schumer, among others.
