Madonna Performed A Surprise Show From Inside A Times Square Billboard

On Thursday evening, two secret doors inside a billboard three stories above Broadway swung open, a small stage appeared, and Madonna walked out. For 15 minutes she performed songs from her new album Confessions II to thousands of people on the street below who had no idea it was coming. The show was not announced until 30 minutes before it happened. Within hours the clips were everywhere. The performance was the official public unveiling of The Square, a new multi-level music venue built into Times Square itself, at Broadway and 47th Street. Built by Innovative Partnerships Group following a multi-billion dollar investment, the venue features 10 floors including a broadcast studio, a full indoor theater, event spaces, and that outdoor stage hidden within the billboard above. Artists staying at the adjacent Hilton Tempo Hotel can go directly from their room to the stage. Charli xcx, Shakira, and Post Malone had each quietly used the space before, but Madonna's show was the moment The Square went fully public.

The concept is unlike anything else in live music. City rules cap outdoor performances at 15 minutes and prohibit public announcements more than 30 minutes in advance, making every billboard-stage show a surprise by design. Fans who want to hear the full concert after the outdoor segment can scan a QR code and stream the audio on their devices. On a regular day, 200,000 to 250,000 people pass through Times Square, and every single one of them is a potential audience. "When an artist wants to do their album drop, they play here because you come on stage and it becomes global overnight," said Jeff Marks of Innovative Partnerships Group. He is not wrong.

Source:https://www.billboard.com/pro/inside-new-york-secret-music-venue-madonna-times-square/