After years idolising Madonna from other side of world, pair about to see singer perform
After years idolising Madonna from other side of world, pair about to see singer perform.
Lifelong best friends Lynn Douglas and Tracy Maritz will make a 30-year-old dream come true this Saturday when they see Madonna perform at Vector Arena as part of her Rebel Heart tour.
Mrs Maritz was due in Auckland last night from the pair's hometown of Johannesburg for a surprise holidayorganised by Mrs Douglas.
Making the trip even more special is the fact Mrs Maritz has spent the past five years battling melanoma and has only recently been told she is in the clear.
Mrs Douglas, a graphic designer, moved to Auckland from her home city four years ago and thought she would never get to see the Queen of Pop with Mrs Maritz, who she has known since she was 3.
When it was announced Madonna was performing in New Zealand, Mrs Douglas knew what she had to do.
Secretly, she arranged for Mrs Maritz to fly from South Africa to Auckland for the show, plotting the surprise with Mrs Maritz's husband through social media. When Mrs Maritz found out she would finally see her idol in the flesh, she was completely overwhelmed.
"She was hysterical," Mrs Douglas said. "She just cried and cried and cried, I couldn't get two words out of her. She couldn't believe it was really happening."
The close-knit pair used to compete with one another to see who had the most Madonna pictures up on their walls, Mrs Douglas said, and the singer was their fashion icon.
A Kiwi Roman Catholic bishop says Madonna's Rebel Heart tour is offensive. Photo / Getty
"We had every single album, we dressed like her, whatever she wore whether it was the bangles, the little headbands, we wore it, we did it. We were just absolutely crazy.'
The friends didn't plan to dress as wildly as they used to for the concert, but they will be cutting loose beforehand at the official pre-show VIP party.
"We're just beside ourselves," Mrs Douglas said.
"We don't know what to do, we don't even know if we're going to see the concert because we'll probably faint."
After the show the friends will spend nearly two weeks together as Mrs Douglas shows Mrs Maritz around her new home country on a road trip from Auckland to Christchurch. "I just want to make it a really special trip for her."
Madonna's stage is shaped like a crucifix, with a heart-shaped Rebel Heart logo at the end. Photo / Getty
The whole experience would be something the pair would treasure for the rest of their lives, Mrs Douglas said. "I never ever thought dreams could come true, and now I believe that they can."
