SINGAPORE: The Singapore leg of pop superstar Madonna’s global Rebel Heart Tour has been restricted to fans aged 18 and above, the concert’s local coordinator said on Wednesday.

The one-night-only event on Feb 28, Madonna’s first-ever concert in the city-state, will be held at the 55,000-seat National Stadium, entertainment firm MediaCorp Vizpro said.

“Please note that this concert is rated ‘R18’ with the consumer advisory on ‘Sexual References’. Only those above 18 years of age will be permitted into the venue,” it said on its Facebook page.

Concerts and other forms of public entertainment are classified by the Media Development Authority, which also regulates the film and broadcast industries.

The Straits Times newspaper noted that Madonna’s concert tour setlist includes a segment involving dancers dressed as scantily-clad nuns pole-dancing on cross-shaped stripper poles.

Affluent Singapore, often ridiculed as a “nanny state” for its tradition of social control, has eased censorship in recent years and become an Asian entertainment hub. But the authorities say its population is still largely conservative.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2016