TORONTO - Madonna has announced a world tour with five Canadian stops, including an outdoor show at the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.
But while artists including Paul McCartney and Celine Dion have previously given free concerts at the historic battlefield, fans will have to pay to see the Material Girl.
Local promoter Sylvain Parent-Bedard said charging admission means concert-goers won't be crammed in like "sardines" as they have been at past shows on the Plains.
"(Madonna) really wants to have a big dance party,'' he said of the Sept. 1 show. "It's a big party for fans — she wanted a big party for fans."
A spokeswoman for the National Battlefields Commission, which looks after the Plains, said the federal agency agreed to the paid admission after considering the economic spinoffs from the event.
''Generally, we don't accept any commercial activity but in this case it's really exceptional,'' Joanne Laurin said in an interview.
''But people shouldn't presume anything regarding future requests we might get.''
Tickets for the Plains of Abraham performance go on sale Feb. 17 and will range from $55 to $250, excluding administrative fees.
Madonna is also set to play the Bell Centre in Montreal on Aug. 30, Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on Sept. 10 and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sept. 12.
The final Canadian stop of the tour is Sept. 29 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Madonna's 2012 World Tour begins May 29 in Tel Aviv and includes stops in Istanbul, Brussels, Helsinki and Zurich. The tour will also visit South American and Australia.
Madonna's last tour, 2008-2009's "Sticky & Sweet," grossed more than US$400 million.
On Sunday, she was the Super Bowl halftime performer at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
— With files from The Associated Press and from Canadian Press reporter Alexandre Robillard in Quebec City.