Though she is hardly the first musician to speak up on behalf of Pussy Riot — the Russian feminist punk bandits who have been in jail since February for saying mean things about Vladimir Putin (in a Moscow cathedral, during an illegal “punk prayer†concert) — give some credit to Madonna: She did it onstage, in Moscow, with an unexpected amount of dignity. By this we mean: no swastikas were imposed on anyone’s head, no breasts were flashed, and Madonna more or less managed to avoid her attention-seeking impulses long enough to deliver a speech about artistic and religious freedom. She even seemed a little nervous! And despite protest threats (and a generally cursed tour when it comes to audience relations), the crowd was with her. Full video below.
