Singer Madonna performs during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - As she kicked off the U.S. leg of her "MDNA Tour" in Philadelphia, Madonna said she was happy to party in the USA after touring Europe for three months.
The pop icon told the crowd Tuesday night they should "never forget how lucky you are to live where you live and to have the freedom that you have." She made the comments after talking about punk-rock group Pussy Riot's recent arrest in Moscow for the female band's lyrical content about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Madonna said it was no coincidence that she opened her U.S. tour "where the Declaration of Independence was signed." Then the 53-year-old yelled: "We are in the land of democracy."
She also told the crowd: "Don't get fat and lazy and take that freedom for granted."
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)