Madonna Gives Rare Performance

NEW YORK (AP) â€” The Material Girl was short on material. <br><br>Pop star Madonna gyrated on stage for hundreds of fans lucky enough to score free tickets to a rare live performance by the pop star Sunday

Monday, November 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) â€” The Material Girl was short on material.

Pop star Madonna gyrated on stage for hundreds of fans lucky enough to score free tickets to a rare live performance by the pop star Sunday night.

But the event was far from a concert, as Madonna sang just a handful of songs from her new album, ``Music,'' at the club Roseland in midtown Manhattan before for a standing-room only crowd that included celebrities such as designer Donatella Versace.

``I'm so happy to be onstage again!'' shouted Madonna, dressed in a black tank top and pants decorated with gold sequins, looking fit less than three months after giving birth to her second child, Rocco.

Madonna hasn't toured the United States since 1993. She recalled the last time she performed at Roseland, more than a decade ago, she was opening for the now defunct teen group New Edition.

But Madonna proved she still knows what it takes to keep the crowd dancing as she writhed on stage with her techno-disco beats from ``Music.''

The thumping beats often dominated Madonna's limited voice, which at times appeared to be enhanced by pre-taped vocals. But that didn't matter much to the adoring crowd, who shrieked and cheered each time Madonna moved her hips or shimmied across the stage with her two backup singers and four bare-chested male dancers.

The crowd gave the biggest ovation for her recent No.1 hit ``Music,'' but the packed dance floor also cheered wildly as she sang other songs on the album, including the slower-paced ``What It Feels Like For a Girl.''

The free tickets were doled out by local radio stations. Raspy-voiced singer Everlast opened for Madonna with tunes off his new album, ``Eat At Whitey's.''

Madonna is expected to go on tour early next year, although her publicist said no specific dates or cities have been set.