Madonna’s Saturday night concert in Warsaw coincided with an important day for another Madonna – the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. That was a source of dismay to some ultra-Catholic Poles but did not seem to perturb the tens of thousands of cheerful fans who attended the concert.

“I’m a practising Catholic but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going to the concert tonight,” said a grinning young woman, clutching her white Madonna ticket as she pushed past a single protester decked out in signs condemning the event.