Madonna superfan adds Vancouver concert to growing tally

An estimated 55,000 Madonna fans — some decked out in wedding gowns, cowboy hats and bustiers — took in the pop star's concert at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium on Thursday night.

But for one devoted fan, the city's first-ever Madonna concert was simply the latest leg of his own mini-tour following the Queen of Pop.

Since becoming a fan of the performer in 1990, Manchester's Darren Hassall has structured his life around attending her concerts.

"She's amazing. She's wonderful. She's the best at what she does," he raved to CBC News.

For Madonna's current Sticky and Sweet tour, the British uberfan is planning to see 18 of the shows. By the time the tour ends in December, Hassall will have seen 68 of her concerts in total — with the various gigs having taken him around the globe.

"On the Confessions tour two years ago, I did 22 shows. So I did America, Europe and Japan," recalled Hassall, who was dressed in a Sticky and Sweet jacket he purchased at the tour's kickoff in Cardiff, Wales in August.

"The Reinvention tour, that was the USA and Europe," he added. "Before that it was just the Drowned World tour in Europe."

Tickets for the 50-year-old singer's concerts have been highly coveted; fans reported flying in from Edmonton or driving up from Seattle to attend the Vancouver show, while other locations have been sold out.

Though Hassall didn't want to give away all his secret ways of getting his hands on Madonna tickets, he did divulge one method — waiting at the ticket window until the last possible moment to see if something becomes available.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour ends in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Dec. 21.