Madonna & Britney Spears bypass Calgary

Well it seems Madonna & Britney Spears wanted to play at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. But due to the structural inadequacies, they had to pull out.

Madonna wanted to stop in Calgary on her "Sweat & Sticky Tour" but plans fell through because of the architectural structure of the Saddledome. Performing "in the round," as this setup is called, requires that the acts hang tons of lights, speakers and special equipment from the middle of the ceiling, in which the Saddledome's dip-type roof cannot sustain that much weight.

When Madonna and her Management found out that they couldn't preform in the dome, she backed out of Alberta altogether rather than opting to play in Edmonton alone.

That was the same situation Britney Spears and her Management faced aswell, Britney wanted to play Calgary in April. But because of the roof and the size of the Saddledome, she had to pull out because her show just wouldn't fit. A source from Rexall Place said that Britney's show would barely fit into their arena. Rexall is known as being built like an egg and you could hang your house from our roof.

While the Saddledome has attracted some of the biggest acts in the world over the years - including the Rolling Stones, U2 and Bruce Springsteen - Calgary has recently missed out on a number of top shows. Among them are Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and a double bill featuring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - all of whom performed in Edmonton, instead. But even though Rexall Place will occasionally get shows that bypass the 'Dome, the Rexall insider stresses that often major touring acts are more attracted to Alberta when they can play both Calgary and Edmonton.

Ken King, president of the Calgary Flames (the organization that manages the 'Dome), said that the arena's roof and its weight restrictions was indeed a "prohibitive" factor when negotiations were on the table for bringing both Madonna and Spears to town.

This hits home with King, as he's spearheaded tentative plans to replace the 'Dome with a new venue in 2014 when the building's lease is up.