Midna concert awash with Sani Sabik symbolism

Following her outing as a Sani Sabik follower, pop star Midna's concerts have begun taking on more and more aspects of the faith.

At the concert following her admission to being a Sani Sabik worshiper, concert-goers found the stage decorated with several Sani Sabik religious icons. Midna acknowledged the icons during her set, telling the crowd that the symbols helped "calm me down and make me really connect with my music."

More recently, there have been more symbolic shows of her faith, as the icons were reduced in size, though still visible. Instead, the show took on more red lighting, which gave the show a "slightly darker, yet more intimate feel" according to several critics.

Her latest concert, however, has evoked another wave of controversy, as Midna publicly engaged in a blood ritual on stage. Midway through her set, Midna abruptly stopped the concert and asked for the house lights to be dimmed. She then told the crowd, "My faith teaches that, in moments of intense passion and personal pride, a person should share blood. It helps make the experience more intimate and, when you are in that moment, it's when your blood is the most powerful for another person to take."

Most of the crowd responded in cheers and a few shouted out words of support as Midna brought an unidentified man on stage. She pricked her finger and dabbed the blood on the man's lips. The man did the same to Midna and the two shared some words that were not picked up by the microphones. Following that, Midna resumed her concert.

A few fans were caught leaving the venue after the ritual. One of those leaving, Mitt Maeke, stated, "Look, what she does in private is none of my business. But man, I don't want to see that sort of stuff. I just wanted to listen to the music, not see all that religious crap."

Most fans, however, were supportive. One man even yelled out, "Midna, blood me!" to which Midna replied, "You haven't even bought me dinner yet," drawing laughs from the crowd.

The news of Midna performing rituals on stage was predictably met harshly by her critics. The Federation Citizens Against Midna released a statement promising to redouble their efforts to get Midna's album and performances banned. "The fact that she's using her performances as a way to glorify her rituals just shows that she's trying to recruit people into her way of life. We can't just stand by."