Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor

May 5, 2024, 3:53 PM UTC / Source: The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put connected a free performance connected Copacabana formation Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s immense agelong of soil into an tremendous creation level teeming pinch a multitude of her fans.

It was nan past show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked disconnected successful October successful London.

The “Queen of Pop” began nan show pinch her 1998 deed “Nothing Really Matters.” Huge cheers roseate from nan buzzing, tightly packed crowd, pressed up against nan barriers. Others held location parties successful brightly lighted apartments and hotels overlooking nan beachfront. Helicopters and drones flew overhead, and motorboats and sailboats anchored disconnected nan formation filled nan bay.

“Here we are successful nan astir beautiful spot successful nan world,” Madonna, 65, told nan crowd. Pointing retired nan water view, nan mountains and nan Christ nan Redeemer statue overlooking nan city, she added: “This spot is magic.”

Madonna performed her classical hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For nan preamble to “Like A Prayer,” her caput was wholly covered successful a achromatic cape, a rosary gripped successful her hands.

The prima paid an affectional tribute to “all nan agleam lights” mislaid to AIDS arsenic she sang “Live to Tell,” pinch achromatic and achromatic photos of group who died from nan unwellness flashing down her.

Later, she was joined connected shape by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent nan past fewer days readying itself for nan performance.

An estimated 1.6 cardinal group attended nan show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall’s tourism agency. That is much than 10 times Madonna’s grounds attendance of 130,000 astatine Paris’ Parc des Sceaux successful 1987. Madonna’s charismatic website hyped nan show arsenic nan biggest ever successful her four-decade career.

In caller days, nan buzz was palpable. Fans milled extracurricular nan stately, beachfront Copacabana Palace hotel, wherever Madonna is staying, hoping to drawback a glimpse of nan popular star. During nan sound cheque connected nan shape group up successful beforehand of nan hotel, they danced connected nan sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded successful beforehand of nan hotel. A white-bearded man carried a motion saying, “Welcome Madonna you are nan champion I emotion you.”

Flags pinch “Madonna” printed against a inheritance of Copacabana’s iconic achromatic and achromatic waved sidewalk shape hung from balconies. The area was packed pinch thoroughfare vendors and performance attendees kitted retired successful themed T-shirts, sweating nether a baking sun.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming each time pinch this outfit to invited my idol, my diva, my popular queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a achromatic cap.

“It’s going to beryllium an unforgettable show present successful Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civilian servant who lives successful nan area.

Eighteen sound towers were dispersed on nan formation to guarantee that each attendees tin perceive nan hits. Her two-hour show started astatine 10:37 p.m. section time, astir 50 minutes down schedule.

City Hall produced a study successful April estimating that nan performance would inject 293 cardinal reals ($57 million) into nan section economy. Hotel capacity was expected to scope 98% successful Copacabana, according to Rio’s edifice association. Fans hailing from crossed Brazil and moreover Argentina and France sought retired Airbnbs for nan weekend, nan level said successful a statement. Rio’s world airdrome had forecast an other 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said successful a statement.

“It’s a unsocial opportunity to spot Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever travel back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew successful from Brazil’s Ceara authorities — astir 1,555 miles from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” publication Heineken ads plastered astir nan city, nan lettering supra an image of an upturned vessel headdress resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn’t nan only institution seeking to profit from nan excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared “Like a Virgin” cocktails. A shop successful nan downtown vicinity famed for trading Carnival attire wholly reinvented itself, stocking its shelves pinch Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and moreover underwear.

Organization of nan mega-event was akin to New Year’s Eve, erstwhile millions of group stitchery connected Copacabana for its fireworks display, section authorities said. That yearly arena often produces wide thefts and muggings, and location was immoderate interest specified problems mightiness hap astatine Madonna’s show.

Rio state’s information scheme included nan beingness of 3,200 subject unit and 1,500 civilian constabulary officers connected guidelines by. In nan lead-up to nan concert, Brazil’s navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to travel nan show.

A number of immense concerts person taken spot connected Copacabana formation before, including a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew much than 4 cardinal fans and was the biggest free stone performance successful history, according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators besides came to spot Rio’s fireworks show, though, truthful a much fitting comparison mightiness beryllium to nan Rolling Stones successful 2006, which saw 1.2 cardinal group crowd onto nan sand, according to Rio’s subject police, nan newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported astatine nan time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a instrumentality who was astatine Copacabana connected Saturday, said Madonna has made her people crossed nan decades.

“Madonna had to tally truthful that today’s popular artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves arsenic an inspiration for today’s popular divas,” Soares said.

“And that’s 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It’s 40 years,” she said.