Area around Rio de Janeiro beach filled for several blocks as singer closes her Celebration world tour
Sun 5 May 2024 16.26 CEST
With the world-famous statue towering over it from Corcovado mountain, Rio de Janeiro is well used to Christ the Redeemer. For one night only this weekend, it also had Madonna.
More than a million people thronged Copacabana beach on Saturday night, turning its vast stretch of sand into a massive dancefloor for a free concert by the pop star as she completed her world tour.
“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, told the tightly packed crowd. Pointing out the ocean view and the mountains, she added: “This place is magic.”
In the run-up to the concert, the city had been buzzing, with fans lined up outside the stately Copacabana Palace hotel in the hope of catching a glimpse of the star. The city’s airport fielded an estimated 170 extra flights as fans poured in from around the world.
City officials estimated that 1.6 million people turned up for the concert, some watching from brightly lit apartments or hotels overlooking the beach, while others looked on from motorboats and sailboats anchored nearby.
As drones and helicopters flew overhead, the singer offered up a dazzling show, playing classics ranging from Like a Virgin to Like a Prayer, and cycling through dozens of sets and costume changes.
Flanked by giant screens, she began the show with her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters, eliciting a huge cheer from the crowd.
“Oi, Rio!” she called out in Portuguese. The response was swift, carried by more than a million voices: “Oi, Queen Madonna!”
The singer also paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to Aids as she sang Live to Tell, against a backdrop of black-and-white photos featuring people who died from the illness.
The Brazilian pop artists Anitta and…
