Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor (2024)

/ Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective,which kicked off in October in London.

The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” Huge cheers rose from the buzzing, tightly packed crowd, pressed up against the barriers. Others held house parties in brightly lighted apartments and hotels overlooking the beachfront. Helicopters and drones flew overhead, and motorboats and sailboats anchored off the beach filled the bay.

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic.”

Madonna performed her classic hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the introduction to “Like A Prayer,” her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.

The star paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor (1)

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall’s tourism agency. That is more than 10 times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna’s official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

In recent days, the buzz was palpable. Fans milled outside the stately, beachfrontCopacabana Palace hotel, where Madonna is staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a sign saying, “Welcome Madonna you are the best I love you.”

Flags with “Madonna” printed against a background of Copacabana’s iconic black and white waved sidewalk pattern hung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concert attendees kitted out in themed T-shirts, sweating under a baking sun.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives in the area.

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor (2)

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would inject 293 million reals ($57 million) into the local economy. Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98% in Copacabana, according to Rio’s hotel association. Fans hailing from across Brazil and even Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement. Rio’s international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil’s Ceara state — approximately 1,555 miles from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” read Heineken ads plastered around the city, the lettering above an image of an upturned bottle cap resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn’t the only company seeking to profit from the excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared “Like a Virgin” co*cktails. A shop in the downtown neighborhood famed for selling Carnival attire completely reinvented itself, stocking its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and even underwear.

Organization of the mega-event was similar to New Year’s Eve, when millions of people gather on Copacabana for its fireworks display, local authorities said. That annual event often produces widespread thefts and muggings, and there was some concern such problems might occur at Madonna’s show.

Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor (3)

Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on stand by. In the lead-up to the concert, Brazil’s navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to follow the show.

A number of huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew more than 4 million fans and wasthe biggest free rock concert in history, according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to see Rio’s fireworks show, though, so a more fitting comparison might be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, which saw 1.2 million people crowd onto the sand, according to Rio’s military police, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.

“Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas,” Soares said.

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

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor (2024)

FAQs

What was the biggest concert at Copacabana? ›

Madonna put on a free concert Saturday night on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, turning the vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor. An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall's tourism agency.

How many people went to the Madonna concert in Rio? ›

An estimated 1.6 million people on May 4 attended Madonna's free concert on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach. The concert, which was the last one as part of Madonna's Celebration Tour, included a tribute to people lost to AIDS.

Who paid for the Madonna Rio concert? ›

Rio's state and city governments said they spent 20 million reais ($3.9 million) on the concert, while the rest was financed by private sponsors. The authorities estimate the concert could bring about 300 million reais to Rio's economy.

Where was Madonna's last concert? ›

More than a million music fans gathered at Brazil's iconic Copacabana beach to prove their love to Madonna over the weekend. The “Get into the Groove” and “Vogue” pop diva concluded her career-spanning Celebration Tour with a bang over the weekend, treating fans in Rio de Janeiro to a free beach concert on Saturday.

What was Madonna's biggest concert ever? ›

Madonna has ended her The Celebration Tour with the largest concert ever staged by a single act. The veteran artist's free Brazil concert at Rio's Copacabana beach on Saturday, 4 May, was attended by an audience of 1.6 million.

Who had the largest concert ever? ›

Country legend George Strait has broken the record for the largest ticketed concert ever in the US.

Why was Madonna's concert in Rio free? ›

The show will be free of charge as a thank you to her fans for celebrating more than four decades of her music over the course of the epic global run of the tour. It will also mark the best-selling female recording artist of all time first show in Brazil since 2012.

How much does Madonna charge for a concert? ›

An example fee to book Madonna is in the starting range of $2,500,000-$6,000,000. However, any recent popularity change would cause a price fluctuation well beyond this example.

What time did Madonna start in Rio? ›

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

How much did Brazil pay Madonna? ›

The singer's fee, information contained in another state government document obtained by a columnist of the newspaper O Globo, is reportedly BRL 17.075 million (USD 3.3 million).

Is Madonna the highest paid singer? ›

Highest-paid musicians by year

Michael Jackson became the annual highest-paid musician three times and the annual highest-paid male solo musician a record seven times. Madonna became the annual highest-paid musician three times and the annual highest-paid female musician a record eleven times. Ref.

Does Madonna own all her music? ›

Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. Madonna owns her music and would like to keep it that way, as she recently came out claiming she will never sell the rights to her songs.

How many people attended Madonna's Rio concert? ›

Madonna created history and proved why she is the Queen of Pop in the true sense when more than 1.6 million fans attended her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in the Latin American country of Brazil, reports 'Deadline'.

Who did Madonna bring on stage in Rio? ›

As with other "Celebration" shows, she invited local stars onstage with her: In Rio, her guests were Brazilian performers Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, the latter helping Madonna shift her track "Music" into a samba.

What was Madonna's last number one hit? ›

Single charts
SingleUS
Hot 100Hot Dance
Popular (2023)43
I Don't Search I Find (2020)-1
Crave (2019)-1
53 more rows

How many people were at the Rolling Stones concert at Copacabana Beach? ›

On February 18, 2006, The Rolling Stones performed from Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. With an audience of 1.5 million people, it was one of the biggest free concerts ever and a legendary moment in Rock and Roll history.

How many people were at Rod Stewart Copacabana? ›

“ On December 31, 1994, Rod Stewart performed at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in front of an estimated 3.5 to 4.2 million people.” listverse.com/2012/09/08/10-…

What is the largest attended music festival? ›

1. Donauinselfest. Vienna has long been home to musical geniuses, with luminaries such as Mozart being previous residents, so it's no surprise it's now home to the biggest festival in the world.

What is the Copacabana famous for? ›

Copacabana (/ˌkoʊpəkəˈbænə/ KOH-pə-kə-BAN-ə, US also /-ˈbɑːnə/ -⁠BAH-nə, Portuguese: [ˌkɔpakaˈbɐnɐ]) is a bairro (neighbourhood) located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is most prominently known for its 4 km (2.5 miles) balneario beach, which is one of the most famous in the world.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lidia Grady

Last Updated:

Views: 6211

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lidia Grady

Birthday: 1992-01-22

Address: Suite 493 356 Dale Fall, New Wanda, RI 52485

Phone: +29914464387516

Job: Customer Engineer

Hobby: Cryptography, Writing, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Calligraphy, Web surfing, Ghost hunting

Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.