The show, a free event that drew an estimated 1.6 million people from all over Brazil, was the final stop on her “Celebration Tour'' commemorating her 40-year reign at the top of the pop charts.
On Saturday night, pop idol Madonna gave it her all in Rio de Janeiro, looking back on her 40-year career in a historic show in front of throngs of jubilant fans on Brazil's famous Copacabana Beach.
The 65-year-old singer walked down the viaduct from the Copacabana Palace Hotel just after 10:30pm (1:30am Japan time) and onto the huge stage for one of the most important shows of her career. I headed to
Madonna, dressed all in black, performs her hit song nothing really matters At the beginning of a violent explosion of energy.
“Rio, we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” she said at the start of her performance, and the giddy Brazilian audience rose to its feet.
The show, a free event that drew an estimated 1.6 million people from all over Brazil, was the final stop on her “Celebration Tour” commemorating her 40-year reign at the top of the pop charts, according to the city's tourism board. It became.
Billed as a “historic” show, it combined music and dance with cabaret.
Madonna showed off her versatility with dozens of set and costume changes, spectacular lighting, and many giant screens along the beach.
She transformed from a schoolgirl in a miniskirt to a profane Christian in a black cloak, while a luminous cross circled around her. like a prayerthe song that led to her being excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
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“Live to Tell”
Madonna also joined the stage during the performance of her hit song trend It's the work of Anitta, the Brazilian singer known for popularizing Carioca funk, the soundtrack of Rio's favelas, around the world.
and tell in order to liveshe paid tribute to AIDS victims, including Freddie Mercury and legendary Brazilian musician Caduza.
American electronic dance music master DJ Diplo opened the show as thousands of people flocked to see him on stage. The boat rocked offshore and those on board enjoyed the show.
“I'm a mess, I'm not sleeping well. I've been listening to Madonna all week,” sociologist Ina Odara, 29, told AFP. On her shoulder is a tattoo of Madonna's words, “Try to forget everything you've ever learned.”
“Madonna helped me leave the Catholic Church, think about a lot of things, and change my relationship with my family,” he said of the gigantic stage, which is twice the size of the other stages used on the tour. said Odara, a transgender woman who stood near the stage.
Police patrolled almost every corner to minimize the usual mass robberies.
After 80 performances in Europe and North America, the Rio concert was the perfect capstone to a tour that was suddenly called an emergency after the singer contracted a life-threatening bacterial infection last June.
Madonna released an album in 1984 and has released an album every two to three years since then. like a virgin.
Her show sets a high bar with its stunning production. But always the provocative Madonna, she has also provided unforgettable moments, such as when she kissed Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV Music Video Awards.
Her irreverent behavior caused a rift in relations with the Catholic Church, with Pope John Paul II urging fans to boycott her provocative 1989 video. like a prayerit was considered blasphemous.
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“Hey, Rio!”
Madonna's concert should provide an economic boost to Rio, which donated 20 million reais ($4 million) towards the $12 million production cost.
Officials had expected this to inject a much larger sum of 293 million reais, or $57 million, into the local economy.
Every street corner in the Copacabana neighborhood had a sign, souvenir or T-shirt with a picture of Madonna or the conical corset designed by Jean Paul Gaultier and made famous by the diva.
Hundreds of fans have flocked outside the Copacabana Palace since her arrival on Monday.
Excitement skyrocketed on Thursday night when Madonna suddenly appeared at soundcheck with her face almost completely obscured by a colorful balaclava.
The scene was repeated on Friday.
“Hey Rio!” she called out to her fans in Portuguese.
More than 1 million people responded Saturday night. “Hey, Queen Madonna!”