Madonna draws 1.6 million people to free concert on Brazil’s Copacabana beach

The sand and oceanfront walkway around Rio de Janeiro’s famous beach for several blocks was filled with the city’s estimated crowd of 1.6 million.

Many people stayed there for hours or even days to get a good spot, while wealthy fans lined up in dozens of boats anchored near the beach and crowds of spectators crowded into beach apartments.

Before the concert, when the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, firefighters sprayed water to cool down fans gathered near the Queen of Pop’s stage and drinking water was distributed for free. The temperature during the late night show was around 27 degrees Celsius.

Madonna, 65, sang songs including “Like a Prayer”, “Vogue” and “Express Yourself” for more than two hours at 10:45 pm at the conclusion of her greatest hits tour that began late last year.

“Rio, we are here in the most beautiful place in the world, with the sea, the mountains, Jesus,” Madonna told the crowd, referring to the city’s towering mountaintop statue of Christ the Redeemer. “Magic.”

Brazilian pop artists Anita and Pablo Vittar, as well as young musicians from samba schools took part in the show.

More than 3,000 police officers were deployed around the concert area, where the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart also drew crowds of millions. Authorities used crowd-management tactics similar to how they handle the city’s famous New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Brazilian authorities have increased their vigilance over heat-related health problems after a young Brazilian fan died of heat exhaustion at a Taylor Swift concert last year.

Rio’s state and city governments said they spent 20 million riyals on the concert, while the rest was financed by private sponsors. Officials estimate that the concert could bring about 300 million reais to Rio’s economy.

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