Tour finale

Tens of thousands attend Madonna’s free concert in Rio

(Bild: AP/Silvia Izquierdo)

US pop icon Madonna (65) has given a free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than a million people attended the show on Copacabana Beach. 

According to the city administration, 1.5 million people were expected to attend the show on Saturday evening (local time). It is still unclear how many there actually were in the end - in any case, pictures showed very large crowds.

On stage with daughter
In the meantime, Brazilian singer Anitta and one of Madonna's daughters were also on stage. It was announced on Madonna's website as the biggest concert of the "Queen of Pop". It was the conclusion of the world tour "The Celebration Tour", with which Madonna celebrated 40 years of her career. The tour began last October in London.

According to the city hall of the South American metropolis, the organization of the event was similar to that of a New Year's Eve. Around 3,000 emergency services were involved in "Operation Madonna". According to media reports, fans blocked several lanes of the Avenida Atlantica coastal road on the famous Copacabana beach on Friday in order to catch a glimpse of the artist during a rehearsal. Madonna merchandise has been sold in the city for days.

A lot of tax money spent
According to media reports, the fact that around 60 million reals (almost eleven million euros) of taxpayers' money was spent on the event, including 17 million reals for Madonna's fee, caused displeasure before the concert. According to the city administration, however, the state coffers were expected to receive 293 million reals, mainly due to the expected influx of tourists.