MADONNA MADNESS: Concert for 1.6 Million
Written by Ariel Newbold on May 6, 2024
Madonna ended the Celebration Tour with free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that smashed attendance records.
The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” She also sang her classic hits “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” and “Like A Prayer”. Madonna paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” and later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.
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.
This concert was a triumphant finale to a difficult year. This time last year, Madonna suffered a bacterial infection. Doctors induced her into a 48-hour coma. She nearly died.
Fast-forward to Saturday night where 65-year-old Madonna threw the world’s largest concert for almost 2 million fans to “thank you them for celebrating more than four decades of her music.” (Billboard)
Live Nation reports 1.6 million people descended on Copacabana Beach. CNN said the attendance approached 2.5 million.