1.6 million people watched Madonna’s free concert at Copacabana beach (Rio de Janeiro), on May 5, despite the heat of the South American country.

Madonna sings Nothing Really Matters. Video: YouTube Madonna Nagio

According to The Guardian, the “queen of pop” performed for more than two hours many hits such as Like a Pray, Vogue, Express Yourself. She repeatedly thanked the audience for their enthusiasm: “We are here, the most beautiful place in the world, with the ocean, the mountains and Jesus” (the singer alluded to the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro). Two Brazilian singers – Anitta and Pabllo Vittar – participated in some performances.

The concert is the final show in The Celebration Tour, a tour celebrating Madonna’s four decades of singing, which kicked off last October. According to Deadline, the singer broke The Rolling Stones’ record. The rock group once performed at the same venue, with 1.2 million spectators. Before that, the biggest show in Madonna’s career was in 1987 in Paris, France, with 130,000 spectators.

Madonna and dancers in concert. Photo: Reuters

Many people flocked to Rio de Janeiro a few days earlier to watch the concert, causing hotels and motels to run out of rooms. Rich people rented yachts to watch the show from the sea. More than 3,000 police were deployed around the beach area. Authorities used the same crowd management strategy as they guarded the city’s famous New Year’s Eve celebrations.

To prevent the audience from dying due to too hot weather like at Taylor Swift’s concert late last year, firefighters were mobilized to spray water before the show. They also do the same task every time the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius.

Rio de Janeiro authorities said they spent 20 million reais (3.9 million USD) for Madonna to hold a concert. The rest is paid for by private donors. Authorities estimate the event could bring about 300 million reais ($59.1 million) to Rio de Janeiro’s economy.

Madonna, 66 years old, is an American singer, known as the “Queen of Pop”. She has been famous since the 1980s with more than 300 million albums sold and billions of dollars in revenue from tours throughout her singing career.

She laid the foundation for building the model of a modern pop star, influencing many later singers, including Britney Spears. Before Beyonce or Taylor Swift, Madonna was the first female star to build an image of self-reliance, independence and to do her best for her career. The songs that made her name include Back That Up To The Beat, Take a Bow, Vogue, Like a Virgin, Express Yourself.