2024-05-04 00:07:31
“Welcome, Queen,” say the signs installed near the imposing stage erected on the sand of Copacabana, the iconic beach in Rio de Janeiro where Madonna plans to give this Saturday, May 4, the largest concert in her 40-year career and the last of the Celebration Tour. 1.5 million people are expected to attend and the Rio Government estimates that the event will inject some $58 million into the local economy, 30 times more than what has been invested. In response to the monumental event, the authorities have deployed 3,200 military police, 1,500 civil police and 1,130 municipal Guard agents in the Copacabana neighborhood alone.
“They are happy?” “Yessss!!”. Last night, Madonna surprised the thousands of fans who gathered around the Copacabana Palace, the five-star hotel where she stays with her team of 200 people. Many had come just to browse and see the enormous 270-ton box, which has become a tourist attraction and is being immortalized in countless selfies. What was not expected was the minishow of the queen of pop to perform the sound check.
The star appeared hidden behind a fluorescent green mask, a peculiar shape that she chose perhaps to avoid unwanted photos without showing off perfect makeup. Despite her eccentricity, she did not disappoint her disbelieving fans, who shouted “Madonna, you’re sexy!” and they enthusiastically sang classics like ‘The Beautiful Island’ and ‘Nothing Really Matters’. “It is a historic moment, I cannot believe that we are seeing Madonna in Copacabana and that we are going to have a show two hours completely free,” said Raimunda, a young student who, despite her young age, declares herself an unconditional fan of the singer. “I am much happier and a better person for having grown up in the time of Madonna and not in the saltless era of conservative Taylor Swift,” said Carol, a teacher in her 40s.
Tomorrow, May 4, Copacabana beach will become the stage of the mega-show of Madonna, who has chosen Rio de Janeiro to close The Celebration Tour, along with 24 artists. It will be the biggest show of her 40-year career. It is also an incredible way to celebrate a career of many successes, marked by the sale of 300 million records, making her the best-selling female artist of all time.
Madonna holds Brazilian flags as she rehearses before her concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 2, 2024. © Pilar Olivares / AP
The tour was launched in October 2023 in London, with a record six shows sold out at The O2. The show, which spans 15 countries, not only received rave reviews from fans and the press, but is also a demonstration of Madonna’s groundbreaking career and her impact on contemporary culture. In fact, in Rio de Janeiro the star has invited 20 young percussionists from samba schools and the queer artist Pabllo Vittar to ‘Abrasileira’ her show.
Since she landed in Rio de Janeiro on April 29, Cariocas have not stopped following every step of the singer and her collaborators. Everything has been widely commented on social networks: Madonna’s costumes and her dancers, who arrived in 45 trunks; the magnitude of the equipment, which weighs 80 tons; the lavishness of her suite, which has a private pool; the 90 rooms reserved in the luxurious Copacabana Palace, the most famous hotel in Rio de Janeiro and perhaps in all of Brazil; and the five rooms, intended exclusively for rehearsals.
1.5 million attendees
Everything about this tour is monumental. The stage, called by the local press as “the largest in the world”, has 812 square meters. The structure measures 24 meters long and the box is 2.40 meters high from the ground to facilitate vision from the beach. There are also 18 sound towers and 18 giant screens. About 1.5 million people are expected to attend. Of them, 150,000 are tourists arriving from other cities in Brazil or even other countries. The total cost of show around 12 million dollars. It is speculated that Madonna will receive a cache of 8.8 million dollars.
The economic impact for the city is already being felt. The City Council of Rio de Janeiro estimates that The event will inject some 58 million dollars into the local economy, 30 times more than what has been investedthat is, two million dollars. It is the same sum contributed by the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
About 4,000 people work directly or indirectly in the production of this show. The hotels near the beach are practically full, as well as the seasonal rental apartments. In addition, for weeks now, city center stores and street vendors have been profiting from T-shirts, bags, fans and other themed souvenirs dedicated to the queen of pop. The cult object is the corset with cone-shaped breasts, an imitation of the original designed by stylist Jean Paul Gaultier three decades ago for the Blonde Ambition tour.
A man sells a folding fan with an image of Madonna before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 3, 2024. © Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
In a city infamous for high rates of violence, safety has become the top priority. A deployment of 3,200 military police, 1,500 civil police and 1,130 municipal Guard agents has been designed in the Copacabana neighborhood alone, in addition to facial recognition cameras and even drones with this technology. There will also be 18 checkpoints to prevent, for example, fans from bringing glass bottles into the venue. Finally, 800 firefighters and 30 ambulances will be prepared to prevent and remedy any type of accident or discomfort.
Due to the unusual heat wave for the autumn season, local authorities are offering free water to the public. In the collective memory it is the death of a 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan, who died last November from heat stress. The water is served in biodegradable glasses and monitored every hour to guarantee good quality.
Tempers in Copacabana, in a state of boiling
Meanwhile, on the eve of the most anticipated show of the year, the Copacabana neighborhood is becoming more convulsed by the hour. There are those who scream at the top of their chest ‘Madonnaaaaaa’, under the hotel. One neighbor is even using a megaphone to get the attention of the star who, by the way, is starting to get annoyed with so much noise and the constant invasion of her privacy. The Copacabana Palace is sandwiched between several buildings and it is impossible to avoid prying eyes even at its private pool. In addition, the singer would not be coping very well with the stifling heat of recent days, according to hotel employees.
His collaborators do not escape the fans either. A dancer from his team has caused a sensation for her beefy muscles and her tiny bikini on Copacabana beach. His makeup artist, Aaron Smith Henrikson, He has published several videos from Saarathe traditional commercial neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro, showing all the objects for sale dedicated to its ‘boss’.
The Celebration Tour marks Madonna’s fourth visit to Brazil. The singer first introduced herself to Brazilians in 1993, with The Girlie Show. In addition to the series of shows in the 1990s, Madonna also performed in Brazil in 2008 and 2012. Her international fame is due to a multiplicity of factors: she invented the star model that we know today, uniting dance, fashion, performance and a powerful personal brand. Additionally, she was one of the first singers to truly master the video clip format. After four decades of career, she remains the undisputed queen of pop.
Photograph of magnets for sale alluding to the American artist Madonna, on May 2, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © Antonio Lacerda / EFE
Madonna also went down in history for breaking all possible taboos. She questioned Catholicism, defended the right to abortion, publicly recognized the difficulties of being a mother, used her nudity openly, openly expressed her sexuality and became an icon of LGBTQIA+ culture in a pioneering era, marked by the AIDS epidemic. Some of her songs explicitly allude to the homosexual public such as ‘Express Yourself’ and ‘Vogue’, considered true anthems for gays. Already in her album Erotica, the artist spoke openly about AIDS and homosexuality.
Tomorrow for many Brazilians will probably be the last chance to see Madonna Louise Ciccone dominating a stage and making several generations dream together with her songs that don’t seem to age, like her.
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