The long-awaited concert Madonna Saturday at the beach Copacabana Rio de Janeiro turned the neighborhood upside down, but it doesn’t matter: the queen of pop “deserves” the more than a million people expected to see her for free, says a retired resident, Mario Renato Borges.
“Welcome, Queen”say some posters near the monumental stage erected in recent days on the Copacabana sand, where Madonna plans to give the biggest concert of her 40-year career and the last of the Celebration Tour.
The American singer, 65, arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday following more than 80 shows in Europe, the United States and Mexico. This will be your only stop in South America.
According to the producer, the singer Like a virgin y Like a prayer traveled to Brazil with three planes y 270 tons of equipment and material.
He settled in the glamorous Copacabana Palaceconnected to the stage by a suspended catwalk, under which dozens of fans gathered on Monday wanting to catch a glimpse of the artist.
PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP
Fans greet the van carrying Madonna as she arrives at the hotel
The “biggest dance floor”
The organizers plan to bring together up to 1.5 million viewersa figure that was only reached on the same beach by Rolling Stones in 2006.
Access will be free and without entry.
PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP
The huge stage was installed on the Copacabana sand
“The traffic is chaos. But the concert will be great… Especially because it’s Madonna, the queen of pop,” says Borges, 68, who lives in Leme, at the end of Copacabana.
According to the mayor’s office, Madonna’s fourth performance in Rio will bring in some 293 million reais (57 million dollars) to the local economy, income 30 times higher than what was invested.
The arrival of 150,000 foreigners on special flights and hotel occupancy is close to 100%.
“This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest international events in Rio: it will boost our economy and attract tourists from Brazil, Latin America and all over the world,” said the city’s Tourism Secretary, Daniela Maia.
The conical corset returns
In the days before, the fever for Madonna is felt in the “Cidade Maravilhosa”.
Several stores changed the decoration of their windows. At the Lix printing house, located in the gigantic popular market of Saara, in the center, the hits of the “Material Girl” are played on a loop to inspire those looking for accessories to attend the concert, be it fans, hats or personalized mugs.
PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP
Her manager, Lívia Reis, 23, told AFP that shortly following the concert in Copacabana was announced, she set up a display with extravagant Madonna objects.
“A guy came in, took a photo and a video and sent them to a fan club with 150,000 followers in Portugal. From there, it jumped to TikTok, Instagram…” and it went viral, says Reis.
In the store, one accessory dethrones the others: the imitation of the iconic conical corset designed by French couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier and with which the singer made a splash on stage in 1990.
PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP
In the form of a bra or T-shirt, the item is “working very well,” says the manager. And the expectation is that these days there will be “lines at the door,” she adds.
Patrols on the corners
“All this movement of tourism, hotels, restaurants, is good. Hopefully the security is up to par,” says Borges, alluding to the problems of robberies and robberies that this tourist neighborhood frequently suffers from.
The mayor’s office deployed a device equivalent to the end of the year in Copacabanaone of the most famous in the world, which can bring together up to a million people.
“Operation Madonna” will deploy some 4,500 agents who will work with drones and facial recognition cameras. There will be police patrols on almost every corner of the neighborhood.
Nágila Alves, 54, an employee of a disinfestation company, was heading towards a client’s home when she was impressed by the vision of the 800 m2 stage and stopped to take a photo.
“I will always like her. Madonna is eternal”, says. Will you go to the concert? Yes, by metro, but given the “crowds” expected in the first rows, you won’t arrive very early.
AFP
