madonna gambler virgin tour

How Madonna proved she was up there with Springsteen and Prince at her '80s ASU debut

By the time Madonna arrived at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle for opening night of the Virgin Tour in 1985, she had already spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with her first chart-topping single, “Like a Virgin.” She spent another three weeks atop Billboard’s album chart with her second full-length effort, also titled “Like a Virgin.”

The set Madonna did that night was packed with huge hits, from her mainstream breakthrough, “Holiday,” through “Borderline” and “Lucky Star” to “Like a Virgin,” “Material Girl” and a single making early strides toward giving her a second No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, “Crazy For You.”

At 26, she had already started shaping the pop culture of a decade she would define as much as any global superstar this side of Prince or Michael Jackson.

See if you agree: The 35 best Madonna songs of all time, ranked

One thing Madonna hadn’t done is tour, although she had performed in clubs and delivered the first of many iconic performances at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, appearing on top of a three-layer cake in a wedding dress for “Like a Virgin.”

But that was all about to change with the opening of the Virgin Tour at the Paramount Theatre on April 10, 1985.

The Virgin Tour brought Madonna to Phoenix in April 1985

Twenty days later, the tour hit Tempe, Arizona, where Madonna played what was known at the time as the ASU Activity Center — currently Desert Financial Arena — for a sold-out crowd of 10,013.

The Arizona Republic’s Andrew Means wrote of the crowd at that performance, “Judging by the audience Tuesday, her appeal is not on just one track. Young women may have comprised a slight majority, but males were well-represented and there were even a few families and older couples in the audience.”

Means addressed what he referred to as “the media hostility” to which Madonna had become accustomed before brushing off the threat so many voices in the media appeared to feel Madonna’s brand of entertainment posed to the impressionable young minds of the fans who flocked to see her.

“On the other hand, there is something of the same freakish celebrity about her that makes Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper or Liberace essentially harmless playthings of the public,” Means wrote, pointing out that “Like a Virgin” is, in fact, “a rather innocent sentiment about feeling renewed by a fresh love” while the album as a whole “dwells on fairly traditional preoccupations —– boys who put on the style and how to attract them.”

He even invoked the name of another sexually provocative performer of the time to illustrate his point.

“No, female rock has not yet discovered its Dave Lee Roth,” he wrote. “But in Madonna, it comes close enough to touch a few nerves.”

Madonna's Celebration Tour 2024: Ultimate guide to her Footprint Center concert in Phoenix

'Madonna is calling her own shots'

The show that night in Tempe did have “a sensual side to it,” he wrote, but “Madonna was by no means overtly suggestive or crude,” although “her famous navel frequently protruded through her costumes, which ranged from close-fitting green and purple pants to a wedding outfit for her encore, ‘Like a Virgin.’”

He praised the choreography as both “striking and skilled,” going on to note, “she coordinated closely with two male dancers, and their routines did much to propel the songs and give them extra drama.”

Although the sound wasn’t all one might have hoped, Means wrote, “her singing was up to par and her band was polished.”

Means’ review also touched on the empowering nature of what the rise of Madonna meant for the pop culture of the ‘80s.

“Female emancipation in rock has been going on, gradually, since the ‘60s,” he wrote. “But in today’s female rock bands and singers, it seems to have finally shed its self-consciousness. No longer do they seem to be aiming for someone else’s idea of the noble female. Madonna is calling her own shots.”

'Madonna Louise Ciccone knows how to throw a party'

The Arizona Daily Star in Tucson also was there to document Madonna's first appearance on an Arizona stage.

The Star’s M. Scot Skinner made reference to “her belly button staring us down, as usual” in a performance he sized up as “likeable and harmless,” the singer “festively dressed in a paint-splattered jacket, purple lace knickers and pounds of dangling jewelry.”

He also addressed the naysayers.

“As you probably know, Madonna’s regarded with palpable distaste by those who feel the admitted boy toy’s sexuality might give youngsters the wrong idea about the role of women,” Skinner wrote.

“Feminists, I swear, have suggested that Madonna has singlehandedly set back the cause of women 15 years. She is called, among other things, America’s favorite social disease. People hate her.”

Skinner wasn’t buying into the idea of Madonna as a threat to community standards, though.

“I don’t believe the thousands of Madonna-wanna-be’s take the pop queen’s image any more seriously than heavy-metal fans take the devil-worship stuff,” he wrote.

“Have we all forgotten that sex is irrefutably linked to rock ‘n’ roll? It is one and the same thing and always has been. So the woman is comfortable with the notion of sex and is aware of her undeniable allure; does this mean the end of life as we know?”

To Skinner, the double standard was obvious.

“Men don’t seem to have this problem,” he wrote. “Prince, for example, is far more blatant about sexual matters but is admired for his freedom, his boldness. Madonna does the same thing and, because she is a woman, is labeled a dangerous slut.”

Then Skinner made it clear that he felt Madonna had nothing on Prince.

“Of course, Prince is a musical genius, while Madonna may not last another year,” he wrote. “Her bleating voice is nothing to rave about — although she proves she can sing in songs like ‘Crazy For You.’ Nothing about Tuesday night’s enormously energetic concert was truly spectacular or inspiring, but all of it was appealing. Madonna Louise Ciccone knows how to throw a party, and the sly spirit of fun was greatly refreshing.”

Madonna concert: The Queen of Pop brought 'the good, the bad, the sexy' to Phoenix

The Republic reviewer called Madonna 'a tease with a capital T'

Eight days after the concert, The Republic published a second review by Woody Wilson, who called her “a tease with a capital T” and began his review with “Watching Madonna on stage at ASU’s Activity Center last week, one couldn’t help but wonder what revelation she has in store for us when she finally appears on Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s ‘Good Sex’ show.”

Apparently, Cyndi Lauper had just appeared on Dr. Ruth and critics of the ‘80s often mentioned Lauper and Madonna in the same breath even though they’re obviously very different types of artists.

What little sex there was in Madonna’s live show, Wilson wrote, was “just enough to irritate the many fathers who brought their little girls to the show.”

He interviewed one dad, Lew Robinson, who said, “I brought my daughter because she bribed me. But, as far as I’m concerned, I can live without Madonna.”

Wilson seemed to like the show much more than Robinson did.

“Another pleasant surprise was the overall quality of the show,” Wilson wrote. “Contrary to what many believe, Madonna can sing, but she’s a better dancer. The remarkable Motown choreography, which included a pair of male dancers, was precision work that must have required months of rehearsal.”

After acknowledging that another few months of rehearsal wouldn’t be a bad thing, Wilson wrote, “Madonna is a performer, as evidenced by her tireless, although sometimes stilted, stage antics. The highly danceable beat throughout the concert had people up in their seats and spilling out into the aisles."

There were moments that struck him as too close to Vegas for comfort.

"But, hey," he concluded, "that's showbiz."

Fan attending his 1st concert says 'Madonna mania was in full swing'

Andrew Boyer was 16 and listening to KZZP on the way home from Mountain View High School in Mesa when the DJ announced that they had just released more tickets to the sold-out show.

“I just had to go to this one,” he recalls.

“Madonna mania was in full swing with the release of the ‘Like A Virgin’ album five months before and ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ coming out the previous month prior to the concert. The wannabes were there that night in full force. It was a sea of teased hair in bows, lace, gloves, bright neon colors and ‘Madonna bracelets,’ crosses and bangles.”

Boyer and his 14-year-old sister scored tickets at the Dillards department store at Fiesta Mall in Mesa, and their mom dropped them off at the show.

It was Boyer’s first concert and he was thrilled to be there.

“She opened up with ‘Dress You Up’ wearing a colorful big-shoulder jacket with tights,” he recalls. “The piercing sound of the crowd fueled Madonna’s performance. So many costumes in such a short set.

"The best part was towards the end of the show when Madonna came out in her wedding gown performing ‘Like a Virgin,’ rolling all over the stage. Midsong she pays tribute to Michael Jackson and sings a mash-up of Billie Jean before finishing off with her song. Doing mashups before mashups were a thing. Always a trendsetter.”

Madonna 2024 setlist: Every song she played at Phoenix concert on her Celebration tour

Madonna on Beastie Boys: 'I couldn’t understand why everyone hated them'

In Randy J. Taraborrelli’s “Madonna: An Intimate Biography,” Madonna is quoted as saying she wanted the Virgin Tour concerts to be "loud and brazen, and a reflection of my street-style and DGAF attitude.”

She collaborated on the fashion for the tour with her designer friend Maripol, who ran a small boutique in New York City’s Greenwich Village and brought in Patrick Leonard, fresh from the Jackson 5 Victory Tour, as musical director.

The Beastie Boys were an unlikely choice for the opening slot, resulting in a lot of booing crowds and overwhelmingly negative press.

As Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz told Spin years later, “I don't know why she thought it would be a good idea (to open for her tour), though. It was a terrible idea. But it was great for her in a way because we were so awful that by the time she came onstage, the audience had to be happy."

That same article quoted Madonna saying, “They were very bad boys — they said ‘(expletive)’ all the time on stage. The audience always booed them and they always told everybody to (expletive) off. I just loved them for that. I couldn’t understand why everyone hated them — I thought they were so adorable.”

Despite the mixed reviews, the Virgin Tour was a huge success

Despite the mixed to negative reviews that followed nearly every stop, the Virgin Tour was a commercial success.

Concerts sold out quickly in most markets, with some shows moved to larger venues, drawing fans who did their best to replicate Madonna’s look, inspiring the media to coin the phrase Madonna wannabes.

The Macy’s department store in New York City created a special Madonna department, selling not only tour merch but clothing and accessories, from crucifix earrings and fingerless gloves to bangles and rosary beads, to help fans get their look together for the shows.

According to Billboard, the tour grossed $3.3 million.

It also led to the release of a concert film, “Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour,” on VHS, Beta and LaserDisc, which made its way to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Music Videocassettes chart in early 1986, displacing “Prince & the Revolution: Live.”

It was the biggest-selling music videocassette of 1986, going on to be certified double-platinum.

In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2009, Madonna looked back on the Virgin Tour as a pivotal moment in her rise to global superstardom.

“That whole tour was crazy, because I went from playing CBGB and the Mudd Club to playing sporting arenas,” she said.

“I played a small theater in Seattle, and the girls had flap skirts on and the tights cut off below their knees and lace gloves and rosaries and bows in their hair and big hoop earrings. I was like, 'This is insane!' After Seattle, all of the shows were moved to arenas.”

The Virgin Tour makes Spin magazine's 10 Tours that Changed the World

In 2001, Spin magazine named the Virgin Tour to a list of 10 tours that changed the world with an entry written by a woman who was at the Phoenix concert.

Heidi Sherman begins her entry on the Virgin Tour with “In 1985, I was a skinny, underdeveloped sixth grader who’d been forcibly plucked from Brooklyn and replanted in the desert of Arizona."

For young outsiders like Sherman, she wrote, Madonna was more than a pop star. She was “the great equalizer,” allowing kids “from every preteen subset… to bond over mesh-lace gloves and black rubber bracelets.”

Reflecting on the concert, Sherman wrote, “The Virgin Tour was Madonna’s first, yet it put her in the same league with superstars like Prince and Springsteen. True, she’d already sold 16 million singles and albums, and she’d recently starred in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan.’

"Still, the Virgin Tour proved that Madonna was beyond real. And if her stage presence indicated that she was more showgirl than musician, at least she knew how to gussy up her act for the postfeminist MTV age. Boy toy? Not exactly. She was a bona fide pop star in the process of becoming a cultural icon.”

Madonna's Virgin Tour setlist: Every song she played in Tempe

Here's every song Madonna played when the Virgin Tour came to the ASU Activity Center in Tempe, Arizona, in 1985:

• "Dress You Up"
• "Into the Groove"
• "Everybody"
• "Borderline"
• "Lucky Star"
• "Crazy for You"
• "Over and Over"
• "Burning Up"
• "Like a Virgin" (with snippets of "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson)
• "Material Girl"

Madonna at Footprint Center in Phoenix

When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16.

Where: Footprint Center, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix.

Admission: $300 and up.

Details: 602-379-7800,  ticketmaster.com .

Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter  @EdMasley .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour

All the Madonna wannabes come out for the first tour that saw The "Queen of Pop" Legend begin. All the Madonna wannabes come out for the first tour that saw The "Queen of Pop" Legend begin. All the Madonna wannabes come out for the first tour that saw The "Queen of Pop" Legend begin.

• Daniel Kleinman
• James Foley
• Michael Perea
• Silvio Ciccone
• 3 User reviews
• 1 Critic review

• Self - Dancer …
• Self - Guitar

• Self - Bass Guitar …
• Self - Keyboards

• Self - Drums
• (as Jonathan P. Moffet)

• James Foley (opening sequence)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The performances of "Angel", "Borderline" and "Burning Up" were removed from the track list of the video, as Kleinman believed that Madonna's performance was not her best in them.

Madonna : "I went to New York. I had a dream. I wanted to be a big star, I didn't know anybody, I wanted to dance, I wanted to sing, I wanted to do all those things, I wanted to make people happy, I wanted to be famous, I wanted everybody to love me. I wanted to be a star. I worked really hard, and my dream came true."

• Connections Featured in Britney and Melissa's Total Male Makeover (1999)
• Soundtracks Dress You Up Written by Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale Performed by Madonna , Michael Perea , Lyndon B. Johnson , Patrick Leonard , Bill Meyers , Jonathan Moffett , Bill Lanphier , James Harrah and Paul Pesco .

User reviews 3

• Dec 15, 2008
• November 13, 1985 (United States)
• United States
• Madonna: The Virgin Tour - Live
• Detroit, Michigan, USA (Cobo Arena)
• Limelight Productions
• Sire Records Company
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 50 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Virgin Tour

Tour poster, tour schedule.

Madonna first hit the road in the spring of 1985. She performed a total of  41 arena shows across the  US  and  Canada . The Virgin Tour premiered in Seattle on April 10 and wrapped up in Madison Square Garden, New York City on June 11.

→ Check out the full tour schedule here

Tour setlist

The Virgin Tour promoted Madonna's first album and her recent Like A Virgin album. She also added Crazy For You and Gambler , from the movie Vision Quest , and Into The Groove from Desperately Seeking Susan .

→ Check out the full setlist here

Tour crew & collaborators

Compared to her later tours, the Virgin Tour had a small crew with only two dancers.

→ Check out the full crew here

Tour recording

Read the Statesman's 1985 review of Madonna's Virgin Tour concert in Austin

Madonna on Tuesday announced The Celebration Tour , marking 40 years of the singer's pop iconography with stops around the world. She'll swing through Austin on Sept. 21 for a show at the Moody Center.

Believe it or not, that's actually Madonna's second-ever tour date in Austin. On the Virgin Tour, her first major tour, she played the Erwin Center on May 5, 1985. Hip-hop trio Beastie Boys opened.

Two days later, the American-Statesman ran a review of the concert by correspondent Debi Martin, headlined "Madonna’s stage flirtations, singing please Austin audiences."

More: A guide to Austin music venues, from historic clubs to mega amphitheaters

Here's what the paper said about the new pop sensation — she has just performed "Like a Virgin" at the MTV Video Music Awards the year before, mind you.

Madonna’s Austin show played like a stage version of the sultry pop singer’s music videos without the prominent cleavage and navel close-up shots. When she made her first regal entrance Sunday at the Erwin Center, the primadonna-ish Madonna bopped onto the stage wearing a green bow in her hair that was bigger than her face, a blue jean mini-(skirt) that hugged her hips tighter than a tube around toothpaste, and a blazer — underneath it she wore a brassiere and see-through lingerie crop top. Later, descending the top of a staircase singing "Like a Virgin," Madonna was dressed like a punk bride carrying flowers and wearing a wedding veil — which she quickly, teasingly tossed off, in the manner of Gypsy Rose Lee.  In just about every song she performed, Madonna and two male dancers delivered obviously choreographed routines. Some were reminiscent of the old Four Tops style — pantomimed gestures of the lyrics performed in unison, punctuated by swift, cutting, upright turns. It was a slick, polished, contemporary Las Vegas-style production.  Her full, girlishly pouty voice potently projects pleasingly into an arena-sized crowd. At her best, Madonna sings like the soloists did in girl groups of the ‘60s; at her worst, she sounds like Stevie Nicks without the occasionally irritating billy-goat quiverings. Madonna’s awfully bold for someone who is embarking on her first major tour. She is a Marilyn Monroe-ish, “It” girl of the ‘80s. But this reviewer found her juvenile, aggressive flirtations with the audience tiresome. Once, she pointed to a day-glo box and said it was her “music box — it’s very special because it makes music. But it has to be turned on.” After that comment, she started breathing heavily. The crowd ate it up; the groups of young boys in the crowd looked as though they were attending a bachelor party, gorged. Madonna did everything but jump out of the cake.  Madonna may be considered by some music critics as a fleeting pop star and her penchant for lingerie and erotic posturing understandably irritates feminists. Nevertheless, Madonna is a formidable, timely talent. And it is no easy feat to sing and dance simultaneously while trying to project to an arena-sized crowd. Madonna’s concert underlines the fact that she is as much a live performing artist, singer, and dancer, as she is a fashionable, trend-setting personality and actress. This reviewer suspects Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire cringe a little less when they see Madonna’s ‘80s style version of televised song and dance routines for the masses. When she’s not poking her navel or back side toward the camera or an audience or slithering like a snake in a backbend on the floor, Madonna moves like one of the better song-and-dancers to emerge from this peculiar genre-mixing MTV pop era.

More: SXSW reveals Nick Jonas, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' queens, more for 2023

According to concert archive website setlist.fm , Madonna's Erwin Center setlist was "Dress You Up," "Holiday," "Into the Groove," "Everybody," "Angel," "Gambler," "Borderline," "Lucky Star," "Crazy for You," "Over and Over," "Burning Up, "Like a Virgin," and "Material Girl."

Tickets to Madonna's Moody Center concert go on sale Friday .

• FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE
• RAY OF LIGHT
• RAISING MALAWI
• Sign up Log in

The Virgin Tour

• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Concert Tickets

Today In Madonna History

What did the queen do today, tag archives: the virgin tour, today in madonna history: april 10, 1985.

On April 10 1985, Madonna’s Virgin Tour opened with 3 sold-out concerts at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

During a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, interviewer Austin Scaggs asked Madonna regarding her feelings and emotions during the tour, since it was the first time she was playing in arenas. Madonna replied saying, “That whole tour was crazy, because I went from playing CBGB and the Mudd Club to playing sporting arenas,” she told the magazine. “I played a small theater in Seattle, and the girls had flap skirts on and the tights cut off below their knees and lace gloves and rosaries and bows in their hair and big hoop earrings. I was like, ‘This is insane!’ After Seattle, all of the shows were moved to arenas.”

Madonna had three shows in Seattle – April 10, 12 and 13 – and all three were sellouts by the time she took the stage that first night. The Beastie Boys opened for Madonna and they weren’t well received by the pro-Madonna crowd. The show was a year before “Licensed to Ill” was released.

Their 30-minute set got off to a bad start when one of the Beastie Boys declared himself King of the Paramount, and generally made the pro-Madonna audience feel like a swarm of hillbillies, P-I pop music critic Gene Stout wrote in his review.

“Dressed in what looked like a Boy George outfit, she looked reluctant, almost scared, and kept her eyes on the ground as she and her small entourage swept past a modest gathering of fans,” Stout wrote.

Madonna started the show with Dress You Up , followed with Holiday , and performed Borderline for the first time live as her seventh song. Madonna ended by debuting Material Girl  as her encore.

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Today in Madonna History: January 18, 1986

On January 18 1986, Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Music Videos chart in the US. It went on to become the country’s top-selling music video of 1986.

Today in Madonna History: October 3, 1985

On October 3 1985, Madonna’s second single from the motion picture Vision Quest , Gambler  was released by Geffen Records in select markets.

Gambler  was entirely self-written by Madonna and produced by John “Jellybean” Benitez.

Gambler  was never released in the United States, but it went to #4 in the UK.  The single also reached the top-ten in the charts of Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Ireland, Netherlands and Norway.

The music video for the song is an excerpt from the film.

Madonna has performed the song only once, on her Virgin Tour  in 1985.

Alex Henderson from Allmusic called the song “an ultra-infectious gem that, unfortunately, isn’t on any of the Material Girl’s CDs” and felt that Gambler  should have been a big hit.  

Would you like to see Madonna perform “Gambler” on a future concert tour?

Today in Madonna History: August 14, 2012

On August 14 2012, Madonna’s first make-up artist, and close friend, Debi Mazar spoke to Allure.com’s beauty editor, Sophia Panych about what Madonna’s hair and make-up was like for The Virgin Tour in 1985:

Her hair was long and wild, and she had just had her bangs cut. She had this thick, curly, gorgeous hair—thicker than anyone else I knew—and it didn’t really need much. I just tried to make sure her bangs nicely framed her face and make sure it moved well, rather than creating a polished look. Really, it was more about the music and the show. We just wanted her to look good, get on stage, and do the damn tour. Plus, she was in her twenties: Her skin was good, and as long as you had bright lipstick and good hair, the crowd didn’t care—they just wanted to dance.

Today in Madonna History: June 6, 1985

On June 6 1985, Madonna performed the first of 3 sold-out Virgin Tour  concerts at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Today in Madonna History: May 5, 2012

On May 5 2012, Madonna expressed her condolences for the death of Adam Yauch:

“The Beastie Boys were one of a kind! And so was Adam! They were all an important part of my musical history and integral to the musical revolution that was happening at the time. I’m very sad to hear about Adam’s passing. God bless him and his family”

Adam “MCA” died of parotid gland cancer at the age of 47.

The Beastie Boys were the opening act, supporting Madonna, during her 1985 Virgin Tour.

Today in Madonna History: June 1, 1985

On June 1 1985, Warner Bros. and Sire Records took out a centerfold ad in Billboard magazine to celebrate the resounding success of Madonna’s first concert trek, The Virgin Tour .

Featuring the cover image from her then-current single, Angel , as a backdrop, the spread cheekily alluded to Madonna’s “virgin” moniker with the caption:

“You were wonderful! We’re proud of you. Congratulations on your first tour.                                           – Warner Bros. and Sire records.”

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Report this content
• View site in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• Entertainment

Madonna Performs Her Biggest-Ever Concert, With 1.6 Million Fans in Attendance in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off in October in London.

The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” 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.

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic."

Read More: Madonna’s Face and the Myth of Aging Gracefully

Madonna performed her classic hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the introduction to “Like A Prayer,” her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.

The star paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall’s tourism agency. That is more than 10 times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna’s official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

In recent days, the buzz was palpable. Fans milled outside the stately, beachfront Copacabana Palace hotel, where Madonna is staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a sign saying, “Welcome Madonna you are the best I love you.”

Flags with “Madonna” printed against a background of Copacabana’s iconic black and white waved sidewalk pattern hung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concert attendees kitted out in themed T-shirts, sweating under a baking sun.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives in the area.

Read More: The Time Madonna Almost Quit Music for Good

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would vinject 293 million reals ($57 million) into the local economy. Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98% in Copacabana, according to Rio’s hotel association. Fans hailing from across Brazil and even Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement. Rio’s international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil’s Ceara state—approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,555 miles) from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” read Heineken ads plastered around the city, the lettering above an image of an upturned bottle cap resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn’t the only company seeking to profit from the excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared “Like a Virgin” cocktails. A shop in the downtown neighborhood famed for selling Carnival attire completely reinvented itself, stocking its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and even underwear.

Organization of the mega-event was similar to New Year’s Eve, when millions of people gather on Copacabana for its fireworks display, local authorities said. That annual event often produces widespread thefts and muggings, and there was some concern such problems might occur at Madonna’s show.

Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on stand by. In the lead-up to the concert, Brazil’s navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to follow the show.

A number of huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew more than 4 million fans and was the biggest free rock concert in history , according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to see Rio’s fireworks show, though, so a more fitting comparison might be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, which saw 1.2 million people crowd onto the sand, according to Rio’s military police, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.

Read More: Britney Spears on Her Unplanned, Iconic Kiss With Madonna at the VMAs

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.

“Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas," Soares said.

“And that’s 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It’s 40 years,” she said.

—AP video journalist Douglas Engle contributed to this report.

More Must-Reads From TIME

• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
• How Far Trump Would Go
• Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
• Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
• Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
• 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
• Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Contact us at [email protected]

site categories

Sweden “on terror level four” as security is tightened a week before eurovision song contest.

• Madonna Makes History With 1.6M Crowd In Rio On Final Night Of Tour

By Caroline Frost

Caroline Frost

More stories by caroline.

• J.K. Rowling Reveals How She Told ‘Harry Potter’ Star Alan Rickman About Character’s Big Secret
• Will Ferrell “Follows Ryan Reynolds And Buys Stake In English Football Club” – report

Madonna has brought her tour to a close with a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro , in front of a reported 1.6million fans.

It was the final night of her retrospective tour, marking her four decades in pop, which she has been taking around the world since last October.

AP News reported that she began the show telling the crowd : “Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world. This place is magic.”

2 million people singing madonna’ ‘like a virgin’ in rio pic.twitter.com/tvNjxfLmCY — 2000s (@PopCulture2000s) May 5, 2024

Rio’s tourism agency said that 1.6million people attended the concert on the famous city beach, where huge events have taken place in the past. The Rolling Stones performed there to 1.2 million fans in 2006, and Rod Stewart gave the biggest free rock concert in history there in 1994, drawing 4million people (although more than a few may have been there for the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza). Madonna’s previous largest live concert crowd was 130,000 fans in Paris in 1987.

Must Read Stories

Paramount will negotiate with sony & apollo but continue skydance talks; james cameron, ari emanuel back david ellison.

Cold Open Disses Columbia University; Seinfeld Crashes ‘Weekend Update’

Ryan gosling-led ‘the fall guy’ falls to $28.5m opening, below forecasts, francis coppola drops ‘megalopolis’ teaser, dedicates it to his late wife.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

13 comments.

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor

RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective,  which kicked off in October in London .

The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” 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.

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic.”

Madonna performed her classic hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the introduction to “Like A Prayer,” her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.

The star paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall’s tourism agency. That is more than 10 times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna’s official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

In recent days, the buzz was palpable. Fans milled outside the stately, beachfront  Copacabana Palace hotel , where Madonna is staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a sign saying, “Welcome Madonna you are the best I love you.”

Flags with “Madonna” printed against a background of Copacabana’s iconic black and white waved sidewalk pattern hung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concert attendees kitted out in themed T-shirts, sweating under a baking sun.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives in the area.

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would inject 293 million reals ($57 million) into the local economy. Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98% in Copacabana, according to Rio’s hotel association. Fans hailing from across Brazil and even Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement. Rio’s international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil’s Ceara state — approximately 1,555 miles from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” read Heineken ads plastered around the city, the lettering above an image of an upturned bottle cap resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn’t the only company seeking to profit from the excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared “Like a Virgin” cocktails. A shop in the downtown neighborhood famed for selling Carnival attire completely reinvented itself, stocking its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and even underwear.

Organization of the mega-event was similar to New Year’s Eve, when millions of people gather on Copacabana for its fireworks display, local authorities said. That annual event often produces widespread thefts and muggings, and there was some concern such problems might occur at Madonna’s show.

Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on stand by. In the lead-up to the concert, Brazil’s navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to follow the show.

A number of huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew more than 4 million fans and was  the biggest free rock concert in history , according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to see Rio’s fireworks show, though, so a more fitting comparison might be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, which saw 1.2 million people crowd onto the sand, according to Rio’s military police, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.

“Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas,” Soares said.

“And that’s 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It’s 40 years,” she said.

The Associated Press

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Entertainment

Madonna's Final Celebration Tour Stop in Rio de Janeiro Draws Record-Breaking Audience of 1.6 Million

The Queen of Pop held a free concert at the Copacabana Beach as a "thank you" to her fans "for celebrating more than four decades of music" during her global tour

Melody Chiu is an Executive Editor at PEOPLE overseeing music, events and emerging content. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton, Jordan Turpin and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra! , The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America .

ABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty

Madonna promised her fans the biggest dance party in the world — and the Queen of Pop delivered on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro.

In March the singer, 65, announced she would be performing a historic free concert at Copacabana Beach for her final Celebration Tour show, and on the night a record-breaking 1.6 million fans watched the pop superstar perform.

The show made history as, though the annual New Year's Eve concerts at Copacabana Beach have drawn larger crowds, Madonna's May 4 audience was her biggest ever, and the largest ever for a stand-alone concert by any artist, a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Live Nation confirmed. The record was previously held by the Rolling Stones .

During the show, Madonna played a host of hits, including "Like A Virgin," "Like A Prayer," and "Into The Groove."

Pablo Vittar joined the pop icon on stage for "Music," while for her performance of "Vogue," the Brazilian crowd was treated to a guest appearance from Anitta, who later spoke of the "incredible moment" on her Instagram Stories .

"@madonna soooo happy for being part of this incredible moment with you," she wrote across a video of the two artists together on stage during the concert.

ANDRE COELHO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 

After the show, Madonna shared her delight and appreciation in several posts on Instagram, including a video from the event showing sweeping shots of the huge crowds.

"This really happened……….Thank you Rio 🇧🇷💛 ………. Thank you @pabllovittar and @anitta ……………Words cannot express my gratitude! To everyone involved!! 🇧🇷💛🇧🇷💚" she wrote alongside the clip.

Sponsored by Itaú Apresenta, the concert — her first in Brazil since 2012 — "will be free of charge as a thank you to her fans for celebration more than four decades of her music over the course of the epic global run of the tour," stated a press release.

The show took place in front of the Belmond Copacabana Palance Hotel, and entry was available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

SplashNews.com

The Material Girl kicked off her  long-awaited Celebration Tour  at London's O2 Arena in October with an electrifying two-hour set during which she opened up about her  road back to the stage  after  her hospitalization last year  following a  serious bacterial infection .

"I didn't think I was gonna make it. Neither did my doctors. That's why I woke up with all of my children sitting around me," Madonna  said of her kids  Lourdes, 27, Rocco, 23, David, 18, Mercy, 18, and twins Stella and Estere, 11. "But the angels were protecting me, and my children were there. And my children always save me every time."

Last month the singer shared a carousel of behind-the-scenes snaps of herself with her kids ( David, Mercy, Stella and Estere all performed alongside mom during her run of shows) from their past few months on tour.

"On the day before our 80th show of the Celebration Tour I need to acknowledge my incredibly talented children who carried me through this Journey each of them bringing their own unique talent to the stage," she wrote in the caption.

Related Articles

• Manage Account

Madonna Wraps Celebration Tour With Record-Setting Free Concert in Rio de Janeiro

The concert at Copacabana Beach on May 4 attracted more than 1.6 million fans.

By Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Peters

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Pinit
• + additional share options added
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Email
• Print this article
• Share this article on Comment
• Share this article on Tumblr

Madonna wrapped her Celebration Tour with a massive free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Madonna Brings Out Anitta & Pabllo Vittar at Massive Concert in Rio de Janeiro

The Queen of Pop closed her global trek with a record-breaking show at Rio’s Copacabana Beach on Saturday (May 4), drawing more than 1.6 million fans to the majestic site.

Although Copacabana Beach has seen larger crowds during past New Year’s Eve events, Madonna’s free concert beats the previous record held by the Rolling Stones , who performed there in 2006, according to a news release from promoter Live Nation.

The 65-year-old pop superstar’s Rio show also surpasses her record attendance of 130,000 fans at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987, the Associated Press reports . Ahead of the Rio concert, dubbed the “Celebration in Rio,” Madonna’s website touted the free event as the “biggest gig yet” of her four-decade career.

Trending on Billboard

The Rio show was sponsored by Itaú bank and marked Madonna’s first show in Brazil since 2012. Tickets were made available to fans on a first-come first-serve basis on the day of the event.

Rio de Janeiro marked the last stop on Madonna’s Celebration Tour, which is projected to earn more than $225 million. The tour launched in London in October 2023 before visiting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico City.

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Culture Expand culture menu

Media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Get Up Anthems by Tres Expand get-up-anthems-by-tres menu

Honda music expand honda-music menu.

Watch CBS News

Madonna's biggest concert brings estimated 1.6 million to Rio's Copacabana beach

May 5, 2024 / 2:02 PM EDT / AP

Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off in October in London.

The "Queen of Pop" began the show with her 1998 hit "Nothing Really Matters." 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.

"Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world," Madonna, 65, told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: "This place is magic."

Madonna performed her classic hits, including "Like A Virgin" and "Hung Up." For the introduction to "Like A Prayer," her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.

The star paid an emotional tribute to "all the bright lights" lost to AIDS as she sang "Live to Tell," with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall's tourism agency. That is more than 10 times Madonna's record attendance of 130,000 at Paris' Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna's official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

In recent days, the buzz was palpable. Fans milled outside the stately, beachfront Copacabana Palace hotel, where Madonna is staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a sign saying, "Welcome Madonna you are the best I love you."

Flags with "Madonna" printed against a background of Copacabana's iconic black and white waved sidewalk pattern hung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concert attendees kitted out in themed T-shirts, sweating under a baking sun.

"Since Madonna arrived here, I've been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen," said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

"It's going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana," said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives in the area.

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would vinject 293 million reals ($57 million) into the local economy. Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98% in Copacabana, according to Rio's hotel association. Fans hailing from across Brazil and even Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement. Rio's international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

"It's a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she'll ever come back," said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil's Ceara state — approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,555 miles) from Rio.

"Welcome Queen!" read Heineken ads plastered around the city, the lettering above an image of an upturned bottle cap resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn't the only company seeking to profit from the excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared "Like a Virgin" cocktails. A shop in the downtown neighborhood famed for selling Carnival attire completely reinvented itself, stocking its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and even underwear.

Organization of the mega-event was similar to New Year's Eve, when millions of people gather on Copacabana for its fireworks display, local authorities said. That annual event often produces widespread thefts and muggings, and there was some concern such problems might occur at Madonna's show.

Rio state's security plan included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on stand by. In the lead-up to the concert, Brazil's navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to follow the show.

A number of huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including a 1994 New Year's Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew more than 4 million fans and was the biggest free rock concert in history, according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to see Rio's fireworks show, though, so a more fitting comparison might be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, which saw 1.2 million people crowd onto the sand, according to Rio's military police, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.

"Madonna had to run so that today's pop artists could walk. That's why she's important, because she serves as an inspiration for today's pop divas," Soares said.

"And that's 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It's 40 years," she said.

More from CBS News

Transcript: Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan on "Face the Nation," May 5, 2024

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese make WNBA preseason debuts

Driver dies after crashing car into White House gate

Tom Selleck on the future of "Blue Bloods"

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Free Madonna concert draws crowd of 1.6m to Brazil’s Copacabana beach

Area around Rio de Janeiro beach filled for several blocks as singer closes her Celebration world tour

With the world-famous statue towering over it from Corcovado mountain, Rio de Janeiro is well used to Christ the Redeemer. For one night only this weekend, it also had Madonna.

More than a million people thronged Copacabana beach on Saturday night, turning its vast stretch of sand into a massive dancefloor for a free concert by the pop star as she completed her world tour.

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna , 65, told the tightly packed crowd. Pointing out the ocean view and the mountains, she added: “This place is magic.”

In the run-up to the concert, the city had been buzzing, with fans lined up outside the stately Copacabana Palace hotel in the hope of catching a glimpse of the star. The city’s airport fielded an estimated 170 extra flights as fans poured in from around the world.

City officials estimated that 1.6 million people turned up for the concert, some watching from brightly lit apartments or hotels overlooking the beach, while others looked on from motorboats and sailboats anchored nearby.

As drones and helicopters flew overhead, the singer offered up a dazzling show, playing classics ranging from Like a Virgin to Like a Prayer, and cycling through dozens of sets and costume changes.

Flanked by giant screens, she began the show with her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters, eliciting a huge cheer from the crowd.

“Oi, Rio!” she called out in Portuguese. The response was swift, carried by more than a million voices: “Oi, Queen Madonna!”

The singer also paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to Aids as she sang Live to Tell, against a backdrop of black-and-white photos featuring people who died from the illness.

The Brazilian pop artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, as well as younger musicians from samba schools, also took part in the show.

The show, which Madonna’s official website described as the biggest ever in her 40-year career, marked the final stop on her Celebration tour. Giant screens and 18 sound towers had been spread out along the beach to ensure the crowds could enjoy the event.

Fans, many of whom lined up hours or even days before the concert to get a good view, hailed Madonna’s performance. “I have never seen such a powerful show,” one told the BBC . “It’s unimaginable, very much out of the ordinary,” she added.

“Madonna is spectacular,” said another. “There’s no concert better than Madonna’s.”

City officials, on high alert after a young Brazilian fan died at a Taylor Swift concert last year as a result of heat exhaustion, ordered firefighters to cool down fans by spraying water before the concert. Free drinking water was also handed out as temperatures hovered at about 27C (81F) during the late-night show.

More than 3,000 police officers were deployed around the concert area, where the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart have also drawn million-strong crowds.

Across Rio, anticipation had been building all week. “Welcome, Queen!” read Heineken ads plastered around the city, while bars and restaurants served up “Like a Virgin” cocktails. Across the Copacabana neighbourhood, the singer’s image was emblazoned on billboards, souvenirs and T-shirts.

As hotel bookings in Copacabana climbed to an estimated 98% of capacity, Rio state’s security readied plans that included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on standby, while the country’s navy carried out inspections of any vessel looking to follow the concert offshore. City officials estimated that the concert would inject as much as 293m reais (£46m) into the local economy.

With contributions from Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse

• Rio de Janeiro

Most viewed

Madonna convierte la playa de Copacabana en una enorme pista de baile

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Madonna ofreció un concierto gratuito en la playa de Copacabana el sábado por la noche, convirtiendo la vasta extensión de arena de Río de Janeiro en una enorme pista de baile repleta de una multitud de admiradores.

Era el último show de The Celebration Tour, su primera gira retrospectiva, que comenzó en octubre en Londres.

La “Reina del Pop” inició el espectáculo con su éxito de 1998 “Nothing Really Matters”. La bulliciosa multitud ovacionó apretujada contra las vallas. Otros siguieron el concierto en fiestas en apartamentos y hoteles muy iluminados con vistas a la playa. Helicópteros y drones sobrevolaron la zona, mientras que lanchas y veleros cerca del escenario llenaban la bahía.

“Aquí estamos en el lugar más hermoso del mundo”, dijo Madonna a la multitud. Señalando la vista al mar, las montañas y la estatua del Cristo Redentor que domina la ciudad, agregó: “Este lugar es mágico”.

Madonna interpretó sus éxitos, incluyendo “Like A Virgin” y “Hung Up”. Para la introducción de “Like A Prayer”, su cabeza estaba completamente cubierta con una capa negra y llevaba un rosario en las manos.

La estrella rindió un emotivo homenaje a “todas las luces brillantes” perdidas por el sida mientras cantaba “Live to Tell”, con fotos en blanco y negro de personas que murieron a causa de la enfermedad.

Más tarde, se le unieron en el escenario dos jóvenes artistas brasileños. Anitta fue jueza de una competencia de baile con “Vogue” y Pabllo Vittar bailó con una versión con músicos de samba de “Music” para la que todos, incluyendo a Madonna, llevaban camisetas similares a las de la selección brasileña de fútbol y apareció la bandera de Brasil en las pantallas en el fondo del escenario.

Entretenimiento

Río de Janeiro se prepara para el concierto más grande de Madonna

Madonna dará un concierto gratuito en la playa de Copacabana el sábado por la noche, convirtiendo la vasta extensión de arena en una enorme pista de baile.

May. 4, 2024

Río pasó los últimos días preparándose para la actuación.

El ayuntamiento de la ciudad dijo que se esperaba una asistencia de alrededor de 1,5 millones de espectadores, 10 veces más que el récord de Madonna de 130.000 asistentes en el Parc des Sceaux de París en 1987. El sitio web oficial de Madonna había anunciado el espectáculo como el más grande en sus cuatro décadas de carrera.

En los últimos días, el revuelo era palpable. Los fans se arremolinaron afuera del majestuoso hotel Copacabana Palace frente a la playa, donde se hospedó Madonna, con la esperanza de poder ver algo de la estrella pop. Durante la prueba de sonido en el escenario que estaba frente al hotel, bailaron en la arena.

Alrededor del mediodía del sábado, cientos de fans se habían reunido frente al hotel. Un hombre de barba blanca llevaba un cartel que decía: “Bienvenida Madonna, eres lo mejor, te amo”.

Banderas con la palabra “Madonna” impresa sobre las características aceras con patrón ondulado blanco y negro de Copacabana colgaban de los balcones. La zona estaba repleta de vendedores ambulantes y asistentes vestidos con camisetas temáticas, sudando bajo un sol abrasador.

“Desde que Madonna llegó aquí, he estado viniendo todos los días con este atuendo para darle la bienvenida a mi ídolo, mi diva, mi reina del pop”, dijo Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, de 69 años, quien llevaba un sostén de cono dorado y una gorra negra.

“Va a ser un espectáculo inolvidable aquí en Copacabana”, dijo Oliveira Bohrer, una funcionaria jubilada que vive en la zona.

Dieciocho torres de sonido se repartieron a lo largo de la playa para garantizar que todos los asistentes pudieran escuchar los éxitos de Madonna. Su espectáculo de dos horas comenzó a las 10:37 p.m. hora local, con casi 50 minutos de retraso.

Kany desnuda con ‘García’ vivencias que sentía y había gestado como muy suyas, pero la verdad es que también es la realidad de muchas

La cantante puertorriqueña lanza su nueva producción con seis temas que la gente ya ha conocido y otros seis que igualmente inspira a los malqueridos y a los pocos valorados que buscan su propia felicidad, la superación, amor propio y autenticidad

May. 3, 2024

El ayuntamiento elaboró un informe en abril en el que estimaba que el concierto inyectará 293 millones de reales (57 millones de dólares) en la economía local. Se esperaba que la capacidad hotelera alcanzara el 98% en Copacabana, según la asociación de hoteles de Río. Entusiastas provenientes de todo Brasil e incluso de Argentina y Francia buscaron hospedaje en Airbnbs para el fin de semana, dijo la plataforma en un comunicado. Y el aeropuerto internacional de Río había pronosticado 170 vuelos adicionales del 1 al 6 de mayo, desde 27 destinos, dijo el Ayuntamiento en un comunicado.

“Es una oportunidad única para ver a Madonna, quién sabe si alguna vez volverá”, dijo Alessandro Augusto, de 53 años, quien voló desde el estado de Ceará, a unos 2.500 kilómetros (1.555 millas) de Río.

”¡Bienvenida reina!”, decían los anuncios de Heineken pegados por toda la ciudad, con las letras sobre una imagen de una corcholata que se asemejaba a una corona.

Heineken no fue la única compañía que buscó beneficiarse de la emoción, ya que se dice que bares y restaurantes preparan cócteles “Like a Virgin”, llamados así por el éxito de Madonna de 1984. Una tienda en el vecindario del centro de la ciudad famosa por vender atuendos de Carnaval se reinventó por completo, abasteciendo sus estantes con disfraces inspirados en Madonna, abanicos, riñoneras e incluso ropa interior.

La organización del megaevento fue similar a la víspera de Año Nuevo, cuando millones de personas se reúnen en Copacabana para el mundialmente famoso espectáculo de fuegos artificiales, dijeron las autoridades locales. Ese evento anual a menudo produce robos y atracos generalizados, y había cierta preocupación de que tales problemas pudieran ocurrir en el espectáculo de Madonna.

‘The Fall Guy’ decepciona al recaudar 28,5 millones de dólares

“The Fall Guy”, la película de comedia y acción sobre los dobles que reemplazan a los actores para hacer hazañas peligrosas en Hollywood, se estrenó este fin de semana, pero decepcionando las expectativas, al recaudar 28,5 millones de dólares, según estimados de la industria difundidos el domingo.

May. 5, 2024

El plan de seguridad del estado de Río incluía la presencia de 3.200 militares y 1.500 policías civiles en estado de alerta. Previo al concierto, la Marina de Brasil realizó inspecciones a los buques que deseaban posicionarse en el mar para seguir el espectáculo.

Grandes conciertos han tenido lugar en la playa de Copacabana, incluido un espectáculo de víspera de Año Nuevo de 1994 de Rod Stewart que atrajo a más de 4 millones de fans y fue el concierto de rock gratuito más grande de la historia, según Guinness World Records. Sin embargo, muchos espectadores habían acudido a ver el espectáculo de fuegos artificiales de Río, por lo que una comparación más adecuada podría ser la de los Rolling Stones en 2006, que vio a 1,2 millones de personas apiñarse en la arena, según la policía militar de Río citada por el periódico Folha de São Paulo en ese momento.

Ana Beatriz Soares, una fan que estuvo en Copacabana el sábado, dijo que Madonna ha dejado su huella por décadas.

“Madonna tuvo que correr para que los artistas pop de hoy pudieran caminar. Por eso es importante, porque sirve de inspiración para las divas del pop de hoy”, dijo Soares.

“Y eso fue hace 40 años. No 40 días, 40 meses. Son 40 años”, dijo.

Suscríbase al Kiosco Digital

Encuentre noticias sobre su comunidad, entretenimiento, eventos locales y todo lo que desea saber del mundo del deporte y de sus equipos preferidos.

Ocasionalmente, puede recibir contenido promocional del Los Angeles Times en Español.

LO MÁS RECIENTE EN ESPAÑOL

Análisis: Jaime Munguía perdió la pelea ante Canelo, pero se ganó el respeto de la afición

Con dos jonrones de Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers superan a Bravos

Rosario pega jonrón de 2 carreras en la séptima y Nacionales vencen a Azulejos

Norris consigue su primera victoria en la F1 en Miami y pone fin al dominio de Verstappen