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Madonna breaks record for largest number of concert attendees
Madonna, the iconic American singer, has set a new milestone in music history by hosting the largest standalone musical concert to date. At 65 years old, she accomplished this feat during the final leg of her Celebration Tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Queen of Pop concluded her global journey with a groundbreaking performance at Rio’s Copacabana Beach on Saturday, May 4th, attracting an awe-inspiring crowd of over 1.6 million fans to the magnificent venue.
While Copacabana Beach has witnessed larger gatherings during previous New Year’s Eve festivities, Madonna’s free concert eclipses the previous record set by the Rolling Stones, who graced the stage there in 2006, as announced by promoter Live Nation.
This monumental Rio show also surpasses Madonna’s own attendance record of 130,000 fans at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987, as reported by the Associated Press. Prior to the event, dubbed the “Celebration in Rio,” Madonna’s website billed it as the pinnacle of her four-decade career.
During the concert, which aired locally on Brazilian television, Madonna delivered an electrifying performance, featuring numerous classics like “Like a Virgin,” “Like a Prayer,” and “Into the Groove.” She was joined on stage by special guests Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.
Sponsored by Itaú Bank, the Rio show marked Madonna’s first performance in Brazil since 2012. Tickets were offered to fans on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event.
Rio de Janeiro served as the grand finale of Madonna’s Celebration Tour, projected to gross over $225 million. The tour kicked off in London in October 2023, traveling through Canada, the United States, and Mexico City before culminating in this historic event.