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[00:00.15] American pop music star Madonna performed before an estimated 1.6 million people on Saturday at Brazil’s famous Copacabana Beach.
[00:16.09] The outdoor show in Rio de Janeiro was free to attend.
[00:22.20] The fans turned a long stretch of the coast into a huge dance floor for the last show of Madonna’s Celebration Tour.
[00:34.69] The series began last October in London.
[00:39.73] The so-called “Queen of Pop” began Saturday’s show with her 1998 song Nothing Really Matters.
[00:49.83] Huge cheers rose from the crowd pressed up against the barriers.
[00:56.47] Other attendees held parties in houses and hotels overlooking the beach.
[01:04.17] Helicopters and drones flew overhead, and boats floated on the water nearby.
[01:13.47] “Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” the 65-year-old Madonna told the crowd.
[01:24.09] Pointing out the ocean, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic.”
[01:34.98] Madonna performed her popular songs, including Like A Virgin and Hung Up.
[01:44.28] For the introduction to another, Like A Prayer, Madonna covered her head in black cloth and held a rosary.
[01:53.84] The star honored those who died of AIDS with the song Live to Tell.
[02:01.03] Large black and white images of the disease’s victims appeared behind her as she sang.
[02:09.52] Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.
[02:16.95] Rio city officials estimated that 1.6 million people attended the show.
[02:25.72] Madonna’s official website called the show the biggest ever in her 40-year career.
[02:33.95] “Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said 69-year-old retiree Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer.
[02:51.75] She wore a gold-colored top and a black cap in a style that Madonna made popular.
[03:01.31] Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees could hear the performance.
[03:11.14] Fan Alessandro Augusto flew about 2,500 kilometers, from Brazil’s Ceara state to Rio, to attend the show.
[03:24.16] Augusto said, “It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back.”
[03:33.19] “Welcome Queen!” a drink company announced with advertising around the city.
[03:40.89] Bars and restaurants prepared special alcoholic drinks named after Madonna songs.
[03:49.12] A shop known for selling Carnival clothing temporarily became a “Madonna” clothing store.
[03:58.16] Several huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including musician Rod Stewart’s 1994 show.
[04:10.37] It took place on New Year’s Eve as part of the city’s holiday celebration.
[04:17.81] About 4 million people attended.
[04:21.53] However, not all necessarily took in the music show.
[04:26.84] And, in 2006, a Rolling Stones concert drew 1.2 million people onto the famed beach, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.
[04:42.78] Madonna fan Ana Beatriz Soares attended the show Saturday.
[04:48.62] She said Madonna has made her mark across the years.
[04:54.47] “Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk.
[04:59.78] That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas,” she said.
[05:09.34] “And that’s 40 years ago.
[05:12.53] Not 40 days, 40 months.
[05:15.45] It’s 40 years,” she added.
