Madonna plays record-breaking show to 1.6 million fans in Brazil

Throughout her storied career, Madonna has been a pioneer and leader in pop music and art, staying ahead of trends and more often setting them herself. Years later, she is still a massive draw live and she recently performed to a record-breaking audience.

Fans of Madonna know that even four decades into her career, she still refuses to play by the industry’s rules. It was just a few months ago that she caused controversy by appearing on stage hours late for a scheduled performance, upsetting her audience and causing shockwaves through the industry with such behavior. Despite this, her star power remains intact and was out in full force Saturday, May 4th, as the 65-year-old singer took to the stage on the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

The free event saw fans lining up to enter the event space days in advance and the city announced a 98% capacity for its hotels. An estimated 1.6 million fans eventually settled in for the concert, as giant screens and 18 sound towers were erected to ensure the audience could enjoy the event. Following last year’s Taylor Swift concert where one fan died due to extreme heat, officials took extra measures for safety, watering down the area with firetrucks and providing free water to those in attendance.

Looking out over the beautiful landscape of the region, Madonna stated, “Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world. This place is magic.” The evening certainly was a magical way to close out her Celebration world tour.