Madonna’s final ‘The Celebration Tour’ show in Rio breaks record for largest ever standalone concert by any artist

Madonna took the stage at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 4, 2024, for the final show of her Celebration world tour. The entire concert was free and attracted a total of 1.6 million attendees, making it the largest concert of her tour as well as the biggest standalone concert for any artist in history, according to Live Nation.

Previously, the singer's largest live performance was in 1987 at the Parc des Sceaux in Paris, where 130,000 people gathered. Saturday's performance in Rio surpassed this record by over tenfold, solidifying her global appeal.

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More details on Madonna's Rio show

Madonna's Rio show was not only one of the biggest of her career in terms of crowd count but also in terms of scale and production. The show featured four separate acts and 26 songs, all pumped out by a total of 18 sound towers around the beach.

Madonna brought two special guests to the concert, Anitta and Pablo Vittar, two of Brazil's most popular pop singers in recent years. Speaking to the crowd, the singer espoused the beauty of the city and the venue:

"Rio, here we are, in the most beautiful place in the world, with the ocean, the mountains, Jesus. Magic."

The full setlist of the Rio show is given below:

Act I

• Nothing Really Matters
• Everybody
• Into the Groove
• Burning Up
• Open Your Heart
• Holiday

Act II

• Live to Tell
• Like a Prayer

Act III

• Erotica
• Justify My Love
• Hung Up
• Bad Girl

Act IV

• Vogue (with Anitta)
• Human Nature
• Crazy for You

Act V

• The Beast Within
• Die Another Day
• Don’t Tell Me
• This Little Light of Mine
• Express Yourself
• La Isla Bonita
• Music (with Pabllo Vittar)

Act VI

• Bedtime Story
• Ray of Light
• Rain

Act VII

• Billie Jean / Like a Virgin
• Bi**h I’m Madonna
• Celebration

After the show, Anitta took to her official Instagram on May 5, 2024, to celebrate the concert. She captioned:

"Yesterday was a historical night for my city Rio de Janeiro. @madonna finished her tour at the Copacabana beach for more than 1 million people. Such a special time for all of us. I feel really honored you invited me to be part of this moment."

Sponsored by Itaú Bank, the free concert was broadcast live by TV Globo. The crowd was so large that, aside from the beach, spectators watched from boats in the harbor as well as from nearby rooftops and buildings.

Preparations for the concert started well in advance, with the city mobilizing over 3,200 military police and 1,500 civil police members to monitor the event and the festivities leading up to it. The Brazilian Navy was involved in inspecting vessels with people who wanted to watch the concert from the harbor.

According to a report by City Hall, the concert alone is estimated to have injected close to $57 million into the local economy. Fans from all across the world flocked to attend the event, resulting in more than 90% of the city's tourist residences being filled, from hotels to Airbnbs.

The influx of fans for the singer required over 170 additional flights to accommodate the surge in arrivals to the city. While Madonna's concert is the largest stand-alone concert in history, Rod Stewart holds the record for the largest free concert. His 1994 New Year's Eve concert at the same beach reportedly drew an estimated crowd of 4 million people.