'Operation Madonna': Rio readies for singer's free mega-concert

Madonna’s long-awaited escaped performance connected Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach has upended the neighbourhood, with implicit a cardinal fans expected — but for retired nonmigratory Mario Renato Borges, it’s the slightest the vocalist deserves.

“Welcome, Queen,” work immoderate posters adjacent the immense signifier erected connected the Brazilian beach, wherever Madonna volition connected Saturday springiness the biggest amusement of her 40-year vocation and the past of her “Celebration Tour.”

The 65-year-old American vocalist arrived successful the coastal metropolis connected Monday aft much than 80 shows successful Europe, the United States and Mexico. This volition beryllium her lone halt successful South America.

The “Like A Virgin” and “Material Girl” performer travelled to Brazil with 3 planes and 270 tons of equipment, according to her accumulation company.

She has acceptable up campy astatine the luxurious Copacabana Palace hotel, connected to the signifier by a suspended catwalk that dozens of fans crowded nether this week, hoping to drawback a glimpse of the popular star.

– The biggest creation level –
Thanks to escaped admission, organizers expect Madonna’s performance to nutrient the “world’s biggest creation floor” of up to 1.5 cardinal radical — a fig lone reached connected the aforesaid formation by the Rolling Stones successful 2006.

“The postulation is chaos but the performance volition beryllium great, particularly due to the fact that it’s Madonna, the queen of pop,” says nonmigratory Borges, who lives successful Leme, a vicinity astatine the extremity of Copacabana Beach.

Madonna’s 4th show successful Rio volition lend immoderate 293 cardinal reais (US$57 million) to the section economy, an income 30 times higher than what metropolis authorities invested, according to the mayor’s office.

Around 150,000 foreigners are expected to swarm the city, with astir hotels already afloat booked.

“This volition undoubtedly beryllium 1 of Rio’s biggest planetary events. It volition boost our system and pull tourists from Brazil, Latin American and each implicit the world,” said the city’s Tourism Secretary Daniela Maia.

– Return of the conical corset –
Madonna fever is wide to spot successful Rio — the alleged “Marvelous City” — arsenic the hours tick down to her performance.

At the Lix printing store successful the fashionable downtown Saara buying district, the songs of the “Material Girl” are playing connected loop to animate devotees who tin take from personalized fans, hats oregon mugs.

Manager Livia Reis, 23, tells AFP that her store went viral connected societal media soon aft the performance was announced acknowledgment to an influencer who visited the Madonna-inspired shop.

“A feline came in, took a photograph and a video, and sent them to a instrumentality nine with 150,000 followers successful Portugal. From there, it jumped to TikTok and Instagram,” she says.

One peculiarly fashionable point is simply a replica of the conical corset created by French decorator Jean Paul Gaultier, which Madonna famously wore connected signifier successful 1990.

Sold arsenic a bra oregon a top, the point is “doing precise well,” says Reis, who expects determination volition beryllium “queues retired of the door” successful the days up of the concert.

– Patrols connected the corners –
“All this enactment is bully for tourism, hotels and restaurants. But let’s anticipation the information is up to the task,” says 68-year-old Rio section Borges.

The mayor’s bureau has prepared an cognition equivalent to New Year’s Eve celebrations successful Copacabana, 1 of the astir celebrated successful the satellite that typically brings down immoderate 1 cardinal people.

“Operation Madonna” volition spot immoderate 4,500 agents deployed, moving with drones and facial designation cameras. There volition beryllium constabulary patrols connected astir each thoroughfare country successful the neighbourhood.

Nagila Alves, 54, who works for a pest power company, was connected her mode to a client’s location erstwhile she stopped to instrumentality a photograph of the awesome signifier acceptable up for Madonna.

“I volition ever emotion her. Madonna is timeless,” she tells AFP, adding she plans to hold her accomplishment connected Saturday to dodge the crowds swarming to the beforehand of the stage.