Madonna closes 'Celebration' tour with record-breaking Rio show
More than 1.6-million people attended Madonna's last show on her 'Celebration' tour...
Madonna just proved why she is still the 'Queen of Pop' more than 40 years after she burst onto the music scene.
The 65-year-old wrapped up 'The Celebration Tour' on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, performing in front of a whopping 1.6-million people.
The free concert was held on Copacabana Beach. Madonna's biggest show to date was her concert in Paris, which took place in 1983. It drew over 130,000 people.
While larger concerts have been held at the Copacabana Beach on New Year's Eve, Madonna's show set a new record for a stand-alone concert.
The record was previously held by the Rolling Stones. Their 2006 show attracted 1.5-million people.
An excited Madonna took to Instagram to thank her Brazilian fans for their support.
"This really happened. Thank you Rio. Thank you @pabllovittar and @anitta. Words cannot express my gratitude! To everyone involved!!"
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The last time Madonna performed in Brazil was in 2012. Madonna kicked off her 'Celebration' tour at London's O2 Arena in October last year.
Several of her children, including Estere Mwale Ciccone, appeared on stage during opening night.
Estere, who was 11 at the time, almost stole the show with her Madonna-like vogue dance. Her last paid show was in Mexico City on April 26.
Madonna's tour celebrated 40 years in music. She sang songs that she had not performed in years. Stars like Kylie Minogue and Salma Hayek also made surprise appearances.
The tour was not without some drama. A near-death experience caused Madge, as she is also known, to postpone the tour.
She contracted a serious bacterial infection, which resulted in her spending several days in the ICU.
"One month out of the hospital and I can reflect. As a Mother you can really get caught up In the needs Of your children and the seemingly endless giving... But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference," she wrote on Instagram in July last year.
Two concertgoers also sued Madonna earlier this year. They were upset that one of her shows in New York ended much later than expected.
The disgruntled fans complained that people had to wake up for work the next morning and had other family responsibilities to consider.
Madonna's lawyers clapped back, saying that many concerts don't start on time, as there are typically one or two opening acts that take to the stage before the headline.
They said concergoers "got just what they paid for a full-length, high-quality show by the Queen of Pop".
ALSO READ: Madonna's lawyers on concert lawsuit - 'Fans got what they paid for'
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Main image credit: Instagram/@madonna