Madonna has brought her Celebration World Tour to a close with a massive beach concert in Rio de Janeiro.
Authorities have estimated 1.6 million people filled Copacabana Beach for the event which saw Madonna perform some of the biggest hits from her 40 years of making music.
Brazilian singer Anitta was the special guest for the Vogue dance-off section of the show. Throughout the tour different celebrities have joined the show to score a Ballroom dance-off. Ricky Martin, FKA Twigs, Diplo, Stuart Price, Arca, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kiddy Smile, Donatella Versace, Debi Mazar, Peaches, Charlie Hunnam, Stella McCartney, Julia Garner, and folk singer Maggie Rogers all took a turn in the seat as the tour worked its way across the world.
Monet X Change, Kelly Ripa, Honey Dijon, Miz Cracker, Manila Luzon, Pamela Anderson, Jeremy Scott, Violet Chachki, Erykah Badu, Peppermint, David Harbour, Kim Petras, Trixie Mattel and Salma Hayek also got to hold up the score cards.
Santa even turned up for one show, and in New York Ballroom legend Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza appeared – he was one of the dancers in the Vogue video and part of Madonna’s entourage for her legendary Blonde Ambition tour in 1990.
Madonna’s children Rocco Ritchie and Lourdes Leon have also appeared as judges, while another of her children 11-year-old Estere is one of the dancers in the show.
The tour is the twelfth of the singer’s career, but it’s the first time she’s completely focused on playing her hits rather than promoting her most recent album.
The final show in Rio also featured local drag artist and singer Pabllo Vittar who appeared alongside a local samba band for a percussive rendition of Music.
Madonna also added a short acapella performance of the song This Little Light of Mine before she sang an acoustic version of her hit Express Yourself.
The convert was free and was also streamed live online. Fans gather for days ahead of the event and as temperatures hit 30 degrees in day firefighters sprayed water on the crowds to keep them cool. Madonna took to the stage around 10:45pm for the two-hour show.
It’s been revealed when Madonna filmed the television commercial promoting the tour her managers were yet to work out if they could pull of the epic feat.
The clip filmed in the ornate Paris Opera saw the singer talking about her career longevity, and the many different guises and looks she’s morphed into over the decades.
While Madonna’s audience of 1.6 million is impressive, it’s not a record breaker. Rod Stewart is estimated to have close to 4.2 million people at his 1994 New Year’s Eve celebrations in the same spot.
