Madonna will perform on Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach in early May, Brazilian media and tourism officials have announced, according to The Spokeman.
Madonna, during the March 5 concert in Los Angeles Photo Profimedia
Journalist Lauro Jardim, from the publication O Globo, said at the beginning of March that this concert is scheduled for May 4, a date that has not yet been confirmed by the organizers and the 65-year-old singer.
“Brazil I'm Coming Soon” said the performer of the “Material Girl” and “Vogue” hits in a video broadcast earlier this week by a local financial company, Itau Unibanco.
Additional details about the singer's concert will be communicated during a press conference held on Monday, according to the invitation sent to journalists on Friday by Itau and the sponsor, the Dutch beer producer Heineken, which has an extensive presence in Brazil.
The local hotel industry greeted the news with joy. “New Year's Eve Came Early” said the leader of Rio's hotel unions, Alfredo Lopes, in an interview, explaining that hotel occupancy in popular areas of the city could reach 100% before the concert.
Rio de Janeiro's official tourism office, Visit Rio, also told Brazilians to prepare for a “free and historic” show with Madonna on Copacabana Beach, adding that the pop star had chosen the city to end her the international tournament Celebration Tourstarted last October.
The show, which is being paid for by Brazilian bank Itaú, is said to be a celebration of Madonna's 40-year career and the bank's 100th anniversary.
For months, Brazilian social media platforms have been awash with rumors of a possible Madonna concert in Brazil, where she last performed in 2012, bringing her ninth tour, 'MDNA', to three different cities in the country.
Last year, after the artist announced that she would be embarking on a world tour, South American fans couldn't hide their disappointment when it was announced that the 80-stop tour would only include cities in North America and Europe. But according to Brazilian media, that may have changed after the “Material Girl” singer signed a multi-million dollar deal to create and star in a TV commercial for Itaú.
The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Lenny Kravitz are among the artists who have given free concerts in the past at Copacabana in the presence of millions of fans.
