Madonna fans crowd a store in downtown Rio looking for products for the Queen of Pop’s showPedro Ivo / Agência O Dia
Published 05/03/2024 17:07
Rio – A real crowd took to the streets of Saara, the largest popular shopping center in Rio, this Friday (3), to buy products for the Madonna show, in Copacabana, in the South Zone, this Saturday (4).
At the Lix store, located on Rua Senhor dos Passos, customers formed a huge queue to enter the establishment and buy everything that bears the name of the Queen of Pop. The main product required is the “chest shirt”, a handcrafted item inspired by the corset made by French designer Jean Paul Gaultier for Madonna to wear on her ‘Blond Ambition’ tour‘carried out in 1990.
Lívia Reis, store manager, told the DAY, that the demand for the clothes was huge during the week. This Friday (3), customers queued for hours to get the product. The success has been so great that even makeup artist Aaron Smith Henrikson, from Madonna’s staff, went to the place to shop this Wednesday (1st). There were even orders sent to countries in Europe and Oceania.
“It’s very busy, surreal. The demand is immense for the chest shirt. We are sending it to several places like Portugal, Argentina and Australia. The queue keeps growing, there are a lot of orders, a lot of shipping. The demand is surreal. There are people who makes a point of standing here in line, for hours and hours, to buy the blouse. Everyone wants it all the time. Everything that Madonna has, everyone wants. take it. It says Madonna, people take it”, he said.
One of Madonna’s fans who faced the huge queue, waiting five hours to enter the store, was Erik Portela from Bahia. A resident of Salvador, the 30-year-old administrative assistant said he came to Rio to watch the show. For him, Madonna represents the memory of his parents and his childhood.
“I came looking for products for the show. A regular shirt and some cups with the logo. The breasted shirt ran out early because it was the most sought after and many women asked to order it, but I got what I wanted. It’s very difficult to get products from it. Here in the city, it’s really complicated. My parents listened to Madonna and I followed her since I was a child. I still listen to her to this day. today. She is an idol for me”, he stated.
Hairdresser Leandro Martins, 35 years old, resident of São Paulo, also waited in line, this time for four hours, to get products personalized with the artist’s name. The man said that he arrived in Rio this Thursday (2) to watch the presentation. According to him, Madonna has always broken barriers in music and it is this element that makes the affection for her so great.
“I stood in line for four hours. I arrived in the morning and left this afternoon. I managed to buy the shirt I wanted and glasses. Madonna represents the biggest musical name of a living artist on the planet. She has always broken barriers and gone beyond her time. Since I know myself, I’ve always heard of Madonna and I’ve always liked her music. My expectation is to enjoy this big show as much as possible”, he said.
The show
Since the performance was confirmed in March, the singer’s fans have shown contagious excitement on social media, sharing expectations, preparations and even reunions. On different days this week, several people gathered in front of the Copacabana Palace to greet Madonna. Tours from other states were also set up to bring fans of the artist to Rio.
The event, which is part of “The Celebration Tour”, is expected to attract 1.5 million people. The show promises to be a milestone in the history of the singer’s 40-year career.
The stage is being set up on Copacabana beach, in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel, as happens on New Year’s Eve, and the performance is expected to start between 9:30 pm and 9:45 pm, this Saturday (4). For those who prefer to avoid the crowd and just listen to the show, there will be sound towers behind the stage. DJs will start playing at 7pm. At 8pm, DJ Diplo takes over. The singer’s show should end at 11:45 pm. This will be the artist’s fourth performance in Brazil, returning to the country after 12 years.
Proving to be a grand show, the Queen of Pop’s stage will be the biggest on the tour, twice the size of those used in stadiums and arenas. The event will be marked as the biggest presentation of the artist’s career. Almost three meters from the ground, to allow a view of the public on the beach, Madonna’s stage will be 812 square meters, with 24 meters in front and 18 meters to the ceiling. The singer has three catwalks where she walks and dances during the performance. The central one is 22 meters long and the lateral ones are 20 meters long each.
According to Riotur, the expectation is that 170 extra flights will arrive in Rio between May 1st and 6th due to the show. The bus station will also see a 30% increase in traffic due to the event. Capacity in Copacabana hotels will be 100% on Saturday (4). With this movement, Rio City Hall expects to raise almost R$500 million, between the pre and post show.
Security
The Military Police mobilized 3,200 agents for the day of the show. In total, there will be 150 blocking points and 18 search points with metal detectors at the beach access points. Police officers will operate with 12 facial recognition cameras, 64 vehicles, 4 drones and 65 observation towers. All material generated by the equipment, in addition to the police cameras, will be transmitted to the Command and Control Intelligence Center set up in Praça do Lido, in Copacabana. The corporation has already started making patrols to avoid camps on the sands.
Tags: Madonna fans face huge queue buy singers products Sahara Shes idol Rio Janeiro
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