Lady Gaga-mania grips over 1 million fans amid free Rio concert
US singer Lady Gaga was scheduled to give a free concert on Copacabana Beach on Saturday night, the second such show in as many years organised by Rio de Janeiro's City Hall.
The show is the biggest of the pop star's career, as it was for Madonna who also turned the expansive stretch of sand into a massive dance floor last year.
Lady Gaga's more than 2-hour performance is scheduled to start at 9:45pm local time. Sixteen sound towers have been spread along the beach to ensure the hits resonate across the vast space.
Rio state's security plan include the presence of 3,300 military and 1,500 police officers, and 400 military firefighters.
Fans watch Lady Gaga rehearse a day ahead of her free concert in Rio de Janeiro. AP
The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years' Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John's Day celebrations in June.
"It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars, restaurants, and retail, generating jobs and income for the population,' said Osmar Lima, the city's secretary of economic development, in a statement released by Rio City Hall's tourism department last month.
Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028.
Lady Gaga takes part in a rehearsal a day ahead of her free concert, on Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro. AP
Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday. The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since, as it geared up to welcome the Mother Monster for her first show in the country since 2012.
Rio's metro employees danced to Lady Gaga's 2008 hit song "LoveGame' and gave instructions for Saturday in a video.
A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out. And "Little Monsters,' as her fans are known, sang and danced in front of Copacabana Palace where the pop star is staying, in the hope of catching a glimpse of her.
Fans of Lady Gaga wait hours before the beginning of her mega-concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. AFP
Rio's City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people are expected to attend and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (some $106 million) into Rio's economy, nearly 30% more than Madonna's show.
Brazil's airlines record nearly full flights: While the vast majority of attendees will be from Rio, the event is expected to attract Brazilians from across the country and international visitors.
Brazilian airlines are enjoying a boost as fans from all over the country fly to Rio de Janeiro ahead of the free Lady Gaga concert.
A Brazilian fan of Lady Gaga, Matheus Silvestroni, displays his Lady Gaga memorabilia and discs at his home in Sao Paulo. Reuters
The country's largest carriers – the local unit of Chile's LATAM Airlines, Gol and Azul – all reported on Friday that they have been operating more flights that are close to full.
LATAM said in a statement that between Wednesday and Monday it had increased the frequency of its flights to Rio's two main airports, Galeao and Santos Dumont, by 25% compared to the previous week, while offering 26% more seats.
Ingrid Serrano, a 30-year-old engineer, made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show.
"I've been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,' said Serrano, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga's outlandish costumes over the years.
For her, the mega-star represents "total freedom of expression - being who one wants without shame.'
Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach. Madonna's show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year, while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year's Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994. According to Guinness World Records, that was the biggest free rock concert in history.
Associated Press
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