Sawt Falasteen - Rio goes Gaga for US singer ahead of free concert

Brazilians have been waiting more than a decade for the 39-year-old pop icon to perform in the country, and excitement is at fever pitch.

On Thursday, the city was crawling with "little monsters," as Gaga affectionately refers to her fans, decked out in T-shirts, wigs, baseball caps stamped with her image.

Faro sported plastic horns and a thin Salvador Dali-style moustache curled up at the sides -- two accessories that were part of Lady Gaga's look during her "Born This Way" and "Artpop" days -- as he waited outside the Copacabana Palace hotel for a glimpse of his idol.

- 'Mother' Gaga -

Faro travelled from neighboring Espirito Santo state to be at Copacabana at 6:00 am on Thursday, in order to "be as close to the stage as possible."

A few meters away, Cinthia Rodrigues, a 28-year-old content creator in a platinum blonde wig and bandana, said she saw Lady Gaga "as a mother figure."

"I don't just identify with her look, but also her personality," she said, adding she was looking forward to a "historic concert."

Fresh off the release of her latest album "Mayhem," the star -- who played two nights in Mexico City last week -- vowed in February "to make sure this show is one you will never forget."

Gaga's previous plans to play in Brazil, at a rock festival in Rio in 2017, were canceled due to health issues.

- Bringing joy -

Rio is no stranger to mega-events.

Each year, around 1.6 million people attend its massive Carnival festivities.

In May 2024, Madonna gave one of the biggest shows of her four-decade career at Copacabana, drawing over a million fans and pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.

The shot in the arm from Lady Gaga's gig is expected to be even bigger.

"The fact of adding a concert by an international star each year on Copacabana beach helps stimulate economic activity in a period previously considered the off-season," Osmar Lima, Rio's secretary for economic development, said in a statement.

"It brings in money by attracting tourists and brings joy to the neighborhood," said Analice Analice Regina Moreira, a 73-year-old Copacabana resident.

- The meat dress -

Traders were doing a brisk trade in Lady Gaga-themed merchandise ahead of the concert; fans waited in line for up to an hour at one store.

The most popular item was a tank top inspired by the iconic "meat dress" she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

"We were expecting a lot of people but this is far bigger than we imagined," said Paulo Moreira Monteiro, who had to hire a security guard to keep shoppers in line.

He expects the gig to boost his revenues by 70 percent as compared with a regular week.

X.AbuJaber--SF-PST