Sawt Falasteen - Massive crowds fill Rio's Copacabana beach for Shakira concert

About two million people were expected to attend the free outdoor concert by the 49-year-old Colombian superstar, who performed on a massive stage outside the legendary Copacabana Hotel.

This beach has hosted the biggest divas in pop in recent years, with Madonna striking a pose for 1.6 million in 2024 and Lady Gaga singing her greatest hits to 2.1 million fans last year.

"Shakira doesn't need to fit into molds, she makes real art, she does what she wants out of love. I'm very inspired by her, she's a Latin woman at the top," 26-year-old designer Joao Pedro Yellin told AFP, dressed in an overcoat made of scraps representing Latin American flags.

To see the show, superfan Graciele Vaz slept on the beach Friday night after traveling four hours from the resort town of Paraty.

"I've been a Shakira fan for more than 20 years," the 43-year-old said, sporting a large tattoo on her back of Shakira's name over a she-wolf -- the singer's nickname and the symbol of her current world tour.

With more than 90 million records sold, four Grammys, 15 Latin Grammys and a generation-spanning repertoire including bangers "Hips Don't Lie," "Waka Waka" and "Whenever, Wherever," she enjoys unique popularity in Brazil, where she has performed numerous times.

"She loves Brazil so much and the love she has for us is the love we have for her," Vaz said.

Her 2025 tour kicked off in Rio, and has already earned a Guinness World Record for highest-grossing tour for a Latin artist.

To promote the performance, Shakira shared Instagram videos of her packing flip-flops and a revealing Brazilian flag bikini ahead of her travels, and her first walk in Rio with its famed Sugarloaf Mountain in the background.

On Friday night, early birds were treated to an open rehearsal alongside two legendary Brazilian musicians, siblings Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania.

Thousands of fans crowded around the stage were treated to her performance of "O Leaozinho" with Veloso.

Rio has been readying for the concert for days, with huge posters blanketing the city, and Copacabana's vendors were busy Saturday hawking beer, caipirinhas, t-shirts and little vials of "Shakira's tears," a nod to her current "Women No Longer Cry" tour.

Security is also tight, with nearly 8,000 officers deployed, along with drones, facial recognition cameras and 18 screening points with metal detectors.

Last year, after Lady Gaga's performance, police said they foiled a bomb plot by a group that disseminated hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community.

Fans were also camped out in front of the Copacabana Palace, where Shakira is staying, hoping to glimpse her at a window.

Christopher Yataco, a 28-year-old Peruvian, saved for a year to travel from Lima to see his idol, and told AFP he admires "her passion, her warmth as a person, how down-to-earth she is, how Latina she is, how she represents the entire Latin community and women's empowerment."

City officials estimate the event will inject more than $160 million (800 million reais) into the local economy. National tourism officials said airline bookings were up 80 percent this week compared to 2024.

The performance will likely be Shakira's biggest concert to date.

S.Abdullah--SF-PST