{"id":633,"date":"2026-05-03T08:58:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/shakira-packs-brazils-copacabana-beach-with-2-million-fans-in-huge-free-concert\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T09:19:26","slug":"shakira-packs-brazils-copacabana-beach-with-2-million-fans-in-huge-free-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/shakira-packs-brazils-copacabana-beach-with-2-million-fans-in-huge-free-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakira packs Brazil&#8217;s Copacabana Beach with 2 million fans in huge free concert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/newspress-collage-mt99m5gb8-1777797665549.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Colombian superstar\u00a0Shakira\u00a0gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in\u00a0Rio de Janeiro\u00a0on Saturday night, an event that the city\u2019s mayor said drew 2 million people to one of the world\u2019s most iconic waterfronts.<\/p>\n<p>The performance followed similar shows by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/05\/05\/entertainment\/madonnas-biggest-ever-concert-transforms-rios-copacabana-beach-into-massive-dance-floor-for-1-6-million-people\/\">Madonna in 2024<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/04\/entertainment\/lady-gaga-rocks-brazils-copacabana-beach-with-free-concert-for-more-than-2m-fans\/\">Lady Gaga\u00a0last year<\/a>, which also were attended by huge crowds that danced on the sprawling sands.<\/p>\n<p>For Shakira, it was part of her\u00a0\u201cLas Mujeres Ya No Lloran,\u201d\u00a0or \u201cWomen No Longer Cry,\u201d world tour named after her 2024 album.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Shakira performs live during a concert as part of TODO MUNDO NO RIO at Copacabana Beach on May 3, 2026. <span class=\"credit\">Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Shakira.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/shakira-performs-live-concert-part-126901820.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Shakira on stage, holding a Brazilian flag, with a large wolf-like figure in the background and a band performing.\" \/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Shakira\u2019s set kicked off around 11 p.m., more than an hour after the scheduled slot, to her fans screaming with excitement and frantic applause as skywriting drones flew overhead, spelling out in the sky, \u201cI love you Brazil\u201d in Portuguese.<\/p>\n<p>The megastar spoke fondly about the first time she came to Brazil, some three decades ago.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you,\u201d Shakira told the crowd shortly after coming on stage. \u201cAnd now look at this. Life is magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The much-loved pop star sang fan favorites such as \u201cHips Don\u2019t Lie,\u201d \u201cLa Tortura\u201d and \u201cLa Bicicleta.\u201d She ended with \u201cBZRP Music Sessions #53\/66,\u201d which followed her <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2023\/09\/21\/shakira-believed-in-till-death-do-us-part-before-gerard-pique-split\/\">separation from Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqu\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She also took the time to celebrate women\u2019s resilience during the show. \u201cUs women, every time we fall we get up a little wiser,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Fans watch Colombian singer Shakira perform during a concert from a terrace overlooking Copacabana Beach. <span class=\"credit\">ANTONIO LACERDA\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said on X that 2 million people attended the performance. \u201cThe She-Wolf made history in Rio,\u201d he posted, referring to Shakira\u2019s 2009 hit.<\/p>\n<p>When Shakira first performed in Brazil in the 1990s, she established an amazing connection with the Brazilian public, according to Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist pursuing a doctoral degree in popular music and digital technologies at Paris Nanterre University.<\/p>\n<p>That success in Brazil \u201chas a lot to do with the fact that she comes from Colombia, a country whose culture has many similarities with Brazil,\u201d Maia said, adding that Saturday\u2019s performance \u201ccrowns the relationship she has had with Brazil for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The free concert drew 2 million people to Copacabana Beach, according to Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere. <span class=\"credit\">ANDRE COELHO\/EPA\/Shutterstock<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/2026-shakira-headlined-free-concert-126894239.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"People gathered on Copacabana Beach and on a terrace overlook a free concert by Shakira.\" \/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Erica Monteiro, a 38-year-old accountant, said she has listened to Shakira since childhood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me she represents the strength of our Latino community,\u201d Monteiro said ahead of the concert. \u201cWe\u2019re treated as if we were inferior but in fact we have much more strength.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heading home after Saturday\u2019s show, Hellem Souza da Silva said Shakira\u2019s performance,\u00a0like <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/02\/08\/entertainment\/bad-bunny-celebrates-puerto-rico-in-celeb-packed-super-bowl-halftime-show-performance\/\">Bad Bunny<\/a>\u2019s concerts\u00a0in Sao Paulo in February, helped consolidate Brazil\u2019s Latino identity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Shakira is wearing a glittery green, yellow, and blue top, showcasing the flag of Brazil. <span class=\"credit\">ANDRE COELHO\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These artists \u201care making it clear that Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia and other countries are part of Latin America. And that America is not the United States,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Crowds started piling onto the beach Saturday morning to nab a good spot for the show.<\/p>\n<p>Street vendors\u00a0sold sweet corn and other Brazilian snacks, bottled water and caipirinhas, the popular Brazilian cocktail, but also toilet paper, deodorant and even bags of sand for concertgoers to stand on to get a better view of the stage set up opposite Copacabana Palace, a historic luxury hotel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Copacabana Beach at night, with fireworks lighting up the sky during the concert. <span class=\"credit\">ANTONIO LACERDA\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Street vendor Simone Paula da Cunha arrived on the beach on Friday evening, hoping to sell all the beer and water bottles she had bought ahead of the show and make about $100 in all.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being tired, da Cunha was excited at the prospect of seeing Shakira live. \u201cI remember her from when she still had black hair,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of hers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The free concerts are part of City Hall\u2019s attempt to boost economic activity after\u00a0Carnival\u00a0and New Year\u2019s Eve festivities and before the monthlong Saint John\u2019s Day celebrations in June.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Shakira embraces her fans during the TODO MUNDO NO RIO concert. <span class=\"credit\">Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Shakira<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cFor us, parties are serious business. Because parties generate jobs, income, development, and identity for the city,\u201d Cavaliere, the mayor, said on Wednesday as he presented the city\u2019s operational plan for the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur investment in this show will give us a financial return 40 times greater,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Shakira\u2019s performance could generate around 777 million reais (around $155 million), according to a study by City Hall and Riotur, the municipality\u2019s tourism company, thanks to the influx of tourists and cash spent in restaurants, hotels and shops.<\/p>\n<p>More tourists headed to Rio in the month of May in the years with shows \u2014 2024 and 2025 \u2014 compared to 2023, according to City Hall data.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, the growth was 34.2% on May 1, just ahead of the concerts, compared to the previous year. In 2025, the increase was 90.5% compared to 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of Shakira\u2019s performance, Airbnb said in an April 22 statement that it was seeing an increase in guests expected to travel from different parts of\u00a0Brazil, Latin America and even European capitals such as Paris and London.<\/p>\n<p>Wanderson Andrade, a 30-year-old architect, said he flew in especially for the show from the city of Goiana in central Brazil on Saturday and planned to fly back the following day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried to get tickets to see her in Brazil last year but I didn\u2019t succeed,\u201d said Andrade, whose first tattoo is a wolf in honor of Shakira. \u201cToday is a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/03\/entertainment\/shakira-packs-brazils-copacabana-beach-with-2-million-fans-in-huge-free-concert\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colombian superstar\u00a0Shakira\u00a0gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in\u00a0Rio de Janeiro\u00a0on Saturday night, an event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/newspress-collage-mt99m5gb8-1777797665549.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":638,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633\/revisions\/638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}