Rio de Janeiro officials anticipate that a free Lady Gaga concert on Saturday night, paid for by the city to revitalise its economy, could bring in some $100 million, the BBC reports.
It is estimated that more than two million people attended the concert on Copacabana beach, making it the pop star’s biggest concert.
Saturday’s performancewaspart of a promotional tour for Lady Gaga’s eighth album, Mayhem, whose songs include Abracadabra and Die with a Smile. She last performed in Brazil in 2012.
A massive security operation was in place, with 5,000 police officers on duty and attendees having to pass through metal detectors. The authorities also useddrones and facial recognition cameras to help police the event.
The BBC notes that Lady Gaga is not the first person to stage a free concert in Rio. A similar Madonna concert on Copacabana Beach in May last year was also paid for by the city.
[Image: By Carlos M. Vazquez II – 210120-D-WD757-1720, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112866427]