Lady Gaga thrills over 2 million fans with her 'gothic opera' in Copacabana

Lady Gaga 's show on the legendary Copacabana Beach was so eagerly awaited that the challenge posed by Rio de Janeiro was daunting: what if it didn't live up to expectations? No way! The show has already entered music history.

Exactly one year ago, Madonna overwhelmed Rio with a performance in front of 1.6 million people, Lady Gaga surpassed the legend: according to the local tourism board, 2.1 million spectators watched the concert on Saturday night. The bronze medal goes to the Rolling Stones , who played to 1.5 million people in 2006.

'Mayhem on the Beach' arrived in Brazil on a cool night, free from the usual Rio de Janeiro rains. As with her recent concerts, the introduction to Act 1, Of Velvet and Vice, featured a video of the singer reciting a text.

The climax of the night came with a huge hit from her early career, "Paparazzi." On the giant screens, the camera panned toward Copacabana Beach, Lady Gaga unfurled the Brazilian flag from the stage balcony, and thanked the audience for helping her make history at the height of her career.

"You've waited for me for more than 10 years!" she said excitedly. "Brazil, I'm ready! I want the world to see how big your hug is."

As the audience sang "Gaga, I love you," "Aejandro" began to play, pure Latin.

Lady Gaga's performance turned Rio de Janeiro upside down, despite the city being accustomed to large gatherings and events. People climbed trees to watch the show, and a 52-year-old Argentinian woman named Dominique told EL MUNDO in amazement about the offer she had received: "They sell you special seats, which they call camarotes. They emptied garbage containers in the streets, turned them upside down, and when you climbed them, you had the best view of the concert."

Act II, And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream, saw Lady Gaga dance among skulls and with a ballet of zombies, reminiscent of Michael Jackson 's Thriller.

Act III, The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name, surprised with a furious drum beat at the beginning, leaving the "dark" sensations behind and showing the dancers dressed in the Brazilian national football team jersey.

To Wake Her Is to Lose Her, Act IV, began with 'Shadow of a Man' from their latest album, on a night that had its second highlight with 'Born This Way', an anthem for the LGBTIQ+ community that united the multimillion-strong audience spread out on and around the beach in hugs.

Three ballads - 'Blade of Grass', 'Shallow' and 'Vanish Into You' - marked the closing of the night, which ended with 'Bad Romance', and a heartfelt message from Lady Gaga: "The last time I was here, we became friends, now we're family."