Madonna dons balaclava mask onstage during rehearsal for her free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil … as her children Mercy James and David Banda are seen in South American locale
Madonna is already in Brazil, two days ahead of a highly anticipated free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, scheduled for Saturday.
The 65-year-old pop superstar was pictured wearing a neon green balaclava during a rehearsal session on Thursday as she prepared to wrap up her Celebration Tour in a big way.
The Grammy-winning singer, whose full name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, wore a black kimono by designer Eyob Yohannes as she got ready for the show, which was set to take place in front of the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel.
The singer was seen preparing for the show, singing her 1989 hit Express Yourself while playing guitar in a tweet shared by Rolling Stone Brazil Thursday.
Another tweet from the outlet had the singer practice her 2000 hit single Music as hundreds of fans lined up to watch rehearsals and sing along.
The 65-year-old Madonna was already present in Brazil on Thursday, two days ahead of a highly anticipated free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, scheduled for Saturday
She pulled the mask back in one go as she worked with organizers on stage to perfect the details of the concert
In one go, she pulled back the mask as she worked with organizers on stage to perfect the details of the concert.
The artist of hits such as Vogue, Like A Virgin and Material Girl is the mother of six children: Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco Ritchie, 23, David Banda, 18, Mercy James, 18, and twins Stella and Estere, 11.
David Banda and Mercy James were photographed separately ahead of the big weekend at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel, where the music icon and her family are staying.
Banda wore a light blue ball cap while at the luxury establishment, while Mercy James wore a black Emirates football shirt, with a knitted rainbow cap, hoop earrings and black sunglasses.
Madonna kicked off the Celebration Tour at London’s O2 Arena last October and hit a number of prominent European venues in December, when she ventured back to the US for a concert in New York City on December 13.
Madonna was unveiled in March she was finishing her journey with the oceanfront concert as “a thank you to her fans for celebrating more than four decades of her music on the epic global tour.”
The La Isla Bonita artist last took the stage in Brazil in 2012 during The MDNA Tour, the singer’s team said in the press release, adding that the show was broadcast live on TV Globo.
The pop superstar was pictured at a rehearsal session on Tuesday wearing a neon green balaclava
The Grammy-winning singer wore a black kimono by designer Eyob Yohannes
The artist of hits including Vogue, Like A Virgin and Material Girl was seen playing guitar in preparation for the big show
The singer had the mask halfway on as she sang from the stage
The Cherish singer kicked off the Celebration Tour at the O2 Arena in London last October and will end it with the big show in Brazil
The Brazilian flag was part of the show
Madonna’s daughter Mercy James attends rehearsal ahead of concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro
The Material Girl enjoyed a few different costume changes
The pop star delivered a dazzling performance, even during what was just a rehearsal
During the rehearsal there were energetic performances from the musicians
Madonna proved to be quite a draw as a crowd gathered to watch the practice run
The audience cheered as they watched the rehearsal
The music icon and her family are staying at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Her son David Banda, 18, smiled while wearing a light blue hat during his stay at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro
Madonna’s daughter Mercy James wore a black Emirates football shirt with a knitted rainbow hat at the hotel
The La Isla Bonita artist’s banner show will be broadcast live on Brazil’s TV Globo
An elaborate stage setup was nearly complete Thursday
Hundreds of fans of the pop icon gathered near the concert location on Thursday
Area retailers had a lot of Madonna merchandise for sale in the lead up to the show
According to Madonna’s team: ‘No tickets are required for the event. Entry will be requested on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel.”
A number of other prominent artists have drawn huge crowds at oceanfront shows on Copacabana Beach, Madonna’s team noted.
These include Rod Stewart in 1994 with 4 million concertgoers; the Rolling Stones in 2006 with 1.5 million; and Lenny Kravitz in 2005 with 300,000.