SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
In Rio, in Brazil, Lady Gaga will soon be hosting the biggest concert of her career. More than 1 1/2 million people are expected to be in the audience on Copacabana Beach on Saturday, and fans have been flocking there to watch the preparations, as Julia Carneiro reports.
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JULIA CARNEIRO: Lady Gaga will be touring the world later this year to promote her latest album "Mayhem," but only here in Rio can the concert be called Mayhem on the Beach. Crowds are gathered here to watch the huge stage that's being set up on the sand, as a cool breeze blows from the sea.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) Abracadabra, abra ooh na na, in her tongue she said...
CARNEIRO: Thales Schmidt is part of her fan base - Little Monsters, as they call themselves.
THALES SCHMIDT: We're all performing "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga, the new song that took us crazy.
CARNEIRO: What does it mean for you, for Lady Gaga to be in Rio?
SCHMIDT: It means a lot. She has been with me for all my life, since I was a little kid, a gay kid, since (laughter) - she taught me a lot about love myself, accepting myself.
JUAN SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: Juan Silva is from Rio and has been waiting to see Lady Gaga live since 2017. He had bought a ticket for the show she was due to perform in Rio back then, but she canceled it for health reasons. And now he's here, anxiously waiting in front of the stage being set up.
SILVA: I'm so excited...
CARNEIRO: (Laughter).
SILVA: ...But I'm so excited for this show. It's my dream. It's my love.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Gaga, Gaga, Gaga, Gaga, Gaga.
CARNEIRO: Outside the iconic Copacabana Palace Hotel, it already feels like a crowded pop concert. Her fans are gathered here, hoping to get any glimpse of Lady Gaga. Over the past day, she's had batches of pizza delivered to the crowds outside the hotel.
Has she appeared at all?
NICOLE LIMA: No. It's been two days. But she sent pizza.
CARNEIRO: Nicole Lima traveled all the way from the northeast to be here. She got on a plane and then on a bus just for the concert.
LIMA: I'm going to arrive here at 5 a.m to wait for her. I really want to see her not from the screen. I want to see her with my own eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Check, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
CARNEIRO: Rio residents are starting to get used to mega concerts like this. Last year, Madonna held her biggest ever show on Copacabana Beach. The city hall's bet is that this will help boost the economy and the city's image abroad. For NPR News, I'm Julia Carneiro on Copacabana Beach.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking non-English language).
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