Picture the scene: One of the greatest pop artists in history stands in the middle of the Palais Garnier, the imposing home of the Paris Opera. Then, with her blue eyes fixed on the camera, she says a completely unrelated phrase: “Brazil, I'm coming.”
But then, in November 2023, there was nothing, not even close, certain for Madonna to do her celebratory tour in Brazil. Instead, it was rumored that this would be a nearly impossible mission for technical reasons.
“At the time, we thought: Why don't we have her record 'Brazil, coming soon' as an extra for the ad?” says Pedro Smith, head of Strategic Brand Relations at Itaú, the largest bank in Latin America, whose centennial campaign stars Madonna. “It would be a mutual interest to have the show happen if he agreed. Well, he recorded that speech, but we had no way to use it!'
It was up to the bank to pull the strings to make it happen. But they ran out of time.
“The day after the shoot, we attended her show in Paris and realized that the structure would be complicated to accommodate a large crowd like the one we wanted. Because of this, Guy Oseary [the singer’s manager] he threw cold water on us,” says Smith.
The following week, legendary entrepreneur Luiz Oscar Niemeyer from Bonus Track appeared on stage, a “key player” in the process. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the music business, Niemeyer is a pioneer in the international concert market in Brazil, responsible for Paul McCartney's record attendance at the Maracanã in 1993 (and all of McCartney's subsequent visits to Brazil) and the performance by The Rolling Stones on Copacabana Beach, among many other historical events.
So there were two players: the biggest bank in Latin America who already had a close relationship with Madonna, and an experienced producer used to dealing with the biggest names in showbiz. But fate sometimes plays tricks.
“I had already tried to bring Madonna in 2006, without success, and I had already talked to Live Nation, responsible for the Celebration tour, but Madonna had this health problem last year and the tour was postponed,” explains Niemeyer, or ” LON” for those closest to him.
In late 2023, Madonna returned to action, recording the commercial and sold out dates in Europe, but Niemeyer, who had gone on vacation earlier in the year, also had to deal with his health. The producer suffered a serious accident, was hospitalized and out of action. “I totally broke down,” he laughs.
By mid-February (just over two months before the show date), negotiations intensified with Niemeyer back on track. “We were very close [to Niemeyer] and they exchanged a lot of information, like a task force to make this show possible, because Itaú had a contract with Madonna and the Bonus Track, with Live Nation,” says Smith. “It was Saturday, Sunday, sometimes 3 in the morning, and Luiz Oscar and I were in meetings with teams outside of Brazil.”
And the groups for anything related to Madonna, of course, are pretty strict. “We need to deliver a show that lives up to the level of production it's been putting on around the world, adapted of course for a much bigger venue. It was only when the resizing of that structure, sponsorships, TV shows and technical issues were approved that the deal was finally closed,” explains Niemeyer, stressing that the leaks about the show that took over the Internet in the weeks before the official announcement did not intervene in the negotiations.
According to him, from the beginning, the idea was that the show at Princesinha do Mar would close the Celebration tour as “a great gift for the Brazilian fans”. “It was a great choice – on a Saturday, we have a holiday in the middle of the week and more people can visit the city,” says Niemeyer.
We hope Madonna enjoys it too.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/madonna-final-celebration-tour-concert-brazil-how-it-happened-1235672917/