Fans began staking their claims spots on the beach a full 12 hours before the show began shortly before 10pm Saturday night. Those that couldn't find a spot on the beach watched from nearby windows as well as from boats, kayaks, an Ocean Liner and surfboards from the water. For those that couldn't get close enough to the action on the seven-stories high stage, the band set up Eight video screens and 16 sound towers, according to the Associate Press.
Going into Saturday's concert, many expected the Stones to break the world attendance record but they fall 2.5 million short of Rod Stewart's record 3.5 million fans that filled the same beach on New Year's Eve in 1994.
The band roared through 20 songs, including a lot of the classics from the opener "Jumping Jack Flash" to the twin encores of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and also treated fans to some material off of their latest album A Bigger Bang.
While attendance was free for spectators, the city of Rio reportedly put out $750,000 for the event.
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