Moment pickpocket is beaten and thrown into a bin at Madonna concert

This is the moment a group of revellers threw a suspected pickpocket into a rubbish bin at Madonna's historic concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday

Video shows how a group dragged the man, who was allegedly stealing from concert-goers, towards the waste container before apparently hitting him in the face several times. The group then picks the man up by his legs and hurls him inside, while thumping the back of his head, before closing the container lid and cheering

Madonna, 65, put on a free concert on Copacabana beach on Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with many of her fans

Madonna, 65, put on a free concert on Copacabana beach on Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with many of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off last October in London and has since been hailed by her team as the biggest concert in her four-decade career.

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the gig, more than 10 times Madonna's record attendance of 130,000 at Paris' Parc des Sceaux in 1987.

The Queen of Pop began the show with her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters.

Huge cheers rose from the buzzing, tightly packed crowd pressed against the barriers. 

Others looked on from brightly lighted apartments and hotels lining the beachfront. Helicopters and drones flew overhead. 

An estimated 1.6 million people attended Saturday's gig, (pictured) more than 10 times Madonna's record attendance of 130,000 at Paris' Parc des Sceaux in 1987

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off last October. Madonna is pictured performing during the free concert on Saturday

Madonna and Brazilian sensation Anitta deliver a mesmerising onstage collaboration, captivating audiences with their dynamic performance in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday

Saturday's concert has since been hailed by her team as the biggest concert in her four-decade career. Pictured are joyful fans at the free concert on Copacabana Beach

'Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,' Madonna told the crowd.

Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: 'This place is magic.'

She performed a string of hits for her fans during the show, including Like a Virgin, Like a Prayer and Hung Up.

The city of Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure all attendees could hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10.37pm local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would inject 293 million reals (£46million) into the local economy.

She performed a string of hits for her fans during the show, including Like a Virgin, Like a Prayer and Hung Up. The singer is pictured during her set on Saturday

Music lovers gather at Copacabana Beach to attend Madonna's free concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night

Madonna performs onstage during a free concert at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday night

Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98 per cent in Copacabana, according to Rio's hotel association. Fans from Brazil, Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement.

Rio's international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights for the first week of May from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

In 2006, the Rolling Stones played a concert on Copacabana Beach for 1.2 million fans.

In 1994, Rod Stewart performed the largest free rock concert ever when around four million people turned up for his New Year's Eve show on the beach.