Stevie Wonder Entertains a Half Million People at Free Christmas Concert in Rio

Facebook.com/StevieWonderStevie Wonder may not have had a white Christmas, but he certainly helped make the holiday an enjoyable one for thousands of fans who came out to see him play a free concert on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to France's AFP press agency, the Motown legend performed for a crowd estimated to number 450,000 to a half million on the city's Copacabana Beach.

About one million people initially had been expected to attend the show, but many apparently decided not to brave the heat, which reportedly reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) that day.

Before beginning the concert, Wonder addressed the crowd in Portuguese, asking, "Tudo bem?" which means "Everything all right?" Among the songs the singer performed, according to AFP, were "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and covers of "What a Wonderful World" and the Michael Jackson classic "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Veteran Brazilian star Gilberto Gil opened the show. He and Wonder also shared a bill on Sunday in Rio at a benefit concert for the AIDS charity Sociedade Viva Cazuza.