THE SPIRIT of Carnival arrived a week early as up to two million packed Copacabana Beach last night for a free Rolling Stones concert, writes Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro.

Seven days before the official Carnival begins, Police closed major roads as fans from across Brazil - and nearby countries - marched on to the beach and staked out spots before an enormous stage. Fans crowded around the Copacabana Palace hotel, where the Stones checked in on Friday morning.

Fans said guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood waved from the penthouse balcony occasionally. A footbridge was built to take the band from the hotel over the beachfront Avenida Atlantica to the stage.

Stones fans were expected to fill half of the two-mile long beach. Eight video screens and 16 sound towers were set up. The city was deploying 10,000 police.