Lady Gaga Draws 2.1 Million Fans to Record-Breaking Free Concert at Rio’s Copacabana Beach
It marked the pop star’s first performance in Brazil in over a decade.
Lady Gaga performed to a record-breaking crowd during her free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday (May 3).
“Tonight, we’re making history,” she told the massive audience. “Thank you for making history with me.”
The concert began around 10 p.m. local time, with the 39-year-old pop icon opening with her 2011 track “Bloody Mary.” She followed it with a hit-filled set including fan favorites like “Poker Face” and “Alejandro,” as well as music from her latest Billboard 200-topping album, Mayhem.
Concert organizers estimated that approximately 2.1 million people attended the free Copacabana Beach show, according to Associated Press. The event is now the highest-attended concert by a female artist in history, surpassing Madonna’s 2024 performance at the same venue, which drew 1.6 million.
The largest concert crowd in history is still held by Rod Stewart, who drew 3.5 million fans to a New Year’s Eve performance at Copacabana Beach in 1994, according to the Guinness World Records.
Gaga’s performance drew over 1 million Brazilians and approximately 500,000 Little Monsters who flew in for the show, generating more than $100,000 for Rio’s economy, NPR reports. The city’s tourism department has announced that free concerts will continue to be held at Copacabana Beach at least through 2028.
The Rio concert marked Gaga’s first performance in Brazil since 2012.
“I’ve missed you so much,” the superstar told the crowd during a soundcheck the night before the show, according to Rolling Stone. “I know that this is not the first show here, I know this is just a rehearsal, it feels like it’s the real show.”
In 2017, Gaga canceled her Rock in Rio performance due to “severe physical pain,” later revealing she had been hospitalized at the time.
After the show, Gaga expressed her gratitude on Instagram for the enormous crowd that supported her in Rio.
“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show — the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” the singer wrote alongside photos and videos from the concert. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you.”
Police in Brazil announced on Sunday (May 4) that two individuals were arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at the concert, according to the AP. Authorities apprehended the suspects just hours before the event but withheld information about the threat to “avoid panic” and “the distortion of information.”
“Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police reportedly said.
A spokesperson for Gaga said on Sunday that the pop star and her team “learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning. Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks.”
The statement continued, “Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.”
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