Largest attendance of a free concert by a female artist

A free concert by Lady Gaga (USA, b. Stefani Germanotta) at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3 May 2025 attracted 2.1 million fans (affectionately known as her “Little Monsters”), making it the most attended standalone music concert in history. Lady Gaga’s first show in Brazil in 13 years crushed the record set by Madonna at the same location on 4 May 2024, when some 1.6 million people flocked to the sun-kissed Atlantic coast to see the “Material Girl”. Both events formed part of a series of free shows promoted by Live Nation in conjunction with Rio’s tourism agency, with Lady Gaga’s performance alone predicted to boost the local economy by 600 million reais (£79.6 m, or $105.8 m).

“Copacabana” was transformed into “Gagacabana” for the five-act “gothic opera”, which featured her headline set from the previous month’s Coachella Festival, interspersing tracks from her latest album, Mayhem, with crowd-favourite career classics such as “Born this Way”, “Paparazzi”, “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance” - the latter serving as the finale, complete with heart-shaped fireworks.

“Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told the crowd. “The people of Brazil are the reason why I can shine.”

Rod Stewart’s concert at the same location on New Year’s Eve 1994 is the largest concert attendance overall. The audience that night was reportedly at least 3.5 million, although this figure is believed to include those who turned up solely for the fireworks display at midnight.