The 10 Biggest Concerts in History

It can sometimes seem as though millions of people are cramming into concert venues to see the biggest artists in the world. Although no ticketed gig has ever actually reached attendance numbers in the millions—George Strait recently broke the U.S. record, with 110,905 fans seeing his show at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field stadium on June 15, 2024—plenty of free ones have. Here are 10 of the most highly attended concerts in history.

Rod Stewart on Copacabana Beach, 1994 // 3.5 Million Attendees

On December 31, 1994, Rod Stewart performed on Copacabana Beach for the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s estimated that around 3.5 million NYE revelers lined the 2.5-mile-long beach to hear his set (although some sources go as high as 4.2 million). While a number of people may have only been there to watch the fireworks—rather than Stewart—the gig still set a Guinness World Record for the “largest attendance of a free concert.”

Jean-Michel Jarre at Moscow State University, 1997 // 3.5 Million Attendees

French electronic composer Jean-Michel Jarre played to a massive crowd at Moscow State University to celebrate the city’s 850th anniversary. Held on September 6, 1997, the event drew a ticketed audience of 500,000—though people who failed to get tickets watched the show from the surrounding hills, bringing estimates up to around 3.5 million.

“It was the most incredible moment of my life,” Jarre said in a 1998 interview. But unfortunately, “hardly anyone in the West heard much about it because it was the night before Princess Diana’s funeral.”

Jarre had managed to pull in crowds in the millions on previous occasions, too. In Paris, 1.5 million saw him perform in 1979, 2.5 million in 1990, and 1 million in 1995. And in 1986, around 1.5 million people took to the streets of downtown Houston, Texas, to see Jarre play for the city’s 150th anniversary and NASA’s 25th anniversary.

Jorge Ben Jor on Copacabana Beach, 1993 // 3 Million Attendees

Exactly one year before Rod Stewart’s record-breaking NYE concert on Copacabana Beach, Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor drew a slightly smaller (but still enormous) crowd for the same event, with 3 million people packing onto the beach.

Incidentally, Jorge Ben Jor had previously sued Stewart for copyright infringement, with the melody of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” matching his song “Taj Mahal,” released six years earlier in 1972. The suit was settled in Jorge Ben Jor’s favor, with Stewart admitting that “the melody had lodged itself in my memory and then resurfaced” in a case of “unconscious plagiarism.”

Monsters of Rock at Tushino Airfield, 1991 // 1.6 Million Attendees

The heavy metal festival Monsters of Rock went to Russia on September 28, 1991—just a month after the Soviet Union’s failed coup d’état. AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, The Black Crowes, and Russian band E.S.T. set up on Tushino Airfield in Moscow ready to rock despite the politically charged climate.

Flocks of rock fans turned up, with an alleged crowd size of 1.6 million. “It is among the most surreal and extraordinary footage of Metallica ever,” Lars Ulrich, the band’s drummer, said on Conan O’Brien’s podcast in 2023. Video coverage of the event shows Sikorsky helicopters flying overhead and Ulrich recalled that there were “tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in uniform that [were] supposed to be protecting the audience, and they [were] as into the show and rocking along as all the kids.”

Madonna on Copacabana Beach, 2024 // 1.6 Million Attendees

Madonna capped off her Celebration Tour on the famous white sand beach on May 4, 2024. An estimated 1.6 million people heard the pop star sing her biggest hits, including “Like a Prayer” and “Vogue,” with some fans even watching from boats out at sea. The show cost Rio $20 million reais ($3.9 million USD)—and private sponsors forked out even more cash—but officials estimated her performance would inject nearly $300 million reais ($57 million USD) into the city’s economy.

Live 8 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2005 // 1.5 Million Attendees

Live 8 was a series of charity concerts staged around the world on July 2, 2005. Although the event took place on the 20th anniversary of Live Aid and played on its name, Bob Geldof—who helped organize both events—explicitly said it was “not Live Aid 2.” In the United States, the concert took place outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with people lining Benjamin Franklin Parkway to see artists such as Linkin Park, Kanye West, and Stevie Wonder. Estimates of the crowd size vary wildly; Some sources say a few hundred thousand people gathered, while others say the total was closer to 1.5 million.

The Rolling Stones on Copacabana Beach, 2006 // 1.5 Million Attendees

When The Rolling Stones took to the sands of Copacabana on February 18, 2006—as part of their A Bigger Bang tour—Rio officials anticipated such a huge turnout that they had more than 10,000 police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel at the ready. But the show went off without a hitch, with around 1.5 million fans happily watching the English rockers perform.

After the success of Madonna’s recent performance on the beach, Daniel Grinbank, who organized The Stones’ massive 2006 gig, asked the band if they fancied returning to Rio, but there’s no word yet on whether they’ll take him up on his offer.

Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders) in Plaza de la Revolución, 2009 // 1.1. Million Attendees

Co-founded and headlined by Colombian rock star Juanes, the second Paz Sin Fronteras concert drew a crowd of more than 1.1 million, according to officials. The September 20, 2009, concert was criticized by some for supporting Fidel Castro’s regime, but Juanes maintained the event was apolitical and only sought to foster peace between different nations. Performers hailed from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Venezuela, Spain, and Italy.

The Beach Boys at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1985 // 1 Million Attendees

The Beach Boys performed outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art to a crowd of 1 million to celebrate the Fourth of July in 1985. But not satisfied with playing “Good Vibrations” at just one Independence Day celebration, the band then made their way over to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to play for 750,000 more people.

The Beach Boys had been performing at the National Mall on July 4 since 1980—aside from in 1983, when Secretary of the Interior James Watt banned them, believing they attracted drinkers and drug users. But basically no one else in America—including President Ronald Reagan—agreed with Watt and The Beach Boys were back the next year.

The Black Eyed Peas on Ipanema Beach, 2006 // 1 Million Attendees

Although the numbers that turn out for New Year’s Eve celebrations on Rio’s Ipanema Beach don’t rival those of Copacabana, it certainly isn’t a small event. The Black Eyed Peas attracted a crowd of 1 million people there on December 31, 2006. Although it was raining and there were no fireworks, the audience seemed happy enough to ring in the New Year by singing along to “Where Is the Love?” and “Pump It.” 

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