Lady Gaga plays to her biggest EVER crowd as she rocks Copacabana Beach in Rio with a free concert for more than 2 million fans

Daily Mail​

04-05-2025

Lady Gaga gave a free concert on Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career.
The 39-year old singer's concert was paid for by the city in an attempt to revitalise Rio's economy as it's estimated it could bring in £75M.
'Tonight, we're making history. Thank you for making history with me,' Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd.
The Mother Monster, as she is known, kicked off the show at around 10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary.
Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand.
Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show.
Lady Gaga performed her classic hits, including Poker Face and Alejandro, switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag.
Some fans - many of them young - arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot, armed with snacks and drinks.
They spent the day under a blazing sun, while others perched in trees, determined to get a panoramic view.
She followed in the footsteps of Queen of Pop Madonna.
Madonna played to a then record-breaking 1.6 million fans at the same location last year. Now Gaga has surpassed that record with 2.1 million fans.
Lady Gaga previously posted to X: 'It's a great honor to be asked to sing for Rio - for my whole career the fans in Brazil have been part of the lifeblood of the little monsters.
'I've been dying to come perform for you for years and was heartbroken when I had to cancel years ago because I was hospitalized.
'Your understanding that I needed that time to heal meant the world to me.
Some fans - many of them young - arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot, armed with snacks and drinks
'I am now coming back and I feel better than ever and am working so hard to make sure this show is one you will never forget.
'Get ready for MAYHEM on the beach.'
Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028.
More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show, more than double the initial forecast.
Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach. Madonna's show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year, while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year's Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994.
According to Guinness World Records, that was the biggest free rock concert in history.
To ensure fans could hear the songs, sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach.
Rio state's security plan included the presence of 3,300 military and 1,500 police officers, and 400 military firefighters.
Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017, when the artist canceled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues.
The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years' Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John's Day celebrations in June.
'It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season - filling hotels and increasing spending in bars, restaurants, and retail, generating jobs and income for the population,' said Osmar Lima, the city's secretary of economic development, in a statement released by Rio City Hall's tourism department last month.