List of most-attended concerts explained

This article lists the most-attended concerts of all time. The oldest 100,000-crowd concert reported to Billboard Boxscore is Grateful Dead's gig at the Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey on September 3, 1977. The concert was attended by 107,019 people. Internationally, 40 paid concerts have surpassed the initial record set by Grateful Dead. Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, and Paul McCartney broke the record respectively in Maracanã Stadium. With an audience of over 184,000 people on April 21, 1990, McCartney's record was broken by a Japanese rock band, Glay, which held a concert with an audience of 200,000 people on July 31, 1999, in Chiba, Japan (Makuhari Parking Lot). GLAY held the record for 6 years. Italian singer Vasco Rossi surpassed the record with his solo concert on July 1, 2017 with a total of 225,173 tickets sold at Modena Park. The concert was a celebration of his 40 years of career.

Although the attendance numbers of free concerts are known to be exaggerations, several concerts have been reported to have a million audience or more. Both Jean-Michel Jarre's concert in Moscow 1997 and Rod Stewart's concert in Copacabana 1994 have been reported to attract audiences of more than 3.5 million people. Jean-Michel Jarre has attracted a live audience of more than a million spectators on five occasions, three times in Paris, 1979, 1990 and 1995, once in Houston, 1986, and once in Moscow, 1997. He is the only artist ever to have done so.

Both Jean-Michel Jarre's concert in Moscow 1997 and Rod Stewart's concert in Copacabana 1994 have been reported to attract audiences of more than 3.5 million people. In the 21st century, Madonna's closing performance of The Celebration Tour in Rio de Janeiro, which was free to attend, attracted over 1.6 million people.^[1] It became the all-time most attended standalone concert for any artist performing for free.^[2]

Most-attended concerts

Key

	Indicates the concert was the most-attended of all time up to that point
‡	Indicates standalone free concert

Ticketed concerts

The following are the most-attended single-artist's ticketed concerts (excluding music festivals) with attendance of 100,000 people or more.

Date	Artist	Venue	City	Title	Ticketed Attendance
1 July 2017	Vasco Rossi *	Parco Enzo Ferrari	Modena	Modena Park 2017		^[3] ^[4]
28 June 2005	Bijelo Dugme	Belgrade Hippodrome	Belgrade	2005 Tour: Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade		^[5] ^[6]
31 July 1999		Makuhari Messe	Chiba	Glay Expo'99 Survival		^[7]
20 April 1990	Paul McCartney *	Maracanã Stadium	Rio de Janeiro	The Paul McCartney World Tour		^[8]
16 January 1988	Tina Turner *			Break Every Rule World Tour		^[9] ^[10]
26 January 1980	Frank Sinatra *			Frank Sinatra Live		^[11]
10 September 2005	Luciano Ligabue	Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia	Reggio Emilia	Campovolo		^[12]
19 July 1988	Bruce Springsteen	Radrennbahn Weissensee	Berlin	Tunnel of Love Express Tour		^[13]
28 June 2013	Ceca	Ušće Park	Belgrade	Poziv Tour		^[14]
21 July 1990	Roger Waters *	Potsdamer Platz	Berlin	Roger Waters’ 1990 Concert At The Berlin Wall	150,000	^[15]
20 September 1997	U2	Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia	Reggio Emilia	PopMart Tour		^[16]
18 June 1983	Kiss	Maracanã Stadium	Rio de Janeiro	Creatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour		^[17]
9 August 2003	Robbie Williams	Phoenix Park	Dublin		2003 Tour		^[18]
20 March 1981	Queen	Estádio do Morumbi	São Paulo	The Game Tour		^[19]
20 August 2022	Helene Fischer	Neue Messe München	Munich	Rausch Live - Die Tour		^[20]
29 August 1987	Madonna	Parc de Sceaux	Paris	Who's That Girl World Tour		^[21]
5 August 1995	The Rolling Stones	Strahov Stadium	Prague	Voodoo Lounge Tour		^[22]
11 September 1988	Michael Jackson	Aintree Racecourse	Liverpool	Bad World Tour		^[23]
7 September 1996		Letná Park	Prague	HIStory World Tour		^[24]
10 August 1996	Oasis	Knebworth Park	Stevenage	(What's the Story) Morning Glory? Tour		^[25] ^[26]
11 August 1996
1 August 2003	Robbie Williams			2003 Tour		^[27]
2 August 2003
3 August 2003
17 June 2006	Ceca	Ušće Park	Belgrade	Idealno Loša Tour		^[28]
20 May 2022	Vasco Rossi	Trentino Music Arena	Trento	Vasco Live Tour 2022		^[29]
21 March 1981	Queen	Estádio do Morumbi	São Paulo	The Game Tour
25 July 1982	The Rolling Stones	Roundhay Park	Leeds	The Rolling Stones European Tour 1982		^[30]
9 August 1986	Queen	Knebworth Park	Stevenage	The Magic Tour		^[31]
6 November 1993	Madonna	Maracanã Stadium	Rio de Janeiro	The Girlie Show		^[32]
20 September 1996	Michael Jackson	Bemowo, Airport	Warsaw	HIStory World Tour		^[33]
7 September 1994	Pink Floyd	Strahov Stadium	Prague	The Division Bell Tour		^[34]
15 June 2024		Kyle Field	College Station	The King at Kyle Field		^[35]
31 October 1993	Michael Jackson	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City	Dangerous World Tour		^[36]
29 October 1993
7 November 1993
9 November 1993
11 November 1993
3 March 2023	Ed Sheeran	Melbourne Cricket Ground		+–=÷× Tour		^[37]
2 March 2023
3 September 1977	Grateful Dead	Raceway Park	Englishtown	Terrapin Station Tour		^[38]
15 October 1993	Michael Jackson	Estádio do Morumbi	São Paulo	Dangerous World Tour		^[39]
17 October 1993
25 May 2024	AC/DC	RCF Arena	Reggio Emilia	Power Up Tour		^[40]
7 June 2014	George Strait	AT&T Stadium	Arlington	The Cowboy Rides Away Tour		^[41]
30 April 2022	Garth Brooks	Tiger Stadium	Baton Rouge	The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour		^[42]
September 21, 1993	Michael Jackson	Yarkon Park	Tel Aviv	Dangerous World Tour		^[43]
25 November 2017	Ricky Martin	Zócalo	Mexico City	One World Tour		^[44]
28 March 2007	Shakira	Giza Plateau	Cairo	Oral Fixation Tour		^[45]

Free concerts

The following are free concerts with reported attendance of one million people or more. The first ever was by French artist Jean-Michel Jarre in Paris in 1979, which created the Guinness Book entry. It also includes multi-artist festivals which may not be directly comparable with single-artist concerts. Attendance numbers for many of the kinds of events listed here rely on estimations from the promoters and are known to be exaggerations.^[46]

Date	Headlining artist	Location	City	Event	Attendance
December 31, 1994	Rod Stewart *	Copacabana Beach	Rio de Janeiro	New Year's Eve		^[47] ^[48]
- style="background:#FAEB86"	September 6, 1997	Jean-Michel Jarre *	Moscow State University	Moscow	Oxygene in Moscow (850th anniversary of Moscow)		^[49]
- style="background:#FAEB86"	December 31, 1993	Jorge Ben Jor *	Copacabana Beach	Rio de Janeiro	New Year's Eve		^[50]
July 14, 1990	Jean-Michel Jarre *	La Défense	Paris	Bastille Day		^[51]
June 24, 2001	Antonello Venditti	Circus Maximus	Rome	AS Roma's 3rd Serie A victory		^[52]
September 28, 1991	AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, The Black Crowes, E.S.T.	Tushino Airfield	Moscow	Monsters of Rock	1,600,000	^[53] ^[54]
May 4, 2024	Madonna ‡	Copacabana Beach	Rio de Janeiro	The Celebration Tour	1,600,000	^[55]
July 2, 2005	Various artists	Philadelphia Museum of Art	Philadelphia	Live 8		^[56]
February 18, 2006	The Rolling Stones ‡	Copacabana Beach	Rio de Janeiro	A Bigger Bang		^[57] ^[58]
April 5, 1986	Jean-Michel Jarre *	Downtown Houston	Houston	Rendez-vous Houston (150th anniversary of Houston)		^[59] ^[60]
September 20, 2009	Various artists	Plaza de la Revolución	Havana	Paz Sin Fronteras II		^[61] ^[62]
July 14, 1979	Jean-Michel Jarre *	Place de la Concorde	Paris	Bastille Day		^[63]
July 4, 1985	The Beach Boys	Philadelphia Museum of Art	Philadelphia	Independence Day concert		^[64]
December 31, 2006	The Black Eyed Peas	Ipanema Beach	Rio de Janeiro	New Year's Eve		^[65]

See also

• List of most-attended concert tours
• List of highest-grossing concert tours
• List of largest peaceful gatherings

Notes and References

1. Web site: Madonna Makes History With 1.6million Crowd In Rio On Final Night Of Tour . 2024-05-05 . 2024-05-05 . Deadline . Caroline . Frost .
2. Madonna Closes Out Celebration Tour in Front of Record-Setting 1.6 Million Fans in Brazil. May 5, 2024. May 5, 2024. Daniel. Kreps. Rolling Stone. subscription.
3. Web site: Rossi Sets Record In Italy. Pollstar. Gideon . Gottfried . June 29, 2017. December 9, 2017.
4. Web site: Salini . Antonella . 2017-07-07 . Modena Park, Vasco oltre il sold out: c'erano prenotazioni per altri 160mila biglietti . 2024-02-02 . Agenzia Dire . it-IT.
5. Web site: Koncert "Bijelog Dugmeta" 2005. Na Hipodromu: Ozvučenje bilo loše, moraju da vrate pare za karte. Novosti.rs. sr-Latn. 2020-04-15.
6. While there are reports of over 250,000 people attending the concert, other sources state lower numbers. The precise number of spectators is unclear.
7. Web site: 10 年ぶりの『Glay Expo』をWowow で独占生中継！. Oricon. September 18, 2014. April 11, 2019. ja.
8. Web site: Arts and Media/Music Feats & Facts/Solo Rock Show Crowd. May 25, 2006. Guinness World Records. December 9, 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20060525134623/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50502. May 25, 2006.
9. A record 180,000 turn out for Tina. https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034618/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3865897.html. dead. December 16, 2017. January 18, 1988. Chicago Sun-Times. December 15, 2017.
10. Web site: Jet. Johnson Publishing. Company. February 8, 1988. December 15, 2017. Google Books.
11. Book: Russell, Alan. Guinness Book of World Records 1987. October 1, 1986. Sterling. 9780806947686. December 15, 2017. Google Books.
12. Italian Singer Ligabue Sets First U.S. Tour. Billboard. September 16, 2014. December 9, 2017.
13. Springsteen going over Berlin Wall. https://web.archive.org/web/20171210071545/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3894440.html. dead. December 10, 2017. July 13, 1988. Chicago Sun-Times. December 9, 2017.
14. Web site: Na Ušću 150.000 Ljudi skandiralo "Ceco, Mi te Volimo" . Plus Online . Plus Online Magazine . June 28, 2013 . 00124.
15. Web site: Guiccione . Bob . July 21, 2017 . Remembering Roger Waters' 1990 Concert At The Berlin Wall . Spin.
16. Web site: 'U2: The Ultimate Music Guide' – on sale now. April 29, 2009. NME. December 9, 2017.
17. Book: Weiss . Brett . Encyclopedia of Kiss: Music, Personnel, Events and Related Subjects . 2016 . McFarland & Company . 9780306819209 . 43 . en.
18. Book: 5 Times Robbie Williams Rocked Ireland - 25 years of the Ultimate Entertainer! . 2022 . Danny Joyce . en.
19. Henke . James . . June 11, 1981 . Queen Holds Court in South America. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090909113253/https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23501689/queen_holds_court_in_south_america/print. September 9, 2009.
20. Helene-Fischer-Konzert in München: Florian Silbereisen sorgt mit Ansage für Gänsehaut. August 21, 2022. GMX. August 21, 2022.
21. News: Madonna convocó en París a 130.000 personas. es. May 4, 2009. El País. Madrid. Jesús de Polanco. Bassets. Luis. August 31, 1987.
22. Boxscore Top 10 Concert Grosses. Billboard. 10. August 19, 2017. December 9, 2017.
23. News: Michael Jackson Liverpool's gig in 1988: Unique star, unique date. Wright. Jade. 2009-06-27. liverpoolecho. 2018-11-05.
24. Web site: Michael Jackson Statue Plans Draw Protests by Czechs. June 30, 2010 . CBS News. December 9, 2017.
25. News: No maybe about it, Manchester's Oasis definitely were supersonic. Belfasttelegraph. December 9, 2017. The Belfast Telegraph.
26. Web site: Oasis at Knebworth: 20 years since Britpop's biggest gigs. Mark. Savage. August 10, 2016. December 9, 2017. BBC.
27. Robbie gigs make music history and traffic misery. https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152254/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-9998353.html. dead. December 9, 2017. August 3, 2003. The Sunday Herald. James. Hamilton. December 9, 2017.
28. Web site: Nikolić . Dejana . 17. juna 2006. na Ušću u Beogradu Ceca je održala koncert i ovim događajem je oborila rekord posete. Na koncertu je prisustvovalo preko 120.000 posetilaca. . Blic . Blic Show - Zabava . June 17, 2006.
29. Web site: Vasco Rossi, a Trento la carica dei 120.000 per il ritorno del rocker dopo la pandemia. May 19, 2022 .
30. Web site: Andy Kershaw: The Rolling Stones Guide To Painting And Decorating. sabotagetimes.com. December 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618102415/https://sabotagetimes.com/music/andy-kershaw-the-rolling-stones-guide-to-painting-and-decorating. June 18, 2018. dead.
31. Web site: Queen's show goes on as Adam Lambert replaces Freddie Mercury. Sean. Michaels. February 21, 2012. December 9, 2017. The Guardian.
32. News: Madonna Concert Draws 120,000. November 8, 1993. The Buffalo News. November 29, 2017. unfit. https://web.archive.org/web/20171129123752/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22545124.html. November 29, 2017.
33. Polish bishop sees Michael Jackson's visit as a sign of decline.. https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152258/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-30290825.html. dead. December 9, 2017. December 1, 1996. Presbyterian Record. December 9, 2017.
34. Web site: 2017-01-04. Top 4 Největší hudební koncerty v historii České republiky!. 2020-11-21. iDNES.cz.
35. George Strait Breaks Attendance Record With Largest Concert Ever Held in The U.S. . Billboard. June 15, 2024. June 16, 2024.
36. Web site: 2018-06-13 . Michael Jackson's Record . 2024-06-16 . estadioazteca.com.mx . en.
37. News: Ed Sheeran breaks Australian record for ticketed concert attendance . The Guardian . March 4, 2023 . 4 March 2023 . Lu . Donna .
38. Billboard Top Boxoffice. Billboard. 39. September 17, 2017. December 9, 2017.
39. Web site: Relembre a épica passagem de Michael Jackson pela cidade em 1993 . April 27, 2021 .
40. Web site: Gli AC/DC stregano i 105mila fan della Rcf Arena . May 26, 2024 .
41. News: Attendance Records Shattered After George Strait Concert. Dallascowboys.com . September 19, 2019 . June 11, 2014.
42. News: Watch: Garth Brooks plays 'Callin' Baton Rouge' for more than 102,000 fans at Tiger Stadium. The Advocate. May 1, 2022. August 10, 2022.
43. Web site: Behind the Headlines: Michael Jackson Visit to Israel Was Taste of Normalcy for Teens . March 20, 2015 .
44. News: Ricky Martin's Concert in Mexico City Draws More Than 100,000 Fans: See Photos. Billboard.com. November 27, 2017. February 24, 2020.
45. Web site: Highest attendance at a ticketed concert by a female artist. January 26, 2024.
46. Web site: Great Lawn: A Bubble of History Bursts. July 23, 2008. Jim. Dwyer. The New York Times. December 29, 2016.
47. Web site: Arts and Media/Music Feats & Facts/Huge Free Gig. May 25, 2006. Guinness World Records. December 14, 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20060525134411/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=53418. May 25, 2006.
48. Web site: Folha de S.Paulo - Festa em Copacabana tem público recorde - 2/1/1995 . May 5, 2024. Folha de S.Paulo. January 1, 1994.
49. Web site: Jean-Michel's Up For The Cup; Rock Star Jean-Michel Jarre Recalls His Friendship with Princess Diana and Picks His France 98 Winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20171216201139/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60674764.html. dead. December 16, 2017. The Mirror. December 14, 2017.
50. Web site: The Guinness Book of Records 1993. Norris. McWhirter. The Spokesman-Review. January 3, 1953. October 3, 2019.
51. Book: McWhirter, Norris. The Guinness Book of Records 1993. registration. Jean-Michel Jarre concert Guinness.. December 14, 1993. Bantam Books. 9780553562576. December 14, 2017. Internet Archive.
52. Web site: la Repubblica/sport: Un milione al Circo Massimo per la notte giallorossa. la Repubblica. September 15, 2019.
53. Web site: No Fences: Garth Brooks & the Fuzzy Math of 10 Mega-Concerts. Nathan. Smith. August 9, 2012. houstonpress.com. December 14, 2017.
54. Metallica's "Black Album" Sets New Sales Record. Brian Bumbery. Publicity. globenewswire.com. May 29, 2014. December 14, 2017.
55. Web site: 5 May 2024 . Madonna Leva 1,6 Milhão a Copacabana, Diz Riotur . Madonna Takes 1.6 Million to Copacabana, Says Riotur . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240505045106/https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/show-da-madonna/noticia/2024/05/05/madonna-leva-16-milhao-a-copacabana.ghtml . 5 May 2024 . 5 May 2024 . G1. pt.
56. News: Sarah Lyall . Musical Cry to Help Africa's Poor Is Heard Around Globe . The New York Times . July 3, 2005 . April 24, 2016.
57. Web site: The Stones Rock 1.5 Million in Rio Days Before Carnival. Larry. Rohter. February 19, 2006. March 5, 2018. The New York Times.
58. Web site: Rolling Stones hold giant Rio gig. February 19, 2006. December 14, 2017. BBC.
59. Web site: The tragic triumph of the world's largest concert. Jonathan. Hawkins. April 5, 2016 . CNN. December 14, 2017.
60. Book: Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture. Alex. Hughes. Keith. Reader. March 11, 2002. Routledge. 9781134788668. December 14, 2017. Google Books.
61. Web site: Hundreds of thousands attend Cuba 'peace concert' . CNN. December 14, 2017.
62. Juanes' Cuba Concert Details Announced. Billboard. September 10, 2009. December 14, 2017.
63. News: Jean-Michel Jarre sur son concert mythique place de la Concorde : "J'ai mis un an à m'en remettre". Europe 1. May 5, 2024. October 24, 2019. fr. Antoine. Terrel.
64. News: Annals of Music - The Beach Boys. Pop History Dig. May 5, 2019.
65. Web site: Público Vai Ao Delírio Com O Grupo Black Eyed Peas. Globo.com. pt. August 14, 2020.