Concert attendance records keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. In 1965, The Beatles broke the all-time attendance record at Shea Stadium when they played in front of 55,600 fans. While that number is impressive, people have since beaten it. As a matter of fact, several musicians have destroyed this record by performing in front of more than a million fans.
Videos by American Songwriter
It is not common for a musician to perform in front of a million fans. However, it has happened more than once, and the musicians who have achieved this feat are some of the biggest in the game. With all that in mind, here are three concerts that had an attendance of more than a million!
Rod Stewart at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro
In 1994, Rod Stewart performed at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro while on his One Last Time farewell tour. During that performance, Rod Stewart played in front of 3.5 million fans and broke the record for the biggest concert of all time.
Other than one, no other concert has ever come close to breaking this record. Frankly, it probably will never be broken, as 3.5 million seems like an impossible number to beat. Artists who have also performed to more than a million fans at this venue include the Rolling Stones and Madonna.
Jean-Michel Jarre at Moscow State University
While nobody has beaten Stewart’s record, one person has tied it. That person was Jean-Michel Jarre when he performed in front of 3.5 million fans at Moscow State University in Russia. Other than seeing Jarre live, the other facet that helped fill the concert was that it was entirely free.
Given that it was a free show, Jarre broke the record for the most attended free concert of all time. While this is the biggest show of Jarre’s career, it is not the only time the musician has performed for more than a million fans, as he has done so on four other occasions.
Antonello Venditti at The Circo Massimo in Rome
Antonello Venditti is one of the greatest Italian musicians of all time. Hence, it is no surprise that he was able to draw 1.8 million people to the Circo Massimo in his home city of Rome. In 2001, Antonello Venditti took to Rome’s historic Circo Massimo in order to celebrate AS Roma’s Scudetto Italian league title win.
The concert was a record for the Italian artist and the country, as it was one of the biggest concerts in Italian history. Given that this concert was a mass celebration, it was completely free to the public, which surely helped pack the Circo Massimo.
Photo by John Medina/Getty Images











Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.