What are the largest concerts ever attended?
Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, and Paul McCartney broke the record, respectively, at Maracana Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro. With an audience of over 184,000 people on April 21, 1990. McCartney held the record for 27 years. (Frank Sinatra sold 175,000 tickets for his concert on Jan 26, 1980. And Tina Turner sold 180,000 tickets for her concert on Jan 16, 1988.) Italian singer Vasco Rossi surpassed McCartney's record with his solo concert on July 1st, 2017 at 220,000 tickets sold. The concert was a celebration of his 40 years of career.
Here are the next Largest PAID concerts to date of single acts:
Sep 10, 2005 Luciano Ligabue, Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Campovolo, 165,264 tickets.
Jul 19, 1988, Bruce Springsteen, Radrennbahn Weissensee, Berlin, Tunnel of Love Express Tour, 160,000 tickets.
Sep 20, 1997, U2, Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia, Reggio, Emilia PopMart Tour, 150,000 tickets.
Mar 20, 1981, Queen, Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, The Game Tour, 131,000 tickets.
Aug 29, 1987, Madonna, Parc de Sceaux, Paris, Who's That Girl World Tour, 130,000 tickets.
Aug 5, 1995, The Rolling Stones, Strahov Stadium, Prague, Voodoo Lounge Tour, 126,742 tickets.
Sep 7, 1996, Michael Jackson, Letná Park, Prague, History World Tour, 125,000 tickets.
Aug 10 & 11, 1996, Oasis, Knebworth Park, Stevenage, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Tour, 125,000 tickets each of 2 days.
Aug 1, 2, & 3, 2003, Robbie Williams, Knebworth Park, Stevenage, 2003 Tour, 125,000 tickets each of 3 days.
Mar 21, 1981, Queen, Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, The Game Tour 120,000 tickets.
Jul 25, 1982, The Rolling Stones, Roundhay Park, Leeds, The Rolling Stones European Tour 1982, 120,000 tickets.
Aug 9, 1986, Queen, Knebworth Park, Stevenage, Magic Tour, 120,000 tickets.
Nov 6, 1993, Madonna, Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, The Girlie Show World Tour, 120,000 tickets.
Sep 20, 1996, Michael Jackson, Bemowo Airport, Warsaw, History World Tour, 120,000 tickets.
Jul 15, 1987, U2, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, The Joshua Tree Tour, 115,000 tickets.
Sep 3, 1977, Grateful Dead, Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, Terrapin Station Tour, 107,019 tickets.
Here are the Largest FREE Concerts:
1981, Simon and Garfunkle's 2nd Reunion Concert, held in Central Park, NY was attended by more than 500,000.
Dec 31, 1993, Rod Stewart, Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, New Year's Eve, 3,500,000 in attendance.
Sep 6, 1997, Jean-Michel Jarre, State University of Moscow, Moscow, The 850th Anniversary of Moscow, 3,500,000 in attendance.
Jul 14, 1990, Jean-Michel Jarre, La Défense, Paris, Bastille Day, 2,000,000 in attendance.
Sep 28, 1991, AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, The Black Crowes, E.S.T., Tushino Airfield, Moscow, Monsters of Rock, 1,600,000 in attendance.
Jul 2, 2005, Various artists, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Live 8, 1,500,000 in attendance.
Feb 18, 2006, The Rolling Stones, Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, A Bigger Bang, 1,500,000 in attendance.
Apr 5, Jean-Michel Jarre, Downtown Houston, Houston, Rendez-vous Houston, 1,300,000 in attendance.
Sep 20, 2009, Various artists, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Paz Sin Fronteras II, 1,100,000 in attendance.
Here are some other huge concerts of note, some Free, and including Various Artists:
1981, Simon and Garfunkle's 2nd Reunion Concert, held in Central Park, NY was attended by more than 500,000.
The first well-known festival was the 1969 Woodstock Concert, held at Yasgar's Farm, in Woodstock, NY, with an attendance of over 400,000.
1983, Steve Wozniak’s US Festival, held in California, sponsored by one of Apple Computer's founders, with an attendance of 670,000.
1997, a Free Garth Brooks concert, in Central Park, NY, had 750,000 in attendance.
1969, Isle of Wight Festival, largest concert ever held in the UK, with The Who, The Doors, and the last concert Jimi Hendrix performed at, with 600,000 in attendance.
What is the "Oldest" Large Paid concert? (...not including Woodstock, or large festivals which were actually multiple concerts at the same venue) ... and by large I mean more than 100,000 tickets sold. It was the Grateful Dead's gig at the Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey on September 3rd, 1977. The concert was attended by 107,019 people, which remains the largest ticketed concert "in the United States" to date.
