The 30 Largest Concerts Ever Held in the World

Concerts were believed to have started in the late 17th century. Nowadays, people go to concerts for various reasons, whether you are supporting your favorite artist or helping a cause at a benefit concert.

Nonetheless, it is just simply the best way to feel the music, be excited, and have a whirlwind of emotions.

From single artists to bands, concerts remain one of the biggest events for big revenues.

Have you ever wondered which concert was the biggest of all time? To answer this question, we have gathered the most attended concerts performed by single artists and free concerts around the world.

The 850th Anniversary of Moscow was the world’s largest concert ever held with more than 3,500,000 people.

It holds the title of having the biggest crowd in a concert, headlined by none other than, Jean-Michel Jarre.

Table of Contents

The Largest Concerts Ever Held in the World

NumberConcertYearAttendees
1The 850th Anniversary of Moscow19973,500,000
2New Year's Eve, Rio de Janeiro19943,500,000
3New Year's Eve, Rio de Janeiro19933,000,000
4Bastille Day19902,500,000
5Monsters of Rock19911,600,000
6Live 820051,500,000
7A Bigger Bang20061,500,000
8Rendez-Vous Houston19861,300,000
9Paz Sin Fronteras II20091,100,000
10Independence Day concert19851,000,000
11Bastille Day19791,000,000
12AS Roma's 3rd Serie A victory20011,000,000
13New Year's Eve, Rio de Janeiro20061,000,000
14Pol'and'Rock Festival20191,000,000
15Modena Park2017225,173
162005 Tour: Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade2005220,000
17Glay Expo '99 Survival1999200,000
18Rock in Rio festival1991198,000
19The Paul McCartney World Tour1989184,000
20Break Every Rule World Tour1988180,000
21Frank Sinatra Live1980175,000
22Campovolo2005165,264
23Tunnel of Love Express Tour1988160,000
24Poziv Tour2013150,000
25PopMart Tour1997150,000
26Creatures of the Night Tour1983137,000
27The Game Tour1981131,000
28Who's That Girl World Tour1987130,000
29The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour2022127,000
30Voodoo Lounge Tour1995126,742

1. The 850th Anniversary of Moscow (1997) – >3,500,000

In celebration of the city’s anniversary, there were many events and concerts, one of which Jean-Michel Jarre was the headlining artist.

He headlined the 850th Anniversary of Moscow concert held on September 6, 1997, which was also called the “Oxygen In Moscow” and lasted for three hours.

It amassed a massive 3,500,000 attendees at the State University of Moscow in the capital of Russia.

2. New Year’s Eve, Rio de Janeiro (1994) – >3,500,000

Rod Stewart is a British rockstar who headlined the New Year’s Eve celebration in Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

It was celebrated on December 31, 1994, and attracted more than 3.5 million people. The concert was free to watch for people and has been one of Guinness World Records’ largest free rock concert attendance.

3. New Year’s Eve, Rio de Janeiro (1993) – 3,000,000

Copacabana Beach

Another free concert held in Copacabana Beach is a New Year’s Eve celebration in 1993 with Jorge Ben Jor as the main artist.

He was a Brazilian musician who focused on samba rock and MPB. The free concert was aimed to increase tourism during the holidays.

4. Bastille Day (1990) – 2,500,000

Bastille Day is celebrated every 14th of July to commemorate the National Day of France. In the year 1990, it was the largest concert ever held for Bastille Day which attracted 2.5 million attendees.

The concert was in La Défense in Paris and was headlined by Jean-Michel Jarre, a famous French musician.

5. Monsters of Rock (1991) – 1,600,000

With 1,600,000 concertgoers, Monsters of Rock is the fifth-largest free concert ever held on September 28, 1991.

It was a yearly event for enjoying rock and heavy metal music. Some of the famous rock bands who headlined the concert in Tushino Airfield, Moscow were AC/DC, The Black Crowes, E.S.T, Metallica, and Pantera.

6. Live 8 (2005) – 1,500,000

live 8

Live 8 was held on July 2, 2005, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia and was hosted by Will Smith.

It is a benefit concert for fundraising that was managed by ONE Campaign. The concert lineup was composed of several popular artists including Bon Jovi, Destiny’s Child, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, and Stevie Wonder, among others.

7. A Bigger Bang (2006) – 1,500,000

A Bigger Bang was the third-largest concert held in Copacabana Beach with approximately 1,500,000 people in 2006.

It was Rolling Stone’s worldwide concert tour for their album A Bigger Bang. Titãs, a Brazilian rock band, was the opening act for the concert.

8. Rendez-Vous Houston (1986) – 1,300,000

Held in Downtown Houston, Houston in 1986, Rendez-Vous Houston had 1,300,000 attendees, making it the eighth largest concert by attendance.

The concert was in support of Jean Michel Jarre’s eighth studio album, Rendez-Vous. Moreover, the concert also was played in memory of the Space Shuttle Challenger astronauts.

9. Paz Sin Fronteras II (2009) – 1,100,000

In 2009, Paz Sin Fronteras II was held in Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, with approximately 1,100,000 people.

Several artists participated in the concert including Juanes as the headliner, Amaury Pérez, Jovanotti, Olga Tañón, and Víctor Manuel, to name a few.

It was a political concert aimed at the young generation to promote peace.

10. Independence Day concert (1985) – 1,000,000

In celebration of Independence Day in 1985, it had a free concert in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and garnered a million attendees.

The Beach Boys were the main lineup of the concert and were also accompanied by several other artists including Jimmy Page, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Joan Jett.

11. Bastille Day (1979) – 1,000,000

Place de la Concorde

Bastille Day in 1979 was the second-largest Bastille Day concert ever celebrated with 1,000,000 people.

Jean-Michel Jarre was again the headlining artist of the event held at Place de la Concorde in Paris.

The concert was for free and lasted for an hour with 12 songs played.

12. AS Roma’s 3rd Serie A victory (2001) – 1,000,000

AS Roma’s 3rd Serie A victory amassed a million attendees to watch the free concert headlined by Antonello Venditti.

Kylie Minogue was also present at the celebration where she sang Celebration. It was held on June 24, 2001, at Circus Maximus in Rome.

13. New Year’s Eve, Rio de Janeiro (2006) – 1,000,000

Rio de Janeiro held another big free concert on New Year’s Eve where 1,000,000 attended, making it the 13th largest free concert in the world.

The Black Eyed Peas, an American hip-hop group, was the main lineup that performed in Copacabana Beach in 2006.

As part of the celebration, fireworks lit up along the coastline.

14. Pol’and’Rock Festival (2019) – ~1,000,000

Pol’and’Rock Festival took place in Kostrzyn nad Odrą in western Poland. The concert is a free rock music festival held every year, of which the largest attendance was in 2019 on August 3.

The main headliner of the concert was Kult, a Polish rock band.

15. Modena Park (2017) – 225,173

Modena Park 2017 was a concert held to celebrate Vasco Rossi’s 40 years in the music industry.

The concert took place in Parco Enzo Ferrari in Modena with an estimated 225,173. The attendance was the highest at that time for a single-artist concert.

16. 2005 Tour: Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade (2005) – 220,000

Bijelo Dugme released their fourth live album called the 2005 Tour: Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade.

The concert album was held in Belgrade Hippodrome, Belgrade, and attracted 220,000 people, making it another highest-attended single-artist concert at that time.

17. Glay Expo ’99 Survival (1999) – 200,000

Glay Expo is an exhibition and concert organized by Glay, a Japanese rock band. Among all their expos, the Glay Expo ’99 Survival is the largest of all, gathering approximately 200,000 people.

It was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba and was considered the largest-ticketed concert by Guinness World Records during its time.

18. Rock in Rio festival (1991) – 198,000

Rock in Rio is a music festival that started in 1985 in Rio de Janeiro. One of the largest attendances by a single artist was during the Rock in Rio 2 in 1991, which was played by A-ha.

The group played on the 26th of January in 1991 and gathered about 198,000 people. Other artists who performed on that day were Happy Mondays, Paulo Ricardo, Debbie Gibson, and Information Society.

19. The Paul McCartney World Tour (1989) – 184,000

The Paul McCartney World Tour amassed 184,000 attendees, one of the highest attendances of all time.

The tour ran from September 1989 to July 1990 with a total of 103 shows and nine legs. The highest number of tickets sold was from Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanã Stadium.

20. Break Every Rule World Tour (1988) – 180,000

Break Every Rule World Tour 1988 is Tina Turner’s sixth concert tour performed at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

With about 180,000 concertgoers, the tour was the largest-ticketed concert by a female single artist in the 20th century.

This concert tour was recorded and released on VHS and DVD format and was named Tina Live in Rio 88.

21. Frank Sinatra Live (1980) – 175,000

Frank Sinatra was a famous American singer who sold 150 million records worldwide. His largest concert attendance was on 26 January 1980 performed in Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

He attracted about 175,000 fans, another world-breaking record of attendance in his time.

22. Campovolo (2005) – 165,264

On the 10th of September 2005, Luciano Ligabue performed his largest concert held at Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia at Reggio Emilia.

He sold about 165,264 tickets for a three-hour concert. Other supporting artists included in the concert were Elisa, Edoardo Bennato, II Nucleo, and Rio.

23. Tunnel of Love Express Tour (1988) – 160,000

Bruce Springsteen is an American musician who released 20 albums. His concert tour, Tunnel of Love Express Tour, was the most attended by about 160,000 fans at Radrennbahn Weissensee in Berlin.

The E Street band and The Horns of Love were other supporting artists at the concert.

24. Poziv Tour (2013) – 150,000

The Poziv Tour was for Ceca’s 15th studio album called Poziv. The largest concert she performed at was at Ušće park, Belgrade on the 28th of June 2013.

Over 150,000 attendees went to the concert to support the Serbian artist.

25. PopMart Tour (1997) – 150,000

Performed at Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia in Reggio Emilia, PopMart Tour was U2’s largest concert with more than 150,000 tickets sold.

The concert in 1997 was in support of U2’s ninth studio album called Pop. Based on the tickets sold, it is estimated to have a revenue of $5,294,117.

26. Creatures of the Night Tour (1983) – 137,000

Creatures of the Night Tour, otherwise known as the 10th Anniversary Tour of Kiss, was the American rock band’s largest concert in support of their album.

It amassed 137,000 fans at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 18 June 1983. Herva Doce was the opening act for this concert tour.

27. The Game Tour (1981) – 131,000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yTR9j7qZiQ

The British rock band Queen had the biggest crowd on the 20th of March 1981. The concert tour, the Game Tour, was performed at Estádio do Morumbi in São Paulo with more than 131,000 people.

It was part of their tour in South America, known as South America Bites the Dust.

28. Who’s That Girl World Tour (1987) – 130,000

In 1987, Madonna performed her second concert tour and first world tour called Who’s That Girl World Tour.

It was her largest attended concert held at Parc de Sceaux in Paris with over 130,000 people. Moreover, it garnered a revenue of $1,989,234.

29. The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour (2022) – 127,000

Garth Brooks is an American country music artist who performed his largest concert tour, The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour, at the Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

The tour began in October 2018 and is scheduled to end on September 17, 2022. His concert on April 30, 2022, included Mitch Rossell as his opening act.

30. Voodoo Lounge Tour (1995) – 126,742

With over 126,742 people, the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour at the Strahov Stadium in Prague was the band’s largest by attendance.

It was held on 5 August 1995 to support their album called Voodoo Lounge. Included in their opening act were Andrew Strong and Lucie.

In total, the concert in the Czech Republic garnered $3,152,637 in revenue.