Published: May 4, 2025, 03:37 PM
Lady Gaga made history on Saturday night by performing her biggest-ever show in Brazil, with an estimated 2.1 million people attending her free concert on the iconic Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The show was funded by the city as part of an initiative to boost the local economy, with around 500,000 tourists traveling to the city to witness the spectacle.
This was Gaga`s first performance in Brazil since 2012, after she had to cancel her 2017 appearance at the Rock in Rio festival due to health issues. The concert, which lasted two hours, featured hits from her recent album Mayhem, including an operatic version of "Bloody Mary" and a performance of "Abracadabra." Gaga was visibly moved as she addressed the crowd, expressing her gratitude for the ten-year wait her Brazilian fans endured for her return.
"Brazil! I missed you. I missed you so much," Gaga exclaimed before singing "Poker Face," one of her most iconic tracks. She thanked her Brazilian fans for their patience, explaining that her long absence was due to her battle with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes chronic pain and fatigue.
The free concert is part of a larger strategy by the city to hold massive open-air performances to energize the economy during the "low season" in May, with these events expected to continue annually until at least 2028. Gaga’s show is estimated to have contributed approximately 600 million reais (£79.9m) to the local economy, surpassing the impact of Madonna`s show held at the same location the previous year.
The event attracted an enormous crowd, and security measures were ramped up with 3,300 military personnel, 1,500 police officers, and 400 military firefighters ensuring safety. Fans began arriving early in the morning to secure spots on the beach, even though the concert did not start until late in the evening.
The concert had a profound impact on many of Gaga`s fans. Ana Lara Folador, who attended with her sister, said the performance was "a dream come true" and that Gaga had greatly influenced her as both a person and an artist. Ingrid Serrano, a 30-year-old engineer from Colombia, traveled across continents to attend the show, wearing a T-shirt featuring Gaga`s distinctive costumes from over the years. She described the pop star as a symbol of "total freedom of expression."
Matheus Silvestroni, a 25-year-old aspiring DJ, traveled eight hours by bus from Sao Paulo to attend the concert. He shared how Gaga inspired him to embrace his sexuality and pursue his dreams despite being bullied as a child. For him, the message of Born This Way was empowering, helping him realize that he wasn`t a "freak."
This unforgettable concert adds to Rio`s legacy of hosting monumental open-air events, with the city once holding a Guinness World Record for the largest crowd at a concert when Rod Stewart performed for four million people at Copacabana Beach in 1994.
