How big is too big? The biggest concert by live attendance clocks in at a record 3.5 million people. This begs the question: Do bigger venues, stages, or concerts mean a better concert experience? Personally, the best concerts in terms of performance and sound were at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas and The Warfield in San Francisco. Both venues can hold a decent crowd. Yet neither is known for breaking any world records. The Warfield holds approx 2,300 seats, while the Hard Rock Cafe approx 2,000.
Record Attendance
Compare that to the 3.5 million attendance at the Rod Stewart or Jean Michel Jarre concerts. With that many people, how close to stage can you possibly get or even within viewing distance with millions in front of you. Once you get to that level, it becomes more about the light shows, fireworks, and crowd experience.
1. Rod Stewart at Copacabana Beach
(1994) 3.5 million people
The Guinness World Records site credits the largest live concert to Rod Stewart who drew 3.5 million for a New Year’s Eve 1994 performance at Copacabana Beach
2. Jean Michel Jarre
(1997) 3.5 million people in Moscow
Musician Jean Michel Jarre was commissioned by the Mayor of Moscow to give a concert in celebration of the city’s 850th anniversary
(1994) 2.5 million people in Paris
Paris La Defense – Une Ville En Concert by musician Jean Michel Jarre in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. Jarre designed a pyramid-shaped stage for the concert which played out in downtown Paris complete with a synchronised illumination of 65 tons of fireworks.
3. New York Philharmonic in Central Park
(1986) 800,000 people
The Philharmonic concert in Central Park is credited as the largest ever attendance at a classical concert.
4. Garth Brooks in Central Park
(1997) 750,000 people
5. Steve Wozniak’s 1983 US Festival
(1983) 670,000 people
6. Summer Jam at Watkins Glen
(1973) over 600,000 people
7. Isle of Wight Festival
(1970) 600,000 people
8. Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park
(1981) 500,000 people
9. Toronto SARS Benefit
(2003) 450,000 people
10. Woodstock 1969
(1969) 400,000 people
Notable Concerts:
(1997) 385,000 people at Blockbuster RockFest featuring Paula Cole, Bush, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Collective Soul, Jewel, Matchbox 20, The Wallflowers
(1983) 375,000 people at Heavy Metal Day in San Bernadino California
(1988) 180,000 people at Tina Turner concert in Maracan Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1990) 180,000+ people at Paul McCartney concert in Maracan Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1998) 100,000 people at Widespread Panic concert in Athens, Georgia
(1985) 1.5 billion people watched a “Live Aid” a “live” televised concert via satellite raising money for famine relief in Ethiopa.
The Picture you use for Rod Stewart’s concert is actually taken from Rolling Stones live at Copacabana, with ca. 1,5 – 2 millions in the crowd. Get Your facts – and picutres – right.
How many attended Paul Simon’s 2012 Hyde Park Concert?
Many of the concerts mentioned are festivals or government funded concerts with multiple performers. Individual groups concerts would be an interesting stat. to see. Also not mentioned is the Genesis performance in Rome 2007 which might actually be the largest concert held by a single band and not promoted by a government. I have heard attendance was at least 650,000 and many online sources say that it was closer to 2 million.
[…] in 1970, a year after Woodstock, where bands like Led Zeppelin and Ten Years After attracted an estimated 600,000 attendees, breaking the record for largest musical event of its time. Three years later, Australia […]
what about Michael Jackson? He is missing in the list
U r right
Wow… it just hit me!
I wasn’t even born when 3 of these happened, and would have been too young to attend the rest, except for number 2, 4, and 9 maybe. And I’m not even young anymore!
Hmmm… I think this tells something about the waning interest in music, or arts in general.
Just that l seem to remember an onstage announcement on the Sat night at the 1970 Isle of W festival that 645,000 were there and still coming over ( the water ) Oh and ALL the negative stuff , Well me and my G/F saw none of it and i’m sure neither did most of the others, tickets were cheap and the sun shone all the time and we all had a blast, this was England in 1970 no one cared about or saw such stuff, just Americans l think, Oh and Joni, maybe some scuffles at the side near the front but a drop in the ocean. Just three blissful happy days. ( not what the news papers wanted to see of course )
How about led zeppelin knebworth festval 1979? 218.000 on first day and 187.000 on second day.
Let’s not forget the 1991 Bill Graham Wake in Golden Gate Park San Francisco. Estimated 300-400,000 attended a FREE show in honor of producer Bill Graham. Awesome performances by Santana, Grateful Dead, Crosby, stills, Nash & YOUNG, Journey, joe Satriani, John Fogerty. Fogerty jammed credence songs with the Dead. Los lobos was Santana’s backup band and Satriani jammed with them as well. Bobby mcFerrin opened the show with the national anthem and Joan Baez closed with Amazing Grace.
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, June 19, 1988 at the Weisensee in East Berlin: 160.000 tickets were sold but even before the concert started, the gates were opened for all without tickets. Estimates vary between 250.000 and 500.00 attendents. Commonly accepted figure is 300,000 East German fans. Bruce gave a short speech, asking for the wall to be torn. 16 months later…
Rock Over Volga festival, Samara, Russia – 8th June 2013 – 700.000 audience. Rammstein and several Russian bands.
Sept 12, 1970 Fete de L’Humanite, Paris France 500,000
I was at hard rock day (US Festival) near San Bernardino CA in 1983. It was crowded, hot, and the powers that where cooled us down with fire hoses. It became a mud fest. Who cared, we were witness to history, our young brains, hearts and loins loved every rockin minute of it.
“Rock n’Roll will never die.”
us down with fire
Genesis, Rome 2007
500,000 people
What about A-Ha? 198,000 in 1991 , Rio De Janero – Maracan stadium.
Queen – Hyde Park London 1976 – over 150,000
Largest for any concert in London (at the time)
“Queen Hyde Park London 1976 over 150,000
Largest for any concert in London (at the time)”
The Rolling Stones – Hyde Park 1969. It was estimated that over 250 000 attended this free concert.
Also missing is Stones’ Altamont concert in December 1969 gathered around 300 000 fans.
Well, maybe you should do a better research… Between other facts,there was a gospel concert in Brasil, for the Before the Throne Worship Ministry (Ministério de Louvor Diante do Trono, which gathered 2 million people in one night. They was recording their sixth album, “I Wanna Fall in Love” (“Quero me Apaixonar). The show was realized at July 12, 2003, at the Campo de Marte, São Paulo.
AVANDARO!!!!!!! September 11 and 12 of 1971 in México, 250,000 in attendance
KISS in Maracaná Stadium 1983 with more than 100,000 in attendance
You’re forgetting the Boston Pops July 4th concerts. They average about 700,000/800,000 every year.
Red hot chili peppers @ slane castle
You forgot Metallica 1991 Moscow concert. The problem is that there were no helicopters and much cameras, but there was about 1,600,000 people
I am surprised how small Woodstock attendance was. I thought it would have been much higher than 400,000.
Funny that Diana Ross Live in Central Park (1983) isn’t mentioned as notable when there were 800,000 people the first day, then 500,000 on the makeup day! Guess 1.3 million attendees weren’t notable enough. Umph.
Look 1991 Metallica Moscov concert and Queen open area concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QP-SIW6iKY
Plenty of good artists mentioned but they forgot one. ACDC AT DONIGNTON!!!!!! Not as big as some up there but pretty [removed] big.
AC/DC live at river plate 200000
The chieftains “played in a concert for Pope John Paul II, and an audience of more than one million people in 1979 in Phoenix Park in Dublin, to mark the Papal visit to Ireland.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chieftains)
1991 Monster of rock 1.5 million. Rolling Stones Rio 1.7 million.
Scorpions in the year 2000 rocked Poland and over 750,000 fans came to see them. It seems to me that the Scorpions are the most ignored band in the histroy of rock. Why is that?
,,,,and the Scorpions were also part of Roger Water’s Wall concert in Berlin, let us remember…….
Rock in Rio, first day of Queen, 470,000
There are no less than 3 other Jarre concerts missing from the top of the list, with 1 million, 1.2 million and 1.3 million peoeple.
this is NOT correct…. I see not even a mention of Roger Waters, The Wall, Live at The Berlin Wall. Well documented concert will well over 1 million
And new: Woodstock Festival 2011, Kostrzyn nad Odra, Poland: over 700 000
Metallica, live in quebec city on plaines d’abraham, for festival d’ete de quebec, 130 000 only could get in. so maybe double wanted to get there.
KISS
live maracana rio 1983
150 000 peoples
You should include in notable concerts The Wall, Roger Waters, Berlin 1990
I was at the Berlin Wall concert, and we know that they took the fences down after a while, so anyone could get in for free,,,,,,,So they have no way of knowing how many actually attended.
We have all heard estimates wayyyy about 200.000, or at least I have.
I was in Berlin in ’90. I was also at the Garth Brooks (750,000) and NY Philharmonic (800,000) concerts. Once you surpass 100,000, it’s anyone’s guess… Also, I was sitting directly next to the soundboard, so I was in the middle of it… only real estimates can be made from the rear of the audience, or, even better, from the sky (which is next to impossible at night). But I can say that the space was massive, and 200,000 to 300,000 was easily achievable… Much larger space than central parks great lawn…
(Oh, and it was LITERALLY a mine field just 2 weeks prior to the concert!!)
What about U2..at Sattle Castle and recently at the ESTADIO AZTECA…the stadium capacity is for 110,000 people , but including field ( “cancha” ),
I guess we were almost 180,000. May 11, 2011 U2 360
Genesis Live in Rome Circus Maximus 650.000 people, july, 2007.
What about the Rollings Stones 2006, 1.3 million ppl , Copacabana Beach
You also missed the Rolling Stones in Copacabana beach, Rio, February 2006: 1,3 million people, according to local police stats.
Zulfu Livaneli
Ankara, Turkey, 19 May 1997, at the celebration of Youth and Sports.
The people were uncountable but unofficial number was more than 500.000.
Monsters of rock 91 had an official audience of 500,000 according to soviet aouthorities at the time. The audience was probably closer to 800,000 or 900,000 certainly not 1 million or more as stated above.
Bon jovi at the moscow peace festival and rock in rio lisbon attracteed more than 100;000 people
It was over a million. MTV does not now rock n roll nor do they know how to count. Bon Jovi? lol
Not trying to be rude, but can either of you back up those statements? It would make “Nick’s” correction seem more… correct. (<—- only word I could think of. Lol)
Ummmm…. What about Michael Jackson….
It is said that Mike Oldfield’s Art in Heaven Concert in Berlin had an audience of “More than half a million spectators”, but it’s impossible to find a precise number.
Information on that point is welcome.
Monsters of Rock was estimated over 2 million actually 😛 should definitely be in there.
you are wrong, the 1.5 mil people at rock in rio represents the total, over an 11 day period 😉
and yes, do mention monsters of rock in moscow ~1.600.000, although there could have been even more
Great work but you missed ROCK IN RIO in 1985 – 1,5 milion people!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_in_Rio
OLE!
Missing from this list is Cal Jam 2 at Ontario Motor Speedway in California March 18, 1978 . 1 day event attendance was in excess of 350,000. I was a Marine Stationed in 29 Palms, California then and I was there..Aerosmith, Bob Welch (With Stevie Nicks) , Heart, Foreigner, Santana, Rubicon, Dave Mason, Frank Marino and Mohagany Rush, Ted Nugent.
Skydivers, Art Sholl (Daredevil Stunt Pilot. It Was Amazing!
Look it up and behold.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, on August 17 1991, a free Monster of Rock festival was held in Moscow, with AC/DC headlining and performances from Metallica and Pantera. It had an estimated 1.6 million in attendance – and nobody was there for any reason other than the music.
Not even the more important reason of celebrating the fall of communism!
The Soviet Union was ordered dissolved by Gorbachev on August 24th, 1991.
That concert was 1 week before the collapse.
In other words, Gorbachev saw Metallica, and said “that’s it for me, I’m out.”
Thus, Metallica clearly won the Cold War for us.
sounds great, but you are wrong. Monsters of Rock in Moscow Tushino airfield was on September 28 1991, more than a month from the Soviet Union collapse.
Also, the attendance was free, so nobody knows exactly how many people were there, but just imagine an airfield packed. I was there and I remember that I could not get closer than 500 meters to the stage- the place was packed. It was soo crazy, I have been to many concerts after that but I have never seen such a crowd. Not even on football championships
Yeah JM Jarre is huge in Europe. Mainland Europe mainly, us Irish (and the British) Aren’t too interested, bit too pretentious for our weather beaten tastes.
I was in Hungary once, and I never saw/heard so much Vangelis and Jarre in my life! Crazy for it they are!
Jean Michel Jarre? I assume this is one of those cultural things where Europeans see something very different in an artist.
Or…hear me out, I could be onto something…Their culture is truly unique and has been around CENTURIES longer than our culture (The U.S.)that evolved from a mix of the world’s culture, so when it comes to saying what is great or not, I think their vote count more than ours.