29 Of The Biggest Concerts Ever That Rocked The History Of Music

Technically, a combined number of 162,000 attendees were present at two venues where Live Aid was simultaneously held, one in London and one in Philadelphia. However, this event, organized to draw attention to the famine and extreme poverty in Ethiopia, was broadcasted live on TV. Its noble cause as well as an incredible lineup (Queen, Paul McCartney, and Black Sabbath just a few among them) attracted viewers worldwide. It is estimated that 1.9 billion people saw it on TV during the live broadcast. 

People celebrating New Year’s Eve at Copacabana Beach back in 1994 probably couldn’t even imagine they’d become a part of something that would later turn into a Guinness record. On that day, Rod Steward held a concert in front of a crowd of 4.2 million people — a group larger than the population of some cities. Since then, his performance in Rio has been unmatched and remains the biggest concert ever. 

In 1997, Moscow celebrated its 850th anniversary. To celebrate a grand occasion like this, an equally grand performance was required, one that would offer not only music but also a visual spectacle. And since one of the pioneers of electronic music, Jarre, was quite popular in Russia, he was invited to do the honors. His performance at the State University of Moscow attracted the second largest concert attendance of all time, with 3.5 million attendees in the audience.

When you have played together for over four decades and can still gather a crowd of 1.5 million people, your status as legends of rock ’n’ roll is undeniable. And The Rolling Stones proved it once again with ease during their Bigger Band tour when they were promoting their 24th studio album of the same name.

To commemorate the G8 summit in 2005, a series of live concerts were conducted around the world under the name of Live 8. Aimed at raising awareness for the fight against poverty, it was organized similarly to the legendary 1985 Live Aid concert. The only venue hosting Live 8 in the US, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, attracted 1.5 million attendees, making it one of the largest concerts in history.

While the history of Love Parade has had its dark moments, back in 2008 its attendance peaked, with 1.6 million people gathering in Dortmund, Germany. The lineup for one of the oldest electronic music festivals included several renowned names of the genre. On top of that, since one of the important elements of this festival is a parade, the 2008 event holds the world record as the largest parade in history.

This concert was set as a celebration of three different events: Texas celebrating its 150th anniversary, NASA celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the Challenger shuttle launch. The Challenger disaster had the entire nation mourning the deaths of their heroes; however, Jean-Michel Jarre, whose astronomer friend Ron McNair died aboard the Challenger, still gave a breathtaking performance, for which the entire city of Houston was turned into one massive stage.

The Paz Sin Fronteras series of concerts (which translates from Spanish as “peace without borders”) was organized by Colombian musician Juanes in 2009 to promote peace and unity among all Latin and South American nations, following a political conflict between Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador a year earlier. The first event took place at the Colombian-Venezuelan border and had moderate success. However, the second concert in Havana, Cuba, attracted 1.1 million people, which is approximately 10% of the entire population of Cuba. 

The city of Philadelphia played a huge role in the history of the American Revolution — even the Declaration of Independence was signed here. For the 1985 Independence Day celebration, the city authorities decided to organize a huge free concert, inviting a number of renowned musicians. Of course, they had to include one of America’s favorite bands, The Beach Boys, who, in their turn, attracted a crowd of 1 million people. 

Even back in 1979 when he was just starting out, Jean-Michel Jarre knew how to gather crowds. During his first open-air performance at the Bastille Day celebrations, he attracted 1 million people, and the performance entered the Guinness World Records as the largest at the time. From that point on, everyone knew that Jarre would be an incredible performer for years to come.

Another artist who had the honor to see the old year off and welcome the new year in Brazil were The Black Eyed Peas. Performing at Ipanema Beach on New Year’s Eve, they attracted a crowd of 1 million people, which turned the event into their biggest concert ever.

Technically a part of their brief UK summer tour, Queen’s performance in Hyde Park is often regarded as a separate event, as it had free attendance, as well as other acts performing during the day. With 200,000 attendees, it was considered one of the biggest audiences for concerts held in London. The entire concert was supposed to be aired, and though bits and pieces of it are available online, the whole event was never released.

Queen became one of the first major international rock bands to play in South America. Their first shows took place in Argentina and Brazil. They played two shows in San Paulo, with the first one attracting a crowd of 131,000 people and becoming a world record for a paying audience at the time.

Headlined by The Rolling Stones, Stones in the Park also included several featured artists. Held in Hyde Park, it was a free music event with 500,000 attendees and the first public performance for the band in two years. Just two days prior to the event, one of the original founders of the band, Brian Jones, passed away; however, the event still took place, with The Stones beginning their set with a eulogy. Though many critics agree that it was a significant event in the history of music, many also say that it was not the best performance The Stones could have given.