On Saturday, May 3, Lady Gaga's highly anticipated concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil broke the all-time record for most attended live show by a female artist in history — bringing together an audience of 2.1 million people who witnessed the singer dedicating this career milestone to the LGBTQ+ community. Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment — delivered three times a week straight (well…) to your inbox! Local authorities in Rio de Janeiro and event organizers have officially announced that a record-breaking 2.1 million attendees watched Gaga's The Mayhem Ball set at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro this Saturday evening.
The Copacabana concert, which followed Gaga's dazzling sets at Coachella 2025 and a promotional show in Mexico City, was an all-out love letter to the LGBTQ+ community and to the singer's passionate Brazilian fans who had last seen her perform in the country 13 years ago, during The Born This Way Ball Tour, in 2012. The overwhelming energy of over 2 million people singing, jumping, and screaming the lyrics to Gaga's entire concert setlist had the singer, her band, and her team of dancers getting emotional at various points of the performance. News outlet G1 confirmed the number of 2.1 million attendees and noted that 500,000 tourists arrived in Rio de Janeiro since May 1 to attend the event.
The report also mentioned that the attendance for Gaga's Copacabana concert bested Madonna's show from last year — which brought together 1.6 million fans, also took place at the beach, and had the same organizers. As Gaga faced this historic and energetic crowd, she delivered several nods honoring Brazilian culture, and thanked her fans in the LGBTQ+ community for sticking by her side and not making her feel alone. Specifically, Mother Monster expressed her love and gratitude for Brazil's LGBTQ+ community.
"Thank you for teaching us all," she said, while praising the "light" and "energy" that they had brought into her life. Gaga also thanked the fans who showed up to her hotel — the famous Copacabana Palace — and serenaded her with songs from Mayhem. "I heard you every night, all night long, singing every word," Gaga said during the concert.
"What a present that was." Highlights of this emotional exchange between Mother Monster and her queer fans took place during her performances of "Born This Way" and "Vanish Into You." Gaga also waved a pride flag in the air at the climax of the Copacabana set, yet again using her time in the spotlight to show her love and respect for the LGBTQ+ community.
Gaga and her team of dancers also got visibly emotional after performing the last song of the night, "Bad Romance," and taking a bow — extending their time on stage to take in the view of over 2 million people showing nothing but love and praise for the performers. Between the screaming, the clapping, and the fireworks, fans spontaneously started to sing an encore of "Bad Romance" — which prompted Gaga to join them, briefly, once again acknowledging the staggering number of people in front of her knowing every single word to her vast catalog of songs.
