Lady Gaga gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro last night, where more than two million people gathered, according to city authorities.
It was her biggest concert to date, fully funded by the city as part of an initiative to boost the local economy, and it is estimated that the event could bring in around $100 million.
The concert was part of a promotional tour for her eighth studio album “Mayhem”, which has already produced the hits “Abracadabra” and “Die With a Smile”. Since Gaga has not performed in Brazil since 2012, numerous fans – known as “Little Monsters”, began gathering since the early hours of the morning, patiently waiting in long lines to take their seats on a fenced-in part of the beach.
About 5,000 police officers were deployed to ensure the event’s security. Visitors had to go through metal detectors, while additional security measures included the use of drones and cameras with facial recognition systems. Lady Gaga is not the first major star to hold a free concert at Copacabana – the city also funded a Madonna spectacle in May 2024.
At the start of the concert, Gaga said emotionally: “You’ve been waiting for me for more than ten years. Brazil, I’m ready. I’ll give it my all.”
She changed costumes several times throughout the evening, inspired by the colors and symbols of the Brazilian national football team, while the audience enthusiastically sang along to hits such as “Alejandro,” “Poker,” “Face” and “Abracadabra.”
Fans arrived from all over the country. 28-year-old Luan Messias traveled all night by bus from Itanhaem, in the state of Sao Paulo, while 22-year-old Alisha Duarte arrived in line as early as 7:40 a.m., telling AFP that the wait was worth it despite the huge crowd.
At the very end of the concert, Lady Gaga addressed the audience once again, saying: “We are monsters, and monsters never die.”
She ended the performance with the cult song “Bad Romance”, and the city authorities hope that such an event will give a strong boost to tourism and the economy of Rio de Janeiro.
