Queen, Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica. These are just some of the bands that have made music and rock history. But which festivals and concerts have had the largest number of spectators? In the article we will analyze which music events of individual artists and bands have been the most successful ever. Watch out, there will be some surprises! Biggest concert ever.
Biggest concert in history
Those who love music also love concerts and live performances. In recent decades precisely some of these concerts have remained in history. In 1985 Queen with the vocals of Freddie Mercury performed in Live Aid. A concert that took place on July 13 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, and J.F.K. Stadium in Philadelphia in the United States. Great artists from all over the world performed in that concert, from U2 to Phil Collins, from Madonna to Bob Dylan. But in that concert, the performance of Queen and Freddy Mercury is most remembered, who in their 20-minute performance, where they sang from We Will Rock You to We Are The champions, enchanted the stadium.
However, if we analyze the largest paid concerts by individual artists or bands, what are the concerts with the largest audiences ever? It is estimated that there are 35 concerts that have exceeded the 100 thousand spectator threshold. The first concert with over 100,000 spectators was the Grateful Dead. The event took place on September 3, 1977 in Englishtown. The title of the tour was, Terrapin Station Tour. The second concert of this above 100 thousand spectators was Frank Sinastra’s concert in Rio de Janiero. Brazil reached over 175,000 paying spectators for Frank Sinatra Live. Next we find Bob Marley and the Wailers in San Siro, with over 100,000 spectators also in 1980 and in 1981 and 1982 Queen in Sao Paulo and The Rolling Stones in Leeds.
Biggest concert ever
- 1 July 2017, Vasco Rossi: 220,000;
- 28 June 2005, Bijelo Dugme: 220,000;
- 31 July 1999, Glay: 200,000;
- 20 April 1990, Paul McCartney: 184,000;
- 16 January 1988,Tina Turner: 180,000;
- 26 January 1980, Frank Sinatra: 175,000:
- 10 September 2005, Luciano Ligabue 165,26;
- 19 July 1988, Bruce Springsteen: 160,000;
- 28 June 2013, Ceca 150,000;
- 20 September 1997, U2: 150,000;
- 18 June 1983, Kiss: 137,000;
- 20 March 1981, Queen: 131,000;
- 20 August 2022, Helene Fischer: 130,000;
- 29 August 1987, Madonna: 130,000;
- 5 August 1995, The Rolling Stones: 126,742;
- 11 September 1988: Michael Jackson: 125,000;
- 7 September 1996: Michael Jackson: 125,000;
- 10 August 1996, Oasis: 125,000;
- 11 August 1996, Oasis: 125,000;
- 1 August 2003, Robbie Williams: 125,000;
- 2 August 2003, Robbie Williams: 125,000;
- 3 August 2003, Robbie Williams: 125,000;
- 20 May 2022, Vasco Rossi: 120,000;
- 21 March 1981, Queen: 120,000;
- 25 July 1982, The Rolling Stones: 120,000;
- 9 August 1986, Queen: 120,000;
- 6 November 1993, Madonna: 120,000;
- 20 September 1996, Michael Jackson: 120,000;
- 7 September 1994, Pink Floyd: 115,000;
- 3 September 1977, Grateful Dead: 107,019;
- 7 June 2014, George Strait: 104,793;
- 30 April 2022, Garth Brooks: 102,000;
- 27 June 1980, Bob Marley and the Wailers: 100,000;
- 25 November 2017, Ricky Martin: 100,000;
- 28 March 2007, Shakira: 100,000;
Biggest tour in History
What, on the other hand, were the highest-grossing tours ever? In the ranking of the 20 highest-grossing tours ever, adjusted for inflation of 2022 – we find the likes of the Rolling Stones, The Police, U2, Metallica and AC/DC. In third position is the Guns n’roses tour from 2016 to 2019. In total, this tour saw 5,371,891 spectators with 158 shows worldwide. On average the tour had 33,999 spectators and the gross revenue was $619,177,483.
In second position, however, is U2 with the tour performed from 2009 to 2011. In total there were 110 shows and the average attendance was over 66,000. Gross receipts were $736,421,584. In first position is Ed Sheeran with the tour from 2017 to 2019. The attendance was 8,796,567 and the revenue was $822 million. Biggest concert ever.
Source and links
💽 Data source: RIAA, IFPI, record companies
To watch the video with data on the artists and groups that sold the most records from 1969 to 2019: https://youtu.be/60Q24A9pOyA
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