We already know that Madonna is one of the biggest stars in the history of music, but her latest feat provides further evidence: On May 4, Madonna put on a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Per a press release from Live Nation, 1.6 million people attended, which sets the record for “the largest audience ever for a stand-alone concert by any artist in history.”
For reference, 1.6 million is greater than the population of Philadelphia, and Philly is the sixth most populous city in the United States. Also for reference, Coachella averages about 125,000 daily attendees.
According to this Wikipedia list, Madonna’s show is No. 6 on the all-time list of the most-attended concerts. However, all the concerts ahead of Madonna were part of some larger event/occasion/observation, so Madonna does indeed claim the title of biggest stand-alone concert. The previous record holder was The Rolling Stones, who performed to 1.5 million people, also at Copacabana Beach, in 2006.
Leading that larger list, though, is Rod Stewart, who performed for an estimated 3.5 million people — again, also at Copacabana Beach — in 1994. After him are Jean-Michel Jarre (3.5 million); Jorge Ben Jor (3 million); Jean-Michel Jarre again (2.5 million); Antonello Venditti (1.8 million); the collective of AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, The Black Crowes, and E.S.T. (1.6 million); and then Madonna.