Lady Gaga Draws Over Two Million Fans To Record-Breaking Free Concert In Rio, While Police Thwart Bomb Threat

Lady Gaga set an attendance record at her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday (May 3). The pop superstar drew an estimated 2.1 million fans, becoming the highest-attended concert by a female artist in history. “Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show—the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” Gaga wrote in an Instagram post following her historic performance. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Thank you Rio for waiting for me to come back.” The show was not without incident, however, as Brazilian police announced on Sunday (May 4) that they arrested two individuals a few hours before the event in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at the concert. “Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” a police report said. Despite that scare, local officials stated that free concerts at the iconic beach venue will continue through 2028. (Billboard)