Bomb Attack Thwarted At Lady Gaga's Record-Breaking Concert In Brazil

Brazilian police reportedly thwarted an attack on Lady Gaga’s record-breaking show at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday (3 May), which drew 2.5 million punters.

A group of people were allegedly promoting hate speech against the LGBTQIA+ community and reportedly planned a bomb attack on the concert. According to a police statement, the suspects allegedly recruited participants, “including minors,” to make coordinated attacks by using “improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails.”

The alleged leader of the plan was arrested in Rio Grande do Sul for illegally possessing a firearm. In addition to the suspected leader’s arrest, police executed over a dozen “search and seizure” warrants throughout Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo.

According to reports, arrests were made following a tip from Rio de Janeiro’s state police intelligence. Those tips allegedly discovered digital cells recruiting young people, encouraging violent behaviour, and the use of extremist symbolism.

Lady Gaga’s show, however, went ahead without a hitch—she didn’t even know about the bomb threat until she saw media reports after her concert.

A representative for the singer told TMZ that she was unaware of the threat, as it wasn’t mentioned to her or any members of her team before or during the concert. However, the representative said they worked with law enforcement while the show was planned and felt “confident” in the security measures.

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An estimated 2.5 million people attended Lady Gaga’s concert at Copacabana Beach on Saturday, marking the highest-attended concert by a female artist of all time.

The Mayhem On The Beach concert was free to attend as part of the country’s Todo Mundo no Rio initiative, which aims to draw major international acts to Copacabana Beach. Madonna’s 2024 concert at the venue previously held the record for the highest-attended concert by a female artist, drawing 1.6 million fans.

Gaga said of the record-breaking concert, “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… An estimated 2.5 million people came to see me sing, the biggest crowd for any woman in history.

“I wish I could share this feeling with the whole world—I know I can’t, but I can say this—if you lose your way, you can find your way back if you believe in yourself and work hard. You can give yourself dignity by rehearsing your passion and your craft, pushing yourself to new heights— you can lift yourself up even if it takes some time… I will never forget this moment.”

Lady Gaga is touring in support of her latest album, MAYHEM. The album has taken her to grand new heights, including headlining this year’s Coachella and performing in stadiums in Australia for the first time this December.

🤯 officials now estimating that 2.5M people went to see the Lady Gaga show at Copacabana Beach in Brazil pic.twitter.com/qaKzRbFhUl
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) May 5, 2025

Lady Gaga now owns the record for biggest standalone concert for any artist in history with 2.5 MILLION people at Copacabana Beach in Brazil, surpassing Madonna with 1.6 million people. pic.twitter.com/R4TF1BygXE
— pop culture gal (@allurequinn) May 4, 2025

History was made last night in Rio de Janeiro as @ladygaga performed for an estimated 2.5 million people, becoming the largest attended concert by a female artist. The MAYHEM continues. Little monsters, get ready 🖤

📷: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images pic.twitter.com/0eKCWOSO4Q
— Live Nation (@LiveNation) May 5, 2025