Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History – Metalhead Community
Since its inception, Rock music has been not only responsible for always bringing together the greatest performers to offer a show like no other for all its followers, but also able to bring together an incredible amount of people. So much so that it has broken audience records in a spectacular way so many times without even planning it.
In the next count, you will find out a little more about the best and greatest concerts of Rock and Metal music that have been given in the whole history of the genre, each one being an unprecedented spectacle, and checking once again that only Rock is able to gather in one place to a huge group of people eager to delight their ears, their minds, and their hearts.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
10. Bruce Springsteen (1988) East Berlin
(300 – 400 thousand people)
(300 – 400 thousand people)
Berlin was the city that managed to gather more than 170 thousand people to enjoy their best songs. The first concert of this music legend after a long time brought together a large number of people who successfully enjoyed the entire show of the amazing singer.
The concert took place to materialize the initiative to build a hospital. Although the figure is not comparable with that of the concerts mentioned in the count, this artist had never before brought together so many attendees in a performance.
“A Dreams Come True” sounded and the entire audience felt its meaning completely, and that is that its spectators had already gone through a lot. Since the manufacture of the wall that had separated Germany into 2, blocking the exchange of certain elements. Among them the culture, which would include rock music.
The concert gave rise exclusively to Rock, and this was clarified by the acclaimed artist.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
9. Woodstock Festival (1969) Sullivan County, United States
(over 400 thousand people)
(over 400 thousand people)
When they say “festival” the first word that comes to your mind is “Woodstock”, because thanks to its success it became a reference for this type of shows. A farm in Sullivan County, housed in its 240 hectares more than 400 thousand people who gathered to enjoy an unprecedented show in which they would give free rein to enjoy the best music of the time.
This iconic festival of a generation lasted 3 rainy days, and not even adverse weather conditions were able to bring the influx of spectators down. So it was common to see a lot of people full of mud all over the place.
Not only was it any concert, but it would also bring together multiple people with a thought and a feeling of peace because in some parts of the world various conflicts were developing. This was a very anti-war alternative. Thus, it was described as a festival “Hippie”, so you can say that the iconic symbols of peace were born in this event.
The people gathered there were completely against the Vietnam War, such as Jimi Hendrix, who appeared at the festival and in protest and demand for peace, played the national anthem of the United States on a guitar solo. Additionally, Joe Cocker also had a spectacular performance by playing a cover of The Beatles “With a Little help from my friends”, the theme had an incredible reception for all present.
John Sebastian’s presence was almost fixed in this type of festival. But his performance is remembered not only because of his incredible show, but also for his announcements where he informed the public that there were a couple of births during the festival.
Although the festival was born in order to raise awareness about war conflicts, the large number of drugs that were in place, along with the unexpected number of attendees. And managed to create an atmosphere of chaos during and after the festival, as conditions, where the farm was left, were horrible.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
8. Toronto SARS Benefit / Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto (2003)
(450 – 500 thousand people)
(450 – 500 thousand people)
During this time, Canada was involved in a tragedy, as an outbreak of SARS managed to spread alarmingly, causing great damage to the population. For this occasion, two major rock bands met in a huge charity concert with them in order to raise funds to help all victims of this disease and to try to eradicate this deadly virus and revive the economy a bit.
Toronto SARS Benefit was a concert that brought together some 450,000 people and also featured the greatest rock bands on the planet; Rolling Stones and AC / DC. Once the concert was announced, the first 150,000 tickets available were immediately terminated.
The concert began and artists such as The Flaming Lips, The Tea Party, Sam Roberts, La Chicane, among others. We all know that good music and good causes are a powerful combination.
At nightfall more artists arrived, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, AC / DC were in charge of animating the night, followed by the same organizers of the Rolling Stones concert, and finally the Rush natives made the crowd that saw them be born to vibrate (although they admitted that this made them feel pressured).
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
7. Rolling Stones – Havana Moon (2016)
(500 thousand people)
(500 thousand people)
Again they are in the count, and it is that the fame and talent of the band is something monumental, as well as the concert they offered in Havana during 2016, which gathered about 500 thousand spectators who were eager to see for the first time Once the band performed on a stage that was within their reach.
Although this time the band did not reach its spectacular figure of almost 2 million, as in Copacabana. It can be said that this concert in Havana was of paramount importance to the attendees, who for years listened clandestinely to some of Rolling Stones’ successes, and finally they could see their dream come true to enjoy the band’s successes live.
The concert was completely free and the night was completely filled with the best rock that any nation could enjoy in the world. Mick Jagger, the frontman of the legendary band gave a message to those present, where he emphasized that a new era was beginning and that the band. He was there for his most loyal followers, who despite the difficulties he did his best to enjoy his songs since it could be said that during a very long time.
Jagger also recently affirmed that the atmosphere created by the crowd in Havana was completely amazing. And that it definitely filled him with satisfaction when he saw the reception that more than 500,000 voices gave to the legendary band. “Start Me Up,” “Sugar Brown,” “Jumpin,” “Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” and many of his other hits resonated that night in the Cuban sky.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
6. Summer Jam at Watkins Glen (1973)
(600 thousand people)
(600 thousand people)
Summer Jam festival was included in the Record Guinness book because of the influx it had. The act has gathered about 600 thousand spectators, in the Grand Prix circuit, located on the outskirts of New York, in Watkins Glen.
Although it was agreed that the concert would begin on July 28, some bands needed to do sound tests on 27, and as a large crowd already existed at that time. The lucky ones also enjoyed this extra day with their favorite bands. The Band started the test, followed by Allman Brother and finally Grateful Dead, who extended much more than expected (but nobody bothered him).
The concert began with Grateful Dead and with all the spectators. However, after a while, the influx went down a bit due to the inclement weather and the conditions of the terrain (mud everywhere) even so to many this did not prevent them from singing “Bertha” with the band.
These were followed by the boys of The Band, who also had a wonderful version of their songs. And finally, Allman Brothers appeared who had more than 3 hours of performance.
The large influx of people would suggest that the event had many incidents. But in fact, there was only one sad event during the day, and that is that a paratrooper named Willard Smith had an accident jumping off the parachute and ended up engulfed in flames near the place.
This was the last concert to be held in this place, and it was really spectacular, worthy of a farewell.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
5. Isle of Wight Festival (1970)
(600 – 700 thousand people)
(600 – 700 thousand people)
The annual festival, during its presentation in 1970, managed to gather about 600 thousand spectators on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Almost everyone was interested in listening and witnessing the most impressive performances of the best and most recognized artists of this era.
The list of interpreters of this congregation was quite long, but each name was more acclaimed than the previous one. The public was very excited to see: Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Donovan, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Supertramp, The Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Sly Stone, Tony Joe White, The Moody Blues, Richie Havens, Miles Davis, Taste, Jethro Tull and John Sebastian. Who wouldn’t want to attend a festival with all these names together?
One of the curiosities surrounding this festival is that the influx of people was such that the following year they passed a law prohibiting the meeting (without a special permit) of more than 5,000 people on the Isle of Wight.
The musical show was wonderful, as expected. Seeing the list of performers was something, but then gained even more notoriety being known as the show that Jimi Hendrix performed for the last time. A little later the guitar legend went on to form part of the “group of 27” with his sudden death at a young age.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
4. US Festival (1983)
(700 thousand people)
(700 thousand people)
Not only can the creation of the computer design and the foundation of Apple be attributed to Steve Wozniak, but we can also remember that time when Steve Wozniak managed to bring together a large number of people at a festival that was simply unforgettable. The first US Festival attempt was during the year 1982, and this show only translated into monetary losses for the entrepreneur. Even so, the following year they invested more desire (and money), in repeating the experience hoping it would be more successful.
The show known as Steve Wozniak’s US Festival 1983 took place in San Bernardino, California. In a green space that was quite far from the noise and that would become the ideal place for almost 700 thousand people to gather for 3 days to enjoy the show that only rock could give.
The festival had everything necessary to address any situation and in addition to this, it was observed how technology also took over the show (and it was to be expected with Wozniak in charge). But it was not the only organization that made this festival a reference for these shows. But also the musical participation that took place in the 500 hectares equipped for this purpose.
This is the spectacular list of rock artists that entertained and drove everyone present at the festival: David Bowie, Van Halen, Scorpions, Judas Priest, U2, Ozzy Osbourne, The Clash, The Pretenders, Men at Work, Triumph, Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot. The audience had 3 days to enjoy and they surely did. Some say no one would never bring all these rock and metal icons back together in one festival ever again, so this gained transcendence and notoriety.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
3. The Rolling Stones (2006) Rio de Janeiro – Copacabana Beach
(1.5 million people)
(1.5 million people)
Everyone knows them, or at least they have heard of them on more than one occasion, and their fame precedes them. The Rolling Stones are one of the most influential rock bands ever existed. And they have always marked a way forward for other performers of the genre. It is about the Rolling Stones, who in 2006 decided to repeat the feat of Rod Stewart and on the same stage, where more than 1.5 million people came to the call.
Once again Copacabana witnessed a musical feat (that only Rock could set out and achieve) and brought together almost 2 million viewers to see the fantastic Rolling Stones play the most symbolic songs of their tour “A Bigger Bang”. 20 of the songs that everyone present chanted on February 18. Songs like “Miss You”, “Wild Horses” and the spectacular “Start Me Up” and “Sympathy for the Devil” toured the entire beach to be enjoyed from every little corner.
Mick Jagger, the frontman/leader of the band, gave the concert the title of “the biggest party in the world”. The scene for this unforgettable The Rolling Stones show had to be built at a height difficult to believe, almost 24 meters high in order to be seen by as many people as possible, since. They did their best to gather as many people in one place, where they will have visual access to the stage.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
2. Monsters of Rock (1991) Moscow – Tushino Airfield
(estimated audience of over 1.6 million)
(estimated audience of over 1.6 million)
Imagine that a festival can bring together all your favorite Rock and Metal artists/bands. And this unprecedented show that brings together 1.5 million lovers of good music. This concert has become much more meaningful in time because of some legends that are no longer present physically, just like the legendary Pantera guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. Only Monsters of Rock could accomplish this.
Tushino Airfield in Moscow was the only venue that would receive all these rock and metal music icons and legends to offer an epic show in a place where tensions at the political level were completely saturated. This concert represented a relief for many, and nothing more fantastic than your favorite bands are being with you on this historical period, the fall of the Soviet Union.
The bands that participated in the show were:
EST: Originally from Moscow, she was one of the first to sing for the big audience, however, they had to stop for a moment. Since during their presentation the violence was completely unleashed, giving way to clashes with the police, the organizers asked calmly to continue with the planned show, all this happened to the rhythm of “Bully”.
The Black Crows: Although the band was just presenting their first album entitled “Shake Your Money Maker”, they already had a lot of fame. Everybody was singing and losing themselves to the groove of “Everybody Must Get Stoned”. It certainly was a great performance by the Robinson brothers.
Pantera: One of the most iconic metal bands ever existed. The legendary band completely swept through this show, won hearts of millions of people from the Soviet Union with their irresistible energy. They completely lit the stage and everyone went completely crazy with the brutal presentation of “Cowboys from Hell”. There wasn’t anyone who did not want to be present in the interpretations of the mythical band. Pantera was one of the key members who made that day unforgettable, which remained forever in every music fan’s minds.
Metallica: Another spectacular metal band was presented that September 28, proved the whole crowd why they are one of the greatest. At that moment they were at the peak of their careers (of which no have currently come down). The magnificent “Black Album” was in charge of making the legend rise and hold, and “Enter Sandman” the spectacular song that immortalized the moments lived in the presentation.
AC / DC: The most anticipated band of the night, a true musical icon led by Brian Johnson was considered as the highlight of that show, the legendary band gave an explosive presentation of 16 songs, which were increasing in rhythm and intensity, causing great fury in the public.
The incredible festival is considered one of the best in history, because not only does it take a reputation for being one of the most massive, but it managed to bring together the best of rock and metal icons in one day and enters this count as the greatest Metal show ever existed in history.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
1. Rod Stewart (1994) Rio de Janeiro – Copacabana Beach
(3.5 -4.2 million people)
(3.5 -4.2 million people)
We started this count with a fantastic and unparalleled show, Rio de Janeiro witnessed the maximum musical gathering that has witnessed the entire planet, and that is that the British Rod Stewart achieved the unthinkable, gather more than 3.5 million people in a spectacular concert. Copacabana Beach witnessed one of the most brutal musical feats in history.
In December 1994, specifically on the last day of the year, a concert that would be part of the story and that would bring together millions of people from different places and social classes to enjoy the best music.
This was a completely free concert since the British rock icon expressed its intention to take the party to each citizen, whether or not it could pay for their presence there. The feeling that almost 4 million people are singing and dancing to the rhythm of their most famous songs was surely overwhelming but certainly unforgettable.
Although it is believed that hardly everyone present could see him on stage, everyone enjoyed each of his notes completely. Rod Stewart was really excited to bring his music to so many people and offered an unforgettable party, where, in the company (a great company) he received with joy the year 1994.
Even before the presentation, the Scottish singer was very receptive to sharing in a great way with his fans, since sometime later he has revealed that he underwent a brief session with a Brazilian sorcerer, after he suffered a sudden discomfort, and is one of the things that could have happened in a concert of this magnitude.
Top 10 Most Attended Rock and Metal Concerts that Left Their Mark in History
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Ok that’s cool
The Rolling Stones does bring remarkable numbers but they played on Carnival week and the beach was in attendance anyway so shouldn’t be counted towards numbers who went to see the Rolling Stones. The same goes for Rod Stewart. You could fit all his fans in a mini metro. Rod Stewart may have played to 4.5 million people but those people did not go to see him. It was New Year’s Eve and again those people turned up to see the amazing firework display and not Rod Stewart. Mr Blobby could have performed instead and that character would be regarded… Read more »
I guess that’s why they say “in the right place at the right time”. Thank you for your comment.