In a matter of weeks Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, the pioneering promoter behind some of the biggest concerts in Brazilian history, will look out over more than 1.5 million people on Copacabana Beach as Lady Gaga takes to the stage.

It will be the Brazilian veteran’s fourth mega-concert on Rio de Janeiro’s renowned beach – this time in partnership with Live Nation – and he has given IQ the exclusive inside track on what it takes to organise the iconic shows.

“Lady Gaga’s show is going to be a huge success,” he tells IQ. “We are confident that we know exactly what we’re doing. We had huge success with Madonna last year. We know all the variables, and we have a team that works very well together.”

As well as Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder have also delivered behemoth concerts at the famed location thanks to Niemeyer, president and CEO of Bonus Track.

Despite the vast numbers of people expected at Gaga’s free-to-attend concert on 3 May, Niemeyer insists that his team and the local authorities are well-versed in handling such huge crowds.

“All these forces come together to deliver something very special to the city of Rio, the fans, and the artist”

“Rio has a lot of experience with these things,” he continues. “For the past two decades, the government has hosted New Year’s Eve concerts on the beach with millions of people.”

In fact, Rod Stewart performed the most-attended free concert of all time on Copacabana Beach on 31 December 1994, with an estimated 4.2 million attendees.

Niemeyer estimates that 7,000 people or so will be involved in staging Gaga’s concert, from transport to police and production to concessions.

“All these forces come together to deliver something very special to the city of Rio, the fans, and the artist,” he continues. “City officials and the police handle crowd management. The Marines take care of all the boats that come in and out. There’s a lot of negotiation with different departments but everyone is well-trained.”

The gig is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and ingress is funnelled through 17 entrances, according to Niemeyer. Fans are banned from camping on the beach the night before, meaning that all 1.6 million people will arrive on the day via the two nearby subway stations and other public transportation.

“People already know how to behave because this is not the first time they’ve come to something like this,” says the Bonus Track CEO and president. “They come to have fun but we haven’t had any incidents with the last four concerts.”

The biggest challenge with any Copacabana Beach concert, Niemeyer tells IQ, is raising the necessary sponsors to cover costs.

“It’s a very costly project and obviously, we have no income from the box office,” he says. “Plus, it has to be a first-class production, especially with the kinds of major artists we bring in.

“This business model is a completely different ball game to, say, a stadium show,” he continues. “But we’ve gained the credibility and trust of sponsors – they know that we can deliver and they can get a good return on investment. The concerts generate so much news, plus we broadcast it live throughout Brazil, with around 35 million people watching.”

Mexican beer brand Corona has signed on as the official sponsor of the next four Copacabana Beach concerts, helping to keep the concerts free for the people of Brazil.

“People who can’t usually afford to go to a concert can come and see the best acts in the world play for them for free”

“It’s very democratic; people who can’t usually afford to go to a concert can come and see the best acts in the world play for them for free. It’s a gift the city and our sponsors give to its people.”

Setup for Gaga’s gig commenced at the beginning of April and is expected to be completed three to four days before it’s scheduled to take place.

“May is a perfect time to do these concerts because the weather is very good,” he tells IQ. “We don’t have a plan B for weather, but we’ve never needed one.

“It’s also a good to hold these concerts before summer in North America and Europe so we can secure artists before their schedules pick up a bit.”

Niemeyer had the idea to hold free concerts on Copacabana Beach in the mid-2000s, having made a name for himself with Paul McCartney’s 1990 concert at the Maracanã, which attracted 184,000 people, and with the groundbreaking mega festival Hollywood Rock (1988–1993).

“The Rolling Stones show gave me the credibility, know-how and the assurance to continue doing these shows”

After successfully landing the idea with city officials, The Rolling Stones delivered a historic performance to over 1.5 million people on the beach in 2006.

“It became an iconic show and the biggest concert in their career,” he remembers. “This experience gave me the credibility, the know-how and the assurance to continue doing these shows. No other promoter really came in and did anything this big – I was the pioneer.”

After every Copacabana Beach concert he has held, Niemeyer has sworn it would be his last, but something keeps pulling him back.

“When it’s months before a show, and there are a lot of problems to solve, I say that it’ll be the last one,” he says. “Then it gets closer to the concert and I think: ‘This is fun’. Then the show finishes and I’m already thinking about the next one!”

In fact, Niemeyer tells IQ that his team are looking to stage three more concerts in the next three years. “We promoters have something in our blood,” he laughs.

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Critics lauded headline sets from Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott during the opening weekend of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The Goldenvoice-promoted phenomenon made its return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, from 11–13 April, for a 24th instalment.

This year’s bill also features the likes of Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, solo performances from BLACKPINK‘s Lisa and Jennie, Benson Boone, the original Misfits, Zedd, The Prodigy, Clairo, Enhypen and more.

Gaga closed the festival’s first night with her second headline set at Coachella, following an appearance in 2017 when she filled in for a pregnant Beyoncé. Friday night’s career-spanning, two-hour set earned rapturous reviews across the board, with The Guardian calling it “one of the best the desert has ever seen” while Billboard hailed it as a “genius commentary on fame”.

Green Day, one of the rare rock acts to headline Coachella over the last decade or so, helped to close out proceedings on Saturday, using their set to address the atrocities in Palestine and take aim at Donald Trump. Rolling Stone sumarised the set as “a career-spanning, best-of montage, packed with hits that crisscrossed the decades”.

Travis Scott, billed as the fourth Coachella headliner, occupied the same spot on the bill that No Doubt did in 2024. Backed by a 60-person strong marching band, the Houston-born rapper delivered a 29-song set which delivered on the promise of a “new chapter,” according to Billboard.

The Guardian called Lady Gaga’s Friday night headline set “one of the best the desert has ever seen”

Critics also applauded Saturday sets from Charli XCX – who brought out Lorde, Billie Eilish and Troye Sivan for her highly-awaited performance – and Weezer, who were added to the bill last week and delivered an afternoon set at the Mojave tent.

Elsewhere, Irish hip-hop band Kneecap made headlines after leading an anti-Margaret Thatcher chant, with fans reporting the online stream had cut out shortly after.

Post Malone closed out weekend one with his first-ever headline set at Coachella, having topped the bill at sister festival Stagecoach last year. The US star accidentally leaked the Coachella’s lineup in November 2024, prompting organisers to publish the lineup ahead of schedule.

The Sunday night set saw Malone bring his country repertoire to Indio, with a set modeled on a sprawling Formula 1 track. Variety described the 90-minute offering as “an interactive hang with your best buddy whose music you happen to love” while The Guardian deemed his performance “charming and energetic”.

Although the first weekend of Coachella sold out, passes for the second weekend are still available. Tickets are divided into three tiers and priced at $539–$549 for general admission and $1,199–$1,399 for VIP. Camping passes start at $149.

Despite reportedly selling approximately 80% of the 250,000 tickets available for purchase this year, the festival remains the most-attended and highest-grossing annual festival in North America.

Coachella 2025 concludes from 18–20 April.

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Lady Gaga’s The Mayhem Ball arena tour sold out during its onsale yesterday, as fans rushed to snap up tickets to 45 shows across North America and Europe.

In response to fan demand, promoter Live Nation added 13 extra dates to the run, which included doubling her run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (cap. 19,500) to a total of six nights at the iconic venue.

Before launching her tour at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena (20,000) in July, the CAA-represented singer-songwriter is due to headline Coachella and play multi-night stadium stints in Mexico City and Singapore.

Over 1.6 million fans attempted to buy tickets for her four-night run in Southeast Asia, according to local media, with over 200,000 local and international fans expected to descend on the National Stadium (55,000) for her first Singapore shows in 13 years.

Also in May, Gaga will voyage to Brazil to hold a landmark free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach, produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation. Previous shows at the site from Madonna and the Rolling Stones have both drawn in over 1.5 million fans.

“I wanted to create a different kind of experience”

Throughout the Mayhem run, she’ll perform multiple nights in Seattle, New York, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, London, Stockholm, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin, and more. This tour marks Gaga’s first North American and Europe/UK run since her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour. 

That endeavour, which grossed $112.4 million from 834,000 tickets sold according to Billboard Boxscore, saw the 14-time Grammy Award-winner elevate to stadiums, while this upcoming trek will see her return to arena-level for the first time in seven years.

“I wasn’t planning to tour this year after my shows in Singapore but the incredible response to the new album inspired me to keep things going,” Gaga posted on Instagram. “It came together super quickly thanks to Arthur Fogel and the amazing team at Live Nation, who planned a global tour in just a few weeks. We chose arenas this time to give me the opportunity to control the details of the show in a way you simply can’t in stadiums – and honestly, I can’t wait. This show is designed to be the kind of theatrical and electrifying experience that brings Mayhem to life exactly how I envision it.”

Delivering her live show to fans was a key driver behind her 2024 concert film, Gaga Chromatica Ball, of which she was heavily involved in the process. Production company Blink detailed the process of capturing one show at Dodger Stadium (cap. 56,000) to IQ earlier this year.

“We spent months in the edit suite with Gaga in person, who directed the film herself and was hands-on with every single cut,” shared Blink founder and CEO Tom Colbourne.

This outing is in support of her latest studio album, Mayhem, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and quickly became Gaga’s seventh consecutive No. 1 album.

Fans can expect to be “closer, more connected” on this arena run

The full list of shows for 2025 is as follows:

Fri Apr 11 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Fri Apr 18 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Sat Apr 26 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros

Sun Apr 27 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros

Sat May 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Copacabana Beach

Sun May 18 – Singapore – National Stadium

Mon May 19 – Singapore – National Stadium

Wed May 21 – Singapore – National Stadium

Sat May 24 – Singapore – National Stadium

North America

Wed Jul 16 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Fri Jul 18 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Sat Jul 19 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena – ADDED SHOW

Wed Aug 06 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Thu Aug 07 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Sat Aug 09 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena – ADDED SHOW

Fri Aug 22 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Sat Aug 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Tue Aug 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Wed Aug 27 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – ADDED SHOW

Sun Aug 31 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Mon Sep 01 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Wed Sep 03 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center – ADDED SHOW

Sat Sep 06 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – ADDED SHOW

Sun Sep 07 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – ADDED SHOW

Wed Sep 10 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Thu Sep 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Sat Sep 13 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena – ADDED SHOW

Mon Sep 15 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Wed Sep 17 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Thu Sep 18 – Chicago, IL – United Center – ADDED SHOW

Europe/UK

Mon Sep 29 – London, UK – The O2

Tue Sep 30 – London, UK – The O2

Thu Oct 02 – London, UK – The O2

Sat Oct 04 – London, UK – The O2 – ADDED SHOW

Tue Oct 07 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Wed Oct 08 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live – ADDED SHOW

Sun Oct 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Mon Oct 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Wed Oct 15 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena – ADDED SHOW

Sun Oct 19 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Mon Oct 20 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Tue Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Wed Oct 29 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Fri Oct 31 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi – ADDED SHOW

Tue Nov 04 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Wed Nov 05 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Sun Nov 09 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Tue Nov 11 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Arena

Thu Nov 13 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Fri Nov 14 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Mon Nov 17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Tue Nov 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Thu Nov 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Sat Nov 22 – Paris, France – Accor Arena – ADDED SHOW

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Lady Gaga has announced The Mayhem Ball tour of North America and Europe – her first arena run in seven years.

The CAA-represented singer-songwriter, who headlines next month’s Coachella in the US, prior to playing stadium residencies in Mexico City and Singapore – followed by a landmark free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach in Brazil – will launch the tour at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on 16 July.

Other stops will include multiple dates at venues in Seattle, New York, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, London, Stockholm, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin, Lyon and Paris, as well as one-off shows at Manchester’s Co-op Live, Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and Antwerp’s Sportpaleis.

“With The Mayhem Ball, I wanted to create a different kind of experience – something more intimate”

“This is my first arena tour since 2018,” says Gaga. “There’s something electric about a stadium, and I love every moment of those shows. But with The Mayhem Ball, I wanted to create a different kind of experience – something more intimate – closer, more connected – that lends itself to the live theatrical art I love to create.”

The tour, which is presented by Live Nation, is in support of Gaga’s new album MAYHEM and marks the 38-year-old star’s first North American and Europe/UK run since her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour, which grossed $112.4 million from 834,000 tickets sold, according to Billboard Boxscore.

The full list of shows confirmed for 2025 (including previously announced dates) is as follows:

Sat Apr 26 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros

Sun Apr 27 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros

Sat May 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Copacabana Beach

Sun May 18 – Singapore – National Stadium

Mon May 19 – Singapore – National Stadium

Wed May 21 – Singapore – National Stadium

Sat May 24 – Singapore – National Stadium

North America

Wed Jul 16 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Fri Jul 18 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Wed Aug 06 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Thu Aug 07 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Fri Aug 22 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Sat Aug 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Tue Aug 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Sun Aug 31 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Mon Sep 01 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Wed Sep 10 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Thu Sep 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Mon Sep 15 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Wed Sep 17 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Europe:

Mon Sep 29 – London, UK – The O2

Tue Sep 30 – London, UK – The O2

Thu Oct 02 – London, UK – The O2

Tue Oct 07 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Sun Oct 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Mon Oct 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Sun Oct 19 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Mon Oct 20 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Tue Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Wed Oct 29 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Tue Nov 04 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Wed Nov 05 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Sun Nov 09 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Tue Nov 11 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Arena

Thu Nov 13 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Fri Nov 14 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Mon Nov 17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Tue Nov 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Thu Nov 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

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More than 1.6 million fans attempted to secure tickets for Lady Gaga’s Singapore shows according to local media.

The superstar will return to the island state this spring for the first time in 13 years with a four-night stand at National Stadium.

The 18, 19, 21 and 24 May shows are the star’s only confirmed concerts in Asia and are expected to draw more than 200,000 local and international fans.

Pre-sales opened on Tuesday morning for Mastercard cardholders with queue numbers soon going well above 1.6 million.

Fans battled for tickets in the Mastercard pre-sale on 18 March and within 10 minutes the queue reached over a million people.

Ticket prices on the official ticketing platform, Ticketmaster, ranged from S$148 to S$368 for general admission and S$648 to S$1,348 for VIP packages.

As noted in the International Ticketing Report 2024, ticket scalping is not illegal in Singapore

New Straits Times noted that minutes after pre-sales kicked off, VIP tickets priced up to S$38,888 appeared on the online marketplace Carousell while tickets priced up to $12,000 (€8,200) appeared on Viagogo and StubHub.

Scalpers also took advantage of Taylor Swift’s six Eras Tour shows at National Stadium, selling tickets up to 10 times the original price.

Ticket scalping is not illegal in Singapore, as noted in the International Ticketing Report 2024. The Consumers Association of Singapore has raised concerns that scalping could lead to price distortion and make tickets unaffordable for many.

However, terms and conditions on tickets mean if a concert organiser discovers that a ticket-buyer has resold their ticket, they can seize or void it without providing a refund. Ticketmaster has taken steps to combat and curb this malpractice in the form of its Resale scheme.

Mega gigs from the likes of Swift, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran helped drive tourism in Singapore to record heights last year.

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Lady Gaga has announced her return to Singapore with four shows at the National Stadium this spring.

The superstar’s four-night run on 18, 19, 21 and 24 May – promoted by Live Nation – will mark her first shows in Singapore since her 2012 Born This Way Ball Tour. 

The 38-year-old recently announced two stadium shows at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on 26 and 27 April and a historic free concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach on 3 May. Last Friday, Gaga released her seventh studio album, Mayhem.

The Weeknd, meanwhile, has announced the addition of a second Las Vegas date on his 2025 After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour.

The newly added show will take place on Friday 4 July at Allegiant Stadium with support from Playboy Carti, and takes the total number of shows on the North America tour to 43.

The Live Nation-produced outing, which runs from 9 May to 3 September, supports The Weeknd’s full album trilogy, including the latest instalment Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was released on 31 January 2025.

Cyndi Lauper has also announced a North American outing for this summer – the final leg of her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour.

Lauper’s international Farewell Tour – her first major headlining run in a decade – kicked off in North America last October

The 25-date run kicks off on 15 July, visiting amphitheatres and performing arts centres across the country, before concluding on 30 August. American pop musician and songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers will join as the tour opener.

Lauper’s international Farewell Tour – her first major headlining run in a decade – kicked off in North America last October and included her first-ever headline show at Madison Square Garden, which sold out.

The Live Nation-produced tour recently visited the UK and Europe and will head to Australia and Japan in April.

American rock band Counting Crows are also planning to hit the road this summer in support of their forthcoming album Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!

The Complete Sweets! Tour will comprise a whopping 68 dates across North America and Europe between June and November.

The North American leg of the tour kicks off on 10 June at the Pinnacle in Nashville and wraps on 23 August at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Englewood, Colorado.

The European and UK leg then starts on 21 September in Brussels and ends on 1 November in London – making stops in cities including Munich, Oslo, Leeds, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Dublin on the way.

The Gaslight Anthem will support Counting Crows during the majority of the North American leg of the tour.

Finally, Billy Joel’s upcoming concert dates, including two shows in the UK, have been rescheduled due to a medical condition. Originally slated for June 2025, the two exclusive performances – at Edinburgh’s Scottish Gas Murrayfield and Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium – will now take place the following year on 6 June and 20 June, respectively.

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Lady Gaga has announced her first Mexico headline show in 13 years in support of her forthcoming album, Mayhem.

The superstar will return to Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on the 26 April 2025, where she performed on The Born This Way Ball tour in 2012.

The stadium show – produced by Live Nation and OCESA – will take place a week prior to her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 3 May show, which will mark Gaga’s first show in the country since 2012, will take place on a custom stage and be broadcast live on Brazilian TV.

Produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation, the gig will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for those arriving at Copacabana Beach near the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel on the day of the event.

Alanis Morissette has announced that she will be headlining London’s The O2 on Sunday 27 July

Billie Eilish, meanwhile, has set a new attendance record at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, owned by TEG and operated by ASM Global.

The American singer celebrated the end of her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour by breaking the long-standing single event attendance record previously set by Justin Timberlake for the FutureSex/LoveShow Tour 18 years prior.

Approximately 21,000 fans attended Eilish’s 28 February 2025 show, eclipsing the previous mark of 20,839 held by Timberlake for the 13 November 2007 show. Three of her four nights at Qudos Bank Arena eclipsed the previous record.

In other news, Alanis Morissette has announced that she will be headlining London’s The O2 on Sunday 27 July – the final date on the European leg of her 2025 World Tour.

Morissette is set for a run of shows across the UK & Ireland this summer including Blackweir in Cardiff (2 July) where she is set to become the first artist to play Live Nation’s brand-new venue.

Slayer have announced their first UK performances in six years

Other dates include Dublins Malahide Castle (29 June), Belfast’s Ormeau Park (30 June), TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival (4 July), OVO Hydro Glasgow (5 July), London’s The O2 (27 July).

The iconic singer-songwriter will also deliver an eight-date residency at the Colosseum at Caesars in Las Vegas this October.

The Offspring have added a North America leg to their Supercharged Worldwide in ’25 Tour, which kicks off tomorrow (5 March) with a nine-date leg in South America.

Following that, the American rock band will perform four dates in Japan and six dates in Australia. The 34-date North America leg commences on 11 July and concludes on 7 September, and features special guests Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory.

Meanwhile, Slayer have announced their first UK performances in six years, performing at London’s Finsbury Park on 6 July and Blackweir Fields in Cardiff on 3 July.

Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker will join the band for their biggest-ever UK shows.

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Lady Gaga is to perform a landmark free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 3 May show, which will mark Gaga’s first show in the country since 2012, will take place on a custom stage and be broadcast live on Brazilian TV.

Produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation, the gig will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for those arriving at Copacabana Beach near the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel on the day of the event.

The performance will also mark the launch of Todo Mundo no Rio – a new initiative created by Bonus Track to highlight the impact of entertainment in Rio de Janeiro. The platform will present large-scale cultural events over the next several years, starting with Gaga’s concert.

“I feel better than ever and am working so hard to make sure this show is one you will never forget”

“It’s a great honour to be asked to sing for Rio – for my whole career the fans in Brazil have been part of the lifeblood of the little monsters,” the 38-year-old American wrote on social media. “I’ve been dying to come perform for you for years and was heartbroken when I had to cancel [in 2017] because I was hospitalised. Your understanding that I needed that time to heal meant the world to me.

“I am now coming back and I feel better than ever and am working so hard to make sure this show is one you will never forget.”

Bonus Track previously organised Copacabana Beach shows by the Rolling Stones, whose famous 2006 gig pulled in a reputed 1.5 million fans, as well as last year’s concert by Madonna, who delivered the biggest concert of her career to an estimated 1.6 million people.

Gaga’s concert is presented by Corona, with sponsorship from the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the City of Rio de Janeiro.

The singer, who will also headline this year’s Coachella in the US on 11 & 18 April, last toured in 2022, when her The Chromatica Ball run generated $112.4 million at the box office from 20 stadium shows.

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Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival organisers have announced the full line-up for the 2025 edition, headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott.

The Goldenvoice-promoted festival (cap 125,000) will return for a 24th instalment between 11–13 and 18–20 April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

The lineup announcement comes two months earlier than usual, following reports that Post Malone would headline the Californian festival.

Malone has now been confirmed to close out both Sundays, following his headline performance at Coachella’s sister event Stagecoach this year. It will be his first time as a Coachella headliner, though he performed at the festival in 2018 and has made several guest appearances over the years (most recently with Bad Bunny in 2022).

It is Gaga’s second time as a Coachella headliner, following her appearance in 2017 when she filled in for a pregnant Beyoncé.

Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott top the bill for next year’s edition

Green Day will play Coachella as a band for the first time, although frontman Billie Joe Armstrong performed as part of the Replacements in 2014.

Scott is billed as the fourth headliner, occupying the same spot on the poster that No Doubt did in 2024 with the tagline “Travis Scott designs the desert”.

In a press release, Scott’s representatives state he is slated to headline the main stage on Saturday night “where he will debut an entirely new era of music to the world”.

Scott was scheduled to headline in 2020 before the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. He was booked again in 2022, but was taken off the lineup following the fatal crowd crush at his own Astroworld Festival in 2021.

Other major acts lined up for Coachella 2025 include Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, solo performances from BLACKPINK‘s Lisa and Jennie, Benson Boone, the original Misfits, Zedd, The Prodigy, FKA Twigs, Beabadoobee, Clairo, Enhypen and more.

This year’s festival was headlined by Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, No Doubt and Tyler, the Creator.

 

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Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are strongly rumoured to be performing a duet at tomorrow’s (26 July) Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris.

French journalist Thierry Moreau reports on X that the pair have rehearsed Édith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose for the occasion, with both said to be staying at same hotel near the Champs-Élysée.

Dion has not performed live since 2022, when she rescheduled and cancelled a number of concerts after being diagnosed with incurable neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). The Canadian was later forced to axe her entire 2023/24 European tour due to her ongoing health battle.

The 2024 Olympic opening ceremony will be the first held outside a stadium, taking place along a 6km stretch of the Seine River and at Trocadero, showcasing Parisian landmarks.

French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura it expected to perform a Charles Aznavour classic, accompanied by the Republican Guard

Award-winning theatre director Thomas Jolly will serve as artistic director, but details of performers have remained a closely guarded secret. As well as Dion and Gaga, Time Out reports that French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura will perform a Charles Aznavour classic, accompanied by the Republican Guard.

Domestic acts Sofiane Pamart, Juliette Armanet, Philippe Katerine, Cerrone, Marina Viotti, Gojira and Rim’K are also set to appear.

Singer-songwriter Slimane, who represented France at the last Eurovision Song Contest, will also reportedly give a free concert in Saint-Denis tomorrow, backed by a symphony orchestra, just hours before the opening ceremony.

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