The world’s biggest stadiums for live music

At the end of a week in which Manchester United unveiled plans to build a new 100,000-seat home, IQ has compiled a list of some of the largest stadiums for live music around the world…

Great Strahov Stadium
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Capacity: 100,000+

The second largest sports venue ever built, with a potential capacity of up to 250,000, has been used sparingly in recent times and serves as a training ground for Czech football club Sparta Prague. But in the 1990s, it welcomed more than 100,000 fans for shows by the Rolling Stones (twice) and Pink Floyd. Other acts to have performed at the venue include U2, Guns N’ Roses and Bon Jovi, while Ozzfest 2002 also took place at the site.

Narendra Modi Stadium
Where: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Capacity: 132,000

Coldplay performed the biggest concerts of their career as more than 222,000 fans packed into Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium across two nights in January as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. The band set a new attendance record for the rebuilt cricket ground, which opened in 2020, reportedly pulling in 111,989 fans per date.

Michigan Stadium
Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US
Capacity: 107,601

The largest stadium in the United States, Michigan Stadium has been open for almost a century and is home to the Michigan Wolverines NCAA American football team. While its official capacity is 107,601, it has often accommodated bigger crowds, including 109,318 for a 2014 pre-season game between Real Madrid and Manchester United – a US record for a soccer match. But on 27 September this year, American singer-songwriter Zach Bryan will perform the first-ever concert at the venue, joined by special guests including John Mayer. More than 112,000 tickets were sold for the event in just two and a half hours.

Kyle Field 
Where: College Station, Texas, US
Capacity: 102,733

With his Michigan Stadium show, Zach Bryan is set to break the all-time attendance record for a ticketed concert in the US – a title currently held by country music legend George Strait. The Texas native drew 110,905 fans to Texas A&M’s Kyle Field in College Station on 15 June 2024, breaking the previous record belonged to the Grateful Dead, who drew 107,019 fans to their 1977 show at New Jersey’s Raceway Park.

Ed Sheeran smashed his own MSG attendance record by playing to more than 100,000 fans on consecutive nights in 2023

Tiger Stadium
Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US
Capacity: 102,321

Taylor Swift’s 1989 Tour stopped at the home of the LSU Tigers American football team in 2015, and the venue was the site of the Bayou Country Superfest throughout the 2010s, starring the likes of Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker and Zac Brown Band. But its most well-attended concert was Garth Brooks, whose 2022 tour date pulled in 102,000 punters.

Melbourne Cricket Ground
Where: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Capacity: 100,024

Ed Sheeran smashed his own attendance record at the MCG by playing to more than 100,000 fans on consecutive nights on his +–=÷x Tour. The singer-songwriter played to 107,000 people on 2 March 2023, topping that just 24 hours later when he amassed a 109,500-strong crowd.

Wembley Stadium
Where: London, UK
Capacity: 90,000

Currently the largest stadium in the UK, the in-the-round format for Adele’s Adele Live 2017 shows enabled the singer to fit 98,000 into the building – a record since the venue opened on the site of the old Wembley Stadium in 2007. The feat saw Adele surpass U2, who played to 92,000 per night on their 360° Tour in 2009.

Maracanã Stadium
Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Capacity: 73,139 

While the legendary football stadium’s capacity has been greatly reduced following a series of renovations, most recently for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Maracanã earned a Guinness World Record for the largest paying concert audience (184,000) for Paul McCartney’s 1990 gig. Performances by Tina Turner and Frank Sinatra also attracted similar crowds, with shows by KISS and Madonna also drawing well in excess of 100,000 visitors.

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