"She's a living legend": Fans react as thousands of people gather for Lady Gaga’s Copacabana Beach, Brazil rehearsals 

2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Show - Source: Getty
Lady Gaga at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Show - Source: Getty

In Rio de Janeiro, excitement has swept Copacabana Beach as thousands of fans and spectators gather, enthralled by Lady Gaga's appearance before playing at her highly anticipated concert. On May 3, 2025, the event is already being described as a defining moment of her career.

Even during rehearsals, Lady Gaga’s star status was enough to pack the beachfront with both die-hard enthusiasts and interested tourists. As Brazilian journalist Julia Carneiro writes, the atmosphere has become a sort of festival, with people camping out and taking up the space just for the chance to witness the global superstar rehearse for her biggest show ever.

The excitement around Lady Gaga's forthcoming concert in Brazil is already in fever pitch, long before the performance. On May 2, 2025, when she was rehearsing on Copacabana Beach, the ground was a serendipitous meeting place for fans who gathered in their thousands to see her perform.

A video posted by @PopBase captured a charged moment: the audience, carried away on emotion, was singing along to her just-released song Abracadabra, building an enormous sing-along during what was otherwise a sound check.

NPR has indicated that over a million concertgoers are expected for the official show, highlighting not just Gaga's enormous international popularity but the strong emotional bond her fans still have with her work, even when in rehearsal mode.

What made the moment even stranger was the size of the crowd, a vast ocean of fans that could match the turnout of a full-concert event. Even if this was a rehearsal, the vibe was nothing less than that of a main live event. Fans filled the beach shoulder to shoulder, cheering, singing, and waving like they would any headline performance.

It was difficult to accept that this was just a soundcheck. The crowd was so huge, it was a stark reminder of Lady Gaga's star status and the draw of her presence, testimony that even a fleeting sight of her on stage is enough to command an audience that most artists can only hope to get. As soon as the video came out, someone took to their X account and commented:

"She's a living legend"

Lady Gaga fans online couldn't help but show their respect as they observed her preparing on Copacabana Beach. Amidst the wave of comments, numerous people were in awe of her stage presence, powerful voice, and the fact that she could already command such a huge audience before the real concert even started.

One specific feeling resonated across channels: individuals perceived her as more than just an artist, but as an icon whose influence on music and popular culture grows larger by the day. The absolute buzz about rehearsing her already reminded the world why she's so respected all over the world.

Before any fans flooded social media with their responses, however, the depth of Lady Gaga's reach was on full demonstration. What should have been an ordinary rehearsal escalated into a whole production, thousands filling the beach, chanting along to her lines. The feeling was bigger than a concert moment, it was one of impromptu celebration at her art and legacy.

The atmosphere said it all before a single tweet was even made, demonstrating just how compelling her presence is in any environment.


Netizens react as thousands of people gather for Lady Gaga’s Copacabana Beach, Brazil rehearsals

Some people used social media merely to appreciate Lady Gaga's presence and performance, her voice, style, and energy. Without the full concert production, they were quick to appreciate her capacity to engage an audience.

From brief messages of encouragement to informal compliments, the appreciation trickled in organically, more evidence of her understated but certain influence:

"Thats a princess," a user @yourfavnook commented.
"That’s the best show by Lady gaga," another user @Surbhi_ru commented.
"Watch hear rehearse?? This isn't even a show??," a netizen @KINGETIOSA commented.

Meanwhile, during rehearsals, there were some fans on social media jokingly making funny remarks. Some fan mentioned how the crowd was so massive it was like the real concert had already begun. Others cracked jokes on how Lady Gaga's rehearsal was such that it was mistaken for an actual performance due to the size of the masses gathered.

The jokes injected some fun into the hype surrounding the event:

"When it's Gaga, even rehearsals are a full house," a user @firdosefathimaa commented.
"She got the streets turning into a stadium before the real show even starts," another user @_one1planet commented.
"Latinos are just built different," a netizen @beauinurquiver commented.

The usual peanut gallery showed up, but there was no criticism—just pure admiration since it's Lady Gaga. Fans hailed Lady Gaga as talented, charismatic, and bringing a spellbinding aura to every performance. A number were swift to comment that even rehearsals were headline performances, deserving, with some struggling to believe that this was practice and not the actual event.

The spontaneous admiration from the crowd revealed how the crowd was energized for her upcoming concert:

"She's the moment mother," a user @corneil_ri commented.
"The power she holds… even the mic check has a crowd," another user @laylamoodz commented.
"SHE SOLD OUT A REHEARSAL, SHE REALLY IS THAAAAT ICONIC," another netizen @_jazllyn expressed.
"Lady Gaga really puts the "show" in "showbiz" - can't wait to see her slay!," a netizen @TheRSD wrote.

A sneak peek into Lady Gaga's upcoming concert

As a lead-up to her much-awaited Mayhem Ball tour from July 2025, Lady Gaga has already generated buzz in Brazil by hosting a lively pre-tour show at Copacabana Beach. The free concert, and on a first-come-first-served basis, is being mounted as part of Rio's "Celebration May" event.

This thirty-day celebration, launched by Mayor Eduardo Paes, aims to invite international artists to perform in the city and provide locals and tourists alike an opportunity to enjoy world-class shows while stimulating the economy.

Lady Gaga agreed to perform at the event after tweeting on February 21, 2025, stating she was honored to be performing in Rio and thanking fans from Brazil, expressing how much she appreciated that support could do for her.


Lady Gaga's free Rio concert set to boost tourism and local economy

The buzz for Lady Gaga's free performance next month in Rio de Janeiro has generated a wave of tourism, with huge rises in airline tickets and domestic economic activity. While the 39-year-old pop star gets set to perform on Copacabana Beach, more than one million fans will be attending, pushing both national and foreign travelers to the city.

The concert has already taken a noticeable toll on Brazilian airlines, which are recording a steep increase in a steep increase in ticket sales as music fans descend en masse to Rio for the event. The free concert, a pillar of Rio de Janeiro's campaign to bring in international performers for large-scale concerts, highlights the increasing importance of music tourism in stimulating local economies.

With her international popularity and top-of-the-charts songs, Lady Gaga's performance not only guarantees to entertain but also to provide the much-needed economic stimulus to the area.


The huge crowd that gathered for Gaga's rehearsal on Copacabana Beach is proof of her unmatched power to engage and bring people of all kinds together. Even before the start of her Mayhem Ball tour, the ocean of fans who turned up was a sign of the enormity of her reach and the sheer anticipation of her shows.

The occurrence not only depicted the excitement about the upcoming concert but also showed the special bonding Lady Gaga has with her followers from all over the world. With such a vibrant audience during her rehearsal period, it's sure that her free concert in Rio will be a gigantic event in entertainment and music.


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Edited by Tanisha Aggarwal