Last night, May 3, Lady Gaga played a massive free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now, Rio’s state police have shared that, just hours prior to her performance, a man in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul was arrested for illegal firearm possession and a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was taken into custody on child pornography charges, both in connection with an alleged plot to detonate homemade explosive devices at the show.
Brazil’s Justice Ministry identified the older male as the leader of an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group that, according to Reuters, “recruited individuals, including minors, to carry out co-ordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails.” This was reportedly accomplished by impersonating fans of Lady Gaga, known as Little Monsters, in online forums and on social media. Local authorities state that they conducted additional raids and seizures in the homes of 15 suspects across the country. The concert itself was not cancelled and proceeded without disruption. In a report from the Associated Press, the police claim that they did not contact the event’s organizers at the time to “avoid panic” and “the distortion of information”
“We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning,” representatives for Lady Gaga shared in a statement to Pitchfork. “Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks. Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.”
Billed as “Mayhem on the Beach,” Lady Gaga’s first Brazilian performance since 2012 drew an audience of 2.5 million, making for the highest-attended concert of all time by a female artist. The record was previously held by the Copacabana Beach stop on Madonna’s Celebration Tour in 2024. In a message posted to her Instagram earlier today, which does not mention the alleged bomb threat, Lady Gaga wrote: “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. The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away.” Read the whole thing below.
Lady Gaga shared Mayhem, her seventh official studio album, in March. She was one of the headliners at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where she gave many songs from the record their live debut. This year, Lady Gaga has also performed at the Grammy Awards—where she won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile”—the 2025 Super Bowl, and Saturday Night Live. The next stop on her international Mayhem Ball Tour will be four nights at Singapore’s National Stadium, beginning May 18.
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