Rock in Rio

For the album by Iron Maiden, see Rock in Rio (album).
See also: Rock in Rio USA
Rock in Rio

Rock in Rio logo before a concert.
Genre Rock, pop, indie, heavy metal
Location(s) Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Lisbon, Las Vegas
Years active 1985-present.
Founded by Roberto Medina
Website
Official Rock in Rio website

Rock in Rio, an event originating in Brazil, is a recurring music festival located in Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon and Madrid. In 2015, Las Vegas will be the fourth location.

Five incarnations of the festival were held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2013, six in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, and three in Madrid in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Brazilian entrepreneur and advertiser Roberto Medina was responsible for the inception and organization of the festival, as well as moving the 2004 edition to Lisbon, while controversially keeping the brand "Rock in Rio".[1] In 2011, Rock in Rio returned to its original location, Rio de Janeiro, with a new line-up of singers and groups. Two new editions are to be held in 2015, one in Las Vegas, the first to be held in the United States, and another being the sixth Brazilian edition.

Rock in Rio is one of the largest music festivals in the world, with 1.5 million people attending the first event, 700,000 attending the second and fourth, about 1.2 million attending the third, and about 350,000 people attending each of the 3 Lisbon events.

History

Year Name Place
1985 Rock in Rio Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1991 Rock in Rio II
2001 Rock in Rio III
2004 Rock in Rio Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal
2006 Rock in Rio Lisboa II
2008 Rock in Rio Lisboa III
Rock in Rio Madrid Madrid, Spain
2010 Rock in Rio Lisboa IV Lisbon, Portugal
Rock in Rio Madrid II Madrid, Spain
2011 Rock in Rio IV Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2012 Rock in Rio Lisboa V Lisbon, Portugal
Rock in Rio Madrid III Madrid, Spain
2013 Rock in Rio V Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2014 Rock in Rio Lisboa VI Lisbon, Portugal
2015 Rock in Rio VI Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rock in Rio USA Las Vegas, USA
2017 Rock in Rio VII Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2019 Rock in Rio VIII Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

Rock in Rio

Queen performing in 1985.

The first edition of the festival was held from January 11–20, 1985. Queen, George Benson, Rod Stewart, AC/DC and Yes were the headliners, each occupying top spot for two nights (Benson, however, ceded it to James Taylor for their second night in the same bill, due to the huge delay Taylor's extended performance had caused to his concert two days before). About 1.4 million people attended the 10-day-long festival.

Rock in Rio in numbers

The full list of artists who performed at Rock in Rio:

Rock in Rio 2

The second edition was held from January 18–27, 1991 at the Maracanã stadium. Headliners were Guns N' Roses, Prince and George Michael, each being top billed for two of the event's nine nights. INXS New Kids on the Block and A-ha also got top billing, for one night each.

Full list of artists who performed at Rock in Rio 2:

Guns N' Roses's January 20 concert was their first ever with then new drummer Matt Sorum and keyboard player Dizzy Reed. George Michael's second concert, on January 27, the festival's closing day, featured his ex-Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley, who joined Michael for a few songs at the encore. Again a misplaced Brazilian act suffered from bad reception, with Lobão being pelted with beer cans and being forced to cut his performance short.

Rock in Rio 3

The third Rock in Rio festival took place in 2001 and its seven nights were headlined, respectively, by Sting, R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, 'N Sync, Iron Maiden, Neil Young and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Iron Maiden recorded their set and released it as the live album Rock in Rio. The profits from the sale of the album were donated to the Clive Burr fund, which would help the former drummer pay mounting medical bills for treatment of his multiple sclerosis.

Another notable appearance at Rock in Rio 3 was that of American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with a new line-up featuring guitarist Buckethead, original member Axl Rose (vocals), and longtime member Dizzy Reed (keyboards). Carlinhos Brown, the opening act on the day Guns N' Roses performed, was attacked by water bottles throughout his whole performance.[5] Bassist Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age performed in the nude for part of their set and was arrested for indecent exposure after the concert, being released soon after.

Full list of artists who performed at Rock in Rio 3:

Rock in Rio 4

The Palco Mundo (World Stage) at the Rock in Rio 4
The Rock Street at the Rock in Rio 4

The fourth edition of Rock in Rio, back to its origins, was held on September 23, 24, 25, 29 and 30, and October 1 and 2, 2011, at an area (pt) to be built next to the old City of Rock - which is currently the site of the future Olympic Village of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Three different stages were employed, with the headlining concerts at the Palco Mundo (World Stage), the secondary ones in Palco Sunset (Sunset Stage), and DJs playing at a specialized stage for electronic music. The closing acts, Guns N' Roses and System of a Down, entered following a poll on the festival's website.[6] Maroon 5 was a last hour addition, following Jay-Z leaving for personal reasons.

Full list of artists who performed at Rock in Rio 4:[7][8]

Rock in Rio 5

Rock in Rio 5 was held on September 2013. The headline acts, chronologically, was: Beyoncé,[9][10] Muse, Justin Timberlake, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Iron Maiden.[11] Curiously, one of the highlights of the festival was the Rock Street act "Sensessional" which made hundreds of passerby fans of all genres dance to traditional Irish music.

Rock in Rio 6

The sixth Brazilian edition will be held from September 18 to 27, 2015 at the New City of Rock. The line-up includes Rihanna, Queen + Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, System of a Down, A-Ha, John Legend and Queens of The Stone Age, among others.

Lisboa, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain

Rock in Rio Lisboa

After the huge success of Rock in Rio 3 in Brazil, Roberto Medina decided to organize a festival of the same stature in Lisbon. The decision to maintain the name Rock in Rio was controversial, and detractors of the idea in Brazil started calling it Rock in Rio Tejo,[12][13] after the Tagus river (rio Tejo, in Portuguese) which runs through the Portuguese capital.

The first edition of Rock in Rio Lisboa, as the festival was officially called, took place in 2004. Although the festival had a slight change of name, it kept the same structure as the Brazilian editions. An entire City of Rock, with an area of over 200,000 m² was erected at the Bela Vista park, with a large centre stage and several tents where different artists would perform, simultaneously.

Full list of artists who performed at Rock in Rio Lisboa:

Roger Waters in Rock in Rio Lisbon

Rock in Rio Lisboa 2

The second edition of Rock in Rio Lisboa was held in 2006, on 26/27 May and 2/3/4 June.

Rock in Rio Lisboa & Madrid (2008)

The third edition of Rock in Rio took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 30, 31 and June 1 and 5-6. The dates for Arganda del Rey, Madrid, were June 27, 28 and July 4–6.

Rock in Rio Lisbon III

May 30

May 31

June 1

June 5

June 6

Rock in Rio Madrid

June 27

June 28

July 4

July 5

July 6

Rock in Rio Lisboa & Madrid (2010)

Rock in Rio Lisboa IV[14]

May 21 / 82.000

May 22 / 45.000

May 27 / 85.000

May 29 / 95.000

May 30 / 38.000

Rock in Rio Madrid II[15]

June 4 / 51.000

June 5 / 85.000

June 6 / 90.000

June 11 / 30.000

June 14 / 48.000

Rock in Rio Lisboa & Madrid (2012)

Rock in Rio Lisboa V[14][16]
Rock in Rio Madrid III[17][18]

Rock in Rio Lisboa (2014)

Rock in Rio Lisboa VI[20]
World Stage
May 25 (Sunday) May 29 (Thursday) May 30 (Friday) May 31 (Saturday) June 1 (Sunday)

Ivete Sangalo
00:00
Robbie Williams
22:00
Paloma Faith
20:30
Boss AC & Aurea
19:00

The Rolling Stones
23:45
Gary Clark, Jr.
22:00
Xutos & Pontapés
20:30
Rui Veloso with Lenine & Angélique Kidjo
19:00

Steve Aoki
00:30
Linkin Park
22:30
Queens of the Stone Age
20:45
Capital Inicial
19:00

Arcade Fire
23:55
Lorde
22:00
Ed Sheeran
20:30
tribute to António Variações
19:00

Justin Timberlake
23:45
Jessie J
22:00
Mac Miller
20:15
João Pedro Pais & Jorge Palma
18:45
Kika
17:30

Las Vegas

Rock in Rio USA

"Rock in Rio USA" will be the first North American edition of the festival to be held at Las Vegas from May 8 to May 16, 2015. The line up includes Metallica, No Doubt, Maná, Linkin Park, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Sepultura, among others.

References

  1. "Roberto Medina: The Business of Rock in Rio | The Rio Times | Brazil News". Riotimesonline.com. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  2. "Jornal do Brasil - Rock in Rio 2011 - Rock in Rio divulga balanço geral de mega evento". Jb.com.br. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  3. Queen: Rock in Rio Boston Globe. Retrieved June 2, 2011
  4. "Iron Maiden - Revelations". YouTube. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  5. Rock in Rio: Carlinhos Brown undergoes the first scandal in the festival
  6. "Escolhido por voto popular, System of a Down entra na programação do Rock In Rio 2011 - 06/05/2011 - UOL Música - Da Redação". Musica.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  7. "Rock in Rio volta ao Brasil com mais de 100 bandas na programação - Música - iG". Ultimosegundo.ig.com.br. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  8. "Beyoncé será a atração principal da noite de abertura do Rock in Rio 2013 - Jornal O Globo". Oglobo.globo.com. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  9. "Beyoncé, bem-vinda ao Rock in Rio! | Rock in Rio Brasil". Rockinrio.com.br. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  10. Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and Iron Maiden to headline Rock In Rio 2013
  11. "Coluna Ialdo Belo". Planetanews.com. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  12. "::Peixe na rede: Rock in Rio? Só se for Rio Tejo::". Peixenarede.blogspot.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  13. 14.0 14.1
  14. "Rock in Rio Lisboa". Rockinriomadrid.es. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  15. "Rock in Rio Lisboa". Rockinriomadrid.es. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  16. http://rockinriolisboa.sapo.pt/en/cartaz/

External links