RIO DE JANEIRO IS ROCKING

Rock in Rio is Here

September 20, 2011 | Filed underEntertainment | Posted by Contributing Reporter

By Kim Dumo, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rock in Rio has finally arrived, and with over 700,000 tickets sold the city is prepared to be overrun starting Friday, September 23rd, for seven days of music over the span of ten days. This is the first time in ten years that Rock in Rio has returned to its hometown, and fans from around the world are excited for this epic event.

Rock in Rio will finally arrive starting September 23rd, 2011, photo by Rock in Rio.

Rock in Rio has many artists to look forward to, and the Palco Mundo (World Stage) headliners for the first three-day weekend will be Elton John/Rihanna on Friday, Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday and Metallica on Sunday.

On Monday,September 19th, organizers of the event announced that the opening night would have a swap of times for headline artist Elton John and Rihanna, with Elton John now performing before Rihanna.

Although Rock in Rio has major international artists from all over the world, this year’s edition will also make way for many performances that amplify local culture. Brazil’s own Claudia Leitte will be performing on the opening night, and countless other amazing acts will be spread across four stages in this tremendous lineup.

Victor Mizarelli, a local from Rio and founder of Mizarelli Productions, quotes, “This is my first Rock in Rio. I don’t even know what to expect, but I’m sure it’s going to be awesome!”

While the Cidade Maravilhosa will certainly provide the majority of spectators, with such an international lineup of artists it will not just be Cariocas in the audience. An expatriate that lives in Salvador and is coming down to attend Rock in Rio offers, “I am looking forward to seeing Coldplay the most. I am from England and have never seen them as I spend so much time traveling. I didn’t want to miss it.”

A late change has Elton John performing before Rihanna on the opening night, image provided by Rock in Rio.

Among Rock in Rio’s concertgoers, sixteen percent of the audience will be coming from outside of Rio State to attend. Organizers report roughly 45 percent of those attending the festival are locals of the city of Rio de Janeiro or the surrounding metropolitan area.

According to the Secretariat of Tourism of the City of Rio de Janeiro (Riotur), the event brought about R$461 million directly into the local economy, with a huge multiplier effect. Reports also suggest that more than 10,000 jobs have been created directly and indirectly during the event.

In December of 2010 construction started to prepare the Parque Olimpico Cidade do Rock (Olympic Park City of Rock) in Barra de Tijuca, on the avenue of Salvador Allende in Jacarepaguá, the West Zone of the city. The area will also be used for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

In May 2011 approximately 600,000 official tickets, priced at R$190 (R$90 for students), were sold within four days, catching even the organizers by surprise. Unofficial sales from scalpers have reportedly been selling between R$700-900 on social media sites like Facebook.

As part of the transportation plan for Rock in Rio, fifteen roadways will be shut down to prevent traffic, with a special bus system in place. There will be no cars allowed in or around the concert, and even taxis will be prohibited from 11AM to 10PM, the nearest point for hailing taxis will be two kilometers from the entrance.

Those not able to attend Rock in Rio can catch a full web video stream of the festival from Globo.com in Brazil, and Rock in Rio’s Youtube Channel internationally.

ROCK IN RIO COUNTDOWN

Final Countdown to Rock in Rio, Sept. 23rd

September 13, 2011 | Filed underEntertainment | Posted by Contributing Reporter

By Kim Dumo, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The final countdown to Rio de Janeiro’s Rock in Rio have arrived and the city is preparing for this massive annual festival, starting September 23rd with seven days of music over nine days, ending October 2nd. It is scheduled to take place in Cidade do Rock (City of Rock) in Olympic Park and plans to host over 600,000 spectators, including Cariocas young and old, as well as Brazilians and foreigners from around the world.

The Cidade do Rock (City of Rock) in Olympic Park holding the mega event, photo by Rock in Rio.

The festival lineup will be headlined by the likes of: Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Coldplay and Guns N’ Roses. Not only are these major attractions anticipated with ecstatic fanfare, this year also introduces the innovative Rock Street, even featuring local expat Jazz performers from Rio.

Another new element launched this year is an anti-drug campaign called ‘Eu vou sem drogas (I am going without drugs)’. Youtube videos are currently streaming with the festival’s theme song against drugs featuring some of Brazil’s famous artists: Toni Garido, Claudia Leitte, and Eduardo Falachi. Rock in Rio hopes that many of its attendees will be apart of the fight against drug abuse.

As part of transportation plan for Rock in Rio, fifteen roadways will be shut down to prevent traffic with a special bus system in place. The President of Riotur, Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello quoted, “Do not go by car”, as there will be no onsite parking. Provisions have been made to reroute over nine hundred bus lines to take concertgoers to and fro the City of Rock.

These provisions however, have caused controversy with the local residence of Barra de Tijuca. A local resident was quoted by saying, “Many good things have been said about the transportation for the festival but people are forgetting that the people who live around the area depend on public transportation to go to work during the days of the event.”

Coldplay taking a bow during a 2008 tour, photo Karl Axon/Wikimedia Creative Commons License.

Although, this major traffic shift has commuters in a dilemma, there are still thousands anxiously awaiting their arrival to the Rock in Rio concert. An expatriate from New York new to Rio describes, “Ever since I came here in February, Rock in Rio has been THE topic of conversation. Now that it’s near, I can’t wait to see what Rio has put together! I’m really looking forward to it.”

As the beginning of the festival approaches, a lot of people are wondering, what happened to Jay Z? Reports state that due to an altercation regarding the singer Prince’s cancellation with the Back2BlackFestival, Jay Z is cancelling his appearance for the Saturday night lineup.

It is an unfortunate loss for those attending who were eager for his performance, but Maroon 5 has replaced Jay Z and Coldplay has become the new Saturday night headlining act. There are so many different appearances, performances, and events within the grounds of the City of Rock that the countdown has been long overdue for those going. Rock in Rio Festival begins on September 23rd, for more information see their web site.

  shareshare

RIO ROCKS

An Extra Day of Rock in Rio Added

July 19, 2011 | Filed underEntertainment | Posted by Patricia Maresch

By Patricia Maresch, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The organizers of Rock in Rio 2011 recently announced the line-up for the festival’s extra day, Thursday, September 29th. The additional day features the legendary Stevie Wonder, and the British acts Jamiroquai and Joss Stone – who will perform solo. Also the American urban artist Janelle Monáe, whose 2010 Grammy nomination song “Tightrope” will be on the ticket.

Stevie Wonder will perform on Rock in Rio's extra festival day, photo by cliff1066/Wikimedia Creative Commons License.

The tickets for the first two weekends went on sale on May 7th and all 600,000 were sold out within four days, leaving scores of fans disappointed.

The decision to have an extra day was announced mid-June in response to a request from Rio’s mayor Eduardo Paes and the high volume of fans who were asking for tickets on Twitter and Facebook. It’s the first time in the 26 years of Rock in Rio’s existence that the organization decided to add a day to the festival.

Perhaps the biggest name on the new day is Stevie Wonder, a music icon who has sold over a 100 million records and won 25 Grammy Awards. He scored hits with “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Superstition.” Wonder has worked with artists like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Prince and is said to be a major influence on artists who are performing at Rock in Rio as well, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alicia Keys.

“The line up for the extra day is fantastic, perhaps even the best of all,” says Dutch cultural exchange consultant Marlies van Exter, who has lived in Rio for eight years. “Finally, with festivals like this we see some great acts performing in Rio.”

Janelle Monáe will perform at Rock in Rio on September 29th, 2011, photo by Joe Mabel/Wikimedia Creative Commons License.

There are now some 200 confirmed performances of international and Brazilian artists. They will perform on four stages: World Stage, Sunset Stage, Electronic Stage and Rock Street.

Besides a run on tickets, there is also a high demand in hotels and hostels. Riotur (Rio’s Secretary of Tourism) expects that 315,000 tourists will attend the festival, which – according to the Brazilian Association of Hotels – will probably lead to a record hotel occupancy rate of 98 percent. Many Cariocas are considering offering lodging to outside visitors through sites such as Couchsurfing.

A Riotur study predicts that ten percent of the visitors will be foreign, 35 percent Brazilian tourists and 55 percent from Rio. Spending by tourists is estimated at R$365 million (US$233 million).

Following early indications of the events success, Roberta Medina, vice president of the festival, has already announced that there will be another edition of the festival in Barra da Tijuca in 2013.

The first Rock in Rio was held in January 1985, and by drawing 1.4 million people it is believed to be the largest rock festival in the world. The next editions were in 1991 and 2001, before the festival went overseas, with Rock in Rio concerts held in Lisbon and Madrid.

This year Rock in Rio takes place on September 23rd, 24th, 25th, 29th, and 30th, and on the 1st and 2nd of October at the Parque Olímpico Cidade do Rock in Barra da Tijuca. Among the headline acts: Guns N Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Metallica, Elton John, Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, Shakira, Rihanna, Ivete Sangalo and Snow Patrol.

Official ticket sales for the extra day starts one minute after midnight on July 23rd, online only atwww.rockinrio.com.br at R$190 (US$120). There is a limit of four tickets per person (per CPF) and only one of those can be half-priced.