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Rock in Rio

Rock in Rio is something like a Brazilian version of Woodstock, and more. There have been four editions of this rock festival in total, of which the first two took place in Rio de Janeiro and the second two in Lisbon, Portugal.

The first Rock in Rio was in 1985. It included performances by AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, the Scorpions, Whitesnake, Rod Stewart and Queen as headliner, as well as many other world-famous artists. Many talented Brazilian singers also performed. This festival was attended by 1.4 million people during the ten days it transpired.

Queen had two performances at Rock in Rio I, and both were broadcast throughout South America. Prior to 2003, these concerts had a record audience - around 325 000 people bought tickets for each show. This record has since been surpassed by the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto.

At the festival Iron Maiden performed a song that has since become a classic, entitled Two Minutes to Midnight. They sang it at that exact time.

Rock in Rio 2 took place in 1991. The venue was Maracana Stadium, one of the biggest football stadiums in the world. It traditionally hosts the matches of Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo, three of the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro. This festival included performances by Megadeth, Faith No More and Guns N' Roses among other famous bands. It was a festival of technology. The stadium, specifically modernized for the event, was illuminated by three thousand spotlights, of which around 500 were airplane headlights from the roof. The psychedelic light effects have since become legendary. This festival was held over 9 days and drew a total of 700 000 people.

Rock in Rio III in Lisbon, held in 2001, featured Iron Maiden as headliner. Guns N' Roses made a huge comeback here.

Funds acquired from these concerts are traditionally donated to charity organizations. They support goals related to improving education opportunities for young children in Rio. The third festival continued for seven days. 21 Brazilian and international artists performed. Around 4000 people attended each show. Artists included Beck, Britney Spears, Papa Roach, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow and the Foo Fighters.

The fourth festival was a dream come true for organizer Roberto Medina. He is the father of this festival, and is famous for combining rock music events with charity initiatives. His decision to bring the festival to Europe was definitely a success. Portugal also hosted Euro 2004, a fact that made it more attractive and popular as the site of this spectacular festival. It was held at Lisbon's Bela Vista Park. Paul McCartney was a special guest. This was his first performance in this country. Another day was added to the show schedule on his account.

A touching moment was the three minutes of silence for "a better world", the official slogan of the festival. It was respected by all concertgoers in attendance, who numbered hundreds of thousands. This festival featured 26 international and Portuguese bands, performing on a stage of 1200 sq. m. Among the sponsors was Smirnoff. The company provided a special electronic tent, spreading over 1100 sq. m. It was dedicated to electronic music. More than 20 DJs from all over the world played here.

Discussions on issues of global importance, such as peace and human understanding, were held in the Better World Tent. Documentaries were shown and many cultural activities were organized with the aim to motivate citizens to take responsibility for their individual actions, affecting their lives and those of others.

Finally, the Roots Tent had the mission to promote music without borders. It featured performances by artists from Portugal, Cuba, Brazil, the US, Asia and Africa.