The best of four editions of Rock in Rio, the world’s biggest rock festival

January 26, 2012 No Comment

Heavy Metal night during the 2011 Rock in Rio edition. Photo by Rafael Hernandez/ Flickr

The city of Rio hosted four editions of Rock in Rio, the biggest rock and pop festival of the planet: in 1985, 1991, 2001 and four months ago. In between, four editions happened in Lisbon and two in Madrid. Around 700,000 people attended the shows that happened last year – it sounds like a lot, but, in fact, it was only half of the public seen in the opening event of the series, in 1985 (maybe because big rock concerts are getting more and more frequent in the country).

Here is a small selection of some of the best bands seen in the carioca editions, from Iron Maiden and Queen to The B-52′s – or, if you prefer Brazilian bands, from Blitz to Titãs. The links lead to videos of the bands’ presentations (either the full show or one song):

1985

Queen – a 1-hour video that mixes the best of the band’s two presentations

Scorpions (Still Loving You)
Iron Maiden (full concert)
ACDC (Hells Bells)
Nina Hagen (My Way)
Whitesnake (John Sykes’ solo)
Ozzy Osbourne (Crazy Train)
YES (Owner of a Lonely Heart)
George Benson (Inside Love so Personal)
The B-52’s (Party out of Bounds)
Blitz (Você não Soube me Amar)

Cazuza with Barão Vermelho sings Bete Balanço, theme of the movie of same name, with subtitles:

1991

Titãs singing Polícia (Police)

Guns’n Roses (whole concert)
Judas Priest (whole concert)
George Michael (Careless Whisper)
Faith no More (Epic)
Megadeath (Devil’s Island)
A-ha (Scoundrel Days)
Prince (Shake)
Sepultura (Orgasmatron)
Joe Cocker (With a Little Help from my Friends)

Pepeu Gomes and Moraes Moreira (six songs)

2001

Cassia Eller sings Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit:

Ultraje à Rigor (Inútil)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Californication)
R.E.M. (Losing my Religion and Walk Unafraid)
Guns N’Roses (Paradise City)
‘N Sync (Space Cowboy)
Iron Maiden (The Wicker Man)
Oasis (Supersonic)
Neil Young (Hey Hey, My My).

Poor Carlinhos Brown, that opened for Iron Maiden, was obviously in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He was booed and attacked with water bottles by the heavy metal crowd. Also, bassist Nick Oliveri, of Queens of the Stone Age, performed naked and was arrested.