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Rock in Rio music fest aims to strike a global chord
2008-06-26
ARGANDA DEL REY, Spain (AFP) - Bob Dylan, The Police and Amy Winehouse are among some 60 acts set to perform at Spain's Rock in Rio event from Friday, a festival the organisers hope will eventually become a "global brand" reaching as far as China. "I am going to Beijing in late September to talk about the possibility" of organising the Rock in Rio festival in China, its Brazilian founder Roberto Medina told AFP. Rock in Rio began in 1985 in Rio de Janeiro, where it was also held in 1991 and 2001. Three editions took place in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006 and earlier this year. Now for the first time it will be in Madrid, on June 27-28 and July 4-6. Medina said officials and entrepreneurs "are coming from many countries in Asia and Europe which are interested in staging it." His immediate aim "is to expand to another European country in the uneven years." In 2010 and 2012 the festival is again to be held in Lisbon and Madrid. At Arganda del Rey, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Spanish capital, three stages -- the World Stage for headliners, the Hot Stage for lesser known acts and the Electronic Stage -- have been built at a 20-hectare (50-acre) site. The organisers see it as not just a rock festival, but an event that whole families can enjoy. There are attractions for all ages, including a 50-metre (150-foot) snowboarding slope with artificial snow, a skateboarding park, a ferris wheel, a catwalk for fashion shows, shops, bars and restaurants as well as a daycare centre for children. At the heart of the park, water from a cybernetic fountain will "dance" in time to the music, and at the Electronic Stage dancers will perform on six futuristic platforms surrounding the spectator area. "This is different, a unique experience in the world," said Medina, who also heads a public relations firm in Brazil. "Normally the promoter will just put on a show. Here, people will stay for the day. Parents and children come together. "There is no camping here," he added, in an apparent stab at music festivals such as Glastonbury in England. The entrance fee of between 49 and 69 euros (76 and 108 dollars) per person per day might make some families think twice, although the price includes all attractions. And the more than 60 acts span several musical generations and styles. In addition to Dylan, who closes the festival, The Police and Winehouse, also booked are Neil Young, Lenny Kravitz, Franz Ferdinand, Alanis Morissette, Jack Johnson, Jamiroquai, Shakira, Tokio Hotel, the Stereophonics and Suzanne Vega, in what Medina said will be "Spain's largest ever music festival." It will also have a strong Latin flavour with several Hispanic acts, including Spain's Grammy award winner Alejandro Sanz and Brazil's Carlinhos Brown and Ivete Sangalo. Medina's daughter and Rock in Rio's vice president, Roberta Medina, believes being Brazilian brings a "special quality" to the event, "because we are very optimistic, warm and sociable people." The organisers hope around 100,000 people will come each day, to a park with a capacity of 250,000. More than 600 security personnel will be deployed inside and outside the park. Beer will be the only alcohol on sale, and all visitors, including VIPS, are to be searched on entering the site. Hundreds of buses will provide free transportation to and from Madrid up until dawn. "I hope people will understand the concept of Rock in Rio, that it is not just another festival, that they are going to experience something completely different," said Sanz, who is to perform on the same World Stage as The Police on July 5.
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