Eggs in Ney Matogrosso marked the 1st Rock in Rio: see interesting facts

The next edition of Rock in Rio It’s only in the second half of next year, but fans of the festival can now celebrate.

This week, the production announced the first names of the line-up of Rock in Rio 2024, which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the festival, on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd of September, at the Olympic Park, in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro.

The first confirmed artist was the very Brazilian Ludmilla, known for her funk, pop and pagode beats, followed by British pop star Ed Sheeran, hitmaker Ne-Yo and singer soul music Joss Stone, who has just completed two decades of career.

DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF ROCK IN RIO

When Roberto Medina created Rock in Rio, in 1984, this businessman wanted to attract all tribes in the world of music. Even if it were necessary to bring together names like Baby Consuelo and Nina Hagen, Kid Abelha and AC/DC, Lulu Santos and Iron Maiden at the same festival.

Medina not only succeeded but also saw the birth of one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. It is no surprise that, since 2022, Rock in Rio has been an intangible cultural heritage of Rio de Janeiro and has already had versions in Las Vegas (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Madrid (Spain).

And no one better to open the first edition, in January 1985, than the transgressive Ney Matogrosso who, according to the event’s organizers, “is rock even when he isn’t”. On a night that brought together around 300,000 people, the singer shared his show with fans of artists such as Queen, Iron Maiden and the British hard rock band Whitesnake.

“When I started singing, people started throwing boiled eggs at me. And I kicked them back, you know? Because I’m not going to take any insult”, recalls Ney in the series ‘Rock in Rio – A História’, showing on Globoplay.

In fact, one of the greatest mixtures of tribes was the unusual (and cathartic) show by the band Sepultura and singer Zé Ramalho, in 2013. Zépultura, as the meeting was called, performed “Admirável Mundo Novo” with heavy metal notes.

The first edition of the festival, in Jacarepaguá, in January 1985, lasted 10 days and featured 31 national and international attractions, who performed on what was considered the largest stage in the world, with an 80-meter span.

O line-up It featured big names in international music, such as the band Queen, Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne, the first to be confirmed at the time. Among the Brazilians who performed were artists such as Gilberto Gil and Erasmo Carlos.

By order of the then governor of Rio de Janeiro, Leonel Brizola, Cidade do Rock was demolished, which is why the 1991 edition took place at Maracanã, where the Norwegian band A-ha opened that edition to a record audience of 198 thousand people.

Despite the high numbers involved in the festival, according to businesswoman Roberta Medina, the debts incurred in the 1985 edition would only be paid off at Rock in Rio II, in 1991, when artists such as Guns N’ Roses, Prince and George Michael performed.

The third edition would only take place a decade later, back in Cidade do Rock, where Cássia Eller performed, who sent the audience into a frenzy when she lifted her blouse and showed her breasts, and bassist Nick Olivieri (‘Queens of the Stone Age’) played completely naked.

Despite four Portuguese editions, in Lisbon, between 2004 and 2010, the Brazilian public would need to wait another 10 years to see Rock in Rio IV, which lasted seven days, had around 100 thousand people per day and line-up with names like Coldplay, Evanescence, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Motörhead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down.

Ticket sales for Rock in Rio 2024 take place between November 30th and December 6th, for Rock in Rio Club customers, Fan or Rock Star categories, and continue for the general public on December 7th, at 7pm , on the Ticket Master website.