"Move over, Woodstock," says Brazilian promoter Roberto Medina. "Without sounding too boastful, the upcoming Rock in Rio event will be the biggest gathering yet for any music event, anywhere in the world."
Speaking to Reuters,
Medina was willing to back up his claims with some A-list talent. As well as the previously announced R.E.M. and Iron Maiden, the Rock in Rio for a Better World event, which runs January 12-21 in Rio de Janeiro, will feature Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And yes, older readers, Britney's VMA outfit is perfectly legal in Brazil.
The promoters are preparing for an estimated 2 million people by building an entire festival village. The village will feature not only the usual hemp-clothing merchants and tofu vendors, but 50 stores, beer gardens, restaurants, rock-climbing areas, half pipes for skateboarding, and even a lecture theater where gig-goers can discuss world peace.
Promoters will market 1.9 million T-shirts, while McDonald's said that its on-site restaurant is expecting to serve hungry concertgoers more than 60,000 hamburgers a day. If you put all those hamburgers end to end, you will have done a very silly thing.
Medina is hoping to get 98 musical acts to perform at the event. The event's Web site also lists the Deftones, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Silverchair, James Taylor, Rob Halford, O Rappa, Gilberto Gil, Pato Fu, and Funk N' Lata as performers.
In addition to Medina's promotional savvy, the festival will get an unusual form of publicity from Brazilian TV. When the festival kicks off on January 12, every TV station in Brazil has agreed to go silent in celebration, according to Rock in Rio's organizers.
The event is being sponsored by America Online, which hopes to avoid the disaster that befell Cisco Systems with last year's NetAid. Despite a starry lineup that included David Bowie, Bono, Jewel, Bush, Puff Daddy, and Wyclef Jean, the two charity concerts in London and New Jersey managed to bring in only $1 million in donations, while the Bono/Wyclef Jean charity single "New Day" failed to tickle the charts.
Proceeds from Rock in Rio will go to Viva Rio. The research group was actually set up by a group of Brazilian journalists to address social problems such as crime in Rio de Janeiro. Viva Rio has become the country's biggest nongovernmental organization.
The inclusion of Britney Spears and 'N Sync indicates the 2001 event will be more pop-oriented than the two previous Rock in Rio festivals. Since its formation in 1985, Rock in Rio has hosted rock acts such as Guns N' Roses, Queen, Megadeth, and Billy Idol. 1991's concert attracted an audience of 700,000.
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