After two years of preparation, the City of Rock officially opens its doors to host more than 750 acts throughout the seven days of the event. Known as Rock Day, the third day of the event brought to the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, in Barra da Tijuca, that already familiar crowd dressed in black, with cool looks and all the rock'n'roll attitude. For the first time, Rock in Rio did not dedicate a day to Metal, with heavier bands, making the 40th anniversary edition have a weaker lineup.
Despite this, there were shows to suit every visitor's taste, on a day marked by new and classic acts, as well as some that had recently been to Brazil. The Palco Mundo stage began by delivering nostalgia with two classic bands, Os Paralamas do Sucesso , who had everyone singing along for the first time at the festival, and Journey .
One of the most anticipated classic and unreleased acts failed to meet audience expectations, despite their efforts. They only really got going during the last two songs, the hits "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Any Way You Want It". But, personally, it was a cool show, especially for those who had never seen the band live, and due to the poor performance, it's likely that many young people there will die without ever knowing who Journey is.
The performances on the World Stage and Sunset Stage were interspersed, making it possible to see them all. After Journey, the younger audience – but not that young – awaited Incubus , who were performing for the second time at Rock in Rio. Despite the short setlist, Incubus delivered a memorable and nostalgic show, pleasing the fans. The band returns to Brazil next year with a solo tour and promises a longer and better performance.
Returning to the World Stage, the legion of ecstatic fans eagerly awaited Evanescence , who, despite having performed in Brazil last year, proved that their fanbase is loyal and never tires of seeing the band. Amy Lee, as always, delivered one of the best shows of the night, with her powerful voice and nostalgic performance. The show started and then quickly stopped due to technical problems early on, causing a few minutes' delay. The band manages to stand the test of time with a show that seems to be taken from the 2000s, when the band was at its peak.
Closing the Sunset Stage, one of the most important rock bands in history: Deep Purple . The cult English group, formed in 1968, proved resilient to time , delivering classics and tracks from their latest album =1 (2024). The show began with the anthem "Highway Star," also plagued by technical problems with Ian Gillan , spoiling one of the band's best songs – the problem was resolved mid-song. Deep Purple proved that rock is alive, in one of the most energetic performances of Rock in Rio 2024.
Avenged Sevenfold closed the third day of Rock in Rio, on a sold-out night with nostalgic fans who had waited 10 years since the band's last visit to Brazil. For the first time, the Americans headlined a major festival in Brazil, but even so, they didn't draw the entire audience to the front of the stage, making it the day with the fewest people watching the headliner – on other days, there were many more people watching the last show of the day. This doesn't detract from the band's merit and the enthusiastic show, with classics that had the loyal fans singing along and pyrotechnics that made the performance even more beautiful.
Rock in Rio 2024 closed its only day with rock and metal bands, marking its 40th anniversary edition with many technical problems on all stages and a weak and repetitive lineup. Despite this, it managed to bring together fans of all kinds, in addition to people who just go to be present at a big rock festival. In the end, the question remains: why is it so difficult to put together a lineup for major festivals?
READ ALSO: Rock In Rio 2024: Supernova Stage proves that Brazilian metal has an audience at the festival
