When organizers of Rock in Rio USA said American music fans would experience a festival unlike any other they’d ever attended, they weren’t just talking about the zipline over the main stage crowd or the impromptu breakdance crews or the themed facades for vendors. They were also talking about the music programming.
The second big lineup announcement of Rock in Rio USA’s first Stateside edition, to be held at the MGM Festival Grounds just north of Circus Circus May 8-9 and 15-16, almost completely fills in the performer roster for the two largest stages—and reveals an unabashedly commercial offering that mostly differs from those of the biggest and most revered American music events. On the Vegas music festival spectrum, Rock in Rio USA falls closer to MGM Grand’s iHeartRadio pop weekender, which is more akin to a radio station’s seasonal promo show, than it does the more archetypal Life is Beautiful.
Singer-songwriter Charli XCX, one of the artists to appear at the Rock in Rio USA festival in May, performs an acoustic set at The Village Studios on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Foster the People, Gary Clark Jr., Bleachers, Of Mice and Men, Hollywood Undead, the Pretty Reckless, Saints of Valory and Steve Vai—who will be joining the already announced Sepultura—are slated for the rock-oriented first weekend, while Sam Smith, Empire of the Sun, Charli XCX—who performed following the announcement at Village Studios in West Los Angeles—Tove Lo, Jessie J, Echosmith, Ivete Sangalo, Magic!, James Bay and Mikky Ekko will play the second, more pop-based weekend.
When joined with previously revealed acts like Taylor Swift, Metallica, No Doubt, John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Linkin Park and Bruno Mars, those names make it clear that Rock in Rio USA is appealing more to mainstream concertgoers and families seeking familiarity rather than music obsessives who search festival lineup posters for the newest, coolest and most acclaimed names. Which is probably why reaction to the lineup on social media has so far been largely one of disappointment.
While the festival will provide opportunities for new discoveries early in the day at the Main and Sunset stages—as the more unknown names revealed today suggest—or at the smaller stages on the three Rock Streets themed after the US, UK and Brazil, they’ll largely be musicians from overseas, dancers and performance troupes, not buzz acts like the War on Drugs, St. Vincent or Run the Jewels. (Two slots remain empty on the Rock in Rio USA’s Main Stage lineup. And performers for the electronic stage will be shared at a later date.)
Last spring, Rock in Rio Lisbon largely followed the same booking philosophy, though it did feature alternative/indie faves like Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Blood Orange and Bombay Bicycle Club.
Tickets for Rock in Rio USA go on sale January 20 at rockinrio.com/tickets and Ticketmaster. General admission weekend wristbands are $298 and VIP day wristbands are $498, and all purchases through February 28 on Ticketmaster allow payment plans. Gates will open at 3 p.m. each day, with acts finishing by 2 a.m. Same-day re-entry will be permitted.
