Day one: As first days of a festival’s inaugural edition go, Rock in Rio USA, as it is officially called, went pretty smoothly. A modest attendance that didn’t all arrive and leave at the same time meant getting in and out was easy. I witnessed a slight backup on Industrial Road a half-hour before gates opened, but nothing compared to ingress traffic I’ve endured at other festivals. (A few locals on my social media feeds had different accounts later in the day, speaking of slow-downs on the same road, where one northbound lane remained closed.) A couple of reports have trickled out saying the Ferris wheel sat still due to the high winds at afternoon inspection time; officials say it’ll be operational today. And the only bad lines I encountered once inside were one Rock Street top-out station, where folks had to load their RFID wristbands with credit for purchases (the others didn’t have more than a two-minute wait, if that) and the main-stage zipline, which more than one festivalgoer clocked at two hours.
About the attendance: Official figures for the weekend are forthcoming, but a rep said 37,000 entered the gates on Friday. According to officials interviewed by the LA Times a few days ago, more than 100,000 weekend passes for the entire festival were sold, about half purchased by Los Angeles residents alone. Surely helping boost the count were discounted, $100-per-day tickets available to MGM Resorts employees and the floating comps that a good handful of people on my social media feed obtained. Today’s edition is predicted to see a bump with headliner Metallica.
Costs: I’ve been to many music festivals, and this one ranks as one of the most expensive. Putting aside the $300 GA weekend-pass and $170 GA day-pass costs, a day at Rock in Rio quickly adds up. I spotted $14 wraps and gyros, $7 fry plates and $10 sliders (just two). My boyfriend plunked down $8 for a single coxinha (chicken croquette) from a Brazilian street-food vendor—which was equal the density but half the size of my not-large $8 slice of pizza—and I couldn’t help but assume those prices would discourage those looking to sample something other than typical American festival fare. (To be fair: Life is Beautiful’s dining offerings also boast high prices for small servings.) The Corona and Modelo tallboys weren’t expensive at $12...if you wanted 24 ounces of beer, the only size offered. One bonus: The zipline and Ferris wheel are included in the cost. Also, there were several local eateries to support, such as Rollin’ Smoke, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Origin India, Sambalatte, MTO Cafe, Ben’s BBQ and Nacho Daddy.
About the attractions: The fun crew over at Flightlinez, which runs the ziplines in Boulder City, also manned the 600-foot cord-glide at Rock in Rio, and it flew a lot faster (and smoother) than the non-launched one at Fremont Street Experience. Festival sponsor Mercedes also built a rather odd experience with its new Iron Schockl SUV, where a driver took passengers up and over a 42-degree incline. Impressive...if you’ve got the $115,000 for one.
The Rock Streets: I was surprised at how many people took in the international and novelty acts in the US-, UK- and Brazil-themed Rock Streets, where people largely dined. Festivalgoers circled around the a capoeira dance group, and large throngs sung along to goofy Brazilian Celtic band Terra Celta and watched the official dance crew of the US stage, the latter performing mash-up style to songs that ranged from “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes to “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys. A smaller crowd took in acclaimed frevo/jazz act Spok Frevo Orquestra, which was disappointing, but the general attendance is a good indication that this is hardly the Jazz in Rio festival. Still, I know one attendee who will be back to see the 17-member group later today.
