In a matter of weeks Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, the pioneering promoter behind some of the biggest concerts in Brazilian history, will look out over more than 1.5 million people on Copacabana Beach as Lady Gaga takes to the stage.

It will be the Brazilian veteran’s fourth mega-concert on Rio de Janeiro’s renowned beach – this time in partnership with Live Nation – and he has given IQ the exclusive inside track on what it takes to organise the iconic shows.

“Lady Gaga’s show is going to be a huge success,” he tells IQ. “We are confident that we know exactly what we’re doing. We had huge success with Madonna last year. We know all the variables, and we have a team that works very well together.”

As well as Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder have also delivered behemoth concerts at the famed location thanks to Niemeyer, president and CEO of Bonus Track.

Despite the vast numbers of people expected at Gaga’s free-to-attend concert on 3 May, Niemeyer insists that his team and the local authorities are well-versed in handling such huge crowds.

“All these forces come together to deliver something very special to the city of Rio, the fans, and the artist”

“Rio has a lot of experience with these things,” he continues. “For the past two decades, the government has hosted New Year’s Eve concerts on the beach with millions of people.”

In fact, Rod Stewart performed the most-attended free concert of all time on Copacabana Beach on 31 December 1994, with an estimated 4.2 million attendees.

Niemeyer estimates that 7,000 people or so will be involved in staging Gaga’s concert, from transport to police and production to concessions.

“All these forces come together to deliver something very special to the city of Rio, the fans, and the artist,” he continues. “City officials and the police handle crowd management. The Marines take care of all the boats that come in and out. There’s a lot of negotiation with different departments but everyone is well-trained.”

The gig is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and ingress is funnelled through 17 entrances, according to Niemeyer. Fans are banned from camping on the beach the night before, meaning that all 1.6 million people will arrive on the day via the two nearby subway stations and other public transportation.

“People already know how to behave because this is not the first time they’ve come to something like this,” says the Bonus Track CEO and president. “They come to have fun but we haven’t had any incidents with the last four concerts.”

The biggest challenge with any Copacabana Beach concert, Niemeyer tells IQ, is raising the necessary sponsors to cover costs.

“It’s a very costly project and obviously, we have no income from the box office,” he says. “Plus, it has to be a first-class production, especially with the kinds of major artists we bring in.

“This business model is a completely different ball game to, say, a stadium show,” he continues. “But we’ve gained the credibility and trust of sponsors – they know that we can deliver and they can get a good return on investment. The concerts generate so much news, plus we broadcast it live throughout Brazil, with around 35 million people watching.”

Mexican beer brand Corona has signed on as the official sponsor of the next four Copacabana Beach concerts, helping to keep the concerts free for the people of Brazil.

“People who can’t usually afford to go to a concert can come and see the best acts in the world play for them for free”

“It’s very democratic; people who can’t usually afford to go to a concert can come and see the best acts in the world play for them for free. It’s a gift the city and our sponsors give to its people.”

Setup for Gaga’s gig commenced at the beginning of April and is expected to be completed three to four days before it’s scheduled to take place.

“May is a perfect time to do these concerts because the weather is very good,” he tells IQ. “We don’t have a plan B for weather, but we’ve never needed one.

“It’s also a good to hold these concerts before summer in North America and Europe so we can secure artists before their schedules pick up a bit.”

Niemeyer had the idea to hold free concerts on Copacabana Beach in the mid-2000s, having made a name for himself with Paul McCartney’s 1990 concert at the Maracanã, which attracted 184,000 people, and with the groundbreaking mega festival Hollywood Rock (1988–1993).

“The Rolling Stones show gave me the credibility, know-how and the assurance to continue doing these shows”

After successfully landing the idea with city officials, The Rolling Stones delivered a historic performance to over 1.5 million people on the beach in 2006.

“It became an iconic show and the biggest concert in their career,” he remembers. “This experience gave me the credibility, the know-how and the assurance to continue doing these shows. No other promoter really came in and did anything this big – I was the pioneer.”

After every Copacabana Beach concert he has held, Niemeyer has sworn it would be his last, but something keeps pulling him back.

“When it’s months before a show, and there are a lot of problems to solve, I say that it’ll be the last one,” he says. “Then it gets closer to the concert and I think: ‘This is fun’. Then the show finishes and I’m already thinking about the next one!”

In fact, Niemeyer tells IQ that his team are looking to stage three more concerts in the next three years. “We promoters have something in our blood,” he laughs.

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Lady Gaga is to perform a landmark free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 3 May show, which will mark Gaga’s first show in the country since 2012, will take place on a custom stage and be broadcast live on Brazilian TV.

Produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation, the gig will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for those arriving at Copacabana Beach near the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel on the day of the event.

The performance will also mark the launch of Todo Mundo no Rio – a new initiative created by Bonus Track to highlight the impact of entertainment in Rio de Janeiro. The platform will present large-scale cultural events over the next several years, starting with Gaga’s concert.

“I feel better than ever and am working so hard to make sure this show is one you will never forget”

“It’s a great honour to be asked to sing for Rio – for my whole career the fans in Brazil have been part of the lifeblood of the little monsters,” the 38-year-old American wrote on social media. “I’ve been dying to come perform for you for years and was heartbroken when I had to cancel [in 2017] because I was hospitalised. Your understanding that I needed that time to heal meant the world to me.

“I am now coming back and I feel better than ever and am working so hard to make sure this show is one you will never forget.”

Bonus Track previously organised Copacabana Beach shows by the Rolling Stones, whose famous 2006 gig pulled in a reputed 1.5 million fans, as well as last year’s concert by Madonna, who delivered the biggest concert of her career to an estimated 1.6 million people.

Gaga’s concert is presented by Corona, with sponsorship from the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the City of Rio de Janeiro.

The singer, who will also headline this year’s Coachella in the US on 11 & 18 April, last toured in 2022, when her The Chromatica Ball run generated $112.4 million at the box office from 20 stadium shows.

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As one of the world’s most recognisable festival names, Rock in Rio established itself as iconic from day one. IQ presents the second and final part of our deep dive into the landmark Brazilian festival, where we uncover what the future holds for the expanding event.

Catch up on the landmark event’s 40-year history here.

Good Deeds
As a platform to extol the virtues of Rio de Janeiro, Rock in Rio has been tremendously successful in helping put the city – and much of Latin America – on tour routings, meaning that in 2024, it’s unthinkable for any global act to omit the continent from tour plans.

But the remit of Rock in Rio stretches way beyond entertainment and brands, as the Medinas and their colleagues run multiple endeavours off the back of their events to improve the lives of the poor and underrepresented while also addressing environmental causes.

“This thing about music bringing people together, connected to an effective social project, is real,” states Roberto. “It’s not just about saying that we want to protect the environment or enhance education. It’s not just an idea; it’s about making it happen.”

Indeed, Rock World’s social programmes have had a real impact and continue to do so.

To date, Rock in Rio has planted 4.5m trees in the Amazon, “and we will continue planting,” says Roberto. “Rock in Rio has opened schools in the ghettos; Rock in Rio has social topics in its agenda and addresses these items because the importance of Rock in Rio in Brazil is fundamental. We use [our platform] to teach young people the fundamental things we need to do to transform as a society.”

“When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events”

In terms of employment and the impact on the economy, Rock in Rio’s biennial appearance in the calendar impacts the city’s economy by R$2.8bn and creates 28,000 direct jobs. “It is a good monster because it doesn’t cause any harm to society but promotes tourism and cultural activities,” opines Roberto, adding, “When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events. We are the biggest music event in the world: I’m proud of that. But I continue to want to do better – I’m never satisfied: I want to give more.”

And giving an insight into his psyche, he adds, “Doing good leads to profit… I don’t want to do philanthropy – I can achieve results through business, because if you do good and are transparent for your brand, you will sell more and add quality to your product. If half the world is starving, by taking a person out of poverty and bringing them to the market, you are gaining a consumer. So doing good leads to profit. We have to speak the language of capital so that it invests in social projects. This was the path I took to make gigantic projects possible here in Brazil.”

As for its unique selling point, when it comes to brands clamouring to become sponsors, Roberto’s experience in marketing shines through. “We care for the artist in a different way than we care for the brands,” he notes. “We launch a year-long campaign – it’s not something you do in a snap of the finger. It’s a chance for the brand to make itself felt over a very long period of time.”

Growth Prospects
Having cemented its place into the hearts and minds of the international live music business, Rock in Rio inevitably attracted the attention of the corporate world, and five years ago, Live Nation completed a transaction that gave it a controlling stake in the Rock World organisation.

But rather than a simple acquisition, the conglomerate’s hierarchy recognised the skills of the Brazilian workforce, with CEO Michael Rapino noting, “Roberto and his team have grown Rock in Rio to become a truly global event and the preeminent festival in the emerging live events market in South America. We look forward to integrating their industry experience into the Live Nation business.”

“I want to focus more on these markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow”

That integration is now in full swing, with Rock World this year becoming production partner for Lollapalooza Brasil, in collaboration with C3 Presents. That 22-24 March event featured the likes of Blink-182, SZA, Paramore, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire, Limp Bizkit, and local rock legends, Titãs.

Taking on the yearly Lolla expands the Rock World portfolio to four megafestivals: Rock in Rio and Rock in Rio Lisboa, which take place in the even years, and The Town – held on the same site as Lolla in São Paolo in the odd years.

As for future expansion, Roberto tells IQ, “I think expansion in Latin America is possible, but it is not in my plans because I am now focused on Lollapalooza and The Town in São Paolo, and Rock in Rio, which makes us one of the biggest festival companies in Latin America. This year, with the three events all put together, we made R$1.1bn, while we sold 2m tickets over the past two years. So I want to focus more on these [existing] markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow.”

Roberta concurs. “We’re not planning international expansion at this point, but we decided to expand to the closest market to Rio – that is São Paulo. They are both big cities, but São Paulo is very different to Rio. It’s been a conversation for a number of years to take Rock in Rio to São Paulo, but what we realised is that Rock in Rio sees 50% of our revenues coming from sponsorship and 50% from ticket sales – it’s a very different model, and we understand it’s not similar in other territories. But we can definitely grow in our own markets and become bigger in Brazil, while the new site in Lisbon allows us to concentrate on making that bigger, too.”

“Nothing will replace live music. Nothing”

Hi-tech Future
But while growth for Rock World is being driven down a more organic path, when it comes to the development of Rock in Rio, Roberto Medina’s ambition knows no bounds.

Roberta tells IQ, “He’s dreaming about the City of Rock of the future. So he’s talking about major construction plans around the City of Rock – a hotel, a theme park – it’s another level. He’s even talking about having people arrive by flying car!”

She’s not joking.

“I’m really working on having a permanent City of Rock,” confirms Roberto. “At festival time, you will have everything that happens today. However, at other times of the year, there will be stages with holograms,” he teases.

And embracing how technology can make the experience for Rock in Rio guests even more special, Roberto says, “I am taking a close look at future technology, and I’m already discussing the use of flying cars for the VIP area. And that’s just a first move!”

He concludes, “Nothing will replace live music. Nothing. Because human beings are gregarious. For instance, I have an apartment in New York with great Internet speed and a coffee machine. But I go outside to Starbucks, sit down to experience worse Internet and worse coffee. And I spend money. What kind of business is that?

The thing is, human beings are gregarious, and no technology, no matter how engaging it is, will make people not want to be together – that’s what we do at our events.”

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As one of the world’s most recognisable festival names, Rock in Rio established itself as iconic from day one – with global stars voicing ambitions to play the event after acts like Queen, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, and Yes put it on the map with a historic debut that saw more than 1.3m fans pouring into the City of Rock over the inaugural ten-day gathering in 1985.

But it did not follow the normal blueprint of a hopeful promoter taking a gamble in an effort to turn a profit. In fact, the man whose concept rewrote the festival rule book had zero background in music and little understanding of the way in which the live music business worked. But he had a groundbreaking idea and doggedly refused to take no for an answer.

“I wasn’t an expert in music, but I was an expert in communication, and there was something clear in my words, in my beliefs,” Roberto Medina recalls of his initial vision for Rock in Rio. “Communication, in my head, was more than those four tools that we had, namely, television, radio, billboards, and newspapers. It was more than that. You had to involve the consumer in a different way, perhaps adding emotion to create a different relationship with the brand, and I reckoned that a music event could achieve this. If I could bring an important investment from the communications market to music, I might be able to do something extraordinary.”

With hindsight, of course, that vision was indeed extraordinary. But Roberto and his colleagues had to convince talent agents that they were trustworthy and capable of organising a festival that could benefit the careers of their artist clients.

“There were doubts. Then Queen confirmed and there was a stampede to become part of this new and compelling venture”

“In 1984, a team of advertising executives came to London to woo us agents, managers and production personnel, encouraging us to bring our artists to what was regarded at the time as a totally untapped market,” ITB’s Rod MacSween reports on those early introductions to the Rock in Rio hierarchy. “We were all apprehensive, despite being shown footage of this beautiful land with its stunning beaches and intoxicating appeal. Could the organisers really pull off such a feat of logistics and expertise for the first time in South America? Letters of credit, really?!

“There were doubts. Then Queen confirmed, and there was a stampede to become part of this new and compelling venture.”

One of team who was in those early meetings with agents was Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, now of Rio-based promoter Bonus Track, who recalls accompanying Medina to the United States to pitch the event to artist reps.

“I was the general coordinator for the whole festival,” Niemeyer says of the 1985 event. “The first meeting we had was with Jim Beach from Queen in New York, and then we went to LA where we met several agents. I remember meeting Ian Copeland, Richard Rosenberg, Ian Flooks, John Jackson, and all those guys.

“Until Rock in Rio, Brazil was completely out of the route of the big artists. And it was very difficult, in the beginning, to convince the artists to come down. But we succeeded, and Rock in Rio mades the whole difference. It presented Brazil as a market to the whole live music industry. Before Rock in Rio, there was a lack of credibility from promoters and from production – we did not have enough equipment in Brazil. But Rock in Rio completely put Brazil on the map. And it allowed me to start doing my own projects, so it was amazing to be involved.”

Another early team member was Phil Rodriguez, now of Move Concerts. He recalls, “I came on board in late 1984. When a dear friend, Oscar Ornstein suggested to Roberto Medina I could help out with the talent booking. Oscar handled publicity for the Hotel Nacional where many artists stayed back in the day.”

“The door to touring South America was already ajar as other artists had toured before 1985, but Rock in Rio blew the door wide open”

That recommendation saw Rodriguez spearheading Rock in Rio’s main stage talent through the various editions until 2015, including “the first six editions in Brazil, the first six editions in Lisbon, plus the three editions in Madrid. Essentially, I was there at the birth of four Rock in Rios – Rio, Lisbon, Madrid & Las Vegas,” notes Rodriguez. The acts he helped secure include AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Taylor Swift, Guns N’ Roses, Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, N’SYNC, Neil Young, Sting, Rammstein, R.E.M, Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, INXS, Wham, and George Michael.

And Rodriguez agrees with Niemeyer that Rock in Rio helped to firmly establish Latin America as a viable touring destination.

“The first event brought down a multitude of music business professionals – managers, agents, production managers, – who in many cases were there for the first time. And they looked around and saw that the market was doable and had potential. The door to touring South America was already ajar as other artists had toured before 1985 – Queen, The Police, Peter Frampton, Genesis, etc. – but Rock in Rio blew the door wide open.”

RiR’s Debut
Having the imagination and skills to pull together such an ambitious festival, against the backdrop of Brazil’s fraught transition from military dictatorship to democracy, was an audacious feat – and one that required some hefty financial backing.

But Roberto reveals that for that historic first event he contacted just one sponsor. “It was the biggest brewery in Brazil,” he tells IQ. “The brand wanted, and needed, a refresh, and it was obvious to me that with a strong change in label and actions, the market would be very favourable.”

Having convinced that sponsor to invest $20m in the inaugural Rock in Rio, he recollects the brand did not even ask who was going to perform. “They made that investment because they bought a communication campaign, but then I began looking for the best acts I could find. I still do this today: I put together an extremely sophisticated communication campaign, thinking about how I can support the brands. I convince them to sponsor me throughout an experience, over multiple months, in the biggest music project in the world.”

“I lost money, but I didn’t lose faith”

Looking back fondly on that first Rock in Rio, Medina says, “What happened in ‘85 was absolutely extraordinary. I mobilised 1.5m people; I contacted the biggest bands and artists in the world; and we made the music industry in Brazil bigger and bigger. Brazilian bands had a major impact, but we also had the pleasure of launching some international bands, because the festival became a platform not only for Latin America but for the world of big acts.”

However, despite generating positive headlines around the world and becoming instantly iconic in the eyes of artists, the inaugural event – and the follow-up Rock in Rio in 1991 – were financially disastrous, even with that second festival including a lineup of Prince, INXS, Guns N’ Roses, New Kids on the Block, George Michael, and A-ha.

“I lost money, but I didn’t lose faith,” states Roberto. “It was factors external to the project that made me lose money. In the first event, there was enormous political persecution because I became well-known in the media and had nothing to do with politics. And in the second event, a big sponsor we began working with left us hanging in the middle. It wasn’t a cool corporate experience, but it was a platform. I mean, I had a brand.”

Daughter Roberta was not convinced. “I hated it,” she admits, noting that while Rock in Rio’s first two events were spectacularly successful from a fan and artist perspective, the fact that her father’s popularity worried politicians created all kinds of hazards for him personally and professionally.

Indeed, she reveals that paying back the losses on the inaugural event took Roberto close to a decade. “I was 16 when I remember seeing the last cheque for the payments that he had to make,” she tells IQ. “We’d already had Rock in Rio II, and he was still paying off the first festival. And the second one also was not financially positive either.”

She continues, “I saw a lot of things that I didn’t like as a daughter. So I didn’t actually like Rock in Rio until I turned 20. But even then, I could not understand why he wanted to do the festival again.”

“It gave a voice to those young people and causes that were looking for freedom of speech after the military regime”

While Medina himself was economically worse off, the Brazilian music industry grew by 180% in 1985 because of Rock in Rio. “It was [local] bands’ first encounter with the technology used in the United States – they didn’t yet know how to use those sophisticated light and sound desks. So that was an impressive experience for all of us here in Brazil. But we hosted 1,380,000 people in ten days, and everyone left happy,” Roberto recalls.

“That began a culture of show business and entertainment in Brazil, which, today, is more advanced than in any other country in the world. It is a small industry when compared to the US market, which is 12 times bigger than the Brazilian market in size when it comes to sponsorship investment. But Rock in Rio is four times bigger than the biggest US event.”

With knowledge of the festival’s phenomenal impact on Brazil, as a young woman, Roberta could see that her father’s ‘for a better world’ concept was important. “It gave a voice to those young people and causes that were looking for freedom of speech after the military regime, so it was hugely significant for Brazil – as was the economic impact it had on Rio, even though that had not benefitted our family.”

Describing herself as “the older sister of Rock in Rio,” Roberta was just seven years old at 1985’s first edition and recalls sleeping in the VIP area and playing with the festival’s merchandise. “By the second edition, I was 12, and the only thing I was interested in was New Kids on the Block,” she states.

Despite her misgivings about the impact of the festival on the family’s personal lives, her father’s commitment to the numerous social causes invested in by Rock in Rio helped convince her to change her mind about the event. “All this motivation made me accept the invitation to work at the festival. So, by the third one, in 2001, I was already working with my father,” she explains.

The acts that graced the bill of that 2001 edition included Sting, R.E.M., Guns N’ Roses, *NSYNC, Iron Maiden, Neil Young, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. And it was a smash success.

“Rio is the most beautiful city in the world – I love it, and I feel I must tell the whole world about the city”

Cross-Atlantic Expansion
Having turned a corner, economically, the Medinas looked to expand their organisation – which has an operating name of Rock World – overseas, identifying Brazil’s closest European neighbour, Portugal, as the ideal location. As a result, Rock in Rio Lisboa made its debut in 2004 with a star-studded bill that included Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Britney Spears, and Sting.

Explaining the decision to maintain the Rio de Janeiro branding, Roberto says, “Portugal and its governors wanted me to change the ‘Rio’ name, but I wouldn’t because it has everything to do with the energy of the city I came from. Rio is the most beautiful city in the world – I love it, and I feel I must tell the whole world about the city, thereby increasing the number of tourists, increasing revenue, and doing justice to a place that is much better than people overseas think.”

Tasked with overseeing the Portuguese offshoot, Roberta runs that side of things with her husband, Rock in Rio Lisboa COO Ricardo Acto, and bases herself between Rio and her main family home in Lisbon, where her children, Lua and Theo, attend school.

And the European-based Rock in Rio execs are doing a splendid job, because although it launched 20 years after its Brazilian namesake, Rock in Rio Lisboa clocked up its tenth edition in June this year – three months before the Brazilian event clocks up its identical anniversary.

Indeed, not only did it celebrate a landmark anniversary, but this year, Rock in Rio Lisboa moved to a new site at Parque Tejo, a greenfield location that caters for the 80,000-capacity audience but also has enough room to allow future expansion.

“The site is so beautiful and has all these different levels where we can build stages so that each has its own natural amphitheatre, overlooking the beautiful Tagus river and the Vasco da Gama Bridge,” says Roberta, noting that feedback from fans, artists, and festival staff since the June gathering has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We now have this new identity in Lisbon, and we have space to grow”

“It was so beautiful that Macklemore, in his concert at Rock in Rio Lisboa this year, said exactly what we believe: that a festival is a place where you can be yourself; where it doesn’t matter if you are black, if you are white, if you are yellow, if your religion is this or that. Everybody accepts others as they are. It’s proof that a better world is possible,” she says.

And she is palpably excited about the future prospects in the Portuguese park. “We had a lot of space that we didn’t use this year,” she reports. “And we have the whole of Europe to invite. For example, this year we had people buying tickets from 106 countries, and I don’t even know how Coldplay perform in 2022 these people found us. So we now have this new identity in Lisbon, and we have space to grow. We are going to invest a lot in inviting Europe to come to Rock in Rio Lisboa.”

For his part, Roberto comments, “Rock in Rio Lisboa has everything it takes to be more and more of an event that includes the European market as a whole, and we are already discussing this internally.”

Family Business
Such internal debates are very much a family conversation, as Roberto highlights the work of his children, Roberta and Rodolfo, in helping the development of the Rock World organisation. “This whole thing involves three people together – Roberta, Rodolfo, and me. Everyone contributes in their own way to make things work – and that goes for the entire team, which is a constellation of extremely capable people,” he says.

“Roberta grew up in the dressing rooms of Rock in Rio, so at least she won’t make the same mistakes as I did,” laughs Roberto. “Rodolfo works hard and is a high achiever. He can show all of this potential to partner brands, thus providing support for the project.”

“Millions of people had their lives touched by Rock in Rio, and that’s what we will be celebrating this year”

He continues, “It’s difficult to work with your children – it’s extremely delicate – but we get along well, we respect each other, and we contribute in different ways. I think we complement each other, so I am very well-represented by the kids, and it’s a blessing to be able to work with them: this is every father’s dream come true.”

Having worked with her father for more than 20 years, and with a daughter who is now 11, Roberta notes the difference in the generations is enormous. Noting her own obsession with New Kids on the Block back at the 1991 festival, she says her daughter “knows all the bands we book for the festival – every single one – because of the way she and her friends access social networks and how young people just access music in a totally different way.

We don’t have to introduce anything to them because they already got to know everything.”

And as Rock in Rio gears up for its 40th anniversary, Roberta addresses her extended family – the festival’s fans – with genuine affection. “Millions of people had their lives touched by Rock in Rio – they met their husbands and wives, they made their kids, and that’s what we will be celebrating this year,” she says. “At the event in Rio, we’re going to have a musical dedicated to the first 40 years, telling the story of the festival – it’s like a Broadway show: a 40-minute show that will be presented a number of times during the festival.”

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Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina has unveiled a “visionary project” to create the largest entertainment complex in Latin America.

In partnership with financial group Genial Investimentos, the Imagine scheme will transform Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park, home to Brazil’s iconic Rock in Rio festival since 2017 and site of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, into a leisure, sports and entertainment centre.

The complex will house at least 10 distinct areas, including the main 100,000-cap space – the largest events park in Brazil – plus Latin America’s biggest amphitheatre (cap. 40,000), capable of attracting top international acts.

“Forty years ago, we created an innovative project that came back to stay in 2011. Now, we are going even further,” says Rock World president Medina. “In addition to Rock in Rio maintaining its permanent structures, we are valuing the legacy and making the space ready for various entertainment events. We will use all of our expertise to build, together with the various levels of municipal, state and federal government, a policy that places tourism as the main vocation of this city and the country.

“What would take years to build will be done in a period of three to four years. We already have the structure of the Olympic Park practically ready to bring Imagine to life. We have to embrace entertainment as the key to boosting the city’s economy, creating jobs, bringing companies from various sectors and even more development to Rio de Janeiro.”

Other attractions will include the Rock in Rio Factory, which will take people behind the scenes of the festival, a museum in honour of the Rio 2016 Olympics and various parks, as well as a creative hub, theme park, gamer arena, skate park, ice rink, gastronomic hub and resort. It will be the stage for celebrations such as Carnival, Easter, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Christmas and New Year, as well as music, dance and sports events.

“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro”

The project also includes a mobility scheme integrating all types of transportation in the city and is expected to generate an economic impact of R$9.2 billion (€1.5bn) for the Rio economy, along with more than 140,000 jobs

“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro,” says Genial Investimentos CEO Rodolfo Riechert. “Genial Investimentos has been a long-time investor in Rio de Janeiro, and together with our partner Roberto Medina, we will help transform Imagine into reality.”

Rock in Rio returns to the Olympic Park over two weekends this month for its 40th anniversary edition from 13-15 & 19-22 September. Headliners will include Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes and Avenged Sevenfold.

A special feature celebrating 40 years of the biennial festival will appear in the forthcoming issue of IQ.

Medina debuted spin-off music festival The Town last year at the Interlagos race track in São Paulo, attracting 500,000 fans over five days for acts such as Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.

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Madonna has confirmed rumours that her 40th anniversary tour will wrap up with a historic free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – the biggest show of her career.

The Queen of Pop will bring her Celebration Tour to a close on Copacabana Beach on Saturday 4 May. Promoted by Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation, it will be her first gig in Brazil since 2012 and will be the only South American date of the tour.

No tickets are required for the event, with entrance to be applied on a first come first serve basis on the day of the performance, which will be broadcast live on Brazilian free-to-air television network TV Globo.

“The confirmation of this show is a great gift for all Madonna fans,” says Bonus Track partner Luiz Guilherme Niemeyer. It will truly be a unique moment, with one of the most successful musical tours expected across several countries, and the artist chose exactly Rio de Janeiro for this grand finale. Much more than a show, we will show the world the impact of this great event, open to the public, held on Copacabana Beach, a scene that dominates the global imagination as an example of natural beauty.

“Furthermore, it is important to highlight here the numerous positive impacts of this event for the city and the State, with the increase in tourism and the economy.”

The stage will be located in front of the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel. The event is presented by financial services company Itaú, and sponsored by the City of Rio de Janeiro, the State Government of Rio de Janeiro and Heineken, with support from Deezer.

“All Brazilians can celebrate and be inspired together with us in this story that transcends generations”

“We are turning 100 years old and celebrating this date alongside our customers in this historic and free Madonna show in Copacabana is something very special and as big as the history of Itaú Unibanco,” says the bank’s CMO Eduardo Tracanella.

“To celebrate our centenary, [there is] nothing like bringing the icon of this campaign, free of charge, so that all Brazilians can celebrate and be inspired together with us in this story that transcends generations. We will soon be releasing new features for Itaú customers.”

Launched in London last October with the first of six sold-out nights at The O2, The Celebration Tour has spanned 14 countries, with its European leg grossing $77.5 million from 429,000 ticket sales, according to Billboard Boxscore.

The run continues this week in North America with two dates at Houston’s Toyota Center. Upcoming dates also include stops in Atlanta and Tampa, as well as three nights at Miami’s Kaseya Center and five nights at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City.

Madonna’s most well-attended show to date was a performance at Parc de Sceaux in Paris, France on 1987’s Who’s That Girl World Tour, which drew 131,100 concertgoers. However, free concerts on Copacabana Beach have routinely attracted in excess of one million people to concerts in the past. The Rolling Stones’ famous 2006 show pulled in an estimated 1.5m fans, while a 1994 New Year’s Eve gig headlined by Rod Stewart reputedly drew 4.2m.

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Madonna is set to wrap up her Celebration Tour in Brazil with potentially the biggest concert of her career.

The 65-year-old has reportedly lined up a “free and historic” show on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach. Visit Rio, the city’s official tourism office, also told Brazilians to “get ready” for the event, which is yet to be officially confirmed.

The New York Daily News reports the May gig, paid for by the Brazilian bank Itaú, would mark the pop icon’s 40 years in music, as well as the bank’s 100th anniversary.

“Yes, it’s true: Madonna is coming to Brazil for a mega show on May 4, which can potentially become the largest show of the Queen of Pop’s four-decade career,” declares Rio-based newspaper O Globo.

Free concerts on Copacabana Beach have routinely attracted in excess of one million people to concerts in the past. The Rolling Stones’ famous 2006 show pulled in an estimated 1.5m fans, while a 1994 New Year’s Eve gig headlined by Rod Stewart reputedly enticed 4.2m.

Madonna’s most well-attended show to date was in front of 131,100 people in Paris, France in 1987

Madonna’s most well-attended show to date was a performance at Parc de Sceaux in Paris, France on 1987’s Who’s That Girl World Tour, which drew 131,100 concertgoers.

The Celebration Tour, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of Madonna’s breakout single Holiday, does not currently include any stops in South America. The tour launched in London last October, with the European leg grossing $77.5 million from 429,000 ticket sales, according to Billboard Boxscore.

The North American leg, which was rescheduled after Madonna was hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection, began in December 2023 and is due to conclude in April with five nights at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.

In January, Madonna and tour promoter Live Nation said they would “vigorously” contest a lawsuit filed by two fans after the singer started a concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center more than two hours late.

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Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, the promoter behind a number of the biggest live shows in Brazilian history, has told IQ about the evolution of his new festival Music Is The Answer.

The Brazilian veteran is renowned for organising concerts such as Paul McCartney’s 1990 concert at the Maracanã, which attracted 184,000 people, and The Rolling Stones’ historic performance to over 1.5 million people on Copacabana beach in 2006.

He is also responsible for the groundbreaking Hollywood Rock festival (1988–1993), which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and drew world-class artists including Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi and Eurythmics.

“Nothing like Hollywood Rock has happened in Rio and São Paulo since then but we had massive success with this two-city model 20 years ago so we’re repeating it with Music Is The Answer (MITA),” Niemeyer tells IQ. 

Launched during the pandemic, MITA takes place in both Brazilian cities across two days at the end of May. The two-stage, daytime festival is slated to return for a second edition this year, headlined by Lana Del Rey and Florence + the Machine.

“We had massive success with this two-city model 20 years ago so we’re repeating it with MITA”

Niemeyer says the two-city model has been a crucial factor in securing artists from across the globe, as well as sponsorship deals.

“Rio is the door to Brazil – all the artists want to play it – but São Paulo is the main market and the biggest city, where all the companies are established. It’s a very important market for sponsorship and selling tickets because 20 million people live there.

“If we only did Rio, we wouldn’t have enough to offer the artists. If I offer them two cities and maybe a concert in the middle, I’ve got a nice package for them.”

Niemeyer says that MITA is the only festival offering such as package, which helps it stand out from a competitive festival market that includes Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza and Primavera.

“I would say we’re the third festival in Brazil right now… probably bigger than Primavera because we do two nights in two cities,” he explains. “Rock in Rio and Lolla are major festivals – they play for 100,000 people per night. We do have competition because our acts play those festivals but we have a different proposal. I think the artists now value what we’re doing and they want to play our festival. You can see that by the talent we managed to book.”

“I would say we’re the third festival in Brazil right now, behind Rock in Rio and Lolla”

A bigger investment in talent is one of the main changes for this year’s MITA, according to Niemeyer. While the debut edition offered five international acts – Gorillaz, Rufus du Soul, The Kooks, Two Door Cinema Club and Tom Misch – this year’s will deliver eight.

In addition to the aforementioned headliners, Haim, Flume, The Mars Volta, BadBadNotGood, Sabrina Carpenter and Jehnny Beth make up the international representation on the MITA 2023 bill.

The bigger budget is thanks, in part, to more sponsorship as well as the move to a bigger location in São Paulo – from Spark Arena (cap. 12,000) to Novo Anhangabaú (35,000).

The Rio edition, meanwhile, will once again take place at the 20,000-capacity Jockey Club as “it’s linked to the brand, image, spirit and philosophy of the festival”.

Niemeyer says that both festivals are almost sold out and that this edition will recoup losses from the debut edition, which was faced with additional challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re living in a very enthusiastic moment in our business”

“Last year, we had several problems,” he says. “We opened sales in late November 2021 and, in mid-December, Brazil suspended all outdoor activities because of this new variation. Also a lot of suppliers shut down over Covid and the remaining ones didn’t have the same labour force to fulfil the demands. There were several surprises for the first festival and we had to go above budget, ending up with a bigger loss than we expected.

“But now, there’s no pandemic anymore and everything’s under control. Our budget is according to new prices and we’re prepared to work with no surprises. This year, we’ll recoup losses from the first edition and from the third year on, we’re going to be very profitable.”

Though Brazil is reckoning with extraordinary exchange and interest rates, Niemeyer says business has been “booming” since the pandemic: “We’re living in a very enthusiastic moment in our business. People are eager to go out and have fun experiences. Coldplay did 10 or 11 stadium shows recently and sold out, Rock in Rio in September was a big success. Everything is doing well.”

Niemeyer is promoting MITA under his new company, Bonus Track, which was formed after he left T4F (Time for Fun), South America’s leading live entertainment company.

T4F bought Niemeyer’s company Planmusic in 2016 and later appointed him head of live music/entertainment activities on a five-year contract, which ran out during the pandemic.

In addition to launching MITA alongside local promoter Thirty Entertainment, Bonus Track manages the Teatro XP Investimentos theatre at the Jockey Club headquarters in Gávea. The company will also revive Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Canecão arena, which has been closed for 12 years.

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Veteran Latin promoter Luiz Niemeyer’s company Bonus Track is to revive Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Canecão arena, which has been closed for 12 years.

The company, in partnership with Klefer Entretenimento e Participações, won an auction for the 30-year lease with a final bid of BRL 4,350 million (€769,392).

The Bonus-Klefer consortium will invest BRL 184m (€32.6m) into the construction of a brand new 6,000-capacity arena on the Praia Vermelha Campus, which is owned by The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

The multipurpose arena is projected to open in 2025 and will host around 120 concerts per year, according to Bonus-Klefer.

In addition, UFRJ has required the conglomerate to build 80 new classrooms for the university’s students, along with a rehearsal space for musicians.

“[Canecão] is where popular music was born, as all the major acts in Brazil have played there”

“Canecão is a very iconic place in Rio and Brazil in general,” says Niemeyer, who has promoted some of the biggest concerts in Brazilian history, including The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.

“It’s where popular music was born – all the major acts in Brazil have played there. People have a very emotional connection with this place. The whole country knows about it and there’s a lot of history related to this place. Everyone’s very excited about it reopening and everywhere I go, people are congratulating me. It’s going to become a tourism point of Rio.”

Bonus Track manages the Teatro XP Investimentos theatre at the Jockey Club headquarters in Gávea, and is responsible for the MITA (Music Is The Answer) festival, which will be held in Rio and São Paulo from the end of May.

Canecão previously hosted concerts from some of Brazil’s biggest stars, including Roberto Carlos, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Vinícius de Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Toquinho and Miúcha and Elymar Santos, and has been closed since 2010 due to legal disputes.

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For the first time in the history of Rock in Rio, the Brazil and Portugal editions will be taking place in the same year.

The organisers have decided to mark the occasion with a special pass for fans wishing to celebrate the return of Rock in Rio on both sides of the Atlantic.

For under €200, the Global Experience pass will give fans access to one weekend of the Lisbon edition and one day of the Brazil edition.

The Lisbon-based edition of Rock in Rio (cap. 80,000) will return after four years between 18–19 and 25–26 June, with Foo Fighters, The National, Liam Gallagher, Duran Duran, a-ha, Xutos & Pontapés, Bush and Post Malone.

For under €200, the Global Experience will give fans access to one weekend of the Lisbon edition and one day of Brazil

The Brazilian edition of Rock in Rio (cap. 100,000) will be held between 2–4 and 8–11 September 2022 at the Olympic Park in Rio De Janeiro, and will be headlined by Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato.

The Rio De Janeiro biennial, which is the largest festival in south America, will now take place on even years while new festival The Town will take place on the odd years.

The Town was announced in August 2021 and is slated to be “the biggest music, culture and art festival Sāo Paulo, Brazil, has ever seen”.

The inaugural edition will take place in September 2023, welcoming up to 105,000 people per day to the Interlagos race track in Sāo Paulo – the largest city in Latin America.

Rock in Rio is majority-owned by Live Nation after the entertainment giant increased its shareholding in the company, in 2019.

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