Niemeyer’s Bonus Track company to revive iconic Rio arena
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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Tomorrowland hails return to Brazil in 2023
Belgian EDM giant Tomorrowland is heading back to Brazil in 2023, after two editions in 2015 and 2016.
The festival will return to its previous home of Parque Maeda in Itu, a municipality of São Paulo, between 12–14 October 2023. The lineup is yet to be announced.
The first two Brazil editions welcomed 150,000 people of 60 different nationalities to watch some of the world’s best DJs.
“The importance of Tomorrowland is reflected in actions aimed at the city and the local community”
Commenting on the return of Tomorrowland, Itu mayor Guilherme Gazzola says: “In addition to its grandeur as an event, the importance of Tomorrowland is reflected in actions aimed at the city and the local community. We are proud to host this world-renowned festival in Itu, a historical tourist city.”
Tomorrowland’s flagship festival takes place annually in Boom, in the province of Antwerp, with 70,000 people.
The electronic dance music brand has also been exported to France, where Tomorrowland Winter takes place each spring.
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Work to begin on new stadium in Bolivia
Construction of a new stadium capable of hosting concerts is about to start in Bolivia.
The 20,000-cap venue in the capital La Paz is being built on the site of the former Simón Bolívar Liberator Stadium (cap. 5,000) in the middle of the Tembladerani neighbourhood.
The stadium, which is expected to be completed in 2025, will be home to Club Bolivar football club but will also host gigs and shows, as well as offering restaurants, shops and event spaces.
It is being designed by architect L35, which was selected last year through an international competition arranged by the club and its partner City Football Group.
“The urban impact of a construction of these characteristics requires internalising the surroundings and adapting to the scale of the site”
L35 says the venue is intended to stand out in the La Paz landscape while also blending in with its surroundings.
“The urban impact of a construction of these characteristics requires internalising the surroundings and adapting to the scale of the site,” says the company’s Guillermo Gusó, as per ArchDaily.
L35 is also handling the renovation of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium in Spain along with a host of other projects around the world.
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‘Incredible response’ to Primavera South America
Primavera Sound director Alfonso Lanza has given IQ the lowdown on the “incredible response” to the festival’s South American debut.
The Spanish institution debuted in São Paulo, Brazil (5-6 November), Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile (both 12-13 November) to commemorate the event’s 20th birthday. Headliners included Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, Lorde and Bjork.
Lanza tells IQ that more than 300,000 people – an average of 50,000 a day – came together across the three editions.
“The numbers matter less to us than the incredible atmosphere we have been able to enjoy,” Lanza tells IQ. “We have had an incredible response that has even exceeded our expectations, and it has been very exciting to be able to experience it live.
“We are very happy to have celebrated our 20th anniversary with so many people from all over the world. There is a Primavera Sound community all over the planet. It was very different in each country, but it was definitely the most passionate audiences I have ever seen.”
“We wanted to take our festival model to other parts of the world, because we have moulded it for 20 years and we trust in it”
Lanza is also full of praise for co-promoters Live Nation Brazil, DF Entertainment in Argentina and Rock Santiago in Chile.
“They have had the challenge of taking the Primavera spirit to very different places and promoting the events locally and they all delivered,” says Lanza. “We wanted to take our festival model to other parts of the world, because we have moulded it for 20 years and we trust in it, and they have helped us to achieve it. The real integration into the cultural scene of each city has been easier this way.
“Each country has its own reality and we have managed to adapt to it while maintaining our essence. In addition, the back to back between Argentina and Chile in the same weekend has been a big challenge in terms of production: it has been necessary to be attentive to every detail to ensure that everything was ready and on time.”
Primavera also held its maiden US edition in Los Angeles earlier this year, welcoming 50,000 attendees from 50 countries to the State Historic Park in September, and organisers were convinced the timing was right to expand the brand to the region.
“For some time now we have felt that Primavera Sound is becoming more and more important in this part of the world,” says Lanza. “We noticed it in networks and also among the people that came from LatAm to our festival in Barcelona, so we didn’t hesitate when we had the opportunity to land in the three countries.
“We have tried to bring the spirit of Primavera Sound here, but we also took away things we learned from the experience. For example, the bolder we are with the proposal, the better response we get because the uniqueness of Primavera is well understood. We also have to keep paying attention to the local scene and the Primavera in the City programme because the public values it.”
“Considering the outcome and the incredible response from the audience, we would love to continue if circumstances allow”
Primavera Sound closed the biggest edition in its 20-year history in June, welcoming nearly half a million people to the Spanish city of Barcelona after a two-year hiatus.
Next year, the flagship Primavera Sound Barcelona will take place from 1-3 June, while Primavera Sound Madrid will be held from 8-10 June. Primavera Sound Porto is set for 7-10 June. And while the South American expansion was part of Primavera’s anniversary celebrations, Lanza is open to a return.
“Now it’s time to evaluate and draw lessons, but obviously, considering the outcome and the incredible response from the audience, we would love to continue if circumstances allow us to put together a solid project again,” he says.
Primavera Sound has also just announced the extension of its exclusive mobile-only ticketing partnership with Dice.
The multi-year partnership, which began in 2019, will see Dice continue to provide tickets for all Primavera Sound events in Europe, including Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona and Madrid, as well as its Portugal edition in Porto.
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Extreme weather curtails South American festivals
Two major music festivals in South America were both cut short over the weekend due to inclement weather.
Kilkfest in Paraguay and K-pop concert Music Bank in Chile, both fell victim to the adverse conditions.
Held at the Jockey Club in Asuncion, the 10,000-cap Kilkfest from 10-12 November featured performances from the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Interpol, and was due to wrap up with a headline show by Liam Gallagher, which was ultimately cancelled.
“After evaluating the possibility of carrying out Kilkfest today and analysing different alternatives, we regret to inform you that the festival is finally cancelled,” organisers told ticket-holders in a social media post.
“The weather forecast indicates that the rain with electrical storms will persist”
“The weather forecast indicates that the rain with electrical storms will persist, and this continues to represent a risk for the public, the artists and the staff.
Hours before his concert was due to take place, former Oasis singer Gallagher tweeted: “Paraguay – we’ve been advised that the show can’t happen tonight due to extreme weather. Our team and the festival have done everything we can to try and make it work but safety is paramount.”
Meanwhile, the 50,000-cap Music Bank at the Estadio Monumental in Macul, held on Saturday, was cancelled halfway through due to safety concerns.
According to NME, groups STAYC and The Boyz were able to perform without incident, but the worsening weather meant that (G)I-DLE were unable to complete their set, while boybands Tomorrow X Together, ATEEZ and NCT Dream did not perform at all.
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Rock in Rio launches ‘Global Experience’ ticket
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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Phil Rodriguez: ‘We’ll be 100% open for business’
Move Concerts boss Phil Rodriguez says the company will be “100% open for business” by March as he shares his bullish projections for the year ahead.
Latin America’s biggest independent promoter, Move has 2022 dates lined up with acts including Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Michael Buble, Louis Tomlinson and A-ha.
Speaking in the new issue of IQ, Rodriguez discusses the opportunities that have opened up for the territory in light of the ongoing restrictions on markets in other parts of the world.
“I do not foresee anything similar to what is happening in Europe or Australia with new lockdowns, happening in our region,” he says. “Simply put, the countries in our part of the world cannot afford more lockdowns or restrictions. The social cost will be too high. And Latin people want to go out and enjoy life.
“We will be 100% open for business by March 2022, and all our shows in general are selling strong.”
“I hope 2022 will be the final mile through this storm that started in March 2020”
However, Rodriguez says it is tough to predict when the international touring business will return to pre-Covid levels.
“We now live in a world where an outbreak of anything anywhere on the planet is augmented by a 24-hour news cycle and governments reimpose restrictions overnight in the name of extra caution,” he says.
“It’s tough to get a firm footing. It’s like walking on egg shells. And this scenario doesn’t help to calm the waters to readdress cancellation insurance, routings… I watch in shock at what is happening in Australia, New Zealand, Austria, etc. How do we and when do we, as a business and society, climb off that ledge?
“That said, it is now clear that Covid will remain with us as an endemic disease, but we now know how to deal with it, with not only the vaccines but many other protocols that we now know also work.”
Backing the industry to “plough through this storm, adapt and prosper”, Rodriguez is optimistic the end of the pandemic is in sight.
“I hope 2022 will be the final mile through this storm that started in March 2020,” he says. “I’m sure there will be more curve balls ahead, but we will all be better prepared and wiser.”
The full interview with Rodriguez appears in IQ 107, out now.
Meanwhile, Argentinian rapper and singer-songwriter Tiago PZK, who is managed by Rodriguez, has signed with Warner Music Latina via a partnership with Rodriguez’s Grand Move Records label.
“Our decision to close with Warner Latin was not taken lightly,” explains Rodriguez. “The deal closer was the enthusiasm and commitment that [president] Alejandro Duque and the Warner Latina team transmitted to us at every step on the negotiations.”
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Q&A: Move Concerts boss details LatAm’s recovery
As markets across Latin America gradually reopen, Phil Rodriguez of Move Concerts – the biggest independent concert promoter in the region – says he’s optimistic about the region’s recovery.
Emerging from the most difficult year in live music history, Rodriguez expects the industry to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic “stronger and wiser”.
However, according to the Move Concerts boss, there are a number of obstacles that stand between Latam’s industry and a full recovery.
Below, Rodriguez outlines those obstacles, reflects on the lessons learnt from the pandemic, and addresses “the elephant in the room”…
IQ: How is Latin America’s return to business going?
PR: It’s a patchwork of different sets of rules and regulations per country so it has been a challenge to get them all aligned to have a proper tour of the region. But we’re finally getting there!
In which markets are you now able to fully operate?
Puerto Rico was able to start at full capacity (with proof of vaccination) as of August and business has been incredible. Not only have the shows been selling out, but single dates became multiples. That market came back STRONG.
What’s the deal with vaccine passports and capacity restrictions in Latam?
As noted, it’s a patchwork. Brazil is operating at 70% capacity with proof of vaccination and will open to 100% this week. Argentina will open at 100% capacity with proof of vaccination and with requirements for face masks from 16 November.
Uruguay is at 55% without vaccination and 70% with vaccination. Colombia will be at 100% capacity for vaccinated people from 16 November. Chile is currently held to 40% and in some cases 60% capacity – vaccinated and socially distanced. The expectation is to be open at 100% for the vaccinated by January 2022. Costa Rica will be at 100% as of March 2022 for the vaccinated.
“The lack of cancellation insurance for Covid is the elephant in the room for all of us”
Where has Move’s focus been since markets started to open up?
Rescheduling, booking new tours for the end of 2022 and 2023. Plus our management company and indie record label, Grand Move Records, which are both at full speed.
What opportunities do you see during this recovery period?
The chance to reinvent ourselves and look outside our comfort zone. We all had to do this during the pandemic. We should not get complacent once we return to some normalcy and forget that.
What are the challenges you’re facing right now?
The lack of cancellation insurance for Covid is the elephant in the room for all of us. The rest we can deal with but will still present a strong challenge such as inflation and devaluation of currencies – which have been hit hard by the pandemic – and the economic consequences of the lockdowns, etc.
How long do you think it’ll take for Latam to get back to pre-pandemic levels of business?
The Covid issue, in my opinion, has been both a health and political issue, unfortunately, and that has not helped us get a better picture of what is ahead of us. But if by the second half of 2022, we are not on a solid road to pre-pandemic levels, we will ALL have bigger problems to worry about. That said, I’m an optimist by nature and I think we’ll come out of this wiser and stronger!
“If by the second half of ’22, we are not on a solid road to pre-pandemic levels, we’ll all have bigger problems to worry about”
When and how do you see international acts coming back to Latin America?
In South America, we kick off with a-ha in March 2022 – Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
Move hosted Latam’s first drive-thru show during the pandemic. Is that a format you’ll be returning to?
Not really…we do not see the need nor demand for this any longer as live concerts startup.
What about livestreaming – is there still demand in that area of the business?
This has essentially stopped. With the return of live shows – with reduced capacities – streaming has lost its initial appeal. I’m sure it will still be a good tool to have in our toolbox for use in the future but in a different form… more related to marketing or a special event, etc.
What one thing are you most proud of doing during the pandemic?
That we kept all our team in place and did not have to furlough or lay off anyone. We all took salary cuts and weathered the storm together.
Also, our office in Bogota took the initiative and created an internet site with different content – entertainment, cooking, lifestyle, etc – that raised over US$10,000 to support the local production crews and their families in the middle of the pandemic. That was a fabulous effort that made me very proud of our team there.
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Rock in Rio founder plans new 105,000-cap festival
Roberto Medina, founder of the largest festival in South America, Rock in Rio, has announced a new event which is set to be “the biggest music, culture and art festival Sāo Paulo, Brazil, has ever seen”.
The inaugural edition of The Town 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.
The event will involve “lots of music, lots of stages and lots of entertainment, with national and international attractions during the five days of celebration,” according to Medina.
“I love Brazil intensely,” says Medina. “And, just like Rock in Rio, The Town was born from this passion for our land, from the amplification of looking at new opportunities and from the desire that the pandemic brought me in these months of confinement to bring something new.
“It will be surprising. The entire concept was conceived based on an inspiring and cosmopolitan São Paulo, in addition to being ready to host an event of this magnitude.”
“The entire concept [of The Town] was conceived based on an inspiring and cosmopolitan São Paulo”
From next year, Brazil will host Rock in Rio (cap. 100,000) in even years and now The Town in odd years.
The Brazilian edition of Rock in Rio 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 Lisbon-based edition of Rock in Rio (cap. 80,000) will also take place next year (18–19 and 25–26 June), with Foo Fighters, The National, Liam Gallagher, Duran Duran, a-ha, Xutos & Pontapés, Bush and Post Malone all confirmed.
The Brazil and Lisbon editions of Rock in Rio were called off in 2021 and 2020.
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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Wave of illegal concerts sweeps South America
Thousands of South Americans attended illegal, non-socially distanced concerts and parties over the Easter weekend, with authorities making arrests across the continent as national governments continue to battle the coronavirus with varying degrees of success.
South America remains a hotspot for Covid-19 – with high mortality rates in Brazil, Peru, Chile and Paraguay of particular cause for concern – though the recent unlicensed live events suggest some people are beginning to chafe under ongoing restrictions on indoor gatherings.
In the town of Turuku, in Ecuador’s northern Imbabura province, local government officials, national police and the armed forces shut down an unlicensed music festival, Killary Fest, which would have been attended by an estimated 5,000 people.
Despite dismantling the stage and confiscating much of Killary Fest’s equipment, including speakers, authorities returned on the evening of Friday 2 April to “learn that, despite the warnings, the party was starting”, reports El Comercio. When they again moved to shut down the event, police and soldiers were pelted with sticks and stones by revellers.
The incident follows months of parties, concerts and other unlawful events in Ecuador, reports El Comercio.
In Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile, a local election candidate is being held by police after organising a concert in a former hospital, attended by around 100 people.
Brazilian police continue to target illegal parties, which are being blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths
In addition to not seeking permission for the event, Juan Pablo Martinez – who is standing in upcoming city council elections – failed to enforce mandatory social distancing and mask wearing at the clandestine concert, according to prosecutor Rina Blanco.
The show “endangered public health, given the number of people in close contact, and who he invited,” Blanco comments.
A music venue in Morón, near Buenos Aires in Argentina, has been shut down for 30 days after video emerged of cumbia singer Pablo Lescano playing to a non-socially distanced audience.
The event, which many have dubbed “el recital covid” (the Covid concert), was harshly criticised by the mayor of Morón, Lucas Ghi, who says organiser Vaprisana “worship[s] mischief, deception and the violation in rules” – comparing the club unfavourably to the honest businesspeople of the city, who “adhere to the norms and protocols required by the pandemic”.
Brazilian police also continue to target illegal parties, which are being blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths in South America’s most populous country.
The most recent brought together around 100 people – half of whom were caught not wearing face masks – in the city of Sao Paolo last weekend. According to local press, the three organisers were arrested, while the venue was fined R$190,000 (€28,000).
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