Carlinhos Brown reflects on booing at Rock in Rio days before returning to the festival: ‘It was necessary’

Carlinhos Brown overcame the Rock in Rio III and will return to the festival this month. At the 2001 edition, the musician was booed and hit by objects thrown by the rock audience. More than 20 years later, he said in an interview with Splash that the episode “was necessary”:

I’m glad it happened to me and that I had the courage, because it didn’t just happen to me. […] I am also grateful for that moment, because few people knew me. I am much more aware today of the fact that there was a discourse in that. This discourse of mockery, of bottles, is just a scene to be seen. I see philosophically that it was necessary for me, for the Rock in Rio and for the public, so we can understand each other better. And today they call it cancellation.

Carlinhos returned to the event’s stages in international editions and as a guest. In 2024, he will perform on Brazil Day — September 21 —, in the show “Pra Sempre MPB”, alongside BaianaSystem, Daniela Mercury, Gaby Amarantos, Majur, Margareth Menezes and Ney Matogrosso.

For the artist, the festival has always embraced the mix of rhythms: “All of this has matured. […] The self Medina says he didn’t do it Rock in Rio to be just rock. He made it to be everything.”

“THE Rock in Rio spoke of a better world. And it was necessary [acontecer isso]because an event like that also disciplined other festivals, with this understanding that we are in Brazil and we can speak whatever language we want and invite whoever we want”, he continued.

Brazilian music is diverse, and it needs to show itself to be diverse. This idea of ​​niches, this thing of what’s hot, has a big impact on Brazilian creativity. […] Brazil is diverse and the public enjoys everything. Brazilians don’t have a single theme, they are very open. It’s going to be a very bright night, because we’re going to hear a little bit of Brazil in each artist.

The member of the Tribalists still extolled the novelty of Rock in Riowho has never had a Brazil Day, and spoke about his expectations for the show: “Thank God, for the last 20 years, I have had no shortage of hits to get the crowd singing along to. I hope they come with me and that it will be beautiful, it will be very beautiful. I was very excited about this possibility, because I love originality. I am very happy to be able to do these things and to be able to be together on this day in Rock in Rio.”

It’s beautiful, it has a huge media presence, and I think it’s important for festivals like this to happen. It’s a festival that has a huge communication reach, although we have festivals here in the Northeast with much larger audience numbers, but they don’t have the same approach, they don’t have the same vision that people have. […] World music has gone through Rock in Rioand that’s beautiful. It’s good to be in Rock in Rioand it’s good to have a day dedicated to Brazilian music. It’s a sign that we’ve matured.