Before the festival designed by Roberto Medina, Brazil did not have a tradition of holding major international shows
Before the first edition of Rock in Rioheld between January 11 and 20, 1985, Brazil was not part of the international show market. The few experiences that have taken place here, with artists and bands like Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, Kiss and Van Halenwere marked by a series of problems that, in general, caused distrust.
Due to this, Roberto Medina faced a series of obstacles to complete the lineup Rock in Rio 1985. In an interview with the journalist Roberto D’Ávilagranted to GloboNews and made available on the festival’s YouTube channel, the businessman revealed that he needed the singer’s help Frank Sinatraon an incredible balcony owned by one of its employees, to be able to close with attractions the size of queen, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Rod Stewart, Yesbetween others.
Medina He admitted, initially, that he didn’t plan the first Rock in Rio in the ideal way — it was an idea he had “out of nowhere”, to justify his stay in Rio de Janeiro, since he could have been living abroad at that time. Excited about the end of the military dictatorship in the country, the founder of the event thought about the concept and realized that he had the necessary money to invest in the project. The problem was that no one thought it would work.
He explains:
“There was no previous music event culture. There was nothing. It was an intuition, a vision of a project… I think the Rock in Rio He sought me, it was not I who sought him. I arrived at the agency, nobody believed me. A US$50 million project. Brazil had no light, no sound… the biggest show here had been for 40 thousand people.”
70 Negatives and Frank Sinatra
Even so, Roberto Medina went after his goal. He traveled to the United States, put on a presentation at a hotel and got in touch with several artists and band managers. Even though he had the money to pay the fees, he received 70 negative responses in 60 days.
“They thought: ‘of course it wouldn’t happen in Brazil… Brazil had a history of stealing equipment in the few shows that took place, and you don’t pay’. In those 60 days, I received 70 ‘no’s’.”
Enter the scene, then, the friend Frank Sinatraat the request of Medina. The singer offered his public relations professional, Lee Soltersto attract the attention of journalists to the festival.
Singles He thought about a press conference that would announce Rock in Rio as the biggest rock show in the world — and in Brazil, a place considered “exotic” at the time. A masterstroke, as artists and bands “queued up” to sign with Rock in Rio.
Roberto says:
“I held a press conference at the hotel I was staying at, the Beverly Hilton. It was packed with journalists. The next day, all the American newspapers said: ‘the biggest rock show in the world will take place in Brazil’. Then the bands lined up outside the hotel. Everyone who refused lined up in Los Angeles. The first to sign a contract was Ozzy Osbourne. He was in England, the Oscar (Luiz Oscar Niemeyerexecutive producer) went there. Afterwards, the queenwhich the Jim Beachtheir manager, helped me a lot. But in two days, everything was closed.”
The full interview can be watched below:
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
