Iron Maiden singer has an unconventional opinion about what turned the first edition of the festival into an absolute success
Debates are frequent regarding which would have been the best edition of the Rock in Rio. For a number of reasons, the most praised achievement was the first, in 1985. Attractions such as Iron Maiden, queen, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, AC/DC, Yes, George Benson and James Taylorjust to name a few, performed over ten days of the event, bringing together crowds on all dates.
Iron Maiden vocalist, Bruce Dickinson agreed with this idea — albeit for slightly different reasons than expected. In a 2019 interview with the newspaper The State of S. Paulothe singer declared that the atmosphere of “a little chaos” made the first Rock in RIo better than any other festival.
“There were more people than I have ever seen in one place in my entire life. It was an atmosphere of a little bit of chaos, maybe not as organized as most festivals, but that made it better.”
But why did this “little bit” of lack of organization give the festival extra charm? Dickinson he responded:
“Because everyone was so excited and so crazy that things were happening. It was a fantastic moment.”
A continent in a day
In the first edition of Rock in Rio, all artists would perform two shows. The exceptions were Rita Lee and Iron Maiden himself.
In the case of the British heavy metal band, the schedule didn’t allow it. They, who were at the height of their career with the success of the album Powerslave (1984) took a seven-day break from their tour in the United States just to travel to Brazil and play on the opening day of the event, January 11, 1985. It was an exclusive show throughout South America, as they did not extended to no other country.
In another interview, from 2020, with the English magazine Kerrang! (via website Igor Miranda), Bruce Dickinson claimed to have conquered “a continent in a day” on that occasion. This was said, in particular, because Maiden became an even more beloved band in the country.
“We conquered an entire continent overnight with that show. Having the reach and profile we built in South America was simply extraordinary. We had already covered North America. Same thing with Eastern Europe — we still had Russia to go to, but that would come later. We had been to Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Now we were a global band! It was a long way from Bologna, where my first show with the band took place! I felt like the world had shrunk. We kind of conquered all the places. But it was hard work. […] THE Rock in Rio it was just unbelievable.”
Iron Maiden and Rock in Rio
Over the years, Iron Maiden’s relationship with Rock in Rio became even more special. In 2001, the band returned to the Rio festival for a legendary show that was recorded and released as an album and video. The title of the album, released in 2002? Just Rock in Rio.
After that, there were three more presentations at the event, in 2013, 2019 and 2022.
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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.
