The 20-year history of Rock in Rio in Lisbon: from the “disappointment” Paul McCartney to the “incredible” Rolling Stones

“O The wind blows in the cliffs”, sang Carlos do Carmo, “the sun looks like a strawberry, and the Tagus dances with the waves, rehearsing a fandango”. Here in Parque Tejo, where a new city was born suddenly, the music is already being rehearsed and it doesn’t sound like fandango, although the dance that results from it is no less frenetic. This Saturday kicks off the 2024 edition of the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival, which marks two decades since the Brazilian event crossed the Atlantic and settled in the Portuguese capital – and until 2022 in Bela Vista Park, a few kilometers from the river. The festival will span two weekends and feature a line-up that starts tomorrow to honor the genre that gives it its name, with concerts by Scorpions, Evanescence, Extreme, Europe, Hybrid Theory and Xutos & Kicks (as expected) before venturing into other ‘fandangos’ with stars such as Ed Sheeran, Calum Scott, Jake Bugg, Fernando Daniel or Capitão Fausto (the 16th); Jonas Brothers, Carolina Deslandes, James, Ornatos Violeta and – invariably – Ivete Sangalo (22nd); Doja Cat, Camila Cabello, Ne-Yo, LuÃsa Sonza, Pedro Sampaio and Anselmo Ralph (23rd).