If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for festival season. Long days and late nights that smell like sunscreen and mocktails and always bring the most epic parties. And this year I was especially looking forward to one of them: Rock In Rio in Lisbon.
That lineup alone was enough to break my brain when I saw the announcement. What do you mean I get to see Grandson, The Pretty Reckless AND Linkin Park in one day? And obviously so much more, but I’m trying to keep this review under the length of a small novel – no promise it won’t happen either way – so let’s set the perimeter straight before we start. For any music fan, this day felt like a fever dream before it even started.
In the words of the great Talking Heads, who somehow decided to keep my mind company all day long, day 2 at Rock in Rio felt like dreams walking in broad daylight, (100) 365 degrees (at least) and a crowd definitely ready to burn down the house – in the best way.
I got there early enough to get a literal lay of the land. Those grounds are BIG y’all, and I wasn’t going to miss one bit of it.
That was without counting on the sun that decided to play, ‘Who’s going to roast the fastest today?’, and I say that with full knowledge of the facts – I might have a French accent, but I do have Portuguese skin. But look, I’m nothing but deadicated (no typo here, if you know, you know) and powered through, armed with pedras limão to tell the tale.
The best way to sum it all up is probably something in the line of falling down the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland and ending up in the Mad Max universe. Ferris wheel, zip line, golden rabbits, scary robots, planes flying over and all the damn characters of League of Legends. I’m not even going to mention the 3-foot-tall clowns chasing you around. Complete mayhem while inhaling enough dust to be a candidate for a lung transplant. I know I have a knack for overexcitement, but when I said ‘fever dream’, I wasn’t exaggerating at all.
So much to see, so much to do, and so much fun to be had. Maybe, just suggesting, really, Rock In Rio should last a whole week to give people a chance to do it all, because I’ll be honest, on my 3rd week of chasing certain rockstars across Europe, my old shins weren’t having it.
Alright, fast forwarding through the grandma whining, the thousands of convos with like-minded people and other churrasco at the VIP area (insane setup, well worth considering for your next RiR edition) and my favourite part as always, meeting new people. I’ll take a second for a shout-out to my new spanish friend. Thanks for the laughs, loved sharing a charger with you, man!
OKAY LET’S TALK MUSIC, SHALL WE? LESS FUCKING GO ROCK IN RIOOOOO You know it’s been good when you’re sitting behind your computer and still hyped like crazy. I’m not ready to come down from that high.
GRANDSON: The Wake-Up Call
I had been waiting for quite some time now to catch Grandson live, and lemme tell you, it was well worth the wait. This band will 100% kick your arse, and you’ll be happy about it. That set was such a giant slap in the face. The good kind though. Like a wake-up call getting you ready for all the fun ahead but also forcing you to look at a much bigger picture. We live in a sick, sad world, and Grandson is making sure you’re listening because the man has a few takes on that.
This is not just music that moves crowds; it’s music that moves ideas, minds and spirits – and if you let it get to you (as you should), you’ll leave that pit with a renewed sense of empowerment and a great urge to go kick some arses. Gosh, I love these guys.
Incredible energy, even better vibes – they turned the drowsy crowd into soldiers of resistance. No feeling like sharing a collective fuck off to everything that is wrong in this world among hundreds of others ready to yell back fuck yeah. Humanity wakes the hell up when they get together or something.
On the music side, nothing short of impressive, those drums felt like a battle call against the three thousand degrees on the grounds. Everyone was melting on that floor, but they gave us a good reason to not give up: inspiring tunes and a will for resistance. Don’t sleep on this band, good people – and you know I’m always right with recs – you’d be missing out BIG TIME.
THE PRETTY RECKLESS: Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll
Weird. The air feels more suffocating all of a sudden. Oh wait, that’s just The Pretty Reckless taking the stage and Taylor seemingly thinking we weren’t overheating yet and deciding to take it all up a notch. Are we making it out of this one alive? Probably not. Worth it.
First off, let me get this out of my system: HOLY SHIT THIS BAND.
All good.
On with more coherent thoughts – even though that makes a fairly good summary, to be honest.
That first guitar riff cutting right through the heavy air with one hell of an agenda, Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll, babies – that opening song almost felt like a promise that they delivered loud and clear.
It’s always a special feeling to see a band that manages to get their art literally crawling on your skin, and it didn’t take long to send us all into a sweaty oblivion. That signature sticky sound was perfectly in tune with the sun slowly setting and the humidity rising in the air. And if you weren’t losing your mind then, Follow me Down led the way – that damn intro. Stop attacking us like that, Taylor (never stop). I’ll follow you to the river or wherever you want, sweetie.
Pristine setlist unravelling, with the so-awaited new songs too. Their new album is out on June 26th – thanks for the birthday gift babies – and I absolutely cannot wait, it’s just been bangers after bangers. What a freaking pleasure to hear these ones live.
Incredible performers all around, the girlie sure knows her audience too, and I am not sure only the witches burned during that set. I’m pretty convinced actually, that that quadrant of the pit needed CPR after she decided to sing to their face in her nightie. I know. I KNOW.
You sure make me wanna die, Pretty Reckless, but only the good death. What an absolute privilege to have finished that leg with you. Big woosh. Big time. See you around very soon, hopefully.
Ha.
It’s time again.
Time to hold dearly onto all the feels because that’s gonna be a hard one to write.
LINKIN PARK : MY LAST ACT OF FROM ZERO TOUR
What more can I say about this band that has been literally rocking my whole world for the past (almost) two years?
Well, probably a few more words. There is no end to love after all.
8 shows, 4 countries, a brand new family and about a million new core memories. Taking it all up From Zero is probably the best decision I’ve made in a very long time. This whole tour has felt like one hell of a rocket launch. Just kept getting higher, better, faster, stronger, whatever. It could have all ended up in a bang in Lisbon for me, and I wouldn’t have been mad – I’ve prob reached peak happiness anyway. And it kinda did.
Yet, the only sonic boom to be heard in Rock in Rio was the cheers from the crowd at the view of a long-awaited countdown. For most at least. I’m forever grateful for the chance of having seen that damn thing on so many occasions, tears were hard to fight at that last sight. Spoiler alert, I lost.
« It’s good to see you again” from the Unshatter teaser rang through the night, and I smiled at the thought that sometimes, the hardest part of ending, well, is just ending. But enough of sentimentality – as if – and let’s focus on that one show that most of that 80k crowd had been waiting for since… 2014? As I said. Long awaited.
And it sure sounded like that. It takes a lot to prevent Portuguese people from having fun, and it’s not a little afternoon standing under a scorching sun that will put a dent in their motivation to rock. What a crazy loud crowd. All the songs. All the time. Add on top of that all the Brazilian rep in the crowd, and that gives you a slight idea of the power of those singalongs. That’s actually my favourite joke to my friends – you can’t make it to Brazil? come to portugal. And it’s not even funny, it’s just very real. Just insane.
But look, if you’re reading these lines, you were probably there or watched the livestream, so really, what else could I tell you about it all?
Maybe I could tell you about that crowd not just singing but literally chanting that they also only wanted to be part of something as if their lives depended on it. That was the hope they gave us when they came back, and it turned into the most splendid reality.
Maybe I could tell you about the twinkle of joy in everyone’s eyes that was somehow louder than any lyrics they would scream back at the band.
Maybe I could tell you about the amazing lights and sounds that carry the whole show and let the magic in so brilliantly it makes it all feel like a dream. And all the crew that makes our world go round. We rock, you roll, and we all know deep down you’re the truest rock stars of it all. Massive shout-out to you all, we love you crew.
Maybe I could also tell you about the best team in this industry – and I’ve done a fuck lot of fandoms, I know my shit well – that turned the whole tour, and more specifically this last leg, into the best LP month I ever had thanks to all the events and care for the fans. Hell, probably one of the best months of my life, period. You know who you are. Selected or still pending, we appreciate you all more than words can say. Thank you for helping build the very best community we could ask for.
Maybe I could get more into specifics and tell you about Alex’s laughs and smiles that are brighter than the Portuguese sun and the unique joy that radiates from that man every time he walks on that stage. Alex Feder Fan Club 4ever. You better be back for next round Gringo, you belong to us now. Wait, better. You belong with us now.
Maybe I could tell you about Emily’s tears on Waiting For The End… And how 99.9% of this crowd would have given her a hug for comfort – hell, I would have leapt onto that stage myself to do it, and failed miserably 1 metre in, but eh, points for effort – if I hadn’t been busy going through the exact same meltdown. She gets it. We get her, and that’s what makes us all love her even more. EM I LY – you are so so loved girlie. Never doubt it.
Maybe I could tell you about Mike going all the way to the side to sing a song and make extra sure everyone gets to enjoy themselves. Because he’s just that guy. Absolute GOAT.
Maybe I could tell you about Dave and Joe and Colin… but for that I’d have to fight tears again, and it’s been over a week of that now, and I’m exhausted guys.
So maybe I’ll end with this. Seeing you all on that catwalk, with bright smiles and waving goodbye. That was a perfect image to keep till next time. The joy you brought by coming back, and not only to Portugal, was life-changing, and for that I’ll never have enough words to say thank you. One thing is for certain, you turned this tour into a very real kintsugi for us all.
Maybe that sonic boom was just our hearts bursting open with joy.
And gratefulness.
And amazement.
And so much, SO MUCH, love.
Maybe.
Probably.
Definitely.
Thanks for having me, Rock In Rio.
Thanks for the wild ride, guys.
Alexa, play Let You Fade by Linkin Park, please.
Might as well let it all out.
