Opinion – Walter Casagrande Jr.: My Rock in Rio madness had AC/DC, Ozzy, Pepeu and Baby

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We have reached the 9th edition of one of the most important festivals in the world of pop rock, Rock in Rio.

In my opinion, the event lost its essence a long time ago, but this is the view of someone who has been a rocker since he was a boy and is based on the 1st Rock In Rio, from 1985.

The history of this festival began in 1981 at Morumbi, with the first big concert by a big band in Brazil: Queen.

As we lived in a military dictatorship, the country was closed to foreign attractions, mainly rock, whose motto was “rock is attitude”. That was exactly what the generals didn’t want from our youth.

In the mid-70’s, Alice Cooper came to the Anhembi and Rick Wakeman to the Portuguesa gymnasium, but nothing like a concert by a band in an arena.

With the success of the fabulous Freddie Mercury in a stadium, the idea of ​​a great festival was born.

In 1985, musicians came to Rock in Rio that, at the time, we would never have imagined seeing here. It was ten days without a break during the summer vacation, something unbelievable.

Not everything was perfect, starting with the absurd absence of Raul Seixas, partially offset by a tribute from the wonderful Rita Lee.

The most radical complained: “Gee, Ney Matogrosso is not rock”. I was revolted by this, because Ney appeared in one of the biggest national rock bands, Secos & Molhados.

They also said: “Moraes Moreira does not rock”. But he was one of the main names of the Novos Baianos, who played everything. One of the psychedelic rocks I love the most is “Mistérios do Planeta”, in the voice of my friend Paulinho Boca de Cantor, with a guitar solo by the genius Pepeu Gomes.

Some really weren’t rock, but they were spectacular. Over the years, the festival has become more pop than rock.

There are a lot of people I would like to see on stage for 200,000 or 300,000 people, like Deep Purple, Genesis, Ronnie James Dio and Eric Clapton. The Rolling Stones, who came to Brazil several times, as well as Paul McCartney, Ringo Star and Kiss, never set foot in Rock In Rio. George Harrison would have had a chance to come in the first two editions. And what would it be like to have the Ramones and Dead Kennedys there?

Going back to 1985, I went to Rock in Rio on January 19th with the late Sollitinho, a friend from the youth football era, and the right-back Ismael, all from Corinthians.

It was Saturday. We trained in the morning and left around 2 pm in my car, along the Dutra highway. The night was heavy metal, starting with Pepeu and Baby. I had a Pepeu poster in my room, of his album at the 1980 Montreux Festival. And Baby, well, speechless.

We also saw Withesnake, Scorpions, Ozzy (without Black Sabbath), closing simply with AC/DC.

It was one of the most amazing nights I’ve spent. We slept in the car, outside the rock city. We woke up with a hangover, had breakfast at the bakery next door and went back to Sampa, because on Monday we had training.

Now, I watched on TV the show on Friday (3), the night of Hard Core and Heavy Metal. I also saw Joao Gordo.

The energy of the audience is contagious even on TV. Makes you want to be there screaming and jumping. But today, my knee won’t let me down. I also saw Mattanza Ritual, Sepultura, Surra and Crypt. What moved me the most was the band Gojira, who took indigenous people to the stage and sang “Amazônia”.

It is exciting when gringo bands warn of the destruction of the forest and indigenous peoples committed by the lying, perverse and cowardly government of Jair Bolsonaro.

On Saturday (4th) we had Racionais MC’s, by my friend Mano Brown. It was another night of attitude in rock city.

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