Rock In Rio links
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Taylor Swift uses 1989 as the cornerstone of her career, which makes sense as that was the year she was born. As she took the stage at Rock and Rio USA on Friday night, Swift once again reminded that she was born then and had become a fan of films of the 1980s: “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Say Anything” among them.
“Tay,” as she is referred to by her legions of loving minions, likes these for their shared thread: They are love stories in which the two principal characters seem to have nothing in common, yet “they meet at the end to discover they were made for each other,” as she put it.
Taylor Swift and Rock in Rio USA on the Strip are such oddly matched characters. Swift is a lithe live performer, seeming to risk being devoured by Rock in Rio USA’s enormous surroundings, but she has built a stage show that can deliver a closing set to tens of thousands of festival fans. More than once, Swift thanked the 50,000 fans who showed up, but the official number was about 37,000, the same estimate for Rock Weekend’s take last weekend.
Keeping close to her latest release (“Style” and “Shake It Off” among them), Swift employed elaborate staging and multiple costume changes, and even issued wristbands at the entrance that flashed to the beat of the night. The video screens played a series of testimonials from such friends and artists as Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham. At the top, she called out, “Good evening, Las Vegas! Welcome to Rock in Rio!” which unintentionally reminded of the problem the title of the event has caused across the country (that being the “where” of it all).
Swift also has been dinged in reports of her cutting off the livestream feed planned for Yahoo! Music just before she took the stage. Officials have not verified what happened, exactly, to that feed.
Swift was joined onstage by Ed Sheeran, who performed the set before here. The two were celebrating a “friend-iversary” of three years and sang “Tenerife Sea,” a simple and warm song that was a marked change of vibe from Metallica’s thunderous set from last Saturday’s Rock Weekend.
Pop Weekend did offer a more, shall we say, textured music experience than did the hyper-aggressive rock lineup. Sheeran performed with only an acoustic guitar and his “loop station,” a confident move given the size of his audience. Arriving in jeans and a flannel shirt (a contrast to Swift’s shimmering stage attire), the laid-back Sheeran is an acquired taste, but there is no question his talent and focus onstage.
Power was delivered by Jessie J, who might have had the most impressive performance of the night, in her set at the Mercedes Benz Evolution Stage. Her set-closing spin on “Bang Bang” prompted a dance fest across the 40-acre festival grounds. Earlier, Charlie XCX executed a similarly spirited set with her all-female lineup, tearing through “Fancy” (her Iggy Azalea collaboration, sans Iggy), “Boom Clap,” “Break the Rules” and “Doing It” in a 30-minute sprint.
Earlier, at the main stage, Brazilian star and Latin Grammy Award-winner Ivete Sangalo had the crowd doing the samba at the Main Stage. The sibling pop band Echosmith, with an impressive legion of teen fans, churned out their hit “Cool Kids,” also at the Main Stage.
Around the grounds, the same set of acts, shops and food stations were set up at the three Rock Street mini-villages. Stone the Beetles and Terra Celta highlighted Rock Street U.K., the Official Rock in Rio Dance Team drew thick crowds at Rock Street USA, and Bossacucanova (a soaring blend of bossa nova and electronic music) was at Rock Street Brazil. Those acts have served as an inspired addition to the festival, and the programming around the footprint has been thoughtfully paced so one can see each performance.
Pop Weekend did seem to invite a wide range of ages and cultures.
“It’s a good mix of ages here,” said Michael Binger, a student at UCLA studying environmental science. “I have only been to Las Vegas once before, and only for a few hours, so it’s definitely a good time and a good setting.” Binger and his fellow festival fans, Margaret English and Badal Chandra, were drinking out of straws from plastic guitars that are filled with 100 ounces of an alcoholic drink. Coco Bongos sells these for $33 apiece; plastic saxophones with a 74-ounce capacity sell for $30.
“I’m looking forward to Taylor Swift, John Legend, Bruno (Mars),” English said. “But the whole setup here is great. I am really impressed, actually.”
Oh, and the once problematic Rock in Rio La Grande Ferris wheel has been in full operation. Rock in Rio USA enters its fourth and final day with the great Bruno Mars closing the show and all systems seeming in full operation.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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