Brazil: Rock in Rio, the world’s largest music festival, pays tribute to eighty-year-old singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Singer-songwriter and former Brazilian Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, one of the most important representatives of the Tropical Movement and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB), will be honored at the eighth edition of Rock in Rio, which will be held in this Brazilian city next September.

Organizers of the world’s largest music festival announced Friday that Gil, who will turn 80 next June, will close the night of concerts on Sept. 4 at the Sunset Box, one of the main stages of Rock in Rio.

The singer-songwriter, one of the attractions of the first edition of the festival in Rio de Janeiro (1985), will give a concert at the eighth edition of Rock in Rio, where he can celebrate his 80th birthday with friends and family members who have also followed his musical career, such as Bem Gil, Joao Gil, Nara Gil, Flor Gil, José Gil, Marcelo Costa, Danilo Andrade, Diogo Gomes, and Thiago Queiroz.

“The singer, a true musical legacy of Brazil and a living memory of the first edition of the event that put Brazil on the international showbiz circuit, will close the curtain on the festival’s first weekend with a spectacular concert,” said a statement from the organizers.

Together with his family, he will perform some of his greatest hits, such as “Esperando na Janela,” “A Paz,” “Andar com fé,” and “Palco.”

That same night, rapper Emicida and Brazilian singers Luisa Sonza and Marina Sena will perform at the Sunset Box. The main attraction that night at Palco Mundo, the main stage of Rock in Rio, will be American Justin Bieber.

“To welcome Gilberto Gil to the Sunset Box is an honor, even more so considering that he can bring back so many incredible memories of his first appearance at the festival 37 years ago,” said Sunset Box artistic director Zé Ricardo.

“His musical career is immense and will represent the legacy of all our great names in Brazilian popular music. For this reason, the tribute will not be limited to a single day. During the seven days of the event, we will show projections on the stage screens that will tell his story,” he added.

The singer-songwriter, who became known worldwide with songs such as “Aquele Abraço,” “Calice,” “Refazenda,” “Domingo no Parque,” and “A Novidade,” has sold nearly four million copies of his 60 albums and has been awarded nine Grammys.

The eighth edition of Rock in Rio in Rio de Janeiro was initially scheduled for September and October 2021. Still, the covid pandemic forced organizers to postpone the event for a year.

The music event will include seven nights of concerts on September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, and 11, 2022, at the so-called “Rock City,” which organizers will once again build in Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park.

The 2022 edition, with attractions such as Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns n’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa, will be the 21st in the history of the festival and the eighth in Rio de Janeiro, where it was created in 1985.

In its 35 years, the festival has held 20 editions in Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Madrid, and Las Vegas, 119 days of concerts, and 2,338 musical attractions seen by about 10.2 million spectators.