Circuito Banco do Brasil Rio 2014 Music and Skate Festival Arrives

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Circuito Banco Do Brasil music and skate festival will finally arrive in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, November 8th, making its last stop of 2014 at Praça da Apoteose with the bands Kings of Leon, Paramore, MGMT, Frejat, and Pitty and an 18m wide, 17m long and 4.20 m high half-pipe ramp.

This year the Circuito Banco Do Brasil began in Belo Horizonte at the Esplanada do Mineirão on October 18th with the bands Nação Zumbi, Titãs, Panic at the Disco, and headliners Linkin Park. The festival then moved to Brasília on October 19th with the groups Skank and Plebe Rude with Dado Villa-Lobos and Marcelo Bonfá replacing Nação Zumbi and Titãs on the lineup.

On November 1st the festival arrived at São Paulo’s Campo de Marte with a completely reworked lineup consisting of Pitty, Skank, MGMT and new headliners Kings of Leon. For the Rio stop on Saturday the only change following the São Paulo show will be Frejat taking Skank’s place in lineup.

The gates at Praça da Apoteose, part of the Carnival Sambódromo Marquês de Sapucaí venue, will open at 2PM and the Copa Brasil de Skate Vertical (Vertical Skate Cup Brazil) will kick off the festival with thirty professional skaters competing one-by-one on a 18m wide, 17m long and 4.20 m high half-pipe ramp.

Each skater will have three runs and can present up to eleven tricks. Following those runs, the top ten skaters will then compete in the finals for a grand prize of R$11,000. Second place will take home R$8,500 and third place wins R$6,500.

At 5PM, the live music will begin with Brazilian rocker Pitty taking to the stage. Just off the recent release her new album entitled, SETEVIDAS, Pitty is well known in the Brazilian rock scene. She performed at Circo Voador earlier this year on August 15th. Additionally she is currently nominated for an MTV EMA (European Music Award) for Best Brazilian Artist of 2014. That ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 9th, the day after her appearance in at Circuito Banco do Brasil Rio.

Yet first, following Pitty in Saturday’s lineup, will be Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Frejat. Known for his hits songs that include “Amor Pra Recomeçar,” “Segredos,” and “Homem não Chora,” Frejat, with his backing band, will take to the stage at 6:30PM.

Next at 8PM, American psychedelic rock band MGMT will begin their performance. Formed during the early 2000s in Middletown, Connecticut, United States by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, MGMT released their major label debut entitled Oracular Spectacular in 2007.

Praised by critics and popular with indie fans, songs from that album including, “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel,” and “Kids” went on to be used in multiple movies and Television shows, helping the band’s music to be recognized worldwide.

In 2010, they followed up with the album, Congratulations and in 2013 released a self-titled album which featured the singles “Alien Days,” “Your Life Is a Lie,” and “Cool Song No. 2”. After MGMT, the American rock band Paramore will take to the stage at 9:30PM. Fronted by the energetic Hayley Williams, Paramore was last in Rio for a show at HSBC Arena during July of 2013.

Since their appearance in Rio last year, Paramore’s fourth single, “Ain’t It Fun,” from their self-titled 2013 album release, skyrocketed on the charts, becoming the band’s highest charting single to date.

Paramore originated in Franklin, Tennessee, U.S., and initially achieved mainstream success in 2007 with their second album entitled, Riot!. They are well know for high energy live performances of songs that also include “The Only Exception ,” “That’s What You Get,” “Still Into You” and “Decode.”

Finally at 11:35 PM headliners, alternative rock band Kings of Leon, will play to close out this year’s festival. Well known for their songs including the 2010 Grammy Award winning single, “Use Somebody,” and “Sex on Fire,” “Closer,” and “Pyro,” the American band also won two additional Grammy Awards in 2010 for Record of the Year for Come Around Sundown and for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States in 1999, Kings of Leon consists of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.

Again, Praça da Apoteose gates will open at 2PM and the main lineup will begin at 5PM. The Brazilian band Drenna will also play as part of the Vozpratodos section of the festival at 4PM.

What: Circuito Banco do Brasil Rio 2014
When: Saturday, November 8th, 2PM (Bands begin at 5PM)
Where: Praça da Apoteose, R. Aurélio Valporto 115, Mal. Hermes
Entrance: R$280-R$900