Rio de Janeiro Nightlife Guide for Thursday, April 16, 2026

Rock · Power Trio · Raw

The Lobão Power Trio brings the essential energy of rock to the Blue Note stage in its most direct form: guitar, bass, and drums.

Lobão (born João Luiz Woerdenbag Filho) is one of the most important and controversial figures in Brazilian rock — a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and provocateur who has been central to the genre since the early 1980s.

From the pioneering post-punk of “Cena de Cinema” through the hits of “Ronaldo Foi Pra Guerra” and the politically charged music of the redemocratisation era, Lobão has never stopped provoking.

The power trio format strips everything back: no backing band, no production, just the instrument and the voice and the amplifier. At the Blue Note’s intimate Copacabana room, the volume and the proximity create something raw and unfiltered. From 8 pm.

Tickets via Eventim.

MPB · Samba · Guests

The late session belongs to Toni Costa e João Fernando — two experienced and creative musicians whose show celebrates Brazilian instrumental music with a contemporary edge.

They are joined on stage by Rodrigo Veiga (drums), Ronaldo Diamante (bass), and Flávio Mangaba (guitar), plus special guests Emanuelle Araújo — the actress and singer known for her powerful, versatile voice — and Casuarina, the samba group led by Gabriel Azevedo (pandeiro and voice), João Fernando (bandolim), and Rafael Freire (cavaquinho) that has been one of Rio’s defining samba ensembles.

The encounter between the instrumental trio and the samba group creates something rare: precision and swing, composition and improvisation, the written page and the roda. From 10:30 pm. Tickets via Eventim.

Tonight’s double bill thus offers a remarkable contrast: rock stripped to its core at 8 pm, samba and instrumental music at its most generous at 10:30 pm. Two genres, one room, one Thursday.

Samba · Rising · Full Triangle

Bip Bip Thursday samba — louder and more percussive than Tuesday’s choro or Wednesday’s bossa nova. From 8 pm on the pavement. Free. Five minutes from the Blue Note — the natural pairing between sessions.

In Lapa, the full triangle at rising Thursday intensity: Rio Scenarium 7 pm–1 am+ (cover ~R$30–50, busier than Wednesday). Carioca da Gema from ~7:30 pm (show 8:30 pm, Sympla). Beco do Rato to 1 am+ (no cover). Nova Capela kitchen late.

Thursday is the gateway to the weekend — the Scenarium pushes later, the Gema fills more completely, the Beco extends. The Gema-to-Scenarium-to-Beco crawl becomes viable tonight.