Robert Plant and St. Vincent Live in Rio March 24th

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Before the Lollapalooza music festival returns to São Paulo on March 28th and 29th, nine international musicians and groups from the festival’s lineup will make their way to Rio de Janeiro to play live this week. British legend Robert Plant and legend in the making, American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent will start off with a bang on Tuesday, March 24th at Citibank Hall.

Robert Plant is considered by many to be one of the best vocalists in rock music history. Well known and beloved around the world for his time from 1968 to 1980 as frontman and lyricist for the band Led Zeppelin, Plant has since then created ten solo studio albums. His most recent album, Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar, was released in September of last year.

“This record is really a milestone in my career. I feel much stronger with it,” Plant told O Globo during a recent interview in February. “Lullaby reflects the kind of environment I try to create on stage. But, in the recordings, we have taken a step forward. We create all this intensity, these large loops. It turned into a bit of a trance project.”

No stranger to Rio stages, Plant was last in the Marvellous City with his supporting band The Sensational Space Shifters for a 2012 show at the HSBC Arena.

Opening for Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters on Tuesday night will be the indie-rock darling, Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent.

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Clark began playing guitar at age twelve. She was introduced to the sounds of jazz greats like Miles Davis and Coltrane, by her uncle and aunt, the American jazz duo Tuck and Patti, for whom she also worked as a roadie during her teenage years.

Her musical influences grew to include an eclectic variety of genres and musicians including Steely Dan, Brain Eno, Robert Fripp, Pearl Jam and Pink Floyd, among many others. Clark began her own career as a member of the choral ensemble, The Polyphonic Spree and she also spent time touring with musician Sufjan Stevens.

Reportedly choosing the stage name St. Vincent from the lyrics of the Nick Cave song, “There She Goes, My Beautiful World”, Clark released her debut album, Marry Me in 2007.

Combining fuzzy guitar riffs, narrative wit and offbeat pop sensibilities, she steadily achieved critical acclaim and mainstream success. In February of this year, she won the Grammy for Best Alternative Album for her fourth release entitled, St. Vincent.

Earlier in 2012 Clark collaborated with Talking Heads founder David Byrne to release the well received Love This Giant album. She has also worked with other a including Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, and The National.

Known for explosive shows with long sets Clark has toured extensively, performed at numerous festivals, played at the New York Fashion Week, on the show Saturday Night Live, and served as band leader for the Late Night With Seth Meyers house band The 8G Band.

Additional artists from the Lollapalooza lineup performing in Rio this week include Smashing Pumpkins and Young the Giant on Wednesday, March 25th at Citibank Hall; Skrillex, Major Lazer, and Dillon Francis at Estação Leopoldina on Thursday, March 26th; and Foster the People and Bastille at Citibank Hall on Friday, March 27th. Check back with The Rio Times during the upcoming week for more information about each show.

What: Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters and St. Vincent
When: Tuesday, March 24th, 9:20 PM
Where: Citibank Hall, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca
Entrance: R$125-R$550