09.04 pm, Wednesday February 10 2010

Dylan, Kravitz wrap up Rock in Rio

12:16 AEST Mon Jul 7 2008
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Rock legends Bob Dylan and Lenny Kravitz have closed out Spain's first ever Rock in Rio event as organisers revealed ambitious plans to expand the festival "brand" to Italy, Morocco and China as well as return to Brazil.

Appearing on Sunday night after the 67-year-old Dylan, the youthful energy of Scottish band Franz Ferdinand set the park alight around midnight.

Mexican rockers Cafe Tacuba also took to the World Stage, one of three built especially at the 20-hectare site at Arganda del Rey, about 20km from Madrid.

The Police, Shakira, Amy Winehouse, Neil Young, Jamiroquai, Tokio Hotel, the Stereophonics and Suzanne Vega were also among the more than 60 acts that performed over two weekends.

The Brazilian organisers said around 300,000 people attended the five days of what they promoted as a family-oriented event.

Apart from the music, there was a 50-metre snowboarding slope with artificial snow, a skateboarding park, a ferris wheel, fashion shows, shops, bars and eateries and even a daycare centre for children.

The pink "Temple of Love", complete with a look-alike Elvis and a James Brown, performed mock Las Vegas-style weddings.

"It's great," said 70-year-old Maria Luisa, who came with her 14-year-old grandson, Nicolas, and her 15-year-old nephew, Alberto. "I've come to see Bob Dylan, he's my generation. But it's a bit expensive," referring to the 65-euro ($A106) entrance price.

"This is a new thing for the Spanish people," said Rock in Rio's vice president Roberta Medina. "It's the first time they've had a rock festival with a theme park, and so we didn't know if people would understand that they could come with families and children, but they did come."

Rock in Rio began in 1985 in Rio de Janeiro, where it was also held in 1991 and 2001. Three editions took place in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006 and earlier this year, before it came to Madrid. Other editions are scheduled in Lisbon and Madrid in 2010.

"We want to do it in Italy. We are going to be starting work from tomorrow," Medina told AFP. "We believe in Italy, it has the same feeling as Rock in Rio."

She said entrepreneurs from Morocco had also come to Arganda del Rey to look into organising the event there.

And she is travelling to China in September with the festival's president, her father Roberto Medina, to discuss plans for a Rock in Rio there.

"We are also looking at Brazil. We were planning only for 2014, and they came to Lisbon and they want to do it in Sao Paulo in 2010," she said.

In Madrid, she said the one surprise was "there were no problems".

However, the one thing the organisers plan to change for the 2010 event is the starting time, which was too early for the traditionally late-night Spaniards.

"We will be starting later, because we are in Spain. In Portugal we started at 4pm and in Brazil we started at 2pm. But here it's quite hot, and at three in the morning it looks like noon in the streets."

 
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