Gilberto Gil enthralls crowd at a protest-filled Rock in Rio
Rio de Janeiro, Sep 4 (EFE).- Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil enthralled the crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s City of Rock on Sunday performing several of his greatest hits with his family members.
Before giving way to a much-anticipated Justin Bieber at the end of day three, Gil presented part of the repertoire of his most recent tour in Europe, where he also shared the stage with his children and grandchildren.
Gil’s set included classics such as “Aquele Abraço,” “Tempo Rei” and “Expreso 2222” and even his version of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” to which the audience sang along.
In one of the most thrilling moments of the concert, the Brazilian legend’s 13-year-old granddaughter Flor Gil sang “Garota de Ipanema” with him.
The artist also called on stage his daughter, singer Preta Gil and his grandson, Francisco, who returns to Rock in Rio next weekend as a member of another group, to join him in the rendition of “Andar Com Fé.”
The Brazilian artist, who turned 80 in June, has sold some 4 million copies of his nearly 60 albums and received nine Grammy Awards during his music career.
Several artists also protested at festival on Sunday amid political tensions in the country less than a month before the presidential elections.
Brazilian artist Emicida began with a silent protest with an image of the raised, closed fist symbolizing the Black Lives Matter movement projected on the stage backdrop while performing one of his songs.
The rapper, who usually expresses his political views on stage, had remained silent about them during the concert but at the end of his performance he heard people in the audience say “Fuck Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro,” which he asked to be shouted louder.
“On October 2, please do that at the polls,” the artist told the audience.
Bolsonaro, known for his racist and misogynistic comments, is seeking re-election in the presidential election on Oct. 2.
Rock in Rio, considered the largest music and entertainment event in the world, has offered 21 editions in Rio, Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas in 37 years, attended by more than 10 million spectators.
This year’s edition, which takes place again in the city where it was born in 1985, will have four additional days (Sep. 8-11) in which artists such as Coldplay, Green Day, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Dua Lipa, Fall Out Boy, Camila Cabello and Avril Lavigne will take the stage. EFE
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