Dua Lipa performs the closing act at Rock in Rio on ladies’ night
By Carlos A. Moreno
Rio de Janeiro Sep 11 (EFE).- British pop queen Dua Lipa on Sunday brought the curtain down on the Rock in Rio music festival after 250 concerts in seven days, with the stage on the closing night being exclusively reserved for women performers.
The seventh day of the ninth Rock in Rio festival was aimed at empowering women artists, and starred big names such as Britain’s Rita Ora as well as Megan Thee Stallion and Macy Gray from the United States and local sensations Ivete Sangalo and Ludmilla.
In Rio de Janeiro, Dua Lipa performed a slightly modified version of her “Future Nostalgia tour, aimed at promoting her eponymous album released in 2020, apart from her initial hits such as “New Rules” and “Cold Heart” (featuring Elton John).
The most popular woman on Spotify offered a glimpse of the songs that make up “Future Nostalgia,” a futuristic take on disco music from the 1970s and 1980s with lyrics full of her characteristic angst.
Around 100,000 fans had turned up at the City of Rock venue for the last act of the festival – which will now return in 2024 – and many of them shook a leg on some of Dua Lipa’s more catchy songs.
Megan Thee Stallion dressed up in a Rio carnival dancer’s dress and enchanted the audience with hits such as “Budget” “Realer,” “Traumazine” and “Kitty Kat.”
She also joined the organizers in their message of women empowerment by repeating the slogan “my body, my choice.”
In her first appearance at Rock in Rio, Rita Ora thrilled the fans with her powerful voice in pop hits such as “Ritual” and “I’ll Never Let You Down.”
American Macy Gray showed that her voice has maintained its intensity at the age of 55, and won over the audience by signing “A mulher do fim do mundo” (The Woman at the End of the World) as an ode to legendary Brazilian singer Elza Soares, who died in January.
Rock in Rio, considered the largest music and entertainment event in the world, came back this year to the city where it was born in 1985, with concerts held on Sep. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Gilberto Gil, Dua Lipa, Post Malone, Camila Cabello and Avril Lavigne were some of the major bands and artists to perform at this year’s festival. EFE
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