RockinRio Lisboa 20th edition - An unplanned weekend!

Good afternoon, weekend lovers!

Just hearing or thinking about the weekend is great and always puts a smile on your face, doesn't it?

Well, the weekend before last, I had no idea that it would be a completely different Saturday to the one I had planned. It was just going to be another restful weekend, when I wouldn't have to worry about work, but it turned into something much more exciting, as a couple of friends, one of whom works for a large insurance company that sponsors the great #RockinRio Lisboa music event, which this year is celebrating its 20th edition, were entered into a draw for two double tickets to the Festival. And they invited me!

Far be it from me to think that I was going to have that Saturday, but it happened!

It all started at Oriente Station, where we took a Shuttle bus to the venue. After a long wait of almost an hour and a half, we got on the bus, which only had seats and was air-conditioned. Which came in handy as it was a real summer's day.

When we arrived at the entrance to the venue, and after validating our tickets, we went through the checkpoints (to check that no unauthorized objects were entering, as is always the case at this type of event).

The first few minutes we arrived, they were already one of my favorite Portuguese rock music groups (they sing exclusively in Portuguese, and have been since the year I was born!!!). They've been around for over 45 years... It's impressive to see how the vitality and energy of this group still brings many together in their name, and they don't let their fans down. And in this performance they were joined by the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave a special refinement to the daytime performance that opened the World Stage!

After Xutos&Pontapés, we went to get something to eat, as the afternoon and evening were going to be somewhat long, and it could be more difficult to sit down and have a quiet meal afterwards.

I had a bifana with the obligatory beer. And we all know how expensive food is at this kind of music event... Always pushing up the prices. But what I do know is that the meal I had in the company of my friends and their son tasted very good...

Relaxing on the grass, to the sound of another Portuguese group, who were now performing on the Galp Stage, called "Pluto". Originally from Porto, this group left no one out and made a point of also singing in Portuguese. Another fantastic performance for me. My friends didn't know them, but they liked the energy they transmitted!

After eating, my friends' son wanted to go for a walk around the grounds and take part in some of the competitions to win gifts. Since you can't deny a child that, we all ended up going with him.

As we were going around the grounds, we noticed that there were stands from the three biggest professional soccer clubs in the Portuguese league. As my friend is a Sportinguista, we agreed and he went to have his picture taken with the club's mascot, Jubas the lion.

It's good to see that there is competition and that the coexistence of the three rivals is more than healthy for the growth of the sport and the greatness of each one.

After our tour of the sponsors, the Ferris wheel was the attraction we were most looking forward to, and not even the two-hour queue separated us from the desire we had to go on this ride. The view from the top is something else.... It's really impressive to see the number of people who were approaching the main stage to see the more than recognized Extreme. A band that told me so much in the 90s, when I was learning to play guitar, and their hit "More than Words" was one of the most requested songs at all the parties!

When our ride on the Ferris wheel was over, we went to the main stage to hear the fantastic voice of Amy Lee and her Evanescence. No matter how many years go by, this artist's voice is still crystal clear, and it gives you goose bumps just to hear her tremendous vocal range.

In the end, and to finish on a high note, the German Scorpions performed to a sold-out crowd of around 80,000 people, according to the official figures... And we all sang "Wind of Change" to round off a great day of rock music in a landscape that was recently restored (for Pope Francis' visit for World Youth Day). All the surroundings of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the Tagus River and the extensive lawn inviting conviviality and good cheer was the icing on the cake!

In conclusion, it was a day very well spent in the company of my friends and their son, where an afternoon of rock and roll and cold beer will be sorely missed.

Now I'm getting ready for my next festival, which will take place in mid-July - Nos Alive!

I hope you enjoyed my sharing. You may notice that I didn't take many photos during the shows, because I believe that at that time something so special is happening, that instead of focusing on a small screen on our cell phones trying to save a unique moment, we should just listen and watch with our eyes, and our mind will take care of registering the moment... Photographs and videos, I leave to the professionals, and these days, any YouTube link will bring back the memories of the vivid moment that we like to keep so much.

^{The long queues to catch the Shuttle to the Festival grounds}

^{... And like any festival, there were queues to check tickets and have your belongings searched by the authorities}

^{The official gateway to the inside of the venue!}

^{The first performance of the day - Xutos&Pontapés}

^{A very dedicated fan, don't you think?}

^{Time for a snack break! A well-deserved break...}

^{The mascot of my friends' son's favorite soccer club, Jubas}

^{This is the stand of my club, Benfica. As I already knew it from the Nos Alive festival two years ago, we didn't have to queue, as we had to buy a ticket costing €2 to take part and be eligible for an official shirt, among other merchandise}

^{And finally, the Futebol Clube do Porto stand. One of the Portuguese clubs with the most European exposure}

^{The great panoramic wheel! The invitation was made!}

^{Fernando Pereira's impersonator performance}

^{The access tunnel to the attraction.
Fantastic decoration with the most outstanding artists from the twenty previous editions held in Lisbon}

^{Tell me the view isn't fantastic!}

^{At this time Extreme were already performing}

^{Amy's intoxicating, chilling voice delighted me, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in this! It's a pity that the performance took place when the day was so bright. The show would have been much better if it had been in the evening, like one I saw of theirs in 2011!}

^{It's time to revisit the wheel, now that LEDs are making their presence felt}

^{The multimedia show prepared for the 20th anniversary celebration}

^{The great Scorpions. How is it possible that a band with so many years of existence still manages to gather a huge mass of devoted fans? Only their intrinsic quality could achieve such a feat}

I hope you enjoyed my post!

I wish you all a happy Sunday!

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Photographic edition with PhotoScape X