In addition to Dave Grohl's group, the festival received a mix of newcomers and veterans, national and international. At Sunset, nostalgia dominated: big Brazilian names, such as Detonautas invites Biquini Cavadão and Capital Inicial invites Dado Villa-Lobos, moved the audience with their "old-time" hits.
Much more than the band Hot Milk, in fact, who faced an empty crowd and worked hard to engage the public. Meanwhile, comedian and musician Diogo Defante "stole" the spotlight on a smaller stage, singing about pubic hair and marijuana.
Back on the main stages, Rise Against played a great show, warming up well for the end of the night. Interestingly, even with decades of experience, both Foo Fighters, Rise Against and Biquini stopped their shows to ask who was seeing them for the first time.
Saturday (5) of the festival continues in the rock style, now with metal: there are Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon, MGK, Sepultura, Bad Omens, Poppy and more. Calvin Harris, Elton John, Stray Kids, Maroon 5 and Twenty One Pilots are the main attractions in the coming days.
At the end of the first night of Rock in Rio, Foo Fighters gave fans what they expected this Friday (4). It was a safe performance, the result of six previous visits to Brazil. At 57 years old, Dave Grohl has proven to be in good shape as a singer. Anyone who is a fan knows that his voice has already shown signs of wear due to medical problems.
In addition to changes in the repertoire in relation to The Town 2023, such as the inclusion of the ballads "Wheels" and "Marigold", the biggest news was the change of drummer. Ilan Rubin, correct in his role, entered in 2025 after the departure of Josh Freese, who had taken over Hawkins' position at the event in São Paulo. As in the São Paulo festival, "Aurora", from the album "There Is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999), was dedicated to the drummer, who played in Foo Fighters from 1997 to 2022, when he died. The ballad was his favorite song.
The structure of the show also remains somewhat intact. Today, it's almost impossible to imagine a setlist of theirs without "Everlong" at the end or without "All My Life" at the beginning, for example. Read more about the Foo Fighters show.
An exaltation of Brasília rock and friendship combined with a tribute to Renato Russo and Legião Urbana. This was the presentation of Capital Inicial with Dado Villa-Lobos, closing the first day of the Sunset Stage, at Rock in Rio, this Friday (4).
Capital had promised a "visually stunning" performance and entered with fire effects at the front of the stage and singing "Four times you".
Other Legião tracks played were "Almost without wanting", "Tempo Perdido" and "Que País é Esse". This one, announced with a message from Dinho Ouro Preto: "This is for the ministers and politicians who owe us explanations. The Brazilian woman will survive this." Read more about the Capital Inicial and Dado Villa-Lobos show.
Rise Against did its job, this Friday (4) of Rock in Rio 2026, without many fuss. Before headliner Foo Fighters, the Chicago band warmed up the Palco Mundo audience with their well-executed and fast-paced hardcore punk.
They were the penultimate act on the stage, but they didn't exactly have a crowd of passionate fans. Few knew the lyrics; When asked if they were seeing Rise Against's first show, many raised their hands (the band has already come to Brazil five other times).
But the group was well received, as vocalist Tim McIlrath felt when he joined the crowd in the second song, "Under The Knife". Read more about the Rise Against show.
The British band Hot Milk debuted at Rock in Rio at a privileged time: it was the penultimate attraction on the Sunset Stage this Friday (4). But a good time can be more of a burden than an advantage, as the band proved when they found a modest audience – much less engaged than hours before, with Detonautas and Biquini.
The show focuses on her dynamic with the other vocalist and guitarist, Jim Shaw, who alternate and "talk" throughout the verses. The band is firm and competent and fulfills everything you expect from a rock show: it talks, it makes noise, it performs well in "breaking". Read more about the Hot Milk show.
Those who walked slowly from the Sunset Stage, after the Detonautas and Biquini show, heard phrases in Portuguese ("Clap your hands!") and riffs full of roaring vocals. The performance this Friday (4) was reminiscent of that cliché: festivals enhance shows that, outside of Rock in Rio, don't have the same impact.
Hives tried to turn Cidade do Rock into one of those noisy muquifos where you leave with your ears ringing and your clothes stained with beer. In a good way. Some people bought the idea, but most seemed to be saving themselves for the Foo Fighters, the night's headliner.
Live, the band adorns their garage rock songs with bright costumes and some interactions that border on nonsense humor. Read more about The Hives show.
Detonautas took a tour of their career, including tracks from their most recent work, the album Rádio Love Nacional", which brings the band into a new phase and a solar vibe. But it was the classics that really excited the audience.
40 minutes into the performance, Biquini entered the stage to screams from the audience, mentioning the band's name. "Zé nobody" soon got the audience jumping. And it was followed by "Chove Chuva", with Bruno Gouveia giving himself a mineral water bath. With "Vento galania", he drew screams and got everyone jumping.
In one hour of the show, the two bands brought generations together, singing hits for parents and children who were at the festival. More parents than children. And they chased away any boredom that might have been going on there. Read more about the show.
Coming from London, Amy Love (vocals and guitar) and Georgia South (bass) opened the day's work that will also welcome The Hives, Rise Against and Foo Fighters. A giant responsibility that they are already more than accustomed to.
The sun had already given up but the audience that followed the presentation was still very shy and made up mainly of Foo Fighters fans who arrived early to try to secure a place on the grid.
From the ground, they fanned, clapped and pulled out their cell phones to film. At times, they danced, swayed and headbanged in large "rounds". To reciprocate, the duo made a point of getting off the stage and going close to the "gap" (space between the audience and the stage) to greet some of them. Read more about the Nova Twins show.
Di Ferrero returned to the Rock in Rio stage this Friday (4). The singer has a long-standing relationship with the festival and has visited Cidade do Rock four times throughout his career.
Not even the sun kept away the audience, who responded to the singer's every request and shouted the choruses of his hits. Very close to the stage, a more than special fan followed the show: Isabeli Fontana, Di Ferrero's wife.
