Rock in Rio: Carlinhos Brown undergoes the first scandal in the festival
"You can throw anything at me, I am for the peace and nothing gets to me" , said the musician under a plastic bottle attack
Nana Vaz de Castro
14/01/2001
ROCK CITY, 8:30 p.m. – The situation is always the same and has happened before in other festivals. Radical fans of bands that are scheduled to play by the end of the night arrive at the site early to make sure that they’re going to see the show as close to the stage as possible. Therefore, they remain for long hours so as not to lose the privileged position, and are forced to go through all of the previous acts – who are usually received in a less than welcome mode.
That’s precisely what happened earlier during Carlinhos Brown’s set at the Rock In Rio, on a night that will be wrapped with Guns’n Roses’ presentation. Guns was big in Brazil ten years ago (even playing the Rock In Rio 2, in 1991), and in spite of the melancholic decadence faced by the group ever since, they can still count on a large number of fans.
Brown got on stage singing Omelete Man, the title track of his last album (from 1998). He continued with the old hit Uma Brasileira, which still makes the crowd move. Suddenly, though, armories of plastic bottles and other objects started to land on the stage, making the Bahia native ask, "Please, stop throwing things and tune in with the music". Displeased, he later asked the production team to stop refreshing the crowd with water sprays: "Hey, man, stop spraying water, it’s drifting their attention", he said. After doing his greatest hit, A Namorada, Brown assumed a trio elétrico mode with Rapunzel, and then he has the not so good idea of going down the runway in the middle of the audience. The bottle attack was so intense that he had to make a plea: "You, rock fans, must learn to love Brazil", he said, getting a big clap from most of the attendants, those who were farther away from the stage and just having a good time.
The co-author of Sepultura’s hit, Ratamahatta, shot: "They want rock, let me improvise", and hummed the melody of the country’s national anthem while boasting an electric guitar – without playing it, though. After his little protest, Carlinhos once again went down the runway, only to get even more bottles and hand fans thrown at him. The response came like a thunder: "You can throw whatever you like at me, I am for the peace and nothing gets to me" he affirmed, getting the same amount of applause and boos.
Brown didn’t let it kick him down and finished his set with Segue o Seco, Tribal United Dance and Lagoinha.
That’s precisely what happened earlier during Carlinhos Brown’s set at the Rock In Rio, on a night that will be wrapped with Guns’n Roses’ presentation. Guns was big in Brazil ten years ago (even playing the Rock In Rio 2, in 1991), and in spite of the melancholic decadence faced by the group ever since, they can still count on a large number of fans.
Brown got on stage singing Omelete Man, the title track of his last album (from 1998). He continued with the old hit Uma Brasileira, which still makes the crowd move. Suddenly, though, armories of plastic bottles and other objects started to land on the stage, making the Bahia native ask, "Please, stop throwing things and tune in with the music". Displeased, he later asked the production team to stop refreshing the crowd with water sprays: "Hey, man, stop spraying water, it’s drifting their attention", he said. After doing his greatest hit, A Namorada, Brown assumed a trio elétrico mode with Rapunzel, and then he has the not so good idea of going down the runway in the middle of the audience. The bottle attack was so intense that he had to make a plea: "You, rock fans, must learn to love Brazil", he said, getting a big clap from most of the attendants, those who were farther away from the stage and just having a good time.
The co-author of Sepultura’s hit, Ratamahatta, shot: "They want rock, let me improvise", and hummed the melody of the country’s national anthem while boasting an electric guitar – without playing it, though. After his little protest, Carlinhos once again went down the runway, only to get even more bottles and hand fans thrown at him. The response came like a thunder: "You can throw whatever you like at me, I am for the peace and nothing gets to me" he affirmed, getting the same amount of applause and boos.
Brown didn’t let it kick him down and finished his set with Segue o Seco, Tribal United Dance and Lagoinha.