Rock in Rio is touching down in the United States for the first time in 2015, with Taylor Swift, Metallica, Linkin Park and No Doubt set to take the main stage at the festival in Las Vegas over two weekends in May. While the full lineup has not yet been released, Rock in Rio also announced that John Legend and the Deftones will be performing on the Sunset Stage.
The event is set for May 8th-9th and May 15th-16th at the MGM Resorts Festival Grounds, where the festival organizers are working with Cirque du Soleil to build a permanent open-air "City of Rock" venue with six stages spread out over 37 acres on the Strip. The festival grounds will also include a zipline and three themed "Rock Streets" built around the culture and music of the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil.
The U.S. launch of Rock in Rio is timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the massive festival, which launched in Rio de Janeiro in 1985 with a lineup that included Queen, AC/DC, Rod Stewart and Iron Maiden, and later expanded to host events in Spain and Portugal. Festival organizers announced the Las Vegas lineup on Friday night with an event at New York's Times Square featuring performances by Rock in Rio vets John Mayer and Sepultura with Les Tambours Du Bronx, as well as a brief appearance by No Doubt.
With their performance in Las Vegas, Metallica will mark their 7th appearance at Rock in Rio, while Taylor Swift is making her debut at the festival. The next Brazilian edition, set for September 2015, will feature Katy Perry and John Legend.
