Mercader to ‘Rock In’ Madrid

Gay Mercader will promote Rock In Rio’s 2008 Spanish debut at Arganda Del Rey, on the outskirts of Madrid.

The 60,000-capacity site is a 15-minute train trip from the centre of the Spanish capital. The first of the biennial festivals, which stretch across two weekends, are slotted for June 27-28 and July 4-6.

"I couldn’t believe it. We were faced with over 150 journalists from TV, radio and the newspapers – that’s the sort of massive coverage that Rock In Rio attracts," Mercader told Pollstar after a February 6th press launch at Madrid’s Salón de Baile del Círculo de Bellas Artes.

Rock In Rio founder Roberto Medina, Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz and Mercader faced the mics and cameras alongside the mayors of Rio de Janeiro and Arganda del Rey.

Medina’s Rock In Rio organization had blown a big trumpet up front, taking a run of full-page ads in such high-circulation papers as El Pais and El Mundo.

Mercader, who is on record saying you can’t make a festival in Spain until you’ve found the right beach – referring to the country’s most successful outdoor, on the Mediterranean coast at Benicassim – said the reason he’s now doing one on the outskirts of the capital is because the urban carnival of Rock In Rio sets it apart as a special event.

"I’m not known as a festival promoter and when I did do it once, with Star Trucking in Marbella in 1975, it cost me a lot of money," he said. "But when my partners and I went to Rock In Rio in Lisbon last May, the first thing we noticed was the number of parents with kids among the massive crowd. Apart from some old hippies who bring their children, you don’t often see that at festivals.

"The age range must have stretched from 7 to 75 and there were a lot from each age group. Roberto’s belief is that if you make it comfortable for people, they don’t have to queue for hours to eat or go to the toilet – and the toilets are clean when they get there – then you don’t have much crowd tension at festivals.

"I’m delighted. Within minutes of the start of my first meeting with Roberto, I knew that I wanted to do Rock In Rio in Spain.

"It depends on heavyweight major sponsorship to keep the ticket prices right, but that’s not a problem for such a major brand as Rock In Rio. We have over a year to sort it out and organize all the facilities in good time."

Rock In Rio began in Rio de Janeiro in 1985, followed by a second festival six years later. Both fests lasted about 10 days, bringing in a combined total of close to 2.2 million people and solidifying their place in rock festival history. The last Brazilian Rock In Rio was in 2001.

Since then, it’s moved to Lisbon – where it made its debut in 2006 – with Medina going on record as saying Spain would be next.

The press conference for Rock In Rio 2008 in Spain came a month after the announcement that Mercader and the other Gamerco companies run by Pino Sagliocco and Robert Grima have been bought by Live Nation.

Their upcoming shows include The Datsuns, Eagles of Death Metal, Vaya Con Dios, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen, Kasabian, Roger Waters, Scissor Sisters, and Beyoncé.

Rock In Rio in Lisbon in 2008 will be held May 30-31 and June 6-8.