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| - I attended the second day of the second weekend (e.g. the pop weekend when Bruno Mars headlined), and had a blast! In terms of performances, the highlights for me were definitely Bruno Mars, John Legend, and Empire of the Sun! But the choice of artists probably could have been more cohesive. As Big Sean mentioned, he was the only rapper in the entire lineup. Nevertheless, there did seem to be a soul, pop, and R&B vibe pervading the second day of the pop weekend. And, I greatly appreciated the way in which performances were staggered so that you could see most of the performers.
Don't expect a lot of personal space if you're trying to get up close and personal. Chaos reigned near the main stage during the bigger performances, as people who were sitting down suddenly stood up, making everyone else stand. But this is to be expected. I'm not sure why people would choose to bring kids to a 10 hour music festival and expect them to last until 1AM. Some (tired) kids were sitting in the standing area in front of the main stage, and were constantly being jostled/trampled due to people moving through the crowd. However, farther out, there was plenty of astro turf (what do you expect in a desert?) to spread out on. And, you could easily see the main stage from most areas, though you would have to mainly rely on the large screens.
There were a variety of food options (burgers, pizza, Indian, Brazilian, etc.), which weren't as expensive as I would have expected. Technically, you're not supposed to bring in outside food, but you are allowed one re-entry if you need to leave for whatever reason. What was confusing (but also convenient) about purchasing items in the festival area was the need to upload money to your wristband. (Sorry, no cash/credit cards accepted at the vendors inside.) While we were able to successfully do so from the comfort of our hotel room, we weren't told that we needed to activate the wristbands INSIDE the festival grounds to be able to purchase drinks from the mobile vendors. Elsewhere, there were several art installations (giant sunglasses / performance artists), a zip line, and photo booths for all your documentary needs. This definitely would have been a selfie-lover's paradise, as different buildings had interesting artwork and decor. The stages themselves were architecturally interesting and unique - not as insane as other music festivals, but still aesthetically stimulating.
However, as the first Rock in Rio in the US, there were several problems. First, will call was located in Circus Circus, which was a bit of a walk from the actual entrance to the festival grounds. The signage in Circus Circus directing patrons to the conference room where we could obtain tickets was lacking; while there were a few scattered signs in the lobby, there were some signs on the ground pointing in the general direction of the room. If we hadn't asked someone at an information desk for directions, we probably would have been very lost, as the route required going up stairs and down stairs several times. Talk about confusing and counter-intuitive!
Second, the replacement for Sam Smith wasn't comparable. It's kind of silly that John Legend was Sam Smith's "replacement" when the former was already to scheduled to perform, albeit on a different stage. Switching people to the main stage doesn't actually count as "replacing" them. (Note: It boggles my mind that John Legend wasn't already slated to perform on the main stage.) Mayer Hawthorne was added to the lineup, and while I find his music enjoyable, he certainly doesn't have the same name recognition or popularity as Sam Smith.
Third, I could imagine that transportation to and from Rock in Rio was terrible. The festival grounds are located on the northern edge of the strip across the street from SLS and the Stratosphere. There definitely seemed to be a taxi shortage after the festival concluded, as there were very few taxis on the road (and even at nearby hotels) and many many people in line. It's worth it to stay nearby the festival grounds ONLY if you're not planning to go elsewhere on the Strip (like us). The SLS was conveniently located for the festival, but wouldn't be great if you were trying to navigate elsewhere.
Overall, this was a fun experience, and I definitely think I got my money's worth. Hopefully the organizers will continue to bring in big names and improve the overall organization/layout of things!
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