That unprecedented decision to host the Rock In Rio festival in Lisbon rather than its home city seems to have paid off. So successful was the six day festival in the Portugese capital that organisers have vowed to return there in 2006.
385,000 people attended the event over its six days, with an estimated 700 million tuning into TV coverage of the event, which included performances from Metallica, Foo Fighters and Britney Spears among others.
Confirming he would stage the event in Portugal again, Rock In Rio founder Roberto Medina told reporters yesterday that his decision to host the event in Europe gave it a global relevance, enhancing its social message.
Medina: "This is a great opportunity to use music as a universal language in order to promote great changes in the world, which is needed urgently! We use social marketing in a straightforward manner and explicit with this objective in mind."