Is World Rock Day celebrated only in Brazil? Understand

Brazilians have become accustomed to treating the 13th of July as “World Rock Day” – a historic homage to the “Live Aid” festival, which, in 1985, simultaneously took over 150,000 people to Wembley Stadium, in London, and to JFK Stadium in Philadelphia to see Queen, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and more.

Phil Collins was the only one to have performed on both continents – taking a plane from the UK to the US. It was also he who, during the festival, suggested the idea of ​​the 13th of July becoming a landmark to celebrate rock ‘n’ roll.

Phil Collins – Against All Odds (Live Aid 1985)

In an article published in 2010, Brazilian broadcaster and music researcher Kid Vinil recalled: “What really happened was that nobody out there took Phil Collins’ idea seriously.”

Despite the fact that the date carries the “world” in the name, the celebration is very restricted to Brazil, and the reason for this is due to an advertising venture by radio stations in São Paulo, in the 1990s.

In 1983, two years before Live Aid was organized, radio station “97 FM” was created in Santo André, in Greater São Paulo, today “Energia 97”.

With its slogans “The first in rock ‘n’ roll” and “The first rock ‘n’ roll radio station”, the station was one of the first to invest heavily in the genre, playing from Led Zeppelin to Brazilian bands at the beginning of their careers, such as Legião Urbana, Ira!, Capital Inicial, Plebe Rude and Camisa de Vênus.

At the end of 1985, “97 FM” gained its main competitor, with the entry of “89 FM: A Rádio Rock” into the market, investing in the more commercial rock repertoire.

The two radio stations started to adopt the date suggested by Collins to celebrate the “World Rock Day” and invested strong promotional campaigns in this.

As “89 A Rádio Rock” recalls on its website, “the “World Rock Day” has become a traditional celebration in the advertising market calendar here in Brazil”.

The date came to be spread in different measures to neighboring Latin American countries, such as Argentina and, in smaller proportions, Chile, for example.

In the United States, the situation is divided between different significant dates. For example, “Rock’s International Day” is linked to the 9th of July by the debut of “American Bandstand”, a program by presenter Dick Clark that was a catalyst for the genre in the country.

Other dates, such as February 9th, which marks the Beatles’ first performance in the US, or July 5th, for the recording of Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right”, are also referenced.

Live Aid

In 1985, the so-called Live Aid, with benefit concerts, was held in two different places: Wembley stadium, in London (England), and John F. Kennedy, in Philadelphia (USA).

Conceived by Irish singer and songwriter Bob Geldof, Live Aid was intended to raise funds to fight hunger in Ethiopia. During the presentations, the public was encouraged to call a telephone number and make donations.

A cast of big names in rock was invited to the concerts: in Philadelphia, for example, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin reunited with their classic formations – in the case of the latter, Phil Collins took the place of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980.

Other standouts on the American stage were Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger (with Tina Turner), Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, Santana and Madonna.

The most famous moment of the London concert was probably the Queen performance, which was also featured in the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, for which Rami Malek won the Oscar for Best Actor for playing Freddie Mercury. On that same stage, Elton John, The Who, David Bowie, U2 and Dire Straits, among others, also performed.

According to estimates, the event gathered around 72,000 people in Wembley and 90,000 in Philadelphia, in addition to millions who followed, in 100 countries, the live shows on TV and radio. Figures vary, but at the time, media outlets estimated that Live Aid had raised at least £40 million.