Rock in Rio adds extra day, Stevie Wonder to headline

RIO DE JANEIRO—Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Joss Stone and Janelle Monae will all perform during an extra concert day that has been added to this year’s Rock in Rio megafestival lineup, organizers said.

The 26-year-old festival sold out its six original dates, with 600,000 tickets for the September and October event getting snatched up in just four days.

Organizers announced late Friday they would add new concerts on September 29 to satisfy fans who had not been able to secure tickets.

Wonder, the American singer-songwriter who has sold more than 100 million albums and won 25 Grammy Awards in a career spanning 50 years, will headline the bonus concert.

Tickets for the show go on sale at 12:01 am July 23 for 190 reals ($120).

Returning to the city of its birth for the first time in a decade, Rock in Rio kicks off September 23 and is set to feature more than 200 global artists and Brazilian stars. Among the acts taking the stage are Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Metallica, Coldplay, Rihanna, Elton John, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motorhead, Slipknot, Lenny Kravitz, Shakira, Mana, Evanescence and Guns N’ Roses.

The series’ first concert extravaganza was held in Rio over 10 days in January 1985, and by drawing 1.4 million people it is believed to be the largest rock festival in the world. The next editions were in 1991 and 2001, before the series ventured overseas, with several Rock in Rio concerts held in Lisbon and Madrid.