Rock in Rio Acts We Wouldn’t Miss

Tinariwen's interlocking desert-blues guitars would be compelling anywhere; heard outdoors near sunset, the repetition and space should become even more powerful.

Jamiroquai's basslines alone justify arriving early, and the band's long catalog remains far better live than its retro-funk label suggests.

Luisa Sonza builds Brazilian pop around choreography, visual scale and direct hooks, making her set a natural fit for the festival rather than local representation.

Tricky is the poster's strangest major booking, and his dark, deliberately unstable live performances provide risk inside an otherwise polished festival machine.

As Rock in Rio's first K-pop headliner, Stray Kids brings a self-produced catalog and a physically demanding show built for the festival's largest stage.

Foo Fighters remains the dependable answer when a festival field needs direct guitar songs, visible effort and choruses that work on first contact.

Laufey's jazz-pop arrangements and controlled voice offer a quiet counterweight to the festival's spectacle without conceding the ability to hold a huge crowd.

Calvin Harris has enough immediate dance-pop hits to command the late slot without subtlety, explanation or a single dead stretch.

Elton John's catalog can carry a festival field from piano ballads to mass singalongs, making his booking feel appropriately larger than a normal headline slot.

Gilberto Gil playing to the biggest possible Brazilian crowd offers history, musicianship and songs that can make a giant festival feel briefly intimate.