Title: N'Sync, Britney Spears delight Brazilians
Date: January 19, 2001
Source: Associated Press, International news
Topic: News
Author: Michael Astor
Location: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
It was well past the audience's bedtime when N'Sync descended upon the Rock in Rio festival stage early Friday morning.
More than 200,000 fans, mostly teen-agers, waited for nearly two hours for the band, which tore through hits like ''Tearin up My Heart,'' and ''Bye, Bye, Bye,'' amid a dazzling array of special effects. ''I was so tired, so tired but when N'Sync came on I forgot all about it,'' said an ecstatic Gracielle Oliveira, 15, who traveled 16 hours by bus from Brasilia, the nation's capital, just to see her idols.
Organizers said the night, which also featured Britney Spears, Five, Aaron Carter and Brazilian teen act Sandy & Junior, was the most popular event so far in the seven-day festival featuring over 150 acts from around the world.
Britney Spears who took the stage around midnight, opened with ''Crazy'' and changed outfits nine times by the time she closed with the Rolling Stones' ''Satisfaction.''
''I liked it best when she tore off her shirt and was wearing the little red top,'' remarked 14-year-old Wesley Silva de Castro.
Five and Brazil's best selling act last year, Sandy & Junior, enjoyed a similar success, but 13-year-old Aaron Carter's short set left fans disappointed.
The local press, in the days leading up to the festival, crowned 17-year-old Sandy the Brazilian Britney Spears and dubbed the evening ''A Night of Virgins,'' because both singers have vowed to remain chaste until marriage.
The Rock in Rio festival ends Sunday.
