Péricles delivers a Motown tribute show at Rock in Rio

The singer Péricles is in the spotlight after stepping onto the Sunset stage at Rock in Rio for a special performance dedicated to the American label Motown. The show is part of the festival’s lineup and marks a rendition of hits that influenced Brazilian pagode.

The Sunset stage lineup

Péricles performs romantic ballads that served as inspiration for many pagodes across Brazil. The setlist consists of Motown catalog hits, a label that boasted names such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5, the boy group led by a young Michael Jackson.

The idea for the show’s format emerged after the singer’s participation in the 2025 festival The Town. At that event, Péricles performed on the Quebrada stage with Dexter, in a show that was half in English.

Rock in Rio’s artistic director Zé Ricardo saw the performance and suggested the show model that Péricles now executes at the festival. Rehearsals with the backing band are being held remotely, though the singer mentioned some difficulty with the dynamics of video calls.

Dialogue between musical genres

The repertoire seeks to establish a dialogue between black music, linking 1990s pagode to the soul and R&B produced by Motown in the 1970s and 1980s. According to Péricles, both genres draw from the same source and share great similarities.

These similarities manifest in lyrics that address love in a sweet way and the laid‑back swing of the compositions. The former Exaltasamba vocalist notes that Brazilian pagode learned a lot from groups like Boyz II Men and composers such as Babyface.

These artists have conversed with Brazilian composers who preceded their generation, such as Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão and Arlindo Cruz. The performance aims to show how North American black music influenced national musical production.

Lázaro Ramos’s reaction

Actor Lázaro Ramos celebrated Péricles’s performance during an interview with Fábia Oliveira’s column at Rock in Rio. He said the festival edition gathered his perfect programming, specifically citing Péricles’s Motown show.

Ramos recalled directing one of Péricles’s first solo shows after the artist left Exaltasamba. At the time, the actor suggested the singer perform Stevie Wonder songs, which resulted in a performance that left Péricles fascinated.

A tribute to Zé Ricardo

For Lázaro Ramos, the inclusion of Péricles’s show is a gift from artistic director Zé Ricardo. The actor described Zé Ricardo as a friend who always surprises with the festival’s programming.

Ramos explained he will not be able to watch the show live at the Rock City due to recording commitments. He plans to watch the performance on television and send a congratulatory message to the artist, thus completing his experience with the event’s dream lineup.

With information from G1, Metrópoles.