That’s down on the record-breaking 35,000-capacity sellout it enjoyed last year, when Arcade Fire topped the bill, and also 2010 – is first year on the new site – when the average crowd was 26,000 per day.
However, compared with the lean years when it was continually moving from site to site, the Musica No Coracao-produced event is still doing much better at Maco.
Up until 2008, Super Bock Super Rock, a twinned event staged in Lisbon and Porto, had been on a low. That year it did only about 13,000 per day at each site and Portuguese daily Público called it “the festival that didn’t exist.”
The acts helping Super Bock Super Rock enjoy better times July 5-7 included Peter Gabriel & The New Blood Orchestra, Hot Chip, Alabama Shakes, Bat For Lashes, Skrillex, Incubus and Regina Spektor.