R&B Queens and President of Pop got Rio Rockin' for the Weekend

Rio de Janeiro welcomed the advent of southern spring with a dash of Hollywood sizzle. 

Recently, Beyoncé Knowles, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys put thousands of revellers in high party mode at the fifth edition of Rock in Rio 2013 – a grand annual music festival series of international standing held in Rio de Janeiro.

Staged as part of her current “The Mrs Carter Show” world tour, Beyoncé  warmed up the World Stage on Friday evening with her renowned mix of sexy dance routines, energetic vocal prowess and a set list of chart-topping anthems such as Run the World (Girls), Naughty Girl, Freakum Dress, Survivor, Get Me Bodied, Baby Boy, Why Don’t You Love Me and Crazy in Love, just to list a few.

On stage, Beyoncé dazzled her crowd with a selection of fantastic confections designed by Ricardo Tisci of Givenchy, Dsquared2, David Koma, Julien MacDonald, Peter Dundas of Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli and Gucci – again, just to list a few - while celebrity shoemaker Stuart Weitzman crafted the shoes.

On Sunday, Justin Timberlake wowed his fans and music lovers alike at the City of Rock with his energetic performance. 

Dressed in a white shirt with black triangle panelling detail by French fashion label Maison Martin Margiela, a pair of jeans and hat, the singer, who was also in town to promote his latest action flick Runner Runner – or Aposta Máxima as it is known in Brazil – entertained the crowd with his slick and sexy dance routines.

Unlike Beyoncé who had several wardrobe changes throughout the course of her show, it’s au contraire in Justin’s case.

Yet, fans were absolutely thrilled as he belted out hit songs from his current album (The 20/20 Experience) such as Mirrors, Suit &Tie and Pusher Girl, with acoustic renditions of hits such as Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, Señorita, and What Goes Around. For the Brazilian show, Justin was accompanied by his JT and the Tennessee Kids band. 

Accompanied by her favourite baby grand piano, Alicia Keys, whose appearance on the same evening was part of her current Set the World on Fire world tour greeted her fans on the top of her piano. She was dressed in translucent black top with blue sequined halter front, a hat and a pair of belted, hip-hugging trousers.

Along with her suit-and-tie-clad dancers and backing musicians, Alicia heated up the spring evening with several songs from her latest studio album (Girl on Fire) such as the hit single with the same name.   

Like Justin, Alicia did not change her wardrobe and remained in the same costume throughout the duration of her performance. Yet, her energetic performance kept the revellers grounded and in constant party mode.

The singer/songwriter also treated her fans with piano renditions of her previous chart-topping repertoires such as You Don’t My Name and Empire State of Mind. 

Guest guitarist Maria Gadú from Brazil made her appearance on stage along Alicia, strumming her guitar as Alicia sang her all-time favourite Fallin’.    

*Photos by Fernando Schlaepfer, Victor Nomoto and Hick Duarte (Justin Timberlake); Raul Aragão (Beyoncé and Alicia Keys); and Esper (Alicia Keys)/ihateflash/Rock in Rio.

Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience Part 2 of 2 and The 20/20 Experience: The Complete Experience will be available in stores on September 30, 2013 while Alicia Keys’ Set the World on Fire World Tour will be staged in Kuala Lumpur on November 27, 2013 at Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil. Tickets will go on sale on Sept 12 at 10.30am and can be purchased at all authorised TicketPro outlets. Call 03-7880 7999 for more information.