Big Sean, EDM acts added to Rock in Rio USA lineup

Hip-hop artist Big Sean, shown in February while promoting his latest album, "Dark Sky Paradise," will perform at the Rock in Rio USA festival in Las Vegas.

March 4, 2015 11:57 AM PT

Big Sean, Smallpools and Gaslamp Killer are among the latest additions to the first Rock in Rio USA festival, organizers announced on Wednesday.

Sean, who just scored his first No. 1 album with his well-received effort “Dark Sky Paradise,” becomes the festival’s first hip-hop act. The rapper is slated to perform during the second weekend of the festival.

Set for consecutive weekends in May at a newly constructed site on the Las Vegas Strip, the festival splits its lineup between rock and pop and will boast more than 100 acts.

Emerging Los Angeles indie-pop band Smallpools will play during the first weekend and Low End Theory founder Gaslamp Killer leads the slew of DJs booked for the electronic stage.

The first weekend of electronic acts is focused on EDM, bass and trap music. Gaslamp Killer, Las Vegas duo Caked Up and AN21 are among those performing.

Weekend 2 will be split into two themes. Night 1 will showcase female DJs from L.A. (Whitney Fierce, Jeniluv, Valid and Heidi Lawden) with the next night being dedicated to global house music. The lineup will include acts from the U.S., Brazil, Spain and Portugal.

No Doubt, Maná, Metallica, Linkin Park, Of Mice & Men, Foster the People, Gary Clark Jr. and Bleachers are some of the acts that will play the rock-leaning weekend of the festival, scheduled for May 8-9.

Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Sam Smith, John Legend, Empire of the Sun, Ed Sheeran, Joss Stone and Mikky Ekko will appear during Weekend 2, May 15-16.

Rock in Rio’s first foray into the U.S. celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Brazil-born music festival, and organizers have teamed with MGM Resorts International and Cirque du Soleil to create what’s planned as a sprawling, immersive site.

Spread over 40 acres on the Strip, the custom-made City of Rock will be able to accommodate 85,000 people per day, with multiple stages, a 600-foot zip line and a Ferris wheel, among other attractions

There will also be three themed “rock streets,” each lined with shops and restaurants plus a stage where bands and artists will perform throughout the day.

Festival headliners will perform on the festival’s main stage and alternate timing, making it possible to see every artist on the lineup.

Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. General admission weekend passes are $298 and access to the VIP area -- which has a 4,000-person limit and will have an air-conditioned section and all-inclusive buffet -- is $498 per day. VIP passes for May 9 and May 16 have already sold out.

The full lineup:

May 8

Main stage: No Doubt, Maná, The Pretty Reckless, Smallpools

Sunset stage: Foster the People, Gary Clark Jr, Bleachers, Saints of Valory

Electronic stage: AN21, Ftampa, Wax Motif, MVTH

Rock Street Brazil: Spock Frevo Orquestra, Pepeu Gomes, Leo Gandelman

Rock Street USA: DJ Druskee & MC Myron Marten, Academy of Villains, Rock in Rio Dance Crew

Rock Street U.K.: Stones the Beetles, Terra Celta

May 9

Main stage: Metallica, Linkin Park, Rise Against, Hollywood Undead

Sunset stage: Deftones, Sepultura (feat. Steve Vai), Coheed and Cambria, Of Mice & Men

Electronic stage: Caked Up, Gaslamp Killer, Felguk, Alok