Metallica, Linkin Park + More to Open 2015 Rock In Rio USA

Next year, the people behind the Rock in Rio festival will bring their franchise to the United States. Yesterday (Sept. 26), they revealed some of the major acts who will perform at Rock in Rio USA, including Metallica, Linkin Park and Deftones.

At an announcement made in New York, Roberta Medina, the executive vice president of Rock in Rio, said that the festival will make its U.S. debut on May 8-9, 2015 -- and again a week later -- at the City of Rock, their not-yet built permanent custom-made venue in Las Vegas. "From the first Rock in Rio festival in Brazil in 1985 to next year's anniversary and Las Vegas launch," she said. "It's been an amazing journey with Rock In Rio fans and the artists that have taken part in the festival. We're thrilled to see the construction of our first U.S. City Of Rock and to announce the first artists who will perform in Las Vegas in May 2015."

Located just north of Circus Circus on the Las Vegas Strip, City of Rock will feature six stages, three "Rock Streets" and a 600-foot zipline. The 37-acre site will have a capacity of 85,000 people. Rock in Rio USA is a joint venture between Rock in Rio and MGM Resorts -- the owners of the land -- Cirque du Soleil and Vegas grocery store magnate Ron Burkle.

No Doubt, Taylor Swift and John Legend will also perform at next year's event, with plenty more names to be revealed in the future. There have been rumors that Bruce Springsteen, who played at Rock in Rio in 2013, will also appear, but there has been no official confirmation as yet. General admission weekend tickets and one-day VIP passes can already be purchased at their website.

Rock in Rio was first launched in 1985. In 2004, they branched out to Lisbon, Portugal, and have also held festivals in Madrid, Spain. An estimated 7.4 million fans have attended Rock in Rio events over the years.