Rock in Rio? More like a state fair midway — PHOTOS

Two sights that might turn out to be unique to the first day of Rock in Rio USA? Green. And coats.

Green in the artificial turf that covered acres of the festival site, which spread from nearly Las Vegas Boulevard to nearly Industrial Road. For a few hours there on Friday, the first of four nights of the ambitious music festival, you could park your rear end anywhere you pleased, even if parking your car was one of the main challenges of a festival plopped right onto Las Vegas Boulevard at Sahara Avenue.

Coats, because even when the sun was out, temperatures hovered in the low 60s; an odd Las Vegas greeting from a city that often breaks 100 by this time of May. Threatening winds and dark skies greeted the few who bothered to show up when the gates opened just after 3 p.m. on Friday.

But within an hour it was as if an invisible hand had whisked all that away, declaring that kind of weather neither appropriate for Rio or Las Vegas. The sun was not to last, but for a time?

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful day,” crooned rapper Theophilus London around 4:45 p.m. No one would argue, not even the young women in clinging silver nightclub mini-dresses, dressed to draw the dudes’ eyes to some Alien Fresh Jerkey.

By 6:30 p.m. though? A black sweater covered a silver halter. And by 8 p.m. it seemed like a state fair midway in October out there as more threatening clouds hovered over the guitar thunder of bluesy rocker Gary Clark, Jr. By 9 p.m. a weather app showed Las Vegas to be 59 degrees, nine chiller than Rio de Janeiro.

The festival is the first for permanent fairgrounds developed in partnership with MGM Resorts. Indoor restrooms are part of the new infrastructure for the long-dormant land.

Light attendance couldn’t all be blamed on the weather. (Festival officials said they would announce a combined weekend attendance today, but wouldn’t be breaking it down by day; tickets were sold both by day and by weekend pass.)

Friday’s lineup had the least star power of the four nights. Metallica and other big hitters of “Rock Weekend” are up today. “Pop Weekend” brings Taylor Swift on May 15 and Bruno Mars on May 16.

Still, by 8 p.m. the area between the main stage and soundboard had filled in pretty densely for former “Gossip Girl” Taylor Momsen’s 80s-rock style band The Pretty Reckless. But most big outdoor festivals are basically watched on giant TV screens anyway. And this one ran the feed from the active stage on the idle one next door. Yes, it would seem these Rock in Rio folks know their stuff after 30 years of the Brazilian namesake and spin-off festivals in other parts of the world.

It figures that one of the first guys through the gate would be from Brazil. After making his metal face to pose with a robot — which greeted people with guitars on his back and keyboards on his arms — Marcelo Dzialoszynski of Sao Paulo hoped to be one of the first to ride the zip line that whisks festivalgoers to a landing platform just to the right of the main stage.

A veteran of “many” of the namesake festivals in Brazil, Dzialoszynski said it was “very, very different” to show up to an empty main gate and waltz right in. He was staying at the nearby Palace Station and, after paying only about $6 for a taxi ride, had no complaints about long-hauling.

“I guess Americans are more excited to be there at the end,” he said, theorizing that Brazilian fans watch a whole soccer game, while NBA viewers don’t get fired up “until the fourth quarter.”

Perhaps he had a point.

“Fourth quarter” headliners No Doubt weren’t due on the main stage until 11:45 p.m., though much of the Spanish-speaking contingent was fired up for the 10 p.m. set by Mexican rockers Mana.

He wouldn’t be the first on the zip line though. Those honors went to a Portland couple who planned today to become Cain and Nicole Gurule, after a limo delivered them back to the festival grounds to be married at the chapel next to the second stage.

“Months ago” they decided to go for the added first of being the fest’s first (nonstaff) zip line riders, Cain explained. His Metallica hat and shirt testified to today’s secondary, post-nuptial mission. After the zip line, Friday was “just to scope it out.”

These two might have a future, based on that smart decision. By 6:30 p.m., the Rock & Fly line was about 30 yards past the turnstile entry. Afternoon winds halted the other ride, the 320-foot La Grande ferris wheel.

They wouldn’t be the first couple to get married, however. The honors went to Brazilians Ricardo Guerra, a musician affiliated with the event, and his bride, Vanessa. Weddings came with the option of a Portuguese-speaking reverend or an Elvis, who is also Brendan Paul, proprietor of the Graceland Wedding Chapel.

Weddings in the shadow of the Evolution Stage could only be performed “whenever there’s a lull,” Paul said. But he filled one of those lulls — and drew a sizable crowd — with his Elvis tones.

The honors of being the first band to play the festival went to anthemic Austin rockers Saints of Valory, playing the first song “Another Wave” on the second stage. “So how are we doing this morning? I mean afternoon?” singer Gavin Jasper asked.

Jasper told the small crowd of early arrivals that the band played the namesake festival two years ago “and it was amazing,” without volunteering a description of Friday’s challenging time slot by comparison.

The honors of being first up on the main stage fell to the pop-rock band Smallpools, after a brief performance by Cirque du Soleil acrobats from “Ka” and “Zarkana.”

Noting the gravity of that honor, singer Sean Scanlon said, “Aw, shucks.” But he later asked fans, “Can we just revel in this moment right now?” and put away their phones long enough to “experience real life together” and jump up and down with him.

From the midpoint entry gate, the festival grounds have two distinct atmospheres. To the East, it looks more like a traditional outdoor rock festival, with the main stage backing up to the Strip. On the West end, theme park-style facades house the vendors selling the beef jerky — and the $8 kale salad, $17 lobster tots or $20 rack of St. Louis-style ribs.

The 40-acre grounds are so large that it’s a six-minute walk — with purpose and without distraction, but not speed-walking from the zip line landing Station on the Strip end to the Rock Diner ’66 housing the barbecue.

The two main stages alternate their sets, but the distance allows Smallpools to play on the main stage while a group of old dudes called Stone the Beetles laid down a killer cover of “Hey Jude” with its four-piece horn section.

Covers can even add a little magic to the main stage. The pop-rockers Smallpools found the perfect song for the moment in the New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give.”

“Do you feel like you can take over the world now?” singer Scanlon asked.

Read more from Mike Weatherford at bestoflasvegas.com. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com