Rio is a dangerous place and I agree with you that the best place to see the concert is from the rooftop of a hotel near the beach. The beach that night of the concert will be even more dangerous for tourists, I can guarantee.

I forget some of the names of hotels, but tripadvisor.com would have a good list and reviews. I think the big, ritzy one there is the The Palace, but I forget.

Don't miss going to a Samba show. Really fun. The famous one is Plataforma, but we went to one that was a little less touristy and loved it.

I can recommend a wonderful guide for Rio. His name is Pedro (aka Peter) and his website is www.privatetours.com.br Pedro speaks perfect English and is a great guy. He can take you one some unusual jeep tours as well as to some of the usual spots, like Sugarloaf and the Corcovada. He can also arrange a trip to Iguassu Falls for you if you like.

Candice NYC