Rock in Rio: 5 things to do while waiting for Taylor

It was no secret. The second Friday of Rock in Rio USA was back-loaded from top-billed Taylor Swift, and most people taking their time to roll in knew it.

But Swift wasn’t due on the main stage until after 11 p.m. and even if you time it from Ed Sheeran going on at 9:30 p.m., that’s a lot of time to kill for early arrivals.

But it’s a festival after all, where early arrivals had a chance to say goodbye to weather that still hovered at a partly sunny 68 degrees even at 6:30 p.m.. And there was plenty to see, hear and taste.

1. Jump around with Sofia Vergara — err, Ivete Sangalo.

Those who followed this festival up from its country of birth showed Swiftians how they party there, as those early to the main stage tried to keep up with the infectious rhythms of a bilingual Brazilian star who seems to have had lots of practice navigating a ramp in heels.

Sangalo thanked Las Vegas and the U.S.A. for letting her play here, but “going native” works both ways.

2. Steer the kids away from Charli XCX.

Youngsters were a rare sighting last Friday but you have to take care not to step on them this time. The new-wavey, 22-year-old Brit hit the second stage with a jolly “How are you (bleep-in’) doin’ Las Vegas?” and then launched right into “Sucker” with its sing-along “(Blank) you!” chorus.

3. Drink from a saxophone.

No wait for Coronas at the conventional beer stands. But one of the only waits of the early evening was the place that sold the $30 watermelon margaritas. At least part of the time you could go native again and sway to the jazzy grown-ups of Bossacucanova on the small Rockstreet Brazil stage near most of the food venders on the Western edge of the site.

4. Ride the Ferris wheel.

Though much of the festival’s environmental entertainment repeated from last week — not too many carryovers from “Rock Weekend” anyway — the first Friday’s crowd did not get to ride the 150-foot La Grande, thanks to a weather-related shutdown. But the wheel was turning and the line was short this evening.

5. Get close enough to the main stage to see Echosmith for real, not on the video screens.

But not too close. Talk about moving up in the pop world. Not six months ago, this California sibling band was on the breaking, “baby band” stage at the Life Is Beautiful festival downtown. Now Echosmith was keeping the whole East end of the place happy with their parent-friendly alt-pop. A cover of Talking Heads “This Must Be the Place” was as breezy as singer Sydney Sierota’s white summer dress.