Review: Despite Mishaps, Primavera Sound Madrid Delivers A Weekend of Spectacular Performances
PRIMAVERA SOUND’S FIRST TIME IN MADRID — despite some bumps in the road, was an overall success that paves the way for the festival’s return.
THURSDAY
On the first day of Primavera Sound’s inaugural event in Madrid, organizers faced difficulty. Around 24 hours before Thursday, June 8, the opening day was suspended due to “safety reasons in view of … [an] adverse weather forecast.” With headliners such as Halsey, Blur, and New Order and acts such as NxWorries and Sudan Archives, Thursday was a highly anticipated day. Fans were expectedly disappointed, however the choice was understandable given safety concerns.
With an entire day of programming lost due to unforeseen circumstances, the Primavera Sound team quickly organized a set by headliner Blur held at La Riviera, a venue within Madrid city limits. While Thursday and full weekend ticket-holders were able to attend the event free of charge, the 2,500-person capacity of the venue meant tickets were difficult to obtain.
FRIDAY
With the excitement of Friday overwhelming the disappointment of Thursday, fans began their journey to Arganda del Rey. Many attendees assumed — if not by distance, by the countless emails explaining how to arrive — that the trek from Madrid to the festival grounds would be long. But the trek proved to be even more difficult than expected.
In hopes of arriving in time for Gabriels set at 8:00 p.m., I left Madrid Center at 6:00 p.m. At about 3 km away from the festival entrance. there was a massive traffic jam. Attendees got out of their cars and walked on the shoulder of the highway to avoid the traffic. We got out of our Uber and walked to the festival grounds arriving at around 8:20 PM — just in time to catch Gabriels shouting “Thank you and goodbye Madrid!”
The festival grounds were sprawling, though not difficult to navigate. The view was beautiful, particularly as the sun began setting over the mountains. There was ample space to walk around, sit down, and eat. There were enough food trucks that lines were not egregious, and prices were relatively affordable for a music festival. The lines for drinks and beer were longer, though there were a handful of free water fountains scattered around the festival.
After watching the start of Depeche Mode, who ruled the stage with the intensity of experience, I ventured over to Japanese Breakfast, hoping to get a break from the crowds before the anticipated Kendrick Lamar set.
Japanese Breakfast performed twice on Friday, the first at the large Santander stage, the second at the Pull and Bear Vision Stage. The former was an incredibly intimate acoustic set with about 60 to 70 people in the audience. Michelle Zauner’s voice was soft and soothing. While she was professional and unbothered, the moment was offset by bleeding music from Four Tet’s set, whose electronic sounds at times overpowered Zauner.
By the end of her set, Zauner joined the crowd. As she took photos with fans, they showered her with love, telling Zauner how far they had come to see her (one fan was from Brazil) and revealing how impactful her memoir, Crying in H Mart, had been for them. She was kind and generous with her time, waiting until every single person had a photo and a chance to talk to her before making her exit. Such a close, personal interaction with an artist at a music festival felt like finding a needle in a haystack, a true gem courtesy of Zauner.
Afterward, I ventured to Lamar’s set with the mental preparation for an intense and rowdy crowd. But although it was Lamar’s first time in Madrid, the crowd felt surprisingly relaxed. The artist took the stage in simple red shorts and a pull-up cardigan set. Behind him, a large painted banner. Later in his set, Lamar was joined by the Kendrick clones, who also graced the stage the previous weekend at Primavera Sound Barcelona.
A deceptively simple set up, it was a true reminder that Lamar has utilized complex stage props and setups in the past solely to send a message, and never because he needs a gimmick to dominate a stage and mesmerize a crowd. Lamar blessed the crowd by taking us through his entire discography, rather than focusing on his most recent release, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The setlist ranged from Section.80’s “A.D.H.D,” to good kid, m.A.A.d city’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and DAMN.’s “Love” and even “Family Ties,” for which he brought out Baby Keem.
While the hits were familiar to fans, many songs veered from the original studio version. With added electric guitar, bass, and drums, classic Lamar songs took on a rock style that was electrifying, interesting, and highlighted the artist’s versatility. Despite some low-energy moments from the crowd, Lamar was able to excite the crowd with hits such as “Alright” and “King Kunta,” solidifying his first performance in Madrid as nothing short of stellar.
SATURDAY
Invigorated by the success of Friday, Saturday felt promising and exciting. While the plan was to arrive utilizing the shuttles provided by the festival, the one hour and 30 minute–long metro to arrive at the shuttle pickup point (which was about 45 minutes from the festival grounds) proved too daunting, and I opted for another expensive Bolt to the event. While the festival grounds were expansive and beautiful, the distance from the city is something worth revisiting if the festival returns next year.
Once there, Maggie Rogers’ set drew us in. With a blue sky slowly giving way to an orange sunset, her set was beautiful and romantic. Rogers’ voice was bright and beautiful. She wore a red sequin top with long pieces of fabric that flowed and sparkled in the soft sun as she danced on stage.
Shortly after her performance, on the stage directly across from Rogers, was Kelela. While the festival generally had great sound, Kelela was obviously having technical difficulties as she fidgeted with her earpiece and had to walk offstage multiple times in attempts to resolve the problem. Despite this, her set was alluring. Her voice was siren-like in its clarity and emotion, which was emphasized by her long nails and smooth movements, showing that Kelela is not only confident on the stage, but that she was meant for it.
A mix of electronic fun, true rawness, and vocal power; Kelela left fans both dancing and crying.
Following her set, I headed to the Plentitude stage to catch Tokischa’s performance. She kept the energy high as she led the crowd through a two-hour set of dembow and dancing that had no lulls. She was hypnotic and seductive as she performed choreography that included a lot of floor work, leaving me wondering why organizers would place her on a stage with no jumbotron. She played hits such as “Singamo” and “Estilazo,” and though her discography has plenty of features she had no guests, proving her complete and singular star power. As she exited the stage, people were filtering to where Rosalía was set to perform. Suddenly, Tokischa came back on stage shouting, “This is for those of you that leave early!” before playing “Linda,” teasing fans with a Rosalía appearance that never came.
At the end of Tokischa’s performance, it seemed there was a mass exodus to the Santander stage, confirming that Rosalía was one act that few could miss, and for good reason. She delivered a stunning, raw, dynamic performance with a high production level. Her stage presence was far-reaching, mesmerizing fans even at the back of the enormous crowd. In fact, Rosalía seemed to specifically cater to those toward the tail end of the audience. The jumbotrons were more than just mirrors for her fascinating stage choreography, rather a tool for another layer of the performance.
The camera work was impressive, including shots from above of various moments in her routine. At one point, the camera became a selfie perspective that Rosalía held while going into the crowd and letting fans sing into the microphone, bringing everyone into this moment of connection.
In fact, Rosalía seemed especially vulnerable in this performance — she spoke directly to the audience about the difficulties of touring. At one point, she was in tears singing a cover of Enrique Iglesias’ “Heroe.” I was expecting the impressive choreography and angelic vocals, but her ability to be vulnerable and raw while both singing and speaking to the audience was a surprise that added a new dimension to her performance. Shortly after the cover, she snapped right back to a level of attitude and energy that made sure you didn't forget she was still LA Rosalía.
For those of us who opted to leave after Rosalía, missing Bad Gyal’s 3:30 a.m. set, the taxi line looked deceivingly long but moved quickly. However, the shuttles were confusing. Though workers were efficiently ushering people into long lines for different drop-off zones, they could not tell you how long the shuttle would be. When I asked, “Is it about an hour to arrive?” one worker responded, “Perhaps. I honestly have no idea, so I don’t want to say.” Once you were dropped off by shuttles, you could call an Uber home.
For those who enjoyed the festival to the very end, around 6:00 a.m., the taxi line became hours long. One attendee got in line at 5:30, only to get into a taxi a little after 8:00. The shuttle lines were not an alternative at that point. Another attendee joined the shuttle line at 5:30, only to finally get on a shuttle at 9:30.
If you were lucky enough to have service, there was a small section for Uber pickups. One attendee shared that after 90 minutes of attempting to call an Uber, she was finally able to connect. Then, she had 15 minutes to find the vehicle and get into it. Once in the Uber, people were literally knocking on the car doors and poking their head through the window, begging to hop in, regardless of destination, in hopes of simply getting off festival grounds.
While leaving music festivals is almost always an endeavor, there is a need for some serious reconsideration in the organization of departures. It is difficult to know why Saturday’s departure was significantly more arduous than the previous night. The issue could have been exacerbated by the influx of festival-goers due to Thursday’s cancellation (Thursday ticket holders were offered the option to go on Friday or Saturday in place of a refund). While it’s impossible to know the cause, the issue was undeniable and no doubt must be taken into consideration if Primavera Sound plans to return to Madrid.
Despite the loss of the opening day and the difficult journey to and from festival grounds, Primavera Sound Madrid delivered an unforgettable weekend at a gorgeous, spacious venue, and we can hardly sit still for next year.
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