Chappell Roan completes a "historic" Primavera Sound

Barcelona"We are proud to have produced a historic edition," said Alfonso Lanza, one of the co-directors of Primavera Sound, at the SLS Hotel in Sant Adrià de Besòs. At the traditional press conference, held just as the festival's third day begins at the Parc de Fòrum, he detailed that the total attendance reached 293,000, some 25,000 more than last year. This is a record, if you don't take into account the the 2022 two-weekend edition. These were predictable figures given that five months ago both season tickets and daily tickets were sold out, thanks above all to the choice of headliners such as Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.

Precisely Chappell Roan, was the star of the show on Saturday. Expectations were high, as evidenced by the crowd awaiting this diva. queer An unexpected creation from the depths of the American Bible Belt. And with an aesthetic harmony: a cowboy look and lots of pink accessories, just as the American artist had requested through social media. Some have even appeared adorned with an inflatable pink unicorn or a pink pony headband, a nod to Pink Pony Club, one of the Missouri singer's most dazzling hits.

[As written by Alejandra Palés] Chappell Roan performed on a stage that looked like something out of a fantasy book, a sort of castle in ruins with a flying dragon included. Dressed in green and with her powerful hair blowing in the wind, she showed off a captivating and surprising stage presence given that practically two years ago she was unknown and that she hasn't done that many large-scale concerts so far. Roan walks with strength and determination on stage, the same attitude she has off it.

With a career of just one album, The Risk and Failure of Midwest Princess (2023), Roan has not left out any of the songs from his debut from the concert and has had time to include a new unreleased song, Subway, a song that moves in the realm of the ballad, which is when she can demonstrate her vocal talent, as has become clear when she performed the delicate KaleidoscopeOutside of the album, he has sung about his foray into country music. The giverThe singer has made line dance and pulled out the names of ex-partners from the audience (he had previously asked them through social media) to scold them "for not doing their job" in bed. The final bow of the concert was Pink Pony Club, the most chanted song of the night along with the cathartic King is karma.

Fontainas DC and Palestine

"We want to thank the city of Barcelona for all the facilities and logistics needed to make the festival happen," Lanza added, emphasizing that the festival is organized by "an independent company from Barcelona," although it is also organized by an American investment fund. The co-director also expressed his gratitude for the audience's behavior, rightly boasting about the excellent management of the flow between stages. "We are proud to know that they can manage such a large audience and keep everything flowing," he said. "The audience's level of dedication to their idols is amazing," he remarked.

This audience dedication Lanza speaks of had varying degrees of intensity on the third day. There was the pleasant tranquility with which the calm folk-rock guitar and violin of American Christian Lee Hutson was followed on the Cupra stage, and the friendliness with which they accompanied Kim Deal, the historic bassist of the Pixies and The Breedrers, at the Revolut. Incidentally, Deal's concert, which included hits from another life as Gigantic, No aloha and Cannonball, was stepped on with that of Horsegirl, the Chicago trio that on the Trainline stage vindicated that same fusion of indie-rock and noise-pop of more than thirty years ago and that is finding a young audience that does not turn its back on the sound of the electric guitar.

Among the audience of the Welsh group Los Campesinos!, at the Schwarzkopf, there were fists in the air in response to the edgy indie socialism of some songs, especially those heirs to the Paul Heaton influence (The Housemartins and The Beautiful South). And Amaia, at the Cupra, received the support and shouts of an eminently local audience that rewarded the Navarrese singer's proposal: to offer a relevant part of the repertoire with violin and a generous wind-brass section that did not clash with the more electronic pop of pieces like The meeting.

And on the Revolt stage, around nine o'clock at night, a curious two-speed intensity developed. From the middle to the back, the crowd was predominantly seated on the artificial turf, reserving their energy or interest for Chappell Roan. And the equally vast front section was occupied by the audience wanting to properly experience the concert by the Irish band Fontaines DC, who shared two messages on the screens: "Free Palestine" and "Israel is committing genocide." There were also Palestinian flags both on stage and among the audience. Musically, the Dublin group wasn't as incendiary as they were at Primavera Sound in 2022. Probably because, to put it mildly, the album Romance (2024) brings them closer to Blur than to the visceral pub post-punk of earlier eras. However, Grian Chatten continues to exploit that lanky charisma, and when the band got going, they strung together a resolute final stretch with commendable energy that turned the whole thing into a flawless festival concert.

More international audiences than ever

In terms of audience distribution, the three main days at the Fòrum venue attracted 213,000 attendees: 71,000 each day (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). The Spring in the City concerts attracted 80,000 attendees: 30,000 for the free Wednesday session at the Fòrum, 20,000 in the concert halls, and 30,000 (expected) for the electronic music party on Sunday at the Fòrum. For the first time, Thursday's session was as crowded as Friday's and Saturday's. Partly because the headliner was Charli XCX, but it also surely has to do with the fact that 65% of the attendees are "international audiences", about 7 points more than in 2024. As reported by the festival's head of institutional relations, Marta Pallarès, the Primavera Sound audience comes from 136 countries, but she also points out that the country with the most spectators is the United Kingdom, followed by the United States and Italy.

Negotiate a new agreement with Barcelona City Council

The current agreement between Primavera Sound and Barcelona City Council guarantees the festival's celebration at the Parc del Fòrum until next year. "The contract runs until 2026," Lanza confirms. "We are in negotiations, and talks are progressing to reach a three- or four-year agreement." the reform of the seafront, which will involve the construction of a soccer field on the maritime platform that houses the festival's main stages, Lanza explained that there is "a commitment from the City Council to develop projects that are compatible with the festival." "Primavera Sound couldn't happen without the maritime platform," said the festival's co-director.