Shakira puts the limits of macro-concerts to the test

MadridWho would have told Gabriel García Márquez that in a wheat field that is no longer cultivated –a legacy of what was once the Madrid district of Villaverde, as its name indicates– a venue called Macondo Park would be installed. The name of the town that the Colombian writer imagined in One Hundred Years of Solitude is what Shakira has decided to christen her European residency in Madrid, where she has been since this Friday until October 11th, when she will put an end to the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour. There are a total of 12 concerts and, in just two days, the Colombian has already sung in front of more than 100,000 people.

About 55,000 people –the daily capacity– welcomed her this Saturday, in what was her second concert. A "Shakira" in giant pink letters appears on the stage screen. On the floor and in the stands, hundreds of mobile phones light up. And an almost silence is broken in an apotheosic way when the singer suddenly appears. Accompanied by dancers, she crosses the audience to the stage. "Buenas noches, Madrid!", exclaims Shakira, who soon starts with classics like Las de la intuición, and which a devoted audience does not hesitate to sing and dance to. Individual wristbands that light up and fireworks take care of the lights. Shakira promises to "give it her all" and it seems the audience does too. Soon one of the references from her latest hit appears, which has led her to this tour: "There is nothing like when a she-wolf reunites with her pack". She recalls that the last few years "have not been easy": "I left with one face and I have returned with another", she says while the audience applauds her. The euphoria escalates song after song.

In this residency, the Colombian has imagined and made herself a custom-made Macondo, and who knows if it is because the residents of this peripheral and industrial neighborhood of Madrid have also been promised a new landscape for a long time, which some fear, since different administrations promoted the "city of music" there.

"The mural surprises you, right?", Gemma asks me, a neighbor from the district and member of the Stop Festivales Villaverde platform. "Very much," I answer her. "They have told us that this could be the future Soho of New York. Can you imagine tourists here?", she replies. It is Thursday, September 10th, and we are walking with other neighbors around the perimeter of the venue where the singer will perform. Nearby is the industrial estate of the same district, and on a facade of one of the warehouses there is a painting with bright colors and imaginary figures that contrasts with the grayscale of the warehouses and the red brick of the buildings nearby. "This is an industrial neighborhood," they reaffirm with pride.

220,000 square meters

Macondo Park is part of the Iberdrola Music venue: land spanning up to 220,000 m². The promoter Mad Cool Events –whose president is a board member at Live Nation España, Shakira's promoter– is the owner along with other private investors, and the energy company is a sponsor. Since it was inaugurated, the events have not stopped growing to the point where, while the Colombian singer's musical residency is being set up, the Coca-Cola Music Experience is being dismantled.

For some residents of Villaverde, as well as those of Colonia Marconi and Getafe Norte, neighborhoods that border the venue, Shakira's concerts represent the final strawof what began in 2023, when the Madrid macro-festival Mad Cool arrived: noise above the permitted limits, collapsed public transport, blocked streets, isolated neighbors, businesses forced to close outside of their usual hours, filth, or the fear of a crowd crush. "This [Shakira's residency] goes beyond everything we have seen so far," exclaims a neighbor from the same association. Festivals usually last between two and four days. And she warns: "The area is not prepared for the fan phenomenon."

These concerts will be the only ones the Colombian singer will perform in Europe. Therefore, it is not she who travels to different cities, but rather the audience who does so. Live Nation Spain has focused on the arrival of European citizens, but also those from Latin America. "We come from Helsinki. It was quite expensive for us, but she is the singer of my generation. We grew up with her," says Maria (27 years old). She and her three friends paid 205 euros for this Saturday's ticket. During the concert, Shakira does not hesitate to throw in a thank you in English.

It is expected that more than 600,000 people will attend in total. This Saturday, when there were still more than two hours left until the concert, a very long queue was already forming at the entrance to the floor: "They told us that yesterday there were people who couldn't get in." A father who is with his daughter takes it more calmly: "We will stay at the very back, where we can surely dance," he comments while sitting in the shade with a group of strangers.

The central stage and the stands form an immense black amphitheater. Around it, up to eight pavilions of different bright colors and a large white VIP area have been deployed. All the pavilions have their own programming hours before the concert: musical, literary, artistic, gastronomic, children's, and fashion-related. For example, a Shakira museum, a book club for One Hundred Years of Solitude or a catwalk featuring designs by Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada. It is, as defined by the organization, an "experience" under the umbrella of what the singer understands as "Latin" culture.

A showcase

But the Colombian will not be alone. During these days, she will be accompanied by up to 27 different artists: Amaia, Guitarricadelafuente, Lia Kali, and Yerai Cortés, among others. "I suppose the fact that she [Shakira] is also a showcase comes into play. You have to make yourself known, and the music world is very tough." This is the reflection of two of the organizers of the Observatorio Festival, who were surprised by the presence of some names on the lineup. They have been linked to the world of musical entertainment for years, but from a different format; initially, of much smaller dimensions.

They consider that Shakira's "artistic residency" is not a turning point—although they have doubts regarding its environmental impact—because the model of macro-concerts and macro-festivals is consolidated: "Even so, it is full of increasingly visible edges," they add.

"There are macro-festivals that overwhelm the physical and mental capacities of their audience. There are human-scale festivals and superhuman festivals," reflects journalist Nando Cruz in the book Macrofestivales: el agujero negro de la música. Recently, the proliferation of these large events has gone hand in hand with complaints from many attendees about the feeling of being in a sardine can, the quality of the music, the price of tickets, the cost of food and drinks inside—at Shakira's residency, a glass of water costs 6 euros: 3 for the water and 3 for the cup—and the feeling of "chaos".

"In terms of profitability, it's a perfect business, but they are very sold out. The presence and dependence on brands is very strong," reflect those from the Observatorio Festival. On the venue map, this translates into the fact that each of the pavilions bears the name of a sponsor. For example, the Ouigo space, Disney, or Boss Perfums. In the latter case, the public could queue to leave their signature on a panel. "They come for more than just a concert. Or do you pay 100 euros to enter and watch Shakira from a screen 200 meters away?".

Mobility problems

Outside the venue, the organization has also tailored the surroundings to their needs. "Along this paved path, which used to be a dirt road where cars couldn't pass, we used to ride our bikes to get to Getafe. Now it is used by the staff," the neighbors point out. They also denounce that some white pines have been cut down. Those that remain will coexist these days with giant palm trees.

The Madrid City Council has established a mobility plan, although from the neighborhood it is seen as insufficient. The same applies to the Getafe City Council. The area only has one commuter train stop, and the nearest metro station is half an hour away on foot or ten minutes by bus. When access is cut off –they cannot enter or leave during peak hours–, taxis and VTCs waiting for the public at the end of the concert take over the street. "Maybe you go to the supermarket and when you want to return they don't let you in," a neighbor denounces.

"During the rehearsals we already had it [the music] inside our homes," laments Gemma, who claims that the noise emissions exceed what is permitted. Stop Festivales Villaverde has already taken the battle to the courts through criminal proceedings. "We cannot go through the administrative route as has happened against the Santiago Bernabéu [...] We cannot afford expensive lawyers," some members of the organization explain with a laugh.

Some neighbors fear that the businesses in the industrial estate, which lose money on days like these and are not compensated, will end up leaving. "If we lose this industry, what is left for us? They tell us that this [the festivals] might provide jobs [...] Misery, they give a lot of money to Madrid, perhaps to the hotels, but poorly distributed," asserts Gemma, who complains that it does not even affect the few shops in the neighborhood. "At most they can go to Burger King once they leave because it is the only thing open." They also report that in the face of their complaints, music promoters sometimes promise them free tickets or even work: "For our children, as waiters or to guide cars and attendees."

Other options?

For the organizers of the Observatorio Festival, there are other models that everyone can enjoy, "but not at this scale," they warn. The problem, they say, is that brands "are not interested" in sponsoring them because it is less profitable. "It is a paradox when there are people increasingly interested [...] In the end, you depend a lot on public subsidies, which luckily exist, but are not guaranteed," they lament. They have a small budget, a good part of which pays salaries.

"I like music, and so do many neighbors. And surely many would like to see Shakira or other concerts. But I think that on principle I will not go; and at the same time, what a sacrifice not to be able to enjoy your artist. It is complicated. What we want is for them to be held in designated places. And if you have to travel further, it shouldn't matter if what you want is to see your favorite singer," concludes Gemma, who does not hide a certain pessimism: "This is not culture, it is business [...] We are sold out." While the fit does not arrive, macro-festivals and macro-concerts seem to have assumed the thesis of endless growth.