The massive karaoke of La Oreja de Van Gogh embraces Amaia Montero

"Everywhere we go, we are welcomed in an incredible way, but you really have something that is completely different, I swear to you". That is how Amaia Montero opened up at this Friday's concert in front of a sold-out Palau Sant Jordi. It is evident that the lead singer is no longer the same as she was eighteen years ago, when she decided to leave the group, but she does not pretend to be either. "The energy here cannot be compared," proclaimed the singer, who since the beginning of the tour has been analyzed and questioned on social media. The criticism—especially harsh at the start of the tour—has been dissipating, and the feeling is that La Oreja de Van Gogh is starting to feel a little more comfortable on stage. Montero, mainly in the second half, passed the test of leading one of the most listened-to bands in Spanish pop after the controversial split with Leire Martínez in October 2024.

Beyond the controversy, the group stepped onto the stage a quarter of an hour past the scheduled time with the certainty of knowing that their nostalgic return to the 2000s would be a triumph. "Amaia, Amaia, Amaia...", the fans of the San Sebastian band chanted as soon as it started. With the chords of 20 de enero, the group kicked off an hour and three-quarters long concert. Amaia Montero appeared in the center of the stage on a circular platform that rose from the ground. Her mere presence drove an enthusiastic audience wild, whom the singer wanted to thank for their support at all times with a few "thank yous" in Catalan. The first song was followed by an uneven Deseos de cosas imposibles and El último vals, the first of the only two songs from the Leire Martínez era that the band played.

The scenography, conceived entirely in white, reinforced the historical stage modesty of Xabi San Martín on keyboards, Álvaro Fuentes on bass, and Haritz Garde on drums. The absence of Pablo Benegas on guitar, following his departure from the group, is being filled during the tour by Imanol Goikoetxea.

A nostalgic journey

The secret to the Basque band's success lies in their ability to turn a train ride or a rainy day into an anthem. Their lyrics have been etched into the collective memory of several generations, and this was evident on Friday night when the Sant Jordi became a massive karaoke from the very first chord. The group knew how to exploit their most classic repertoire, which corresponds to the four albums that featured Amaia Montero on the microphone.

After a more static track like Nadie como tú, Montero let loose with La chica del gorro azul and Dulce locura. Despite the nostalgia, there was also room for the song that has brought them back together: Todos estamos bailando la misma canción, the first single of this new era that they released the previous Christmas, which had some pitch issues. The show lost rhythm due to some pauses between songs, although the atmosphere became especially intimate with the block formed by some polished versions of Mariposa and Vestido azul. These were followed by Tan guapa, a lackluster duet by Montero with Xabi San Martín on the piano that ended with a hug and an awkward conversation between the singer and the keyboardist, in which she forced him to admit that he had written the song for her when he composed it.

The euphoria of the live performance and a dedicated audience gradually dispelled the ghosts of insecurity, and the most celebrated part arrived, where París, Cuéntame al oído and Pop could not be missing. The most unexpected moment of the concert came when the first chords of Boig per tu played. La Oreja de Van Gogh surprised everyone by performing it for the first time with the respect of those who know they are covering a song that is the emotional heritage of Catalonia, despite some doubts in parts of the lyrics. "Thank you!", said a slightly disoriented Amaia after continuing and merging it with a memorable La playa, El 28, Soledad and the infallible Rosas. The perfect prelude to close the night, linking Cuídate, Muñeca de trapo and a Puedes contar conmigo sung along as if the world were ending.

This Friday's has been the first of four dates at the Palau Sant Jordi, one of the venues that hosts the most recitals of this return, with another concert this Saturday and two more concerts at the end of the month, on Thursday the 26th and Friday the 27th. At the end of the year, La Oreja de Van Gogh will say goodbye for a season in Madrid and in the month of March it will make the leap to Latin America, where it has scheduled several concerts in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.