Maleducats Festival, we must talk

BarcelonaThey say the devil is in the details. That's why poor management of details can ruin seemingly quite interesting events like the Maleducats Festival, held on Saturday at the Parc del Fòrum. Launched in 2022 by Lildami in Terrassa and now organized by The Project in Barcelona, ​​this year's main attraction was Estopa, a band that doesn't usually perform at festivals and who offered two hours of anthological repertoire to 15,000 people, according to data provided by the organizers. Also present were Queralt Lahoz from Colomas—always impressive live—Sabadell's Santa Salut, Lildami from Terrassa, Andalusians Pepe y Vizio, and Extremadura's Sanguijuelas del Guadiana, the band from "the Siberian Extremadura" who have debuted with an album that extends to international influences like Vampire Weekend, as is the case with the remarkable 100 poppies.

But first, we must talk about them, about the details and the systematic disregard the audience receives at some festivals and macro-concerts. In front of the Maleducats' main stage was the so-called Front Stage, a space delimited by fences, like a corral, whose access was reserved for those who had paid the 90 euro ticket and wore a black wristband. The rest, those with the 70 euro ticket (the vast majority), were left out and had to stand behind the fences, located more than 20 meters from the stage. This is common practice at large-scale concerts and less so at festivals. Primavera Sound had done it, but they let it go precisely because of the negative image that a half-empty corral gave during some performances. This is what happened on Saturday when Santa Salut performed at Maleducats at 6:30 p.m. There was practically no audience in the corral, and the singer herself had to leave the stage and cross the concrete void to acknowledge the audience's presence while she sang. 333 (Climax)The rapper, who had proclaimed "Long live Catalan music, long live Catalan," was trying to convey that "even if it's in the afternoon, we can still party," but the empty scene was desolate. It can't be easy for an artist to perform in these conditions.

The situation changed a little with Pepe and Vizio, an urban update of the romanticism of Andy and Lucas ("How beautiful you were, my God, how beautiful you were", they repeat on their return How beautiful you are!) with highly celebrated themes such as rumbaton The patio, which they sang after explaining that the duo's live crew is Catalan and shouting "Long live Catalonia, Long live Andalusia!" With Pepe and Vizio, there were more people in the corral, but the most passionate fans were still behind the fences. And since the Front Stage wasn't sold out, even with Estopa, there was a fairly empty area in front of the fences, a perimeter of shame that generated a strange feeling. It's one thing for security to wisely require the corral not to be filled, and another for so much empty space to remain. The excellent performance of the Muñoz brothers and the musicians who accompany them, in line with what they showed last year on the 25th anniversary tour, calmed the nonsense, but it all conveyed an image of economic segregation that could have been avoided.

Another blunder was humiliating Queralt Lahoz by giving him only 30 minutes on the secondary stage, where Lildami and Sanguijuelas del Guadiana also performed, also with barely half an hour. He achieved this with stratospheric performances, such as the bolero-son mutante. From the cave to the olive trees, which she takes as a 21st-century Lupe. We need to treat artists better.

And one more detail. Generally speaking, the country's festivals have worked to offer good service, especially at the bars (an important source of income), and the public courtesously wait in line to buy food from the food trucks. But in some cases, they barely meet the requirement of providing a space for people with mobility difficulties. At Maleducats, there was a small space accessible by a ramp, but there were no chairs. A couple of people using crutches had to find a way to get by, because no one from the organization had thought of it. It was some spectators who went straight ahead and went to the food court to grab some chairs. Finally, seated, they were able to enjoy a good Estopa concert. "Festival repertoire," said the Muñoz brothers.

100% Estopa

Actually, 100% Estopa repertoire: from Your heat and Piece by piece to Red wine and Like Shrimp.Two hours in the same space where In 2022 they gathered 25,000 people and, on Saturday, with especially intense moments such as the conviction with which Jose Muñoz interpreted I don't remember anymore, the emotion of David Muñoz singing The one in the middle of Los Chichos And, of course, the audience's dedication throughout a performance that began with many spectators singing the FC Barcelona anthem. The Estopa also congratulated the team that won the Spanish league, but "with respect for all teams, except Sporting Lisbon," who won the Portuguese league on Saturday. Is there any outstanding grievance with Lisbon?

Always well accompanied by the band, the Muñoz brothers lived up to the legend, perhaps more relaxed than on last year's tour, especially David, who missed the tour on the way back from The hand of your lap. "When should I say sinister, I think about pepper"My head makes the joke and I get disoriented," he excused himself humorously. The concert also included calls of "Long live Catalonia and the whip of Vic" and "Long live Catalonia and long live Barcelona," and the promise that Estopa will continue for many years to come because "divorce between siblings hasn't been invented," despite cases like Oasis...