Promoters defended over Bernabeu postponements
Spain’s Association of Musical Promoters (APM) has rushed to the defence of event organisers over the indefinite postponement of all gigs at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The LaLiga football giants announced in September that they were pausing forthcoming concerts at the venue in response to noise complaints from neighbouring residents.
However, APM has accused stadium officials of “passing the buck” by allegedly attempting to lay the blame for the dispute at the feet of promoters.
“Music promoters have no control over the structure, fittings or soundproofing of a venue,” says the trade body. “All events held at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium have had the relevant permits and authorisations and have been managed in direct collaboration with the stadium’s management.
“The responsibility for acoustically conditioning a venue that coexists with an urban environment falls to those responsible for the venue, ensuring that the space complies with sound levels before it is used for live music concerts. Blaming promoters for noise problems is, as local residents rightly point out, ‘passing the buck’.”
APM, which represents around 100 members, is calling on the venue to assume responsibility and “adapt the stadium acoustically to the peculiarities of its surroundings, applying the necessary soundproofing measures and thus guaranteeing the well-being of residents”.
“The coexistence of live music culture and community well-being is vital for the development of our country”
“Madrid deserves to be a capital that hosts large-scale cultural events, respecting both the coexistence of neighbours and the vitality of its cultural sector so that this activity does not cease,” it says. “We express our commitment as highly qualified music promoters to continue producing quality shows in Madrid and to actively collaborate with the relevant institutions.
“The coexistence of live music culture and community well-being is vital for the development of our country. We, music promoters, will continue to work for an open and culturally active city, while waiting for the actions that unfairly effect an industry that only seeks to contribute to the development and well-being of Madrid to cease.”
The Bernabéu only reopened for music bookings last year following a five-year, €900 million renovation, and hosted the only Spanish dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2024, as well as a record four-night stint by Karol G in July and performances by Duki, Manuel Carrasco, Luis Miguel and Aitana.
However, Madrid police reported noise levels as far exceeding the permitted decibel limit, with locals alleging the shows had turned the stadium into a “torturódromo” (torture-drome). Postponed dates included headline shows by domestic artists Dellafuente, Aitana and Lola Índigo, plus K-pop’s Music Bank World Tour.
“Despite the soundproofing conditions of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the reinforcement measures that have been undertaken, compliance with said regulations by the various organisers and promoters has been affected by the great challenge that it has meant for them to take into account all its precepts,” said a statement from Real Madrid.
The UEFA Champions League holders added they would “continue to work to ensure that the right conditions for sound production and broadcasting are met during concerts to enable concerts to be held in our stadium”.
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K-pop’s Music Bank World Tour to debut in Spain
A renowned K-pop event is to debut in Spain later this year in the latest phase of its international expansion.
First staged in Tokyo, Japan in 2011, the Music Bank World Tour is an offshoot of one of South Korea’s most popular music TV shows, Korean Broadcasting System’s (KBS) Music Bank. It has gone on to be held in cities across Asia, Europe and Latin America, showcasing artists such as BTS, Stray Kids and Twice.
Its 19th edition will land at Madrid’s 80,000-cap Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on 12 October this year, promoted by SONDE3 and LA Rock Entertainment and broadcast live on KBS. Lineup details are yet to be confirmed.
The Madrid show will mark the fifth time the festival has taken place in Europe, having debuted in Paris in 2012
APMusicales reports the occasion will mark the fifth time the festival has taken place in Europe, having debuted in Paris in 2012, when it featured the likes of SHINee, Girls’ Generation, 4Minute, BEAST and 2PM.
The Music Bank World Tour has also previously visited Hong Kong and Chile (2012), Indonesia and Turkey (2013), Brazil and Mexico (2014), Vietnam (2015), Singapore and Indonesia (2017), Chile and Germany (2018), China (2019), Chile (2022), and France and Mexico (2023). It was most recently held last weekend in Antwerp, Belgium at the Sportpaleis on 20 April.
Earlier this week, meanwhile, TEG Live announced that K-Pop superstars aespa would be playing their first Australian dates this August and September. The group will play Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, on 31 August and Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, on 2 September.
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Barcelona-Madrid rivalry extends to live music
The famous football rivalry between La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid is spilling over into international touring following the refurbishment of the latter’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Home of the 14 times European champions, the Bernabéu (cap. 65,000 for concerts) reopened for music bookings last year following an extensive renovation. It will host the sole Spanish date of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on 30 May and three nights with Karol G from 20-22 July, as well as performances by Duki, Manuel Carrasco, Luis Miguel (two shows) and Aitana.
The venue has both a retractable roof and pitch – enabling it to stage live music shows all-year-round (the Aitana show is scheduled for 28 December).
Elsewhere, Civitas Metropolitan Stadium – home ground of Real’s city neighbours Atlético Madrid – has three upcoming shows by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and two concerts by Metallica, plus dates with Estopa and Morat, bringing the number of stadium gigs in the Spanish capital in 2024 to an unprecedented 16.
FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou is currently out of action due to renovation, with work expected to be completed in 2026. However, the club’s temporary home – the city’s 56,000-cap Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – attracted nine concerts in 2023, including the likes of Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Madonna. It has four shows announced for 2024: Springsteen (two nights), Rammstein and Estopa.
Nouvelles du Monde notes that Barcelona’s proximity to the French border has traditionally boosted tourism, but Madrid now benefits from its peninsular centrality.
“Madrid is becoming more competitive, and even more so this year with Barça at the Estadi”
“Madrid is becoming more competitive, and even more so this year with Barça at the Estadi,” Live Nation Spain president Pino Sagliocco tells the publication, while Tito Ramoneda, president of The Project, declares “a new era begins”.
Doctor Music’s Neo Sala, however, notes that although the Madrid stadiums have “much improved their infrastructures”, that is “not decisive for international tours, in which other factors must be taken into account account: geographical, strategic and technical”.
The Bernabéu hired former Live Nation Spain partnerships director Rocio Vallejo-Nágera in 2023 as head of large events and concerts.
“We are treating it like a new stadium,” she told IQ last year. “Up until now, there have been some concerts here – Bruce Springsteen in 2016 and the Rolling Stones in 2014 – but it hasn’t really been a big thing to do at the Bernabeu. It wasn’t built for football, not music, because the production tunnels were too narrow, etc. So we’ve changed that, and that’s why I’m here.
“I think in the past 10 years, Madrid has become one of the main cities for global tours. Some years ago, maybe Barcelona was a little bit more blooming, but I think Madrid is taking its place in the international touring agenda as a main place to visit.”
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Real Madrid’s Bernabéu reopening for live music
Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is “open for business” for live music bookings as its extensive renovation nears completion.
Former Live Nation Spain partnerships director Rocio Vallejo-Nágera came on board last month as the European football giants’ head of large events and concerts. She will oversee the opening of the newly refurbished venue, which has been operating at reduced capacity, before the end of the year.
Speaking to IQ, Vallejo-Nágera says the four-year project will be finished by December, with an official reopening event planned for the end of 2023. The stadium will have both a retractable roof and pitch – enabling it to stage live music shows all-year-round – while its capacity for concerts will be around 65,000.
“We are treating it like a new stadium,” she says. “Up until now, there have been some concerts here – Bruce Springsteen in 2016 and the Rolling Stones in 2014 – but it hasn’t really been a big thing to do at the Bernabeu. It wasn’t built for football, not music, because the production tunnels were too narrow, etc. So we’ve changed that, and that’s why I’m here. We’re open for business”
Vallejo-Nágera, who will be a panellist for ILMC’s The View from the Top panel at 2pm on Thursday 2 March, worked on projects such as Ballantine’s True Music Festival and Joker Festival, Dcode Festival, Download Madrid and Elrow Town during her time at Live Nation.
“In the past 10 years, Madrid has become one of the main cities for global tours”
“Because I come from the music industry, all the Spanish promoters already know me,” she says. “We’re already working on dates for 2024, so it’s super-exciting.
“The stadium is going to be unique and very special. Since it’s a retractable pitch, we can do concerts every other week when we don’t have in-house [football] matches. We can have a match on a Sunday and then have a concert just a few days later. Of course we have to respect the football calendar, but apart from that there is no limit. Madrid is in a great place at the moment.”
The Spanish capital is also home to the Metropolitano Stadium, home to Real’s local rivals Atletico Madrid, and Vallejo-Nágera says the city boasts a thriving live music scene.
“I think in the past 10 years, Madrid has become one of the main cities for global tours,” she says. “Some years ago, maybe Barcelona was a little bit more blooming, but I think Madrid is taking its place in the international touring agenda as a main place to visit.
“Maybe before, Spain was a country you could leave out of a global tour, but you wouldn’t do that now, I think we have become one of the main markets for global tours. And it’s not just American or British artists anymore – Latin music is growing so much and that works very well in Spain, and local acts are now filling arenas.”
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