Music in 2023: Metallica vs. Bizarrap

Rock endures, at least in the realm of concerts.

Records have not been sold for years, although we continue to read headlines exalting the rage for vinyl: the truth is that a very small amount is shipped.

With

colonized by urban music (especially reggaeton), rock is entrenched in live shows, which is not a bad deal.

Guitar music will be the most listened to on Spanish stages.

Take note of what's coming: Metallica (two days in July at the Madrid Metropolitan Stadium), Bruce Springsteen (April at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium), Arctic Monkeys (BBK Live and two days in July at WiZink in Madrid), Blur (Primavera Sound ), Iggy Pop (Azkena), Rammstein (June at the Metropolitan), Iron Maiden (July in Barcelona), The Strokes (Cala Mijas), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Mad Cool), Kiss (Rock Imperium)…

The list is extensive, both in solo recitals and integrated into festivals.

It happens that at the moment there is no

in the big festivals pop and rock continue to prevail, although urban music is already looming threatening.

This 2023 there will be no

surely because the experiments of mixing generations among the public are not many.

But the few that exist are satisfactory.

The Galician festival O Son do Camiño, for example, which has the habit of combining styles (last year rocker Liam Gallagher and reggaeton Anuel AA were headliners on the same day) sold out in a few hours the 30,000 subscriptions for the edition of 2023 (June 15, 16 and 17, in Monte Do Gozo) without knowing who will perform.

Conclusion: there is an audience without prejudices that is attracted to musical opposites.

More information

Caches, resale and 'rock & roll': can we afford concert prices?

Urban music festivals grow and consolidate.

Bizarrap, the most important producer of the genre, will be in Spain, within the increasingly interesting Boombastic (several cities).

The Argentine already dazzled last year at the same festival and repeats.

Outstanding is the also traveling Reggaeton Beach Festival, for which the first swords of the genre such as Eladio Carrión or Zion&Lennox have already been announced.

Other urban figures such as Duki, Bad Gyal or Quevedo will fill large solo venues.

The one we won't see is the great urban star, Bad Bunny, who is going to take a year off, at least live.

We will enjoy Rosalía, at Primavera Sound.

This festival will cause one of the great novelties of the season, since in addition to Barcelona, ​​he begins a residence in Madrid.

The capital is going to go from being a hostile city for these concentrations to being the center of the universe.

Primavera Sound is added to Mad Cool, Tomavistas, Noches del Botánico, Río Babel or DeCode.

Well, 40 kilometers from the city center, in Arganda del Rey.

Almudena Heredero is the director of Primavera Sound Madrid: “It makes all the sense in the world that Madrid has a wide range of festivals, being such an important cultural capital, with so many concert halls, with such a rich local scene and with an open audience to new musical experiences.

In the case of Primavera Sound, its arrival in Madrid has been a natural step, after more than 20 years of carrying out the festival in Barcelona,

James Hetfield performing with Metallica at the Mad Cool festival, in July 2022. Jaime Villanueva

The general feeling is that in 2022 there was an excess of festivals, with some adventurous businessmen from outside the sector who signed up for fashion.

This was noted in organizational deficiencies and even some cancellations with a few weeks notice.

Problems, especially transportation, also affected the big ones.

Mad Cool changes its location to grow (even more) and the idea of ​​traveling to Arganda to see Rosalía, Blur or Kendrick Lamar at Primavera Sound at first is not exciting.

Both massive appointments announce that they are going to have the issue of transport very tied up and that it will not be a problem.

“I don't think there is an excess of festivals”, reflects the director of Primavera Sound.

“Spain has been consolidating in recent years as one of the great international destinations for holding festivals organized by a serious and professional sector.

All this allows us to have a wide and diverse offer of festivals with their own personality that satisfy the needs of very different types of public”, he adds.

Above flies the high price of tickets.

In a joke, some say that with current prices they are going to need a credit to see, for example, Coldplay in Barcelona.

The track entrance cost 107 euros.

The four concerts in May at the Olympic Stadium by the English quartet will be one of the events of the year.

200,000 people.

Nobody is going to summon so many people.

In contrast to the fever to attend mega-concerts are those who demand a return to small and medium-sized halls.

Javier Olmedo, from Madrid en Vivo, Association of Rooms of Madrid, claims: “The rooms are more necessary than ever.

We are seeing a lot of festivals and outdoor concerts with high prices.

It is the complete opposite of what we offer.

We program new artists who are starting out and if the venues don't exist it will be impossible for them to follow a career and play in larger venues in the future.

The exorbitant festival prices are unacceptable.

Accessibility to culture comes through concert halls.

The closeness and direct contact with the artist only occurs in small clubs”.

Kendrick Lamar, who performs at Primavera Sound Barcelona and Madrid, during a performance in 2018. Jeff Kravitz (FilmMagic)

In the long-disc chapter, 2023 will see the new works of veterans such as Metallica (April 14), The Cure (March), Depeche Mode (March) or Smashing Pumpkins (January 31).

Everything points to the fact that the oldest of all, the Rolling Stones, will publish their first work with original songs in 18 years over the next 12 months (the last one was

from 2005; later they published one of blues versions,

in 2016).

And it is well known that with new songs the Stones always want to hit the road to perform… old songs.

New works also by San Smith (late January), Lana del Rey (March 10), Paramore (February 10) or Måneskin (January 20).

Among the Spanish tours, those of Alejandro Sanz and Joaquín Sabina must be highlighted, his return after the serious accident he had at the WiZink Center in February 2021. A series of performances, these by Sabina, which sound like a farewell.

Two unknowns to finish.

Rihanna returns after six years to star in the performance, February 12, of the Super Bowl intermission.

Will it be an exception to her withdrawal or will there be a record of her?

We'll see... And attention to Madonna, that in recent days some media have assured that she will go on a world tour in 2023. It would be 40 years of career and surely she will take advantage of the more or less round anniversary for concerts full of great successes.

Good time to vindicate and vindicate it.