One of the most beautiful things about this edition of Mad Cool is that there is everything for everyone. If on Wednesday most of the performances were marked by their rock character, Thursday’s day stood out for being a showcase of contemporary pop. That label encompasses very different styles: the radio-friendly pop of Charlie Puth, the diva of Zara Larsson, the alternative of Lorde, the k-pop of Jennie or what Florence does (which is almost a genre in itself). The change in demographics compared to the previous day could not have been more drastic. Thursday was mainly for gays and girls.
Florence + the Machine closed the main stage with one of the great performances of the night. The English artist came out in black, with one of her characteristic translucent silk dresses, establishing with her four dancers the tone of the gloomy ritual that would surround the show. The one in charge of kicking off the set was ‘Everybody Scream’, the main song of the album of the same name, which, like the recording, live also has a lot of exorcism, of screaming to release everything that corrodes us inside. In the next song, ‘Shake it Out’, one of the pillars of their music, we continue shaking our demons. And then there was no one left to shout.
One of the best details of the concert was the narrative it created through the songs. The sequence was constructed with enormous coherence. Therefore, the inclusion of a “deep-cut” like ‘Which Witch’ at the beginning of the set makes perfect sense, as it connects with that unhealthy state, making us prisoners of a dark spell. The staging, minimalist and effective, shone with the presence of the dancers, who dressed in white, contrasted with Florence, the queen of the coven.
Aware of her mystical figure, before singing ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)’, the singer recalled that we have already passed the summer solstice, a time when offerings are made to the gods (or demons), and encouraged the audience to be the offerings themselves. As? Standing on top of each other’s shoulders. After this, another song from the ‘Lungs’ era played and one of the most sung: ‘You’ve Got the Love’.
Compared to other occasions, this tour is much more solemn than other Florence tours. The singer has traded some of the joyful liveliness of her previous eras for a more sinister tone. This is in no way an impediment to transmitting the scenic force that it has always transmitted. In fact, the vocal and artistic extravagance shown here is still at the level of very few. ‘King’ was one of the most memorable and exciting moments of the evening, as he not only performed it with his body and voice, but with his entire soul. The sadness in his eyes when he sang the chorus (“I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king”) gave goosebumps. So did the theatricality of ‘What Kind of Man’ or the ballad ‘Never Let Me Go’, where the audience raised their arms and shook them in the air.
‘Dog Days Are Over’, as expected, aroused the biggest ovation thanks to its energetic chorus. Before singing the last one, Florence asked everyone to put away their phones, to be present in that moment and to jump with all their might. Something she defined as a “small ritual.” The final touch was ‘Free’, which left the audience dancing, liberated after an intense esoteric session with an unforgettable master of ceremonies.
We also free ourselves with Lordewhich set foot in Madrid for the first time, with its futuristic show. On the right side of the stage the musicians were grouped, with several synthesizers and keyboards forming a circle. In the center, the New Zealand artist once again demonstrated, in case anyone had not yet realized, that she is one of the most important figures in current pop. And no, it’s not thanks to ‘Royals’, the song that launched him to stardom. In fact, she doesn’t seem to have much appreciation for him, since she only sings the first verse and the chorus as soon as it begins, as if to get him off her back. And it is understood: it is no longer very representative of what his music means. Yes, others from that album are, such as ‘Team’, ‘Buzcut Season’ and, of course, ‘Ribs’, with which he closed the concert. But let’s not anticipate events.
After his brief performance of ‘Royals’, he emphasized his most recent album by stringing together ‘What Was That’, ‘Broken Glass’ and ‘Shapeshifter’. Although all of these songs sounded wonderful, the best of Lorde’s concerts remains when she pays tribute to her great masterpiece, ‘Melodrama’. There is something really special about the connection that is created between her and the audience when she sings those songs. Especially their performances of ‘Supercut’ and ‘Green Light’ last night will be hard to forget. When everyone sings their respective choruses at the top of their lungs, a feeling of community, of mutual understanding, is created that makes your skin crawl. ‘The Louvre’ presented it as a spell. “If you sing it with me, your crush will write to you.” And we listened to him while the platform he was on rose until it was very close to the ceiling of the stage. Lying there, from above, she sang ‘Current Affairs’, one of the best songs on ‘Virgin’.
The final moments were reserved for the aforementioned ‘Green Light’ and ‘Ribs’, as well as ‘David’ (another standout cut from his latest album) and the iconic remix of ‘Girl, so confusing’, in which he took a drag on a joint? Be that as it may, the effect was the opposite of making us drowsy. We left there exhausted in the best way, reaffirming that Lorde’s is a rare talent. Not everyone is capable of creating anthems of that caliber and defending them that well.
The two main headliners were not the only ones who shone on Thursday. At 6:40 p.m., in full sun, CMAT He made the audience fall in love with his casual and hilarious show. The Irishwoman exuded attitude on stage: she made all kinds of jokes, she shook her ass, she screamed, she wiped the sweat from her crotch with a towel, she pretended to faint, etc. The good vibes he installed were such that the heat went to a secondary level. She suffered it more, although she did not let it take away her good mood. She said that it was one of the most difficult concerts she had given due to the high temperatures, but she was very grateful to be there with a very dedicated audience (there were no shortage of Irish flags and several banners) and sharing the stage with Charlie Puth and Zara Larsson (whom she honored by doing one of her typical dances). “I might die of heat stroke, but first of all I might suck some diesel,” he said at the start of ‘Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’. Also very celebrated was the excellent ‘When A Good Man Cries’, in which he mentioned his “best friend Olivia Rodrigo” (who recently covered the song). If the chorus is to give it your all, that tremendous bridge is even more so. The finale, featuring a ‘Stay for Something’ chanted by the audience (who shouted the phrase “But I just can’t do it”), culminated a great concert. The kind that creates fans.
Lorde’s hangover hurt a little Zara Larssonwho performed immediately afterwards on stage 2. It was quite small for him, because since his departure from the “khia asylum”, his popularity has only grown. That was a true fan phenomenon. Nobody wanted to miss ‘Midnight Sun’ (and it was played twice, at the beginning and at the end, in different versions) or ‘Lush Life’. For the clueless who thinks that those are his only successes, he is very wrong. She has been in her career for many years now, and the Swede, although she has never shone as brightly as she does now, has maintained a fairly consistent average profile throughout her career thanks to well-known songs like ‘Ain’t My Fault’ or ‘Never Forget You’, and collaborations like ‘Symphony’ with Clean Bandit, the remix of ‘Stateside’ by PinkPantheress or the most recent ‘She Did It Again’ with Tyla. Of course, none of those hits were missing, and there were moments where the audience could be heard almost louder than her. The scenery emulated a forest and in the center, a pink car with the license plate “PUSS PUSS 97” stood out, in which she and her dancers got on from time to time. The choreographies are an essential part of all their concerts, elevating all the numbers. One of the best moments came when she brought a fan on stage to dance with her to ‘Lush Life’.
Another textbook pop diva concert was the one at Jennywhich offered a spectacle that is not so common to see at a festival like Mad Cool. K-pop is now more than a passing trend: it is a reality that moves millions of fans. And there were many who had been there since 6 p.m., enduring the sun to see their idol up close. The start could not have been more spectacular, with visuals that emulated a fire. In the middle of all that, Jennie appeared surrounded by many dancers. The display of media was impressive at first, not only because of the large budget, but also because of the contagious energy with which the artist began, opening her set with ‘Filter’. Throughout the concert, she alternated more dynamic songs, with ballads in which she usually remained alone on stage. Jennie is a competent vocalist, but not an exceptional one, so these later numbers were a bit lackluster compared to the big choreographies. The ups and downs marked the general rhythm a bit, but it cannot be denied that her presence on stage is attractive, and that some songs like ‘Like Jennie’ (with which she closed) and especially ‘ExtraL’ gave great moments. There was also room for her collaborations with The Weeknd (‘One of The Girls’) and Tame Impala (‘Dracula’).
Continuing in the pop field, but leaving aside the divas, we attended a good part of the concert of Charlie Puth. The American is one of those artists whose songs have not stopped playing on the radio in recent years, although one is not always clear that they are his. The show began with several backup singers introducing it while singing things like “we haven’t been here in a long time,” “sorry for making you wait,” etc. After that, Puth discreetly walked out onto the stage, standing behind a keyboard. ‘Beat Yourself Up’, ‘How Long’ or ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ are perfect examples of songs that you know, since they have been heard everywhere, but that you may not associate with him. The singer defends them well live. He has a good voice and talent for composing macrohits, there is no doubt about that. But around here we don’t agree so much with Taylor Swift with that “Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” He is already great (perhaps not by Swiftian standards), but to be even greater, his songs need to have more soul and their own identity. The concert was solvent, but it was never exciting. Exactly the same thing that happens with their songs.
