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Primavera Sound 2023
Genre	Pop alternative rock indie electronic dance hip hop reggaeton
Dates	1 June 2023 – 3 June 2023
Location(s)	Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)
Coordinates	41°24′40.75″N 2°13′28.57″E / 41.4113194°N 2.2246028°E / 41.4113194; 2.2246028
Founders	Pablo Soler
Previous event	Primavera Sound 2022
Next event	Primavera Sound 2024
Attendance	253,000
Website	primaverasound.com

The Primavera Sound 2023 music festival was held between 1 and 3 June at the Parc del Fòrum, in Barcelona, Spain. The festival's line-up was headlined by Blur, Calvin Harris, Depeche Mode, Halsey, Kendrick Lamar, New Order and Rosalía.

After the two-weekend format introduced the previous year, the festival went back to the usual three-day format in the city, but held a parallel festival in Madrid with a nearly identical lineup a week later under the tagline "I'll Be Your Mirror".

The 21st edition of the festival, performances were also live-streamed on Amazon Music's Twitch channel, which was available to watch through Amazon Prime Video as well. In addition to the main festival, there was also a free "welcome day" concert at the Parc del Fòrum headlined by Pet Shop Boys, with RSVP tickets offered to both festivalgoers and Barcelona city residents. There was also a closing "Brunch on the Beach" party held at the Parc del Fòrum on 4 June, featuring electronic music performances from DJs including Diplo and Purple Disco Machine. Under Primavera a la Ciutat (English: "Primavera in the City"), the festival held shows throughout various different concert venues and clubs in downtown Barcelona in the days surrounding the main festival, featuring exclusive appearances from the likes of Black Midi, Molchat Doma, Cloud Nothings and The Chills.

Background

The 2023 festival date was announced on 29 November 2022, alongside its lineup announcement. Billed as "I'll Be Your Mirror", the festival was set to be held in two cities, Barcelona and Madrid during the two weekends. On 7 March, New Order was announced as the final festival headliner.

On 26 April, it was announced that the festival was livestreamed on Twitch via Amazon Music's channel and Amazon Prime Video.

During the festival's free opening night on 31 May, a 57-year old Scottish man was killed by a tram outside Parc del Fòrum after the Pet Shop Boys' performance.

Blur performed their UK number-one single "Country House" for the first time since 2015 and the B-side "Luminous" for the first time since 1999.

On Friday 2 June, headliner Kendrick Lamar performed his verses from Pusha T's "Nosetalgia" and The Weeknd's "Sidewalks" live for the first time. Later, Skrillex's set was disrupted because the stage caught fire as he performed.

Rosalía, a Barcelona native, reportedly drew the largest crowd gathering of the festival when she headlined on Saturday.

On Saturday 3 June, the Ron Brugal stage suffered from sound problems. Kelela's set was halted for 10 minutes and ultimately cut short as her microphone suddenly cut out. The delay resulted in Måneskin's set on the neighboring Amazon Music stage also running past its scheduled end time. As a result, Death Grips could not take the Ron Brugal stage on time, and Death Grips fans began to boo Måneskin for continuing to perform overtime and delaying the Death Grips set.

Prior to performing their final song "Bull Believer" on Saturday, Wednesday lead singer Karly Hartzman criticised Jeff Bezos and Amazon while performing on the Amazon Music stage, dedicating the song to "any warehouse workers who have ever been mistreated."

Ticket preferences shifted with the previous ratio of 90% full festival tickets to 10% day tickets reversing in both editions. This change in trend was linked to the rising prices of tickets, flights, and accommodation. Barcelona experienced a decrease in foreign attendees from 70% to 52%, mainly among British visitors, which was attributed to the impact of Brexit and increased costs.

Madrid

This year was the inaugural edition held in Madrid exactly a week after Barcelona with nearly identical lineups. The grounds were held at the Ciudad del Rock, outside Madrid's Arganda del Rey municipality. However, the festival was cancelled entirely on Thursday as a result of weather concerns, which was announced a day prior. Blur performed a makeup show at the La Riviera club (capacity: 2,000), while Yard Act and Off! organized a show at the Wurlitzer Ballroom.

The festival faced a mobility challenge, especially on June 9, when traffic jams at the entrances led to a 45-minute delay in Depeche Mode's concert. Limited parking, half of which was unusable due to prior rains, contributed to these issues. There were rumors of widespread distribution of gifted tickets to meet the target of 50,000 daily attendees, though organizers denied any unusual practices without disclosing exact numbers.

Death Grips pulled out of their Saturday set at the last minute, citing an illness.

The organizers noted that 38% of the attendees came from foreign countries, and in Madrid, there was a higher representation of Latin American attendees compared to Barcelona, which they attributed to Madrid being a more accessible and direct destination.

On 22 July 2023, Primavera Sound announced that it would not be returning to Madrid in 2024, stating: "the expectations we had were not fulfilled and the experience of the festivalgoers due to several logistical aspects was not the desired one. Inside the Ciudad del Rock, we experienced a festival full of great musical moments, but we are not oblivious to the annoyances. And that leads us to understand that, now, the conditions are not right for Madrid to have a Primavera Sound as it deserves in 2024."

Headline set lists

Thursday, 1 June

1. "St Charles Square"
2. "There's No Other Way"
3. "Popscene"
4. "Tracy Jacks"
5. "Beetlebum"
6. "Trimm Trabb"
7. "Villa Rosie"
8. "Coffee & TV"
9. "Luminous"
10. "End of a Century"
11. "Country House"
12. "Parklife"
13. "To the End"
14. "Girls & Boys"
15. "Song 2"
16. "Intermission"
17. "This Is a Low"
18. "Tender"
19. "The Narcissist"
20. "The Universal"

1. "Nightmare"
2. "Castle"
3. "Easier than Lying"
4. "You Should Be Sad"
5. "Graveyard"
6. "Colors"
7. "Eastside"
8. "The Lighthouse"
9. "Honey"
10. "Bad at Love"
11. "3AM"
12. "Closer"
13. "Gasoline"
14. "Experiment on Me"
15. "Without Me"
16. "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God"

1. "Regret"
2. "Age of Consent"
3. "Academic"
4. "Your Silent Face"
5. "Be A Rebel"
6. "Sub-culture"
7. "Bizarre Love Triangle"
8. "Plastic"
9. "True Faith"
10. "Blue Monday"
11. "Temptation"
12. "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Friday, 2 June

1. "My Cosmos Is Mine"
2. "Wagging Tongue"
3. "Walking in My Shoes"
4. "It's No Good"
5. "In Your Room" (Zephyr Mix)
6. "Everything Counts"
7. "Precious"
8. "Home"
9. "Ghosts Again"
10. "I Feel You"
11. "A Pain That I'm Used To" (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
12. "World in My Eyes"
13. "Stripped"
14. "John the Revelator"
15. "Enjoy the Silence"

Encore

16. "Just Can't Get Enough"
17. "Never Let Me Down Again"
18. "Personal Jesus"

1. "N95"
2. "Element"
3. "A.D.H.D"
4. "King Kunta"
5. "Worldwide Steppers"
6. "Nosetalgia"
7. "Backseat Freestyle"
8. "M.A.A.D City"
9. "Swimming Pools (Drank)"
10. "Loyalty"
11. "Purple Hearts"
12. "DNA"
13. "Rich Spirit"
14. "Humble"
15. "Sidewalks"
16. "Count Me Out"
17. "Money Trees"
18. "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"
19. "Die Hard"
20. "Love"
21. "Alright"
22. "Vent" (with Baby Keem)
23. "Family Ties" (with Baby Keem)
24. "Savior"

Saturday, 3 June

1. "Saoko"
2. "Bizcochito"
3. "La Fama"
4. "De aquí no sales"/"Bulerías"
5. "La Noche de Anoche"
6. "Linda"
7. "Diablo"
8. "Despechá"
9. "Hentai"
10. "Candy"
11. "Motomami"
12. "La Combi Versace"
13. "Con altura"
14. "Beso"
15. "Vampiros"
16. "Héroe"
17. "Malamente"
18. "Chicken Teriyaki"
19. "CUUUUuuuuuute"

Line-up

Headline performers are listed in boldface. Artists listed from latest to earliest set times.

Estrella Damm

Santander

Amazon Music

Cupra

Plenitude

Ron Brugal

Auditori Santander

Dice

Pull&Bear

Stone Island Sound at the Warehouse

Night Pro

Boiler Room × Cupra

Aperol Island of Joy

The Vision by Pull&Bear

Barcelona Sona by Estrella Damm

Primavera a la Ciutat line-up

La Apolo

Razzmatazz

Razzmatazz 2

Razzmatazz 3

Sala Apolo

Paral.lel 62

Welcome Day and Closing Party line-up

Amazon Music

Night Pro

Cupra

Reception

Rolling Stone praised this edition of the festival for improving logistics from the year prior, such as boosting the number of on-site essentials while reducing the overall capacity, though lamenting the loss of the electronic music-centered Bits area at Sant Adrià de Besòs. It commented on the musical diversity on the lineup, which had multiple East Asian pop acts including Red Velvet, Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and the Nigerian singer Rema. Pitchfork said that the festival held appeal from "casual festival-goers and full-on obsessives to outright skeptics... you could lose it on the dancefloor to pop phenomena like Rosalía, mosh by the sea to the epiphanic black metal of Liturgy, or hear a Numero Group DJ set featuring the rarest-of-rare Italo disco 7''s, and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface." Variety said "the female performers – like St. Vincent, PinkPantheress, Caroline Polachek, Arlo Parks, Maggie Rogers, Holly Humberstone and the girl-fronted Alvvays and Wednesday – really dominated the festival’s lineup and provided some of the most spectacular, standout sets."

NME gave the festival a four-star review, stating that "a festival that entreats its punters to care about the future looks to be gradually entering a new, bright and reinvigorated era of its own."

References

1. Young, Alex (29 November 2022). "Primavera Sound Reveals 2023 Lineup Led by Kendrick, Blur, Depeche Mode, and Rosalía". Consequence. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
2. ^ Fu, Eddie (26 April 2023). "Primavera Sound to Livestream Both Weekends on Amazon Music". Consequence. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
3. Moayeri, Lily (2023-05-19). "Spain's Primavera Sound Kicks Off Europe's Music Festival Season With Mirrored Lineups in Barcelona and Madrid". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
4. "Guía básica del Primavera Sound 2023 | Onda Cero Radio". www.ondacero.es (in Spanish). 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
5. O'Brien, Andrew (2022-11-29). "Primavera Sound Details 2023 Madrid & Barcelona Lineups: Blur, Kendrick Lamar, MMJ, More [Video]". L4LM. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
6. Monroe, Jazz (29 November 2022). "Primavera 2023 Lineup: Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
7. Jones, Damian (7 March 2023). "Primavera Sound Festival 2023: New Order announced as final headliner". NME. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
8. "Scot dies in fatal collision with tram after first night of Primavera Sound". www.catalannews.com. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
9. Dunworth, Liberty (2023-06-02). "Watch Blur bring 'Country House' back to setlist and play 'Luminous' for first time in 24 years at Primavera Sound". NME. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
10. ^ "The Best of Primavera Sound 2023: Blur, Kendrick, Rosalía, and More". Pitchfork. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
11. ^ Halperin, Shirley (2023-06-05). "Rosalia Thrills Hometown Crowd, Halsey Brings the Hits at Primavera Sound Barcelona". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
12. ^ Torres, Eric; Sodomsky, Sam (2023-06-05). "The Best of Primavera Sound 2023: Blur, Kendrick, Rosalía, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
13. ^ Williams, Sophie (2023-06-06). "Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 review: a comeback worth shouting about". NME. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
14. Arce, Jacobo de (2023-06-10). "Primavera Sound Madrid reúne a 90.000 espectadores en sus jornadas de viernes y sábado en la Ciudad del Rock de Arganda". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-16.
15. Arce, Jacobo de (2023-06-10). "Primavera Sound Madrid reúne a 90.000 espectadores en sus jornadas de viernes y sábado en la Ciudad del Rock de Arganda". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-16.
16. ^ Fortuny, Ignasi (2023-06-03). "El Primavera Sound cierra su edición de Barcelona con 253.000 asistentes antes del "reto de Madrid"". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-06.
17. Goggins, Joe (2023-06-08). "Blur to play Madrid after opening night of Primavera cancelled". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
18. Gallop, Joe (2023-06-08). "Blur to play 2,500-cap Madrid concert after Primavera Sound cancellation". Access All Areas. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
19. Espejo-Saavedra, Iñaki (2023-06-13). "OFF! + Yard Act (Wurlitzer Ballroom, Madrid) 08/06/23". Muzikalia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-29.
20. Arce, Jacobo de (2023-06-10). "Primavera Sound Madrid reúne a 90.000 espectadores en sus jornadas de viernes y sábado en la Ciudad del Rock de Arganda". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-16.
21. Krueger, Jonah (2023-06-12). "Despite Turbulence, the Inaugural Primavera Sound Madrid Soared: Review". Consequence. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
22. Wilkes, Emma (2023-07-22). "Primavera Sound will not return to Madrid in 2024". NME. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
23. "Blur Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona on June 1, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
24. "Halsey Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 on June 1, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
25. "New Order Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 on June 1, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
26. "Depeche Mode Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 on June 2, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
27. "Kendrick Lamar Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 on June 2, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
28. "ROSALÍA Concert Setlist at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 on June 3, 2023". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
29. Line-up citations:
    • Thursday: Martínez, Carolina (1 June 2023). "Horarios del Primavera Sound 2023 de Barcelona para este jueves 1 de junio: todos los conciertos y escenarios". Los 40. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
    • Friday: Hoyos, Estela Alba (2 June 2023). "Horarios del Primavera Sound 2023 de Barcelona para este viernes 2 de junio: todos los conciertos y escenarios". Los 40. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
    • Saturday: "Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona: cartel completo y horarios para el sábado 3 de junio". Los 40. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
30. Bulut, Selim (2023-06-12). "Primavera Sound 2023 review: Blur, Kendrick Lamar, and Rosalía shine at Barcelona festival". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 2024-01-28.

• Primavera Sound
• 2023 music festivals
• 2023 festivals in Europe
• June 2023 events in Spain