Joaquín Sabina returned to the Wizink Center yesterday, nearly four years after that fateful fall from the stage which required multiple surgeries and left his back layers vulnerable for a long healing journey. He described this return as the final lap in a career that has always felt less like a straight line and more like a winding street in an old city, full of surprising turns and familiar corners. The maestro, who has spent decades touring the globe, has made it clear that the best halls for a live performance are those that echo with shared memory. On his arrival, he wore a blue striped jacket and a classic bowler hat that recalled his signature look, and he greeted the crowd with a sense of relief and gratitude. After the concert, he sang “Yo me quedo en Madrid,” a track he decided to adapt with fresh phrasing that reflected the city’s current mood and memory, highlighting the places that symbolize the capital for him.
throughout two bustling rush hours The audience rose to applaud the artist, who is now 74 years old, and who even with the fatigue of a long tour radiated a rare vitality. This stop in Madrid was framed as the closing act of the tour, which has been marketed with the banner “Despite Everything.” The sentiment carried a bittersweet note, as Sabina hinted that this could be his final tour, leaving fans with a sense of both closure and admiration for a life spent on stages around the world.
What did Sabina mean with his parting sentence?
“The downside of resisting is saying goodbye to professional colleagues and becoming increasingly isolated.”
In the opening sequences, songs such as “On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Marble Tears,” “I Deny Everything,” and “White Lies” unfurled with a mix of nostalgia and propulsion. Sabina allowed himself a few moments to adjust his clothes and steady his voice, which carried the night with a consistency that remained high even when his timbre showed the natural rasp of a life spent singing and touring. Before launching into “On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” he reminded the audience that resistance has its costs, especially the loneliness that can come when one remains steadfast in a chosen path, and he acknowledged the human price of a life lived in the public eye. It was a moment that resonated with many in attendance who know the impulse to push forward, even when the road grows tougher.
He was accompanied on stage by Maria Barrios, his go‑to vocalist, along with Pedro Barceló, Laura Gómez Palma, Borja Montenegro, José Misagaste, Antonio García de Diego and Jaime Asua, who joined Sabina for the first time in four decades on this tour after Pancho Varona’s long-standing collaboration. The arrangement underscored a sense of continuity and renewal, weaving veteran presence with fresh energy that kept the performance dynamic and intimate at the same time.
“Exciting”
The night featured a set that balanced beloved classics with newer interpretations. The emotional arc included tracks like “Peces de ciudad” and the playful line about the garçon that prompted a reflective moment, then “So young and so old” and “19 days 500 nights,” which reminded the audience why Sabina’s storytelling has endured. A highlight was when Barrios delivered the older song that inspired Sabina to craft the unforgettable lyric for a car ride memory, a moment that underscored the intimate chemistry between the musicians and their audience. The performance felt less like a concert and more like a postcard from a long road trip—precisely timed, deeply personal, and warmly shared.
During the show, drawings created by Sabina were projected on large screens, giving the set a visual narrative that complemented the music. He moved with energy, juggling guitars, stools, and occasional chairs, and he even let loose with mid‑dance as the crowd cheered. Perhaps as a precaution born from the accident years earlier, the lighting framed the stage with strong red tones at the borders, making sure there was no overstepping beyond the stage boundaries.
After renditions of “Contigo,” “Wedding Night,” and “We Were Given Ten,” Sabina’s farewell was marked by a lingering, almost reverent goodbye: a promise that the door would stay open to forever meet the audience again, whispered to a Wizink crowd that overflowed with emotion. The standing ovation lasted about two minutes, and an astonished assistant tossed him a Boca Juniors T‑shirt as a playful token of appreciation. Attendees described the performance as one of the most electrifying moments of his touring career. He was scheduled to perform again in Madrid on the following night, with the caveat that this performance would be the final one of the tour, signaling a potential last bow for the artist in the city that has long felt like a second home to him.