Fans who caught the Pet Shop Boys live in Madrid this Wednesday may feel a bit shaken, but the show didn’t endanger anyone. No worry, life goes on. What lingers is the impulse to move—hips swinging from today through the weekend—an energy perhaps welcomed since Primavera Sound Madrid began. The duo, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, injected their set with a shimmering mix of electronics, neon color, and a touch of lithium vigor, a perfect blend to energize vintage dance grooves. Their Metropolitan Citizens showcase begins with pure electropop psychedelia and a string of hits that helped push their career forward from the eighties. Forty years later, the sensations stay intense.
From the opening moment, the performance charged forward. The stage presence was immediate, the first chorus a signal of the riot that followed. As provocative as it was authentic, the group demonstrated why they have stayed relevant since their debut in 1986 with Please. The ecosystem they created feels so eclectic that it invites a closer look. The songs ride high on their established reputation, amplified by the festival’s large audience. They weren’t surprised by the reception, and neither were the fans disappointed. This early fire helped set a strong tone for Primavera Sound Madrid.
Primavera Sound Madrid canceled Thursday’s event due to forecast storms
They helped inaugurate the season in Madrid, long a symbol of the festival’s ambition. After twenty-one editions in Barcelona, the festival paused long enough to launch in the capital because of concerns about location, transport, and weather. The plan shifted to Friday and Saturday, while Arganda del Rey connected Puerta del Sol with a free shuttle and other traditional options to ease the expected crowds. The goal remained clear: honor the festival’s larger mission, even as adjustments were made. The lineup promised a spectrum of high-energy acts, from Rosalía to Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode to Calvin Harris, with a clear intent to cement Primavera Sound as a global brand that had already made waves in Porto, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo.
“Good evening Madrid. We are the Pet Shop Boys!” the moment the stage warmed up. Tennant and Lowe have long trusted the music to carry the moment, not empty slogans. Even with threatening rain, the energy held. Can You Forgive Him? Rent and other classics landed with punch, and the set did not slow down during the roughly ninety minutes. The crowd greeted each high point with growing enthusiasm, a sign that the duo’s authority remains intact.
Attitude, grandeur and brilliance
Under flashing lights and screens, the duo transformed the arena concourse into a compact, radiant space. The performance carried a magnetism that built toward a final burst of light, color, and movement. Costume changes and a banner that acknowledged Ukraine added a layer of presence that went beyond simple spectacle. When the chorus of If You Were Here, or perhaps Maybe, I’m not holding you back, echoed through the venue, the audience chanted back with a familiar fervor. Always on My Mind resonated, proving that after more than three decades the song still signals contemporary emotion. The show delivered a dose of adrenaline that hit directly in the heart.
Critically, the duo faced little that could be called fault. What the audience got was exactly what they expected: a performance rich in attitude, splendor, and craftsmanship. There were moments of toughness, yes, but the formula consistently paid off. The reception reflected a rare privilege for many concertgoers—an enduring moment of artistic confidence. The numbers backing the act are staggering: tens of millions of albums sold and a catalog of classic tracks that dominate many top lists. It’s not surprising that some of their biggest hits, such as It’s a Sin, Go West, and Heart, anchored the Primavera Sound experience that year.
sweet and nitric acid
The stage design and lighting turned the venue into a playground of macro disco, a place where the energy of the performers met the pulse of the crowd. Tennant and Lowe carried the room with conviction and charisma, turning the opening moment into a celebratory ritual. The night offered a vivid reminder that the festival is built on this kind of electric chemistry—music that travels, lines that blur between performance and celebration. The festival began with a promise of more to come, and the response from the crowd suggested that the best moments were yet to unfold. Everyone danced, and applause lingered as a sign of shared joy.
The opening acts also set a high bar for what would follow. A lineup featuring Skrillex, Caroline Polachek, Bad Gyal, St. Vincent, Christine and The Queens, Maneskin, and more hinted at a robust sequence of performances to come. The Barcelona edition has established a template: big names, a dynamic mix of genres, and a city-wide embrace of Primavera Sound as a major cultural event. It remains to be seen whether the bold energy shown by the Pet Shop Boys would replicate across the festival, but the early signs were strong.