If anyone hadn't heard, the amplification system at the Estadi Olímpic was in charge of spreading the good news throughout the municipal area on Friday. You just had to open the windows. Neighbors from half of Barcelona listened to Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band reinterpret his great songs in a concert that opened the tour.
Thanks to that and to the prolific presence of their guests Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw in the media -and even in the choirs-, many people discovered what good rock fans already knew: that Barcelona welcomes these days a musical event of global reach that places her in the center of attention.
Between festivals and macro-concerts, the Catalan capital has put 1.2 million tickets on sale this 2023. For some artists, their Barcelona performance is their only stop in Spain. These are the cases of the Boss (2 stadiums), Coldplay (4), Elton John, Beyoncé, The Who, Madonna...
In other words: if seen in isolation, the spectacular visit by Springsteen and his most honorable court can be dismissed, if you like, like a rock'n'roll Welcome Mr. Marshall. But, if the focus is widened, what is observed is the vitality of a music industry that has become one of Barcelona's cultural hallmarks.
The Boss's double concert should be read, in this context, as the prologue of what is to come in the coming months.
At the origin of this industry was, of course, the audacity of some private promoters who, during the Franco regime or in its decline, dared to play in the European league of concerts, be they jazz, rock or any other style. .
Entrepreneurs who literally risked their lives betting blindly that they would fill the venues when expressions such as audience knowledge or big data had not yet been invented and the creators of Spotify had not yet been born.
The proximity of France helped, helps and will help even more in a future in which the tours of the stars will become more and more sustainable.
Continuing to enjoy musical springs like this in the city, however, is not guaranteed if a permanent effort is not made to improve. A veteran promoter recalls that Barcelona was once also the capital of record companies, until Madrid's dynamism and a certain Barcelona-like negligence brought this industry to the capital of Spain.
Whoever wins the next municipal elections – the mayors were seen on Friday by the Boss – have something to say in this matter. From the outset, the spectacular transfer of FC Barcelona to Montjuïc will force the City Council to find solutions so that the club can enjoy the Estadi without detriment to the concerts.
The Barcelonans may be from Barça, Espanyol or Europa, but they are also from Springsteen, the Cure, Bad Gyal or Duki. The Estadi Olímpic must continue to appear as a privileged venue on the grand tour circuit, and solutions must be found to be able to combine – it has been done in the past – football matches and performances at the Palau Sant Jordi.
In short, it is the duty of the administrations to accompany private promoters to consolidate Barcelona's leadership in the music industry, while making life easier for small venues, guaranteeing access to music studios and working to improve the working conditions of performers, as has begun to be done with the approval of the artist statute.
In the meantime, welcome New Jersey's Mr. Marshall and his venerable troupe to this city prone to self-flagellation. The brilliance of these days, which prolongs that of Sant Jordi or that of a star-studded BCN Film Fest, projects Barcelona, but, above all, reinforces its self-esteem. The Glory days that Michelle Obama sang on Friday is a hymn to lost youth. But revived from the splendid maturity of the Boss. More tonight.
