12-07-2018
>With more than 10 hours of uninterrupted iconic music, arts and much more to come, Madrid vies for the position of European capital of live music culture.
>The Seattle band offers an unforgettable show after 11 years of not playing in the city.
What was a little more than a decade seemed an eternity for the 80,000 people who witnessed the Pearl Jam concert today. The band from Seattle, one of the icons of grunge and alternative rock of the last 30 years, offered an unforgettable show on the opening day of Mad Cool Festival.
Eddie Vedder appeared on stage shortly after 23:20, with a bottle of champagne in his hand, his usual plaid shirt and a big smile. The band started their show with Release, included in their LP, TEN. This song -which Vedder dedicated to his father- was composed by all the members of the band, and the first song they played in their history as a group.
On this first day, Eels offered a concert in the full vibrance of the sun that delighted the audience thanks to the festive atmosphere that was generated by the songs from his repertoire such as the crowd-favorite Today is the day.
Tame Impala, another of the most anticipated bands of the 2018 edition of Mad Cool, appeared on stage with a kaleidoscopic stage heavy with elements of pop psychedelia for which the Australian band is known.
Punto Violeta: Violet Point: a place for respect and vindication
Under the slogan "in Mad Cool, and always, respect" the festival has developed an innovative action plan to combat sexual harassment. Under a zero-tolerance criterion, an action protocol has been implemented to react to any type of harassment, in addition to having enabled a space for attention and reporting. Specialized staff, headed by trained women in the field and volunteers from the City of Madrid, have been raising awareness among the audience against sexual harassment. On this inaugural day of Mad Cool, there has not been any incident or complaint of this kind.
The Loop: the space for electronica in the 2018 edition
Aware of the sheer reach and popularity of electronica, Festival Management decided to give it more prominence with The Loop. This tent is one of the great attractions of this 2018 edition whose opening day was starred, among others, by the british acts Actress and Gold Panda. The day at The Loop was closed by French duo Justice, and British DJ, Maya Janes Cole. Tomorrow, it will be the Massive Attack and Erol Alkan'sturn to light up The Loop.
Espacio Pedro Aunión: a place for artistic creation
Mad Cool Festival becomes, for the third year in a row, a multidisciplinary festival where music coexists with different disciplines such as art, fashion or audiovisual creation. TheEspacio Pedro Aunión, the area that remembers our dear colleague Pedro Aunión, has been created to be a container of scenic arts with two main courses: Hakanaï (a show by the French company Adrien Mondot & Claire Bardainne) and Toom Pak -a musical proposal made in Madrid- in which the most organic and synthetic side of percussion converge. Fashion exploring innovative street-wear is presented with the parades of five brands under the command of Mad Cool Walk.
2018 edition sold-out: another sign of the triumph of music
Along with Pearl Jam, 40 other artists -among which stand out Kasabian, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Yo La Tengo, Eels, Post Malone, Justice or Ivan Ferreiro- starred in the more than 10 hours of uninterrupted music of the day of Thursday, July 12. And, the selling out of the 2018 edition further solidifies Madrid's position as a great European capital of music.
Regarding incidents on the first day
Due to an internet connection failure in the whole establishment, there have been more incidents regarding access to Espacio Mad Cool than we expected on this first day of the festival.
We are truly sorry about the waiting time and long lines. We thank all attendants for your comprehension. We are sure that the next two days will go by smoothy.
Tomorrow, Friday, the second day of the festival, music and culture will continue to make everyone in the Espacio Mad Cool enjoy. Thank you for supporting live music.
(Photo: Andrés Iglesias)
