English musician Jamie Cullum plays in Barcelona amid Spain-England football face-off
Jazz artist returns to Catalan capital with hits like 'All at Sea' and 'Mankind'
![British musician Jamie Cullum performs in Barcelona's Alma Festival on July 14, 2024](https://cdn-acn.watchity.net/acn/images/25a570d8-f1cc-4bad-9242-aeb2bf2c00d4/66adc17c-cf8b-4e28-bb1c-657652f25a42/66adc17c-cf8b-4e28-bb1c-657652f25a42_medium.jpeg)
Grec theatre, L'Auditori concert hall... and now Poble Espanyol during the Alma Festival. Jamie Cullum's long relationship with Barcelona does not cease to exist. It was even himself who said that he has been performing for 22 years in the Catalan capital, and people "still come to hear me play," he told a large audience on Sunday night.
The English artist of 'Drink' took over the Alma Festival in front of thousands; despite being a "calm" concert for Cullum's typical performance, it was still crazy and energetic.
Cullum had a challenging night, as his show, which started at 9:30 pm, fully clashed with the Euro 2024 final with Spain facing England. It was a game with much anticipation and expectation, as many spectators were seen checking their phones during the artist's show to check the score.
It felt like he was following the game himself, as when England scored their goal, the concert evolved to a more rhythmic and dancy mood, but it was not related at all. When Spain scored the second and decisive goal, the English artist born in Rochford kept playing and singing as if there was no tomorrow.
![English composer Jamie Cullum sings in front of thousands in Barcelona's Alma Festival on July 14, 2024](https://cdn-acn.watchity.net/acn/images/25a570d8-f1cc-4bad-9242-aeb2bf2c00d4/243a71e1-eb65-4ed8-a2aa-82f54e6172d4.jpg)
During the show, which lasted around 1:50 hours, he performed songs such as 'All at Sea,' 'Everything That You Didn't Do,' and 'Twentysomething' on stage; in fact, in this latter one, he even said that he was surprised to still be singing this hit at 45 years old. The musician also performed some covers, such as The Weeknd's 'Can't Feel My Face,' which the public highly applauded.
But the most unique moment was during his hit 'Mankind' when Cullum walked through the audience microphone in hand, waging to his followers. Just to finish, he performed solo on the piano, bidding farewell to the two dancers and singers that accompanied him all night to perform 'All at Sea,' followed by a cover of the song 'What a Difference a Day Made.'
The United Kingdom jazz artist was a highly anticipated highlight of the 2024 Alma Festival event, with fans eagerly awaiting his performance.
In Barcelona, Cullum demonstrated why he is one of our era's most influential jazz artists.
He is one of the most talented jazz artists in the UK and has sold over 13 million albums across the globe during his 20-year career.
Some of his most prominent collaborators have been singer Pharrell and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, who both worked on the soundtrack to the 2008 movie Gran Torino.
The show ended a little bit after the Spain-England game ended, so for those not-so-football fans, the occasion was unique to escape from the goal chants and the chants of victory that could be easily heard across the city on the way back.