Rosalía and Calvin Harris close 2023 Primavera Sound Barcelona after welcoming 253,000 spectators

Catalan superstar Rosalía's return to Barcelona did not go unnoticed and thousands of people got together during her concert to bid farewell to the 2023 Primavera Sound edition. The show started at 2:05 am, minutes after DJ Calvin Harris finished his set on the Santander stage, just beside Estrella Damm's, where the pop star made history.

Rosalía returned as a headliner to the event after already leading the festival in 2019.

During this week, Primavera Sound celebrated its 21st edition in the Catalan capital and welcomed 253,000 spectators, 52% of whom were international, between the three main nights of the festival—193,000 festival-goers, an average of 65,000 per night—, and the activities across Barcelona or the Primavera Pro, where some of the most important networking and debates surrounding the music industry occured.

Overall, there were 317 shows to make "Barcelona the most singular playlist in the world," as organizers said on Saturday early evening.

Rosalía's return home

"I have been touring for a year and a half," Rosalía said in Catalan on her return to the Catalan capital. 

"I always used to come to Primavera Sound to see some concerts and dream about becoming an artist and being the headliner of the show, that is what I dreamed of," the Catalan superstar said after singing 'Saoko,' 'Bizcochito,' and 'La Fama.'

The over 60 minutes show saw some of her other hits such as 'Malamente,' 'Motomami,' 'Beso,' and 'Chicken Teriyaki,' which saw Rosalía and her dance crew scooting around the stage.

A white stage canvas that reassembled the one of a photography studio, which some of her followers already saw during the Motomami World Tour concert she performed at Palau Sant Jordi almost a year ago.

Applauses and choirs have been part of the public's way of accompanying the singer in a concert that was halted mid-song because of audio issues as some of the spectators raised their voices to let the artist know that they could not hear the concert.

"Ricky, turn this s**t up!" the singer said to her technician before adding, "You know I was kidding. You are the best!"

"I am very happy performing at home," Rosalía said during the concert, saying that she believes Primavera Sound has been where she has performed most.

Some fans left disappointed as the concert ended abruptly with the singer walking out off the stage and not returning for an encore. Others were looking forward to Rauw Alejandro, her partner, singing with her, and many expected Tokischa, who was also performing at Primavera Sound on Saturday night, to accompany Rosalía during their song 'Linda.' Still, it was not the case, either.

UK DJ's personal touch

Past midnight, 14 minutes into Sunday to be more precise, British DJ Calvin Harris took over the Santander stage, bringing some of his biggest hits and electronic music to the big esplanade of Primavera Sound.

Fire and smoke cannons were part of a large audiovisual spectacle that saw Harris DJing for 90 long minutes on the stage, beside the one in which Rosalía was later going to end the event.

Hit after hit through Calvin Harris' discography with even Dua Lipa, who was one of the headliners of Primavera Sound 2022, returning to the event, but just her song with the DJ, 'One Kiss,' which saw fans going mad, in the good sense.

The show ended with 'Miracle,' and an amazing light show that concluded once Calvin Harris was off the stage.

Not alone

However, Rosalía and Calvin Harris were not the only ones to close an event that saw a new stage distribution and bars and resting areas to make the experience more "comfortable."

The War On Drugs, St. Vincent, Caroline Polachek, Måneskin, or John Cale were part of the lineup that bid farewell to Primavera Sound 2023, with the exception of Sunday's Brunch Electronik.

Primavera Sound started on May 31 with a free night with Pet Shop Boys as the headliner but has also seen artists such as New Order, Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Alvvays Sparks, or even Skrillex, who literally lit up the stage on Friday night.

The festival will now close its Barcelona adventure, which recovered its one-weekend edition after last year's two-weekend experience, until the next 'Primavera' (spring) and will celebrate a mirror show from June 8 to 10 in Spain's capital, Madrid. 

This will mark the first time the event takes place in Madrid, specifically at Ciudad del Rock, Arganda del Rey, but those looking forward to the next Primavera Sound in Barcelona should mark their calendars, as 2024 Primavera Sound Barcelona will take place from May 30 to June 1.

Sexual assault

A man was detained at Primavera Sound on Saturday at 3 am after sexually assaulted an Irish woman at the festival. Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police detained the person after the victim had been assaulted.

The Barcelona digital 'Metrópoli Abierta' first reported that private security acted swiftly and that the aggressor was intoxicated.

The victim filed a complaint a few hours after the reported assault.