Primavera Sound festival features Kendrick Lamar, Rosalia

A dreamy reunion of Blur was the highlight of this year’s Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, one of the busiest festivals in Europe, which returned with more than 150 acts, great weather and superb energy. A highlight was the Friday night concert, headlined by Depeche Mode, with an emotional first performance to take place after the passing of founding member Andrew Fletcher.

So after I got the okay from the festival, I booked my flights and hotel, and was good to go.

I arrived in Barcelona one day before the festival opened, but I could already feel the energy of the festival in the streets. People from all over the world arrive here every year for the Primavera Sound festival, at Parc del Forum by the coast.

But for me the first day was all about one show – Blur!

At 2 a.m., on the empty main stage, surrounded by thousands of cheering fans, a neon light sign spelled one word – Blur.

Music is universal

And then the band got on stage and performed an absolutely epic show, including their biggest hits, such as “Song 2,” “Park Life,” “Country House,” “There’s No Other Way,” and more. Frontman Damon Albarn was all over the place, playing with the crowd and jumping like he was in his 20s again.

The show ended with a sing-a-long as Blur played “The Universal,” reminding us that music is definitely universal.

The next day, Depeche Mode provided some emotional moments with their frontman Dave Gahan, still one of the most charismatic frontmen to grace music stages, even in his 50s. The way he moves and plays the crowd is mesmerizing.

Saturday headliners were Kendrick Lamar; Rosalia, the Spanish young phenomenon; and St. Vincent.

More acts, such as Maggie Rogers, Arlo Parks, Holly Humberstone and The Wild Bunch of Maneskin, gave a great finale to yet another summer festival in Barcelona.

Primavera Sound is known for its multiple stages and urban vibe, and is definitely one of the best music festivals to check out every summer.