The concert by Louis Tomlinson, ex-member of One Direction, has marked the second day of Santander Music, for better and for worse. As soon as the Magdalena venue opened, young people of all ages took their places in the front rows of the main stage. And they stayed there for approximately 7 hours. Initially, Tomlinson was scheduled to perform at 1:50 in the morning, but the organisers brought the performance forward by 20 minutes after “listening to the audience”.
I was very happy when the concert was about to start. Dawn Morena And I saw all those people sitting, waiting patiently, because the show from Salou was worth it. When it ended and everyone automatically sat down again, I came to my senses. The t-shirts didn’t leave any room for confusion either. In her first time in Santander, Alba shows off her brilliant voice from the first songs, with ‘Yo te quiero pero’ and the great version of Dillom, ‘Amigos nuevos’.
In Alba Morena’s concerts there is room for humor, with her constant references to the concerns of Gen Z such as fifes or eternal negotiations, vindication (“I have produced all this music, because there are women who produce”) and musical experimentation, mixing boleros with reggaeton in ‘Sin Morir Espero’ or bachatas with electronics in ‘Me Siento Muy Triste’. The public, on the other hand, limited itself to applauding and moving slightly with ‘Pirulí’. It was not up to Alba Morena’s level.
Toni Villen
Even though all Louis fans had to endure all the previous concerts, at least they enjoyed them. This was the case with Sen Senrawho gave the best concert of the day. It is a show that could be sustained only with the base songs, but the Galician also offers a sonic spectacle. ‘Tumbado en el jardín viendo atardecer’ and ‘No quiero ser un cantante’ follow one another to the amazement of the public. For a moment someone forgot that they were going to see One Direction.
No two Sen Senra concerts are the same, with minor changes to the setlist or the arrangements of the songs. This is the case of ‘Completamente Loco’, which is no longer Sen Senra’s reggaeton, but an amalgam of synthesizers and powerful drums that ends up reminding us of Kavinsky. ‘Hermosa Casualidad’, with surprising audience participation, and ‘Por Ti’, which magically coincided with fireworks on the other side of the bay, were the most exciting moments of the show. It’s easy to go to the coffin smiling. And once again, the directioners sat down again.
Fat One y Aiko the group They have been the injections of raw energy that Santander Music needed. Both Sergio, from trashi, and Tere, from Aiko, are pure electricity on stage. The Murcian came on stage smoking a cigarette and overflowing with charisma. He seemed calm, until he started to climb on the stage bars and let his soul scream, in that addictive mix of pop, punk and autotune that the band proposes. On the other hand, Tere and the guitar are one, letting themselves be carried away by their vibrations at all times. Both trashi and Aiko are having an enviable repertoire that they also round off with some great versions. The Murcians pay tribute to Bad Gyal, while Aiko greatly increases the revolutions of ‘Toro’ with her particular cover.
What surprised me the most is that between the two groups, who are as hard as anyone, there was only one mosh pit, and it was because the trashy ones asked for it. Samuraï was in the audience and was in charge of opening the dance floor for the ‘mañaneo’ party. Ironically, one of the best moments of Aiko’s concert, if not the best, was her ballad. All the songs are sung by three voices and in ‘Por qué no dices la verdad’ this shone especially, with Tere being the dissonant voice that breaks the peace of Lara and Bárbara’s choruses. Her set ended abruptly with ‘Peñacastillo’, bringing forward the exit of Louis Tomlinson“Well, we have to stay like this,” said Tere. The audience didn’t like this. “Fuck him!” can be heard in the background.
Javier Bragado
As the most anticipated concert of the day was about to begin, it became clear that far fewer people had come than on the first day. Still, when Tomlinson stepped on stage, what could be heard was a festival of screams. “You guys are fucking loud,” the singer exclaimed. He kept up the swearing throughout the concert. Another strategy to distance himself from his former band was to do the most hardcore covers possible, because yes, he sang One Direction songs. Specifically, ‘Drag Me Down’, ‘Night Changes’ and ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’. When the first of these came on, it was beautiful, because there were so many dreams being fulfilled in that moment, just by seeing a One Direction. For the younger generations, it’s like seeing a Beatle. For those older people, it was the same. Their inner child healed.
Tomlinson’s own repertoire was also sung from the rooftops. In particular, ‘Out Of My System’, ‘Bigger Than Me’ and ‘Written All Over Your Face’. There were few moments of silence. Between songs, there was only more shouting. The truth is that the concert was not bad at all. Tomlinson has surrounded himself with a more than capable band and the songs are nice. A relief for the parents who have had to endure being in the same place since 7 pm. ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’ was sung before downing a mini bottle of alcohol that had been given to him by the audience, putting an end to two wonderful days of music. Mind you, Santander Music is not over yet.
Today the Brunch Electronik party takes place, for the first time in Cantabria, for the biggest electronic music lovers. Uhmami, Héctor Llamazares, TSHA, Dennis Cruz and Honey Dijon will bid farewell to the Campa de la Magdalena until next year. Tickets for the 2025 edition will be available This Monday, August 5th from 12 noon.
