In 2024, ‘Swifties’ in their tens of thousands of – Taylor Swift fans – converged in Madrid to enjoy back-to-back concerts at the Spanish capital’s famous Bernabéu stadium, home ground of Spanish La Liga giants, Real Madrid, who won Europe’s Champions League final less than 24 hours later, on 1 June.
The massive convert was one of dozens of high-profile gigs held at the newly renovated Santiago Bernabeu in 2024 to boost the club’s revenue.
However, the project was short lived. In September all gigs were cancelled after residents living within the range where sounds of the music filed a legal complaint over the noise.
Nine months later, Spanish pop singer Aitana is the latest artist to switch venues from the Santiago Bernabéu to the Metropolitano Stadium – home to Atletico Madrid – as the court case continues.
President of the neighbours’ association, Enrique Martínez de Azagra, says, “In every concert it is exactly the same.”
He added, “It is impossible to suffer this kind of noise and it affects our health, it affects migraines, insomnia and heart attacks and it is a criminal offence in our laws.”
In Madrid, during the concerts, the noise levels measured by the neighbours exceeded 90 decibels regularly.
Enrique says there is a huge difference between the noise from the concerts compared with that from football games. He and most of his neighbours have lived in the area for many years. Many of them are life-long Real Madrid supporters and belong to committees that represent the interests of the club.
