Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, and more rained off during day one at Primavera Sound Barcelona
A yellow adverse weather warning across Barcelona brought torrential downpours to Primavera Sound's first full day, forcing the cancellations of Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Mac DeMarco and Alex G.
A heatwave in Barcelona has given way to thunderstorms over the Primavera Sound festival weekend, with between 40 and 60mm of rain expected in just one hour.
Alex G and Mac DeMarco were the first casualties of the evening when the Occident stage was closed and the screen displayed a message informing attendees that performances were indefinitely suspended.
Many festival-goers were seen leaving the site after Geese, who played on the Occident stage as the rain first started.
Massive Attack's main stage set was initially pushed back two hours, to 12:30, but a notification from the official app later confirmed "adverse weather and technical conditions have made it impossible." This isn't the first time Massive Attack have been forced to cancel a headline performance at Primavera; the last was in 2022 due to illness.
Doja Cat live-tweeted updates throughout the evening, posting with more frequency than the official Primavera Sound channels, which left audiences without clarity. "Inaction, miscommunication, and no guidance to the folks working there," one reddit user wrote. No announcement was made about Massive Attack until after their scheduled start time, with fans refused entry to the main arena with no explanation.
Bad Gyal's set, also due to take place at the double main stage arena, was cancelled too.
Shows on the smaller stages continued to run almost as planned, with Florence Road playing Port stage and Skullcrusher opposite them at the Schwarzkopf stage. Agriculture's set was cut short by 20 minutes due to power issues; they ended by cueing the crowd in a chant of "Free / free Palestine."
Primavera Sound is scheduled to continue today, Friday 5 June, with sets from The Cure, Ethel Cain, PinkPantheress, Rilo Kiley, and more.
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