Viva Suecia thrilled 20,000 fans as Murcia's fears of rain disappeared. Photo Credit: Pedro J Pacheco / Wikimedia Commons
Rock fans in the Region of Murcia experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the weekend with the spectacular Viva Suecia concert, which completely sold out in 48 hours a year ago. Until the very last minute, the major musical event, which took place at Espacio Norte and saw around 20,000 people attend, was threatened by forecasts of rain sweeping across the region. In the end, however, the concert went off without a hitch, and as the lead singer of the Murcian band hilariously observed, “Not a single drop of rain has fallen!”
20,000 fans gather for Viva Suecia’s sold-out concert despite rain threat
The concert was a highly anticipated event that saw people from all across the Region of Murcia and beyond flocking to the regional capital to see Viva Suecia, a popular band that experiments with various genres including alternative, indie and pop rock. The band, which changed its name to “Viva Murcia” for the occasion, started their show a little later than the original time amid a yellow alert for heavy downpours in Murcia, but the band members, as well as the crowd of tens of thousands of spectators, were undeterred.
Members of Arde Bogotá join Viva Suecia for a surprise performance
One of the biggest surprises of the night was the appearance of members of another popular Murcia band, Arde Bogotá, who come from the Costa Calida hub city of Cartagena. The band members Antonio García and Dani Sánchez joined the members of Viva Suecia onstage to perform ‘El Bien’, in a symbolic gesture that not only united two of the most popular bands from the Region of Murcia, but also connected the two major cities, long considered “rivals”. To welcome the members of Arde Bogotá, Jess Fabric, the bassist, even wore a Cartagena FC sports jersey.
Rock fans celebrate a spectacular rain-free night
“Many times we look to the sky when what we’re looking for is right in front of us,” said lead singer of Viva Suecia, Rafa Val. He thanked the audience for coming despite the looming threat of rain that would have forced the show to be cancelled. Despite the gloomy weather, Viva Suecia pulled off a spectacular rock performance in front of 20,000 of their most devoted fans, who all received raincoats at the entrance of the venue, just in case.
To the delight of some of their most hardcore fans, the band also played some of their lesser-known songs. “We’re going to sing what we really feel like singing,” said the band, and many of the audience members knew every word.
Viva Murcia and not a single drop of rain
Viva Suecia, formed in 2013, has grown into one of the most successful and influential musical acts of the contemporary Spanish alternative music scene. The talented musicians frequently headline major national music festivals and sell out massive arena venues, like the Espacio Norte.
The highly successful show ended with hugs between the talented musicians and with several shouts of “Viva Murcia!” “Viva Cartagena!” “Viva Suecia!”, other cheers for towns all across the Region of Murcia…and not a single drop of rain.