In the first weekend of November, Primavera Sound happened in São Paulo. The festival, which originated in Barcelona, landed for its first edition and surprised everyone, with big headliners, accessible places, and good food.
The event made a great debut and left people expecting the next edition. Let’s check out on how was this experience!
PLACE & STAGES
Firstly, the Festival took place in the Anhembi district, which is known for its carnival parades and other events. The structure has flat and paved ground, which made the transit between stages much easier, making people less tired and able to walk faster from one stage to another. There were also very well-structured bathrooms all over the place.
There were five stages, all with great structures and sound systems: Primavera, Elo, Barcelona, Bits, and Becks. The first two were really close to each other and, in people’s general opinion, the best. Primavera was the largest, had great big screens and its access was really easy. So, there wasn’t a problem if you wanted to stay in the front – and if you wished to chill in the back, that was fine: the big screens would help you see everything.
Elo stage had a smaller structure and screens, but it had bleachers, which won people’s hearts because you could rest in a comfortable place while watching the shows.
Barcelona was in an auditorium with great acoustics. The only problem was that the seats were limited, meaning you had to get there earlier to guarantee your spot, and it was quite hidden among all the stages.
Bits was the electronic and indoor stage, right next to the food plaza. The closed area was a great decision for the lights and vibes of electronic music.
Now the polemic Becks Stage, named after the main sponsor, Becks Beer. The biggest problem was the trees that were in the middle of the way, blocking the view of the stage. The festival tried to avoid the situation by installing big screens in the whole area, and it solved a big part of the problem. The trees were not the fault of the festival organization, but from the place, and there weren’t any other places to put a stage of that size.
FOOD AND WATER
One of the biggest highlights, besides the concerts, was the free water! Once you arrived at the festival they gave you reusable cups to drink water on the fountains spread in the area. A negative point was that the fountains were hidden and in small quantities – which is, actually, a point to improve for next year.
Apart from the food court, with vegan options and sweets, there where food tends all over the place, especially near the stages, with burgers, pastel, skewers, pizza, fries and a lot of beer. The prices were a bit expensive, but nothing very abusive. For example, Braz Elletrica was selling pizzas for R$20, which is more expensive than the usual.
ACCESSIBILITY
A very important topic that has been discussed recently is how to make sure that people with reduced mobility enjoy events. Primavera Sound nailed it on that aspect: there were electric wheelchairs available and golf cars. Since the place was flat and pavemented, it was really easy going from one place to another.
LINE UP
A great curatorship brought to Brazil famous artists such as Bjork, Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, Lorde, Chali XCX and Phoebe Bridgers.
Bjork made a concert with an orchestra, and that affected her show in a negative way for those who weren’t her fans. With an experimental sound, the orchestra made all the songs sound the same. On the other hand, people who appreciate her songs were enchanted and enjoyed.
Arctic Monkeys made one of their best concerts at the festival, with hits such as “505“, “Arabella“, “Do I wanna Know” and songs from their new album, “The Car“. Alex Turner captured the attention of the public, with a sexy voice and great performance.
After the death of ten people at a Travis Scott concert, the rapper made a comeback at festivals. With great hits and a show that even broke a piece of the stage, the artist made his fans very excited and happy.
“A prettier Jesus”: Lorde made one of the best concerts overall. With a stage similar to the one at her tours, the singer brought hits from the albums Melodrama, Pure Heroin and her latest one, Solar Power. During the one hour and fifteen minutes of concert, she made everyone very emotional with speeches, making sure to show how thankful she was, and also sang songs that made everyone dance. She even brought Phoebe Bridgers onstage.
Phoebe Bridgers made her first concert in Brazil! And, with very emotional and sad songs, Bridgers put everyone to sing and scream on her show. With great visuals, Phoebe also walked through the fans and stopped her performance three times to make sure everyone was okay.
Charli XCX closed the festival with an agitated performance and big hits such as I love it and Boom Clap. The British singer has a huge fan base here and led everyone to dance. A negative point was the backing vocal, which was very perceptive.
There were many other iconic singers and bands that are were worth it checking it out: Mitski, Beach House, Japanese Breakfast, Raveena, Terno Rei, Father John Misty and Jessie Ware.
PRIMAVERA X LOLLA
The main difference between the festivals is that Primavera privileges music more than anything, while Lollapalooza is also worried about the entertainment apart from the concerts, with amusement park toys and “activations”. That being said, Lolla should have a better line up and schedules, in my opinion.
Another point is that Lolla doesn’t usually offer decent bathrooms or free water. Because the festival takes place in Autódromo de Interlagos, the accessibility is very bad and every time that rains everything gets muddy.
With only one edition in Brazil, Primavera Sounds showed Lollapalooza that are many things to improve, and also how a good festival is made.
This article was edited by Lorena Lindenberg. Liked this type of content? Check out Her Campus Casper Libero page for more!