Last Wednesday, December 11, Manuel Carrasco was in ‘The Revolt’, David Broncano’s program on La 1, teaching (among other things) three fines from the Madrid City Council. “for exceeding the noise levels permitted at the Santiago Bernabéu.” These are fines of 144,000 euros, 126,000 and 129,000, which add up to 399,000 euros.
Other defaulters. Carrasco is not a special case: he is not the only artist who has had to face this type of fines for sound at the Bernabéu, although they have always been lower than those of the Huelva singer. Taylor Swift He had to pay 288,000 euros in two fines and Duki did so with two others that also totaled 280,000.
Controversy from the beginning. Since the reopening of the Santiago Bernabéu, almost a year late On the scheduled date, at the beginning of 2024, protests by neighbors over the noise began to occur. They achieved a certain media impact with Swift’s presence: they had endured five years of works and now they had to endure the sound of the concerts as if they were being held at home. Neighbors’ protests They went viral on Twitter and the first fines did not take long to arriveafter the complaint with the general director of Real Madrid that launched the Association of People Injured by the Bernabéu.
16 noisemakers. This year 16 concerts have been held, fewer than planned. In September, the management I decided to delayat least until March, the concerts that were planned until the end of the year. Some of the artists who were left without performing were Aitana, Lola Índigo or Dellafuente. The latter moved their concerts to the Atlético stadium, while Lola Índigo announced that he would play on June 14, 2025. The white club denied it with a message that bears good testimony to the doubtful moments that the stadium management is currently experiencing:
“At the current time, the club is not in a position to guarantee any date for holding concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, until the pertinent tests are carried out to guarantee that the concert promoters will be in a position to comply with the regulations, once the measures implemented in coordination with the public administrations have been implemented.”
Soundproofing: mission impossible. Experts aren’t sure soundproofing is feasible. Francesc Daumal i Domènech, acoustics expert, consulted by Eldiario.es He stated that “in six months the problem will certainly not have been solved, in fact it is most likely that they will continue to think about how to solve it.” Earlier this month media like Ace They were talking about the company specializing in the matter, Arup, could have been hired by Real Madrid to carry out soundproofing. And in El Chiringuito, Josep Pedrerol ventured what a reform of this type would cost: between 20 and 25 million euros.
The neighbors continue to cope. Of course, it is not a small amount no matter how many fines are imposed, especially considering that the reforms They cost 1.1 billion eurosafter chaining up to three loans to come to fruition, something they reached almost a year late. The Bernabéu has even tried to offer residents soundproofing their homes, but these resist. Journalist Ramón Álvarez del Mon said this on Twitter: those affected think that it is not just about the noise, but about the crowds that the concerts generate, with the dirt and a volume of noise that is beyond the control of the stadium.
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