A starless concert on stage: Spanish festival tests a new way of listening to music

The 38th edition of the “Live Music Market in Vic” festival in Spain opened with an unconventional performance that sought to answer a simple question: Does the audience need to see the artist on stage to be moved by the music?

Titled “Not a Concert: A Very Long Shadow,” the performance featured the music of Italian artist Andrea Lazzaro De Simone, who did not appear in person to present it to the audience.

The core idea of the experiment was to test a new format for concerts in which the music remains in the foreground while the artist’s presence recedes. Instead of the usual concert where the singer stands at the forefront, Italian director Lucia Del Greco designed a different experience, using shadows, movement, and emptiness on stage.

Some musicians also appeared before the audience in an attempt to shift the focus to the sounds and emotions created by the music, rather than the artist’s image.

The performance took place on September 16 at the L’Atlàntida theater in the city of Vic, as part of a festival that runs until September 20 and features more than 70 musical performances.