Future Islands @ Moby Dick, 2010

Live music is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. A few days before I moved to Madrid, I attended the first-ever Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina and found myself suddenly infected with concert fever. Imagine my joy and surprise when one of my favorite groups from the festival announced a European tour and made a stop in Madrid! A few weeks later, there I was with my ticket in hand standing outside Moby Dick Club, with another ticket sitting at home waiting for a different show at Sala Heineken (now Sala Marco Aldany/Arena).

Now here I am, over a year later, with some bad news… it turns out there’s no cure for concert fever. I tend to buy concert tickets the way that some people might impulse-buy a jacket or a new book with a flashy cover, but I buy them in bursts. I’m currently safeguarding tickets to three shows in the next month, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Shana's Guiri Guide to Music!

So where can you go to see these shows? We folks living in Madrid have a lot of options. Being a capital city, many bands make a stop here, often on their way to or from Barcelona, and these artists span across all genres of music. I’ve created a map in Google outlining some of my favorite spots and Madrid’s most popular places to see music. In this map, you’ll find a color-coded guide to venues of all sizes, including a few spots for some Flamenco shows in Madrid, all with a short description of the atmosphere and type of music you can find there. Please add your favorite concert venues in the comments and I’ll be sure to add them to my map!

A concert venue, however, is no good without having tickets to get into the show! There are multiple ways to get your hands on the hottest tickets in town:

• FNAC Callao – Check out their mini box office on the corner of C/ Rompelanzas and C/ Carmen.
• El Corte Inglés - Tickets are available at most Corte Inglés stores and at their website.
• Atrapalo - This website often offers discounts on everything from concerts and plays to hotels and flights. With Atrapalo, you often print a reservation for the event and receive your ticket at the venue.
• Ticketea – Similar to Atrapalo, a powerful event-browsing tool.
• ServiCaixa – Buy your tickets online and pick them up at any ServiCaixa ATM!
• Ticketmaster - Spain’s own Ticketmaster website. Available events also include bullfights and sporting events.

Feel free to contact me if you have any advice on curing concert fever, or if you need a concert-going buddy! What’s the best show you’ve seen in Madrid? Let us know in the comments!