Thaïs Parvez
Rock soaked this year’s edition of Mad Cool, packed across four days of epic, high-octane performances from massive heavyweights like Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, The Warning, and Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar.
The tenth edition, held from July 8 to 12 at the Iberdrola Music venue in Villaverde, turned into the absolute epicenter of global high voltage.
After covering a string of Summer gigs and festivals for Hot BuZz (Mag), it was time once again to lace up our Vans, grab our Nikon, and dive headfirst into the pit (yes, I was one of the brave few camera-in-hand in the mosh pit Dave Grohl called for) to bring you the rawest, most honest, and unfiltered dispatch from Mad Cool 2026.
If you were there, you already know. If you missed it, turn up the volume: here’s our ultimate rock breakdown straight from the press trench.
Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl in full rowdy mode, a soulful Taylor Hawkins tribute, and pure nostalgic stadium power
What Foo Fighters pulled off on day one of Mad Cool 2026 was a pure surge of adrenaline and collective catharsis.
Dave Grohl was out of control in the best way possible, leaping up to devour the mic and locking in with the crowd from the start.
When they dropped Learn to Fly, the entire grounds lifted off in a unified anthem that reminded us why they remain undisputed rock ‘n’ roll royalty.
Then came the gut punch: a breathtaking tribute to legendary drummer Taylor Hawkins that brought soul-stirring silence, goosebumps, and a collective lump in the throat to 57,000 fans.
Proving they’re still one of the heaviest bands on the planet, they tore into a wild, blistering cover of Motörhead’s Ace of Spades.
One of the standout moments captured through our lens was the exact instant The Pretender, Best of You, and the legendary finale with Everlong made Villaverde shake to its core.
After spending over two hours rocking the “Región de Madrid” stage, Grohl and company proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why they are still the reigning kings of stadium rock.
The Warning: Mexico’s hard rock queens are coming in hot
The Villarreal sisters aren’t just a phenomenon anymore; they’re an absolute earthquake. At Mad Cool, the trio made Villaverde rattle.
The Warning‘s lead vocalist and guitarist Dany spat out razor-sharp riffs on Sick! and Evolve, driving the crowd with her signature charm and effortless warmth.
Pau smashed her kit with undeniable precision while belting out lead vocals on the verses of Sharks, while Ale laid down a crushing bassline, shining on tracks like Disciple and their new single Ritual, which is inspired by early-2000s Muse style.
Their set was stacked with hits from their 2024 record “Keep Me Fed” (Lava / Republic Records), classic fan favorites like Money, and fresh bangers from their upcoming album “Everything’s Falling” (Lava / Republic Records), set for August 2026, including Kerosene and Ego.
Back when “Keep Me Fed” was peaking, we gave you five reasons and a guitar cover of Sick! explaining why The Warning is one of the most powerful acts in rock today.
Their Mad Cool set was total validation. Old-school hard rock fused with modern experimentation, forged in Monterrey with giant-sized attitude.
After opening for heavy hitters like Halestorm, Muse, Yungblud, and Foo Fighters, the Mexican trio proved in Madrid why they’ve become a must-watch band.
You’ve been warned!
Dogstar: Keanu Reeves’ band delivers an alt-rock masterclass
Zero Hollywood gimmickry, 100% attitude.
Seeing Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”, “John Wick”) up close through the lens, totally locked into the groove, with a subtle smirk, and playing a heavy bassline next to Robert Mailhouse’s relentless drum beat, was pure post-grunge magic.
Bret Domrose’s raspy vocals and guitar led a tight setlist featuring highlights from their 2023 album “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees” (Dillon Street Records) alongside new material like All in Now, the title track of their upcoming record, displaying undeniable band chemistry.
The trio delivered a compact, elegant, and eclectic set infused with 90s nostalgia that gave you chills from the opening chord.
Capturing Keanu lost in his rock groove from the front rows was proof positive that this project is born out of genuine love for the craft.
Dogstar didn’t come to Mad Cool to sell a movie star; they showed up to deliver a legit alt-rock gig that left all of Villaverde craving an encore.
Twenty One Pilots: Tyler and Josh’s high-flying musical circus
Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun don’t just put on gigs; they stage full-scale visual and sonic revolutions.
From the moment they hit the main stage, the energy was overwhelming, blending wild acrobatics, platform dives, and razor-sharp rap-rock that sent the Skeleton Clique into absolute frenzy.
Josh put on a show of his own, scaling a side-stage tower equipped with a drum kit at the peak and holding lit torches overhead before introducing tracks.
Meanwhile, Tyler bounced between piano, ukulele, his signature glowing overhead “lasso mic”, and the gut-wrenching screams that define his most intense moments, leaving the crowd stunned and handing us unforgettable visual shots.
Witnessing the exact moment Breach, Stressed Out, Ride, and Heathens turned the arena into a bouncing sea of people was legendary.
Other massive highlights included Tally blended with a snippet of Cher’s iconic Believe, and the entire crowd screaming along to their cover of Seven Nation Army.
Twenty One Pilots delivered an absolute masterclass in production, raw electricity, and devotion, proving once again why the Ohio duo is one of the most captivating live acts worldwide.
Halsey: The pop icon with a raw, rebel edge
Rock isn’t solely defined by endless guitar solos or wild moshpits; it’s driven by attitude, raw emotion, and unfiltered distortion.
Halsey arrived at Mad Cool to deliver a masterclass in electrical rage, stage presence, and unapologetic vulnerability.
At Hot BuZz (Mag), we had already caught the New Jersey singer tearing up the stage weeks prior at Rock for People in the Czech Republic, but seeing her command the Spanish crowd made this performance feel even more special.
The show was structured around a dark narrative divided into theatrical chapters based on gothic archetypes.
Inspired by 14th and 15th-century aesthetics, the set design evoked a dark medieval fantasy, which was derived from an original poem written by the own Halsey about a girl locked in a tower, turning the stage into a living piece of art.
Halsey fully engaged with the crowd, delivering anthems like Experiment on Me, Ego, and her biggest hits revamped with heavier, theatrical arrangements.
Her connection with the Mad Cool audience was instant and raw, bringing a fierce energy that positions her as a true headliner who completely breaks the mainstream pop mold.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: pure stage magnetism and visceral front-row catharsis
Mad Cool will forever be divided into two eras: before and after Nick Cave.
Flanked by a phenomenal Bad Seeds lineup, with Warren Ellis acting as a sonic shaman on his wild violin, Cave stepped onto the stage as a whirlwind of elegance and drama.
Right from the opening notes, the Australian artist threw himself into the music and his connection with the crowd, stepping over the pit barrier to grab fans’ hands and lock eyes with them while unleashing his singular magnetism on crushing classics like Red Right Hand and Tupelo.
One of the most magical moments of the concert was capturing that cinematic, deeply mystical bond between Cave and his disciples through our lens.
Blending intimate piano melodies with the epic gospel backing vocals of Janet Ramus, T. Jae Cole, and Wendi Rose, the band moved from a chaotic storm to a delicate whisper in a heartbeat.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds delivered a pure, poetic show that mesmerized the audience in Villaverde.
Kings of Leon and Pixies: Southern style and alt-rock royalty
On one end, Kings of Leon delivered a masterclass in clean, elegant indie-rock execution.
Supported by a captivating stage production, Caleb Followill’s unmistakable raspy vocals cut through the night on songs like Use Somebody, Molly’s Chambers, and a roaring Sex on Fire that had thousands singing their lungs out under the Madrid sky.
On the other hand, the legendary Pixies unleashed a wall of raw distortion, sheer volume, and immortal classics.
Black Francis and company demonstrated why they built the blueprint for 90s alternative rock.
The band skipped the flashy stage tricks and banter; they ripped through hit after hit, including Where Is My Mind?, Debaser, and Into the White, offering a lesson in how to shake a festival ground on pure talent and grit.
The Black Crowes and Kasabian: Southern riffs and pure British sweat
The Black Crowes brought deep-rooted American blues-rock to the festival grounds.
The Robinson brothers laid down a set packed with 70s riffs, flawless guitar work, and soulful vocals that transported the entire venue straight to the genre’s golden era.
Tracks like Twice as Hard, She Talks to Angels, Remedy, and Hard to Handle (their iconic Otis Redding cover) rang out with organic authenticity that thrilled guitar purists.
Meanwhile, Kasabian turned the Orange Stage into a massive whirlpool of indie rock, Leicester culture (where the founder of Hot BuZz (Mag) worked as a journalist for years), and aggressive electronics.
Frontman Sergio Pizzorno, wearing a bright pink sports outfit, brought relentless energy from the start.
Kasabian triggered total madness with heavy synths and danceable beats.
Their 60-minute set left plenty of room to dig out timeless anthems like Club Foot, Shoot the Runner, Empire, and Fire, kicking off small mosh pits and getting half of Villaverde bouncing from start to finish.
After four intense days of sweat, endless jumping, and capturing the festival’s most iconic moments through our lens, Mad Cool 2026 proved one undeniable truth: no matter what the mainstream charts say, rock is alive, loud, and kicking, driven by legendary icons and a fierce new generation of artists ready to take over.
Rock is alive and well. See you in the pit!
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