A mechanical lift trapped vocalist Amaia Montero below stage level during '20 de enero' at the Movistar Arena on 23 September 2026.
Montero sang from beneath the stage with only her head visible until keyboardist Xabi San Martín alerted crew members and the platform unlocked before the chorus.
The incident followed Montero modifying lyrics to 'El último vals' on 22 September and an ad campaign by Leire Martínez, who left the band in October 2024 after 18 years.
During the second consecutive sold-out concert at the Movistar Arena in Madrid on 23 September 2026, Spanish pop group La Oreja de Van Gogh encountered a technical failure on stage. Vocalist Amaia Montero, 50, was scheduled to appear above the stage via an elevating platform during the opening bars of the 2003 single "20 de enero". The lifting mechanism abruptly seized mid-motion, leaving the singer trapped below stage level with only her head visible to the audience. Keyboardist Xabi San Martín was the first band member to notice the mechanical fault and alerted the technical crew. Montero continued singing the track without pause, smiling as audience members filmed the scene from the arena stands, before technicians managed to free the lift just as the song reached its chorus.
Once the mechanical platform resumed movement, Montero rose to stage level and completed the performance in front of thousands of attendees. Following the song, the Irún-born vocalist addressed the audience directly with humor regarding the mishap.
“I was saying: 'Will I see them? Will they solve this?', because I kept singing, and it was wonderful because at the chorus, boom, I see you.”
Videos of the performance circulated widely on social media platforms such as X, where spectators noted her composure and compared the visual of her head emerging from the stage floor to a mole. The mechanical stoppage was not an isolated event on the current tour. In May 2026, the band experienced an identical platform failure during another Madrid show, when the lifting structure froze as Montero prepared to rise for the song "Mariposa".
The stage glitch occurred alongside ongoing attention regarding the band's dynamic with former frontwoman Leire Martínez, 47, from Rentería, who led La Oreja de Van Gogh for 18 years until her exit in October 2024. During the first Madrid show on 22 September 2026, Montero altered the lyrics to "El último vals", the sole track from the Martínez era retained in the reunion setlist. Mid-performance, Montero added the unscripted line "and let it end already, please", generating discussion among fans. Hours before the second concert on 23 September, Martínez launched a commercial campaign for Braun that referenced her departure. The advertisement showed Martínez waking in a bed reminiscent of the 2003 album cover for "Lo que te conté mientras te hacías la dormida", replacing wilted roses with carnations and discussing the decision to work independently.
The Madrid dates form part of the 'Tantas cosas que contar' tour, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the group and marks Montero's return after leaving the lineup in 2007. Following her departure, Montero released four solo studio albums, including her 2008 self-titled debut that reached number one on the Spanish charts, before stepping away from live performance for several years. The Spanish leg of the reunion tour will run through the remainder of 2026, concluding with a final performance at the Movistar Arena in Madrid on 30 December 2026. The band is scheduled to take the tour to South America in 2027.
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A mechanical platform failed during La Oreja de Van Gogh's concert at the Movistar Arena on 23 September, trapping lead singer Amaia Montero below stage level as she sang '20 de enero'.
AI text based on reports by ABC TU DIARIO EN ESPAÑOL, EL PAÍS, LaSexta and other publishers. Published .