ARCHIVE/Marbella 2026

Rick Astley

Date: 10 JulVenue: Marbella

Rick Astley played the Starlite Occident Marbella Auditorium on July 10, 2026, in a show shaped by humour, improvisation and a shared celebration as Spain reached the World Cup semi-finals.

"This one is truly impossible to beat"

As soon as the concert ended, Rick Astley spoke about the venue: "Thank you so much, from the heart, to Starlite Occident. This place is absolutely incredible. It's a beautiful spot, truly world class. I've been lucky enough to play wonderful stages all over the world and in spectacular places, but this one is truly impossible to beat". The British singer, with more than four decades of career behind him, thanked everyone working at the festival and called the people on stage and behind it his "angels". "I can assure you I'd love to come back", he added. After the show he chatted backstage with Sandra García-Sanjuán, president of Starlite Occident.

A goal in the middle of Raindrops

The concert coincided with the match that took Spain through to the semi-finals. The decisive goal came while Astley was singing "Raindrops", and he invited the audience to join in an "Oé, oé, oé" chant that briefly turned the show into a football celebration. The match ended a few minutes later, during "Keep Singing". None of it was planned, and the Cantera de Nagüeles, a natural amphitheatre that keeps artist and audience close, shared the moment from stage to stands.

Roy Orbison, AC/DC and Never Gonna Give You Up

Before "Oh, Pretty Woman", Astley explained that he was once asked to record it for a Hollywood film and argued that nobody but Roy Orbison should sing it, because his version "is simply the best there is". The producers ended up using the original, though he admitted, laughing, that he still enjoys singing it live, and that night he did so wearing sunglasses. Later he spotted a fan in an AC/DC T-shirt, asked him to stand up so the whole venue could see it, and improvised a version of "Highway to Hell" that was not on the setlist. "Never Gonna Give You Up" closed the show.

Before leaving the stage, Rick Astley asked the crowd whether they would come and see him again if the band returned to Marbella. The Starlite Occident Marbella Auditorium answered yes.

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