The Zaragoza-based band visited Bilbao in 1996 for their second concert in the Biscay capital. Musician Mikel Bizar recalls the performance as intense and energetic, despite the characteristic "sound rebounds" of La Casilla.
With Bunbury welcoming the crowd with "Good evening, Bilbao! It's a pleasure to be here after so many years... Is anyone ready for the avalanche?", the concert kicked off, featuring hits like 'Deshacer el mundo', 'Iberia Sumergida', 'El Camino del Exceso', 'Entre Dos Tierras', 'Maldito Duende', 'Sirena Varada', 'La Chispa Adecuada', 'Nuestros Nombres', 'Flor Venenosa', and an extended 'Decadencia'.
Thousands of fans attended the event. Jorge Romero, then 16 years old, describes them as "the biggest Spanish-language band of that moment," broadening his musical horizons beyond Basque radical rock and punk.
Bobby FullMetalBand also calls it a "smash hit," noting that the sound was "brutal" considering La Casilla's acoustics. He and his then-girlfriend, now wife, were fans and used to perform covers of the band's songs.
Nieves Guillén, a journalism student at the University of Leioa, experienced the concert "with great pride as a native of Zaragoza" and felt a "vindication of my land." She remembers being carried on friends' shoulders to enjoy the "ecstasy" and the "sense of unity" among fans.
Alberto Itu, 25 in 1996, attended with his friend Toño. He describes the concert as "great," even though the sound wasn't the best. He highlights the stage production, such as the huge curtain that dropped during 'Entre Dos Tierras' and Enrique (Bunbury) climbing the columns.
La Casilla Pavilion hosted many of the greatest Spanish rock bands of the 80s and 90s. Three decades later, the Héroes del Silencio concert remains an unforgettable memory for hundreds of attendees.
