Former United States president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are in the capital of Catalonia to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert. The Obamas are friends with the Boss, who is performing this Friday and Sunday at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium, at the start of a new European tour. Another who did not want to miss the Springsteen concert is movie director Steven Spielberg, who was seen with his wife, Kate Capshaw, sightseeing in central Barcelona ahead of the concert, together with the Obamas.
The two celebrity couples met up to spend several hours exploring the marvels of the Mediterranean metropolis. The first stop on their whistle-stop tour of Barcelona was the central neighbourhood of El Born where they dropped in to one of the city's newer art galleries, the Moco Museum, which featured contemporary art from Warhol to Banksy. The second destination was the city's Sagrada Família basilica, where they spent about 25 minutes.
Barcelona resident and Twitter user Àlex comments: "Sincerely, the last thing I expected when I went for a walk in El Born was to bump into president Obama"
At the exit from the Sagrada Família, the former US president greeted the residents across the street on Carrer Mallorca, who had come out on to their balconies to salute him. So, tonight, the Obamas and Spielbergs will attend the first concert of Springsteen's European tour at the Barcelona stadium which was the venue for the 1992 OIympics.
Specifically, the Obamas are staying at the Hotel La Florida in Barcelona and their own security team is also being supported by the Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police. It is no surprise for Obama to go halfway across the world to attend a Springsteen concert, as they share a great friendship. They have even published a book together: Renegades. Born in the USA.
The Obamas, Spielberg and Capshaw entering the Moco Museum, the new Barcelona branch of the Amsterdam contemporary art gallery.
The Obamas' plans in Barcelona
After their day of sightseeing in the Catalan capital, followed by the Bruce Springsteen concert on Friday night, the German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that Barack Obama is expected to leave Barcelona on Saturday to attend a series of European conferences being held in Zurich. However, Michelle Obama is scheduled to extend her stay in Catalonia by one more day and leave on Sunday, according to sources familiar with her schedule.
Will any of them make it to the Palau Robert? A must for all Springsteen fans. Coinciding with the concerts by 'the Boss' in Barcelona, the exhibition space at the top of Passeig de Gràcia is hosting an exhibition on the first Bruce Springsteen concert in the city, on April 21st, 1981.
Main image: US president Barack Obama gives a wave as he comes out of Barcelons's Sagrada Família