This past weekend I watched Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance. Before Apple Music announced the performer, I didn’t know how the Kendrick Lamar show would be topped. When they announced Bad Bunny as the performer, I was excited and proud. His performance would be historical, as he would be the first artist to perform exclusively in Spanish at the Super Bowl. I knew it was going to be a great performance given the political climate. Once Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner, many people were up in arms. The conservative backlash involved President Donald Trump expressing his disapproval, citizens creating a petition to replace him for country star George Strait, and non-profit organization Turning Point USA making an alternative halftime show. The minute I saw the backlash, I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do. A week before his performance, Bad Bunny won three Grammy’s and was the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. After this the anticipation for his performance was enormous.
There were many beautiful moments of symbolism and cultural storytelling that stood out to me. The first being the intro to the performance. The show starts in the past with an overhead shot of people working in a sugar cane field. The camera pans down to Bad Bunny singing “Tití Me Preguntó.” Opening the show with this image represents the rich history of the previous generations in Puerto Rico. After “Tití Me Preguntó,” the camera pans to Bad Bunny’s La Casita, with celebrities making special appearances like Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Karol G, and Young Miko. Once I spotted Pedro Pascal, I screamed trying to get my friend’s attention to show her where he was at.
Another surprising moment was the wedding during the show. As I was watching, I turned to my friend and asked, “Is this a real wedding or is this a part of the performance?” My gut instinct believed that the wedding was real, because it felt genuine. After the wedding, Lady Gaga is revealed performing “Die with a Smile” with a Salsa rendition. This caught my friend and I off guard. Lady Gaga was the last person that we expected to make a special guest appearance. Nonetheless, her performance with Bad Bunny was beautiful.
Next, there was a transition to a family watching Bad Bunny’s Grammy acceptance speech, and Bad Bunny walks up to the boy, handing him the Grammy. I saw this moment as the boy representing Bad Bunny’s younger self. I thought this was a beautiful moment encouraging the younger audience to believe in themselves. The camera then pans over to another surprise guest, Ricky Martin, sitting on a white plastic chair representing Bad Bunny’s album cover “Debí Tri Mas Fotos.” Martin sing’s Bad Bunny’s song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii”, a song about the gentrification of Hawaii and not wanting Puerto Rico to have the same result.
The next stage scene featured electric power poles and dancers dressed as linemen. As the camera pans past Martin, the set’s electrical poles explode, and Bad Bunny begins to perform “El Apagón.” The song represents the biggest blackout in American history following Hurricane Maria. During the performance, Bad Bunny climbs up the poles, symbolizing how Puerto Ricans had to fix the poles themselves, rather than waiting as the United States delayed and withheld aid.
Towards the end of the show, Bad Bunny said, “God bless America,” and named every country in the Americas while each flag flooded behind him. Behind Bad Bunny and the flags, there was a message that said “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” This was my favorite part of the performance as it showed that America is much more than just the United States. After naming all of the countries, Bad Bunny shows the audience a football saying, “Together We Are America” as he ends the show with “DtMf.” Bad Bunny bringing a celebration of culture and the message of inclusion to the Super Bowl is what America needs right now.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 