This February, Latin singer Bad Bunny performed at the annual Super Bowl halftime show. He became the first solo Latin artist to do so and delivered a culturally rich performance that celebrated his Puerto Rican culture and broader Latin American identity. The performance showcased hits like “Tití Me Preguntó” and messages of unity. Although there was some controversy surrounding the performance itself, I believe the message was beautiful and extremely necessary in this day and age, as violence and disagreement swirl around the United States.
This year, I gathered with friends, and we all watched the Super Bowl together, although we hardly focused on the football. We all knew why we were there, and that was to watch the Super Bowl halftime show. In years past, I had always loved watching the halftime show, and I was excited to see what Bad Bunny had in store for his audience. Call me uncultured, but before hearing about who was performing at the halftime show, I did not know much about Bad Bunny, except that people loved his music and that he had won some Grammys in the past. Unlike me, my friends were very familiar with Bad Bunny and knew the lyrics to his songs, even though they are sung in Spanish.
When the halftime show performance began, I was pleasantly surprised by how catchy his music was. I specifically loved the representation of his culture and how the tall grasses represented the sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico. I had never seen any performance like this. Along with that, the representation of unique instruments also intrigued me as I had never seen many of them before. As the performance went on, Bad Bunny, along with the dancers, continued to get closer and closer together as a representation of unity.
I would not be doing this performance justice if I did not point out the loud gesture made at the end of Bad Bunny’s performance. As the last song came to a close, people ran out onto the field with the flags of all the nations of the Americas, as if to send a message of American unity to not only the United States, but the world. As Bad Bunny walked off the field, the screens around the football field changed from video footage of him to a whiteboard with large black text stating “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” This sent a message of unity to the whole country, and I believe that it was very powerful. The Bad Bunny concert was unlike anything I had seen, and I was so glad I was able to experience such a unifying show that went beyond a halftime show performance.