Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Unites America

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show performance was more than a concert; it was a celebration of Puerto Rican culture and immigrants everywhere.

Although the performance was entirely in Spanish, the viewership has broken records. According to reports from NBC Sports, Bad Bunny's halftime performance generated over 4 billion social media views within the first 24 hours, making it the most consumed halftime show on NFL social media platforms.

Benito’s performance opened to fan favorite song “Titi Me Pregunto.” As he sings the lyrics, he makes his way through the set’s sugar cane maze, showcasing Puerto Rican life, including real small businesses such as Villa’s Tacos in Los Angeles.

The scene then shifted to a casita with a crowd of people dancing around it, including Latino celebrities Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B, and more. Bad Bunny performed on top of the roof, singing through “Yo Perreo Sola,” "Safaera," "Party" and “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR.” Bad Bunny then fell through the roof of the house into a family room before walking out to Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina.”

People on social media were in a buzz questioning who Bad Bunny was going to bring out during his performance. In the midst of his performance, the beginning notes of “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee played out and I—along with many other viewers—were on the edge of our seats, waiting to see if he’d come out. He did not. But, instead we got to see wonderful performances from both Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.

When Bad Bunny danced through the crowd and made his way back to the sugar cane stalks, he had a message directed to the viewers. Looking into the camera, he gave a message about always believing in yourself:

"Mi nombre es Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, y si hoy estoy aquí en el Super Bowl 60 es porque nunca, nunca dejé de creer en mí. Tú también deberías de creer en ti. Vales más de lo que piensas, créeme."

In English this translates to: "My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. And if I'm here at the Super Bowl 60, it's because I never, never stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You're worth more than you think, trust me."

He went on to perform “MONACO” alongside a string orchestra before the scene switched to a wedding, which turns out to have been a real wedding that got officiated during the half time performance.

The couple originally had 15 extra invitations and sent one out to Bad Bunny. To the couple’s surprise, he ended up inviting them to the Super Bowl to get married there. 

In this wedding scene, Lady Gaga performed in a beautiful baby blue Luar dress, a classic Puerto Rican style of dress, with a red flor de maga on her chest—the national flower of Puerto Rico. She sang a salsa-inspired version of her song “Die With A Smile.”

Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga then danced to the song “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” the song that the married couple was planning to have as their first dance. As the song fades Benito says, “Baila, baila sin miedo” which translates to “dance, dance without fear.”

Bad Bunny then falls off the roof into the crowd below who catch him as “NUEVAYoL” begins. The performer then hands off his Album of the Year Grammy to child actor Lincoln Fox Ramadan, meant to represent Benito as a young boy. 

As for the second guest, Ricky Martin had previously celebrated Bad Bunny, broadcasting his respect and admiration for the fellow Puerto Rican musician for staying true to his roots and proudly displaying his heritage. Martin’s feature in this halftime show gave him the opportunity to embrace his roots to everyone watching.

Martin sang the beginning of Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii." In English, the lyrics Martin sings translate to “Thеy want to take my river and my beach too / They want my neighborhood and grandma to leave / No, don't let go of the flag nor forget the lelolai / 'Cause I don't want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii.” This song compares the colonization of Hawai'i to that of Puerto Rico.

The song ends with sparks coming off the power lines on the set, representing the problem with power the island of Puerto Rico has been suffering from. 

As the performance ends, Bad Bunny celebrates America, naming every South American and North American country as a parade of people dance behind him, waving the flag of each country. As Benito gets closer to the camera, he turns the football he had been carrying throughout the entire show around, revealing the text "Together we are America.”

He proceeds to throw it on the ground as the thumping beat of DTMF plays. In the background, viewers saw the scoreboard displaying the message: “THE ONLY THING STRONGER THAN HATE IS LOVE.”  

The sight of this billboard alongside the blue and red fireworks that were lit off at the conclusion of the halftime performance have been reposted and shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.