On Feb. 8, the Super Bowl for the end of the NFL season took place. The game featured the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. During the runtime, the halftime show featured Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga. The show followed the success of his album “DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS” at the Grammys the previous week, winning the Album Of The Year award.
Otherwise known as 36-year-old Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny made history as the first halftime show performer to sing primarily in Spanish. He took the stage in all white, sporting a jersey with his last name, Ocasio, on the back.
In a sort of tribute to his home, Ocasio filled the stage with Hispanic dancers, palm trees, bush decorations that were really humans in costume and shops reminiscent of what he had back home. The set included hits like “DTMF,” “Eo0,” “Yo Perreo Sola” and a salsa iteration of “Die With A Smile” sung by Lady Gaga herself. Other cameos included Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba and Karol G. There was even a wedding officiated during the show. The couple had asked Ocasio to be there on their special day. However, since he was busy that weekend at the Super Bowl, he invited the two to get it done during the performance.
Before the show even happened, the public reaction was split. Many said that Bad Bunny was not a true representation of what America “was,” despite his Puerto Rican descent. They also said that it was a horribly thought-out show that was inappropriate for young audiences. Many people who lean more right politically spread rumors that Ocasio was going to sport a dress and wave a transgender flag at the show to spread the “woke mind agenda.” President Donald J. Trump himself spread a disappointed response on Truth Social Sunday night, stating that “this show is just a slap in the face to this country” and “the dance is disgusting, especially for young children.” Similarly, an AI-generated photo of Bad Bunny has been seen around TikTok comments as of recently, showcasing Bad Bunny burning an American flag and sporting a pink flowy dress.
In my opinion, the show was really magical. It certainly wasn’t as good as Kendrick Lamar and SZA, or The Weeknd’s, but it was right up there. The show particularly leaned toward highlighting Latin culture and truly was representative of all different types of people with different backgrounds and cultures. Bad Bunny had many references to things happening in the world. Such was evident with his direct reference to the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017 by climbing infrastructure that had been ruined during such. Personally, I didn’t enjoy Lady Gaga’s performance of “Die With a Smile” due to her decision to sing on the off-beat. However, it was still nice to see her there. Bad Bunny also chose to include a gay couple during one of the dance scenes after being very open about his own sexuality and caring toward the LGBTQ+ community.
Overall, it was a great show, and I loved how, despite all of the hate, Ocasio came through and performed his very best.
