Bad Bunny draws jubilant Puerto Ricans to historic residency
The album of the same name is a history lesson in Puerto Rican music and rhythms as well as a rallying cry that lays bare its colonial past and present.
It also addresses the issue of gentrification that favors luxury homes and tourism over the needs of Puerto Ricans.
Bad Bunny, 31, has long used his platform as a means to give voice to his fellow Puerto Ricans, while also managing to rule the charts with his reggaeton-forward blend of eminently danceable pop that has found massive global success.
And now the artist born Benito Martinez Ocasio is bringing that success back home to El Choli, as the arena with a capacity of more than 18,000 is colloquially known in the Puerto Rican capital.
"It's super emotional," Amanda Sanchez, 30, told AFP.
"I think Benito did something really transcendental, for what the culture is, here in Puerto Rico," said the content creator dressed in a red scarf and a Puerto Rican-flag colored bikini top.
— Locals first —
That the first nine shows are limited to Puerto Rican residents -- a poignant remark on Bad Bunny's commitment to making music first and foremost for the people of his homeland -- is something "really special for us," said Sanchez.
Puerto Rico is a US territory but not a state. Even though its residents are American citizens, their rights are limited.
They cannot vote in the US presidential election, for example, and have only a non-voting delegate in Congress.
Sanchez said it was heartwarming "to be able to feel like an artist of Bad Bunny's magnitude can give us, the people of the island" first pick of shows.
"And we are here to enjoy it, to dance and to have a great time!"
As fans, many wearing the iconic Puerto Rican "pava" straw hats, filed en masse into El Choli, vendors slung pina coladas, the beloved frozen drink born on the island.
A big screen overlooking the lush, tropical set onstage -- on which live chickens wandered freely -- displayed facts about Puerto Rican history and unabashed political statements.
The crowd burst into applause when the screen flash with the message: "PR is an unincorporated territory of the United States, but has its own flag, culture and identity."
Speak the 'truth'
The highly anticipated residency announced in January begins on July 11, and will continue into September over subsequent Friday to Sunday three-day weekends.
Michelle Munoz, 55, a Brooklynite of Puerto Rican origin, did not have tickets for the buzzy opening night but showed up anyway to soak in the vibes.
Munoz said she began coming back to her parents' homeland in 2023, after having stayed in the United States for decades.
Now, she feels "like this is where I want to spend the rest of my life."
For Munoz, Bad Bunny's popularity stems from his willingness to speak the "truth" while "showing and honoring the history of music -- the music that came before him, that he grew up on, and that made him."
"He's not a crossover. He is a Spanish-singing global artist," she added. "Not everybody can do that."
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France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Atletico cash in on Real Madrid's Bernabeu concert woes
The megaproject involved three loans totalling more than one billion euros ($1.174 billion) with the goal of transforming the historic ground into a year-round entertainment hub. But the Spanish giants had not reckoned with the determination of angry locals, whose complaints about excessive noise succeeded in stopping the concerts in 2024. With the complaints bogged down in the courts, Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano stadium snapped up the shows of three Spanish stars who were due to perform at the Bernabeu this summer. A bigger coup followed: the announcement of the hosting of 10 gigs next year by reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny, a multiple Grammy Awards winner who sold a Spanish record 600,000 tickets for 12 dates in Madrid and Barcelona. The Puerto Rican's arrival appears to contradict the belief of Madrid's Atletico-supporting mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, who insisted only the Bernabeu could attract the most prestigious performers like US icon Taylor Swift. For Placido Rodriguez Guerrero, emeritus professor at the University of Oviedo's economics department, "the reputational damage has been big" for Real. "It is a way of showing that not everything Real Madrid do is done well, and more so if the concerts go to the Metropolitano", he told AFP. Lola Indigo, one of the singers whose cancelled Bernabeu show went to the Metropolitano, told El Mundo daily she felt "disappointment, a little betrayed". 'Major blow' Club president Florentino Perez has reassured supporters that concerts only represent one percent of Real's budget, with revenues topping 1.1 billion euros in the 2024/25 season. But David Dunn, managing director of the Edinburgh-based consultancy 442 Design, which has worked on commercial projects with clubs including Arsenal and AC Milan, described the situation as "a major blow" for Real. Although the matchday, tour and retail business revenue is "excellent", the club "will have banked on being able to hold multiple large-scale events and concerts", he told AFP. Business Insider Spain has reported Real's plan was to generate around 100 million euros per year from musical events -- enough to sign a couple of stars. Professor Rodriguez Guerrero said Real were losing "tens of millions of euros" this summer to their less storied local rivals, who have previously hosted stars including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Bruno Mars. If Real wish to pursue their concert ambitions, the investment "will cost quite a lot", he said. Solution 'not simple' For Francesc Daumal, an architecture expert at Barcelona's Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Bernabeu's main weakness is its new retractable roof and the acoustic issues it engenders. The stadium "is like a tent, because it's shut with a light closure. There are openings, exterior sheets that let air in", he explained. "Solving the insulation for those deep frequencies and with those very high acoustic pressures isn't simple," warned Daumal. Atletico's stadium "was born from the start with the intention of soundproofing it", whereas adapting the older Bernabeu is more difficult, he added. Daumal also identified the Bernabeu's proximity to residential buildings as a challenge to contain noise, compared with the esplanade that separates the Metropolitano from its closest neighbours. Atletico are meanwhile cashing in on a packed summer concert schedule with the Bernabeu out of action. Fans flocked to the Metropolitano in May for two sold-out nights by British star Ed Sheeran, with 140,000 tickets going at an average price of 100 euros ($115). Sara, who attended last year's Taylor Swift concert at the Bernabeu, told AFP the Metropolitano was "better as a place... it's a club with more ties to music". "Acoustically, the Bernabeu is the worst place we've seen," added the 34-year-old communications sector employee, who declined to give her surname. Ariel Jackson, a 30-year-old lawyer from the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, said the Metropolitano had "extra space" and was "more comfortable" than the Bernabeu thanks to its distance from the crowded city centre. "We love to say concerts are held" at the Metropolitano amid the Bernabeu's troubles, enthused Atletico fan David Guerrero, 27, sporting a club shirt with Sheeran's name on the back. © 2025 AFP
France 24
17-07-2025
- France 24
'Shop local': Bad Bunny brings tourism surge to Puerto Rico
The ethos is core to his 30-show concert series in San Juan which, after nine performaces exclusive to residents, will open up to fans from elsewhere -- what many Boricuas, as Puerto Ricans are known, are hoping will serve as an exercise in responsible tourism. "It's an incredible moment for the island," said Davelyn Tardi of the promotional agency Discover Puerto Rico. The organization conservatively estimates the residency will bring in some $200 million to Puerto Rico over the approximately three-month run, which falls during the typically less-trafficked summer months. Azael Ayala works at a bar in one of San Juan's popular nightlife zones, telling AFP that business was already booming even though the residency was only in its first weekend. It's "completely changed," the 29-year-old said, as crowds buzzed about La Placita where some bars were slinging Bad Bunny-themed cocktails. "We're thrilled," Ayala said. "The tips are through the roof." The fact that people are coming from across the globe to see Bad Bunny "is a source of pride for Puerto Rico, too," he added. Arely Ortiz, a 23-year-old student from Los Angeles, couldn't score a ticket to a show -- but said Bad Bunny was still the draw that prompted her to book her first trip to Puerto Rico. "I really love how outspoken he is about his community," she said. "Just seeing him, that he can get so far, and he's Latino, it encourages more Latinos to be able to go for what they want." "He has for sure empowered Latinos, like 100 percent." Tourism: it's complicated But while tourism has long been an economic engine for the Caribbean island that remains a territory of the United States, the relationship is complicated. Concerns around gentrification, displacement and cultural dilution have magnified on the archipelago beloved for stunning beaches with turquoise waters -- especially as it's become a hotspot for luxury development, short-term rentals and so-called "digital nomads" who work their laptop jobs remotely while traveling the world. Visiting foreigners sample the island's beauty but are shielded from the struggle, say many locals who are coping with a chronic economic crisis exacerbated by natural disasters, as rents soar and massive blackouts are routine. Bad Bunny -- who was born and raised Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio -- himself has pointed to such issues and more in his metaphor and reference-laden lyrics. "In my life, you were a tourist," reads one translation of his track "Turista." "You only saw the best of me and not how I was suffering." Historian Jorell Melendez Badillo told AFP that Puerto Rico by design has long catered to foreign investment: "A lot of people see tourism as sort of like this colonial undertone," he said. But when it comes to Bad Bunny and his residency at the affectionately nicknamed venue El Choli, "we cannot negate the fact that it's going to bring millions of dollars" to the island, he added. "We can celebrate what Benito is doing while also looking at it critically, and having a conversation around what type of tourism will be incentivized by this residency." Ana Rodado traveled to Puerto Rico from Spain after a friend native to the island gifted her a ticket. She booked a five-day trip with another friend that included a visit to beachside Vega Baja, the municipality where Bad Bunny grew up and worked bagging groceries before gaining fame. After posing for a photo in the town square, Rodado told AFP that she'd been trying to take the artist's "shop local" plea to heart. "Tourism is a global problem," she said. "To the extent possible, we have to be responsible with our consumer choices, and above all with the impact our trip has on each place." "We try to be respectful, and so far people have been really nice to us." Ultimately, Bad Bunny's residency is a love letter to his people -- a show about and for Puerto Ricans whose narrative centers on heritage, pride and joy. "We're here, damn it!" he shouted to ecstatic screams during his sweeping first show, which at times felt like a giant block party. "I'd come back for the next 100 years -- if God lets me, I'll be here." © 2025 AFP
France 24
12-07-2025
- France 24
'A legend': Bad Bunny brings Puerto Rican pride to epic show
The marathon show in San Juan late Friday was flush with styles -- from club beats and high-octane salsa to folkloric dance and soulful acoustics. At one point, the enormously popular Bad Bunny -- born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio -- appeared to pause to soak in the moment, breaking into a heartfelt smile as he gazed out at his thousands of ecstatic compatriots. Savoring the present and honoring the past is a lesson taken from the 31-year-old's sixth album "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" ("I Should Have Taken More Photos") and a theme the residency is celebrating, with a full-throated ode to Puerto Rican heritage. The ambitious setlist included many of Bad Bunny's most recent tracks that underscore injustices in the US Caribbean island territory, but the evening was one of celebration: a lens on Puerto Rico that focuses on its resistance, pride and joy. The first song was previously unreleased, and there were no details on whether the track will eventually have an official drop. Some fans online speculated that perhaps he'll keep it exclusive to the residency. That would be a fitting move for the artist who, after a blazing burst to global fame that saw him briefly move to Los Angeles, has returned home and intensified his efforts to make music about Puerto Ricans, for Puerto Ricans. The first nine shows of his 30-concert stretch, which will take over San Juan's Coliseo for consecutive three-day weekends into September, are only open to Puerto Rican residents -- and the odd celebrity like LeBron James, who attended Friday night. 'A legend' The night paid homage to Puerto Rican culture and history -- including with percussive plena music and bomba-infused rhythms -- but it was also a career retrospective of sorts, showcasing the immense range that Bad Bunny has exhibited since his major breakthrough less than a decade ago. The show featured the heavy Latin trap of his 2018 hit "La Romana" and the 2020 club smash "Yo Perreo Sola" -- shining examples of his earlier work in reggaeton that catapulted him to stardom. "His reggaeton never fails," student John Hernandez Ramirez said ahead of the concert. The 21-year-old said he was drawn to Bad Bunny for the heart-pounding beats. But more recently, he said he has been inspired by the artist's lyrical evolution. Hailing from a rural area of Puerto Rico, Hernandez Ramirez said he found particular resonance in "Lo Que Paso a Hawaii" -- Bad Bunny's exploration of gentrification, detrimental tourism and the colonization of both the state and his homeland. Bad Bunny highlighted those issues in the lead-up to the concert, projecting historical facts onto a big screen over the lush, tropical set on which chickens roamed freely. Many of the sentiments drew enormous cheers from spectators as they filed in. "Puerto Rico has been a colony since Christopher Columbus 'discovered' the island during his second voyage to the New World in 1493," one read, with a parenthetical explaining that "the Taino tribe already inhabited the island." Part of Bad Bunny's stage design included a house built in the island's typical style, which had featured in a short film he made starring legendary Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales -- clips of which also appeared on the big screen. From atop the structure, Bad Bunny delivered some of his most iconic songs, including the recent "Nuevayol" along with "Titi me pregunto." He then returned to the main stage for a hip-swiveling salsa sequence, wearing a 1970s-style tailored suit in the style of the genre's icons who preceded him. Streamers in the colors of the Puerto Rican flag burst from the ceiling as he led fans in a mesmerizing medley that included "Baile Inolvidable," accompanied by a full band. The show clocked in at three hours but fans -- many adorned in flag attire and others sporting baseball jerseys of the Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente -- couldn't get enough. Marta Cuellar, a 61-year-old Colombian and longtime Puerto Rican resident, told AFP that the series of concerts is a great way to celebrate the island -- and a gift to Latin American culture more generally. "Bad Bunny," she said, "is going to be a legend." © 2025 AFP
