The Puerto Rican star transforms his sold-out second night show into an epic party and makes history as the first Latin American artist to headline a UK stadium.
“No one knows what tomorrow will bring,” Benito Antonio Martínez, better known as Bad Bunny, addresses the 50,000-strong crowd in Spanish towards the end of his set. Certainly, the idea of an artist who did not utter a single word of English the entire night selling out two nights at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would’ve been unthinkable even just a few years ago.
Martínez has revolutionised foreign-language music and turned global pop culture on its head, single-handedly proving that you don’t need to translate your songs into English (or tour the U.S.) to become the biggest artist in the world.
Over the opening motif of Debí Tirar Más Fotos (also the name of his Grammy-winning album), the Puerto Rican artist finishes his speech, reminding us that all we can do is make the most of the here and now, “uno debe amar”, we must love. It seems an inoffensive statement, but after President Trump’s meltdown over his performance at the Super Bowl, and the socio-political climate, certainly back home in the U.S., but also globally, it feels like a pertinent message.
The 3-hour show is a phenomenal celebration of Puerto Rican identity. Bad Bunny opens the show in a crisp cream suit and sunglasses, for an epic rendition of Baile Inolvidable and NuevaYol. He’s joined by a stellar 16-piece band, adding a Puerto Rican folk flair and a riveting salsa dance troupe. Act two sees him perform on the roof of the famous casita, now dressed in Adidas street wear and a headband. The performance is broadcast on a huge screen behind the stage and around the stadium, flicking rapidly between his gyrating hips and plenty of twerking dancers for tracks such as Tití Me Preguntó. It feels like being in the centre of a party with the audience, many of whom are holding flags from Central and South American countries, dancing with each other rather than being glued to the main stage.
Bad Bunny is part of a wider movement of Latin music’s growing global influence and shift into the mainstream. Only last weekend, Gorillaz performed at the stadium and were supported by Trueno, who made history as the first artist from Argentina to perform there. Later in the night, Bad Bunny invites Damon Albarn on stage for a rendition of Clint Eastwood contributing a rap verse.
Closing the night on high-energy reggaeton club banger EoO, Bad Bunny cements his status as a superstar and makes history along the way.
