Santa Clara, California – Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned Super Bowl LX into a giant street party with a groundbreaking Spanish-language set that sent President Donald Trump into a rage.
Anticipation was high for the 31-year-old’s halftime show, amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of the Trump administration’s assault on immigrant communities.
In a set featuring a sugar cane plantation, a traditional “piragua” cart selling treats, and even a wedding, he opened with Titi Me Pregunto and feminist anthem Yo Perreo Sola, with a cast of dancers fueling the party atmosphere.
Actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and rapper Cardi B were among the guest stars vibing in his familiar La Casita backdrop, representing a home in Puerto Rico.
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Bad Bunny wore an all-white ensemble, with a football jersey featuring the number 64 and “Ocasio,” before donning a classy suit jacket.
He delved into more political territory with El Apagon (Blackout), which touches on the displacement of Puerto Ricans on their own island, and the constant problems caused by the unreliable power grid. He carried a Puerto Rican flag at one point.
The performance also included a young boy watching the Grammys on an old television set. Bad Bunny, who won the Album of the Year prize a week ago, presented the child with a golden gramophone.
The internet went wild with unverified rumors that the child was Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old Ecuadoran boy caged by ICE agents after being used as bait to capture his father.
An NFL spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the boy was an actor, and an Instagram post seemingly from the child in question, Lincoln Fox, was hashtagged #youngbadbunny.
Surprise musical guests included Lady Gaga, who sang a Latin-inflected version of her hit Die with a Smile – the only English lyrics in the show – and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.
At the end of the set, after listing Latin American countries, Puerto Rico, the US, and Canada, Bad Bunny spiked a football that said “Together, we are America.”
A giant screen in the stadium read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Puerto Rico proudly awaits Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show
Trump nevertheless quickly took issue with the performance.
The president of a country with more than 41 million Spanish speakers said: “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”
