If Bad Bunny were your standard artist, he could have — and probably would have — orchestrated the kind of tour that guarantees superstardom and an ever-growing fanbase, filling up stadiums across the U.S. and the rest of the globe to rake in more attention and money. But precisely what’s made him one of the most beloved and compelling figures in music in recent years is that he’s never treated himself like the bottom line — instead, the goal for him has always been to show the world a little bit of Puerto Rico.
This is part of the impulse behind “No Me Quiero Ir De Aqui,” his 30-date residency in Puerto Rico’s famed 18,500-person arena El Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. The idea is not just intriguing from an artistic point of view, but genuinely poignant: Not only is it a celebration of home and roots and tradition, it’s an invitation for fans outside of Puerto Rico to truly immerse themselves in the place he comes from. But on top of all of that, the residency is also a muscular three-hour, 30-song marathon, intensely high on spectacle and production, that functions as a full-voiced love letter to his country and his fellow Puerto Ricans.
That love and pride is reciprocal: In San Juan, a day before his show this Friday, bars and cars blasted his music on repeat. Giant murals with his face have gone up in the city; a few others feature Concho, the delightful toad character that’s become a staple in videos and promo from his latest album DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOTOS, which the show is crafted around. Fans flooded the area outside of El Coliseo, which has turned into a mini-festival block, with food stands and pop-ups, touting flags and jibaro hats before rushing into the arena for the prompt 9 p.m. start time — no one wanted to miss a second of what Benito was about to put out there.
Right on time, the lights went out, revealing the decadent stage, designed to look the untouched, undeveloped version of the island’s oceans and mountains. Two dancers appeared onstage to talk about the history of Puerto Rico before the percussion of “ALAMBRE PúA” boomed in. Bad Bunny debuted the song at the first show in the residency earlier this month, and on a Puerto Rican bomba rhythm that’s allowed for traditional dancers to take the stage.
From there, he bounced between songs from DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOTOS, like “KETU TeCRÉ” and the Christmas cut “PIToRRO DE COCO.” In between, little video snippets showed Concho the toad talking to Puerto Rican actor and filmmaker Jacobo Morales; both of them have been part of the album’s storyline, with Morales playing an old man who has left home for a freezing cold, ice-filled new land and is constantly nostalgic for home.
One of the best transitions of the night happens when Concho and Morales are reminiscing about the beaches in Puerto Rico, paving the way for the Puerto Rico band and guests Chuwi to lead the beach-loving chorus of the song “Welita.” The traditional band Los Pleneros de la Cresta ends the section, giving the audience tons of plena.
Also stunning is the range of the show: At one point, Bad Bunny pops up across the arena at a little pink house, known throughout the show as La Casita, and goes into raging house party mode, performing OG classics from his repertoire (like “Bichiyal” and “No Me Conoce”, plus some of the most charged tracks off DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOTOS. Here, the crowd absolutely lost it when Young Miko came out of La Casita for “Fina.”
Following that segment, Bad Bunny remerged on the mainstage, this time with a full salsa band for a sped-up version of “Callaíta,” and then his chart-topping salsa opus “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” For one of the verses, salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa came out, sending the audience into absolute chaos. At 62, the salsa bandleader sounded sharp as ever, leaving fans with a rendition of “La Agarro Bajando” that left everyone screaming for an encore.
Throughout the show, Bad Bunny reminded Puerto Ricans that so much of the magic of these shows comes directly from them (the first nine performances, save for some media invites, have been designed specifically for residents-only.) As the residency opens up to more tourists in later weeks, it’s clear that the specific alchemy of Puerto Rico’s spirit is going to be what creates once-in-a-lifetime experiences for attendees.
The performance, yes, is undeniably powerful, but it’s all mixed in with the energy and intimacy of being on the island and seeing so much of the experience behind the music firsthand. As the final thrum of “LA MuDANZA” piped into close the show, Bad Bunny reminded Puerto Ricans that this was possible because of them, and he’s done this all for them. Parting words came from bandleader and percussionist Julito Gastón as he exited the stage: “Nunca paren de tocar su tambor.” “Never stop beating your own drum.”
Set List
“ALAMBRE PúA”
“KETU TeCRÉ”
“EL CLúB”
“La Santa”
“PIToRRO DE COCO”
“El Apagón”
“WELTiTA”
“KLOuFRENS”
“BOKeTE”
“Si Estuviésemos Juntos”
“Ni Bien Ni Mal”
“Amorfoda”
“TURiSTA”
“NUEVAYoL”
“Tití Me Preguntó”
“Neverita”
“Si Veo a Tu Mamá”
“La Romana”
“La Jumpa”
“VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR”
“Me Porto Bonito”
“No Me Conoce,” “Bichiyal,” “PERRO NEGRO,” and “Yo Perreo Sola”
“Efecto”
“Safaera”
“VeLDÁ”
“EoO”
“CAFé CON RON”
“LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii”
“Callaíta”
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
“DTmF”
“LA MuDANZA”
