This time, Bad Bunny didn’t need to travel the globe to make history or break records – he just needed Puerto Rico and his community to make an impact.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s career-defining concert residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico − with a total of 31 shows − served as a respite for fans during a time when social media feeds were overwhelmed with headlines about mass deportations of Latinos in the United States, reflecting a constant fear amid President Donald Trump‘s ongoing immigration crackdown across the country.
Bad Bunny’s shows felt like a space for fans and the people of Puerto Rico to sing, dance, unwind and bask in their cultural pride.
“The fact that he decided to do this in Puerto Rico, to have a residency in Puerto Rico, something which was never done before, shows the care and the love he feels for the island,” fan Gabriel Acevedo told Reuters in an interview during the residency opener on July 11.
For those who flew hundreds to thousands of miles to watch him perform, and for those watching from home via TikTok livestreams, Bad Bunny’s residency cemented his music’s impact on culture and community.
Bad Bunny is making history It’s not the first time the global superstar has set records.
Bad Bunny during his Puerto Rico residency.
Bad Bunny surprises fans with one more residency concert
After the release of his sixth studio album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Bad Bunny announced a 30-show run titled No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí, with the first nine shows exclusively for Puerto Rican residents only.
Bad Bunny thanked his fans for “letting me sing in my home in front of my friends, my family and my people” on what was meant to be the final night of his residency. “Thank you for that,” he said. “I love you, thank you for being a part of this.”
But the day after, the 31-year-old revealed a surprise: He had one more show planned for Saturday, Sept. 20. Again, for locals only, and this time, livestreamed globally on Amazon Prime Video.
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The final show coincided with the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which hit the island Sept. 20, 2017, and killed roughly 3,000 people, destroying Puerto Rico’s electrical system.
To commemorate the anniversary, Bad Bunny launched a multiyear initiative with Amazon Music that focuses on education, disaster relief and cultural empowerment. The partnership will include programs aimed at strengthening Puerto Rico’s economy and driving meaningful, long-term change across the island, according to an Amazon Prime Video news release.
“I have always had the same passion (and) love for what I’m doing,” he said on stage at his Sept. 20 show. “I promise I will never change. I love you, Puerto Rico. … It doesn’t matter what your issue or problem is, love will always be the solution.”
What happens now? Bad Bunny’s residency is supercharging Puerto Rico’s tourism.
Bad Bunny’s residency boosts Puerto Rico’s economy
His residency in San Juan not only broke records in sales and attendance, but also became one of the most powerful economic and cultural catalysts the island has seen.
With an estimated 600,000 attendees over the course of the residency, Bad Bunny was able to share his island with the world as Puerto Rico tourism touted major wins.
The Associated Press reports that overall, the No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí concerts attracted roughly half a million people and generated an estimated $733 million for Puerto Rico, per data from Gaither International.
Penélope Cruz, Jon Hamm and Austin Butler: Bad Bunny’s residency became a celeb hot spot
Bad Bunny shared Puerto Rico with the world this summer, but his casita − a traditional home built on one of his two stages inside El Choli − was probably the hottest destination of all.
Week after week, the “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” singer’s casita welcomed A-listers, from NBA legend LeBron James to “Mad Men” actor Jon Hamm. Bad Bunny’s “Caught Stealing” costar Austin Butler also attended, and singer Becky G, actress Penélope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem, fellow Boricua Ricky Martin and Mexican pop star Belinda were a few of the many spotted in the VIP section at the shows. (According to Billboard’s tally, Bad Bunny’s guest list included over 70 celebrity and musical guests.)
More: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem light up the stage with Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico
Bad Bunny’s guest list proved his music transcends language, borders and cultures − and that whoever isn’t caught up on his game is losing out on one of the most influential artists of our time.
“This is so far my best experience in music, maybe in life. What is happening right now in San Juan in that arena is something magical,” Bad Bunny told the “Today” show in August. “It’s such a pleasure to show my culture, my country, my land, right there in my house. Like, be with my family every night, sleep at home every night. That’s beautiful. I don’t have to take planes.”
Bad Bunny revisits career beginnings with appearances from Ozuna, Maluma and Jhayco
“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” pays tribute to Bad Bunny’s Boricua roots and sees the singer incorporate traditional genres such as Plena, salsa, and jibaro into his signature Latin urbano sound.
Bad Bunny setlist: All the songs on his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency in Puerto Rico
For the 17-track LP, he enlisted Puerto Rican acts such as RaiNao, Omar Courtz and Dei V, and Los Pleneros de la Cresta, all of whom performed with him, on stage. He also invited the music legends (Ednita Nazario, Alfonso Vélez, Rubén Blades, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Jorge Drexler) and the reggaeton artists (Residente, Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, Jowell y Randy and Wisin) who have helped shape his career.
Puerto Rican artist RaiNao joined Bad Bunny onstage multiple times throughout the residency to perform their song “PERFuMITO NUEVO.”
The residency follows the superstar’s 2024 Most Wanted Tour, which visited over 30 cities in North America, including the tour’s Salt Lake City, Utah, kickoff.
At the time, his tour felt like a marathon as he revisited every chapter of his career with his 37-song setlist. But with his Puerto Rico residency, Bad Bunny celebrated his roots, his career beginnings and every person who played a role along the way.
During the residency, fans were also treated to surprise appearances from OG collaborators Jhayco, Maluma, Ozuna, Eladio Carrión and Árcangel. Some were given the spotlight and played their own sets, showing that Bad Bunny’s residency concerts were about sharing the stage with those who were influenced his journey.
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What’s next after Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency?
Bad Bunny during his Puerto Rico residency.
The Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour, featuring more than 50 shows across four continents, begins Nov. 21 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and ends in Brussels, Belgium, on July 22, 2026.
No U.S. dates were announced for the tour − and fans took notice. In a June interview, Bad Bunny told Variety it was “unnecessary” to bring shows to the U.S. In a Sept. 10 interview with i-D magazine, Bad Bunny said he was concerned about the mass deportations of Latinos across the country.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate,” Bad Bunny said.
Fans who have the privilege to travel internationally will do so just to get a taste of Bad Bunny’s authenticity and cultural storytelling through his music.
His residency shows delivered a unique experience for fans who witnessed history being made every night in San Juan, and still, 31 concerts don’t feel like enough. This part of his love letter to Puerto Rico may have come to a close, but if there’s anything Bad Bunny has proven, it’s that his devotion to his island and his fans is inovidable.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, Jennifer McClellan, Joshuan Rivera, Wilson Santiago Burgos (contributor), USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bad Bunny Puerto Rico residency was a love letter to his people
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