Rarely has a halftime performance been so talked about before it happened.
From the moment Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl’s halftime show, everyone, it seemed, had an opinion, because while the Puerto Rican is far from being the first Latino artist to perform at the big game, on Sunday night, he became the first to do so entirely in Spanish.
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Up and down Humboldt Park’s Division Street, watch parties for the big concert gathered dozens of proud Puerto Ricans for what was dubbed by many as the “Benito Bowl.”
“It’s awesome. We loved it. I can’t believe he came out with Lady Gaga,” said Bernadette Ramírez.
Singing entirely in Spanish, Bad Bunny made Super Bowl history.
“Amazing. It did not disappoint. Talk about total inclusivity,” said Juliza Huertas.
He elevated the island nation to a place of prominence despite criticism by some who believed the Puerto Rican rapper was somehow not American enough to headline Sunday night’s championship game.
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“I love how he incorporated Puerto Rico, our culture and our traditions,” said Milagros Perez.
The jumbotron, at one point, displayed the words, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
“He is an American. Puerto Rico is part of America,” said María Carolina Cordova.
“We need people like Bad Bunny out there advocating for us, advocating not just for Puerto Ricans, but for Latino community as well. This is history,” said Alex Naza.
For many among Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, his music was beside the point. Even as Pe Erre’s Domino club displayed a table signed by the six-time Grammy award winner himself, Sunday night was a celebration not just of Bad Bunny, but of all things Boricua.
“They’re just watching because of Bad Bunny. The funny part is, my mom, who is 84, and she’s over there, watching the whole Super Bowl just to watch Bad Bunny,” said Pe Erre owner Ricardo Rivera.
There was also a Chicago connection to Sunday night’s performance, with the artistic director for the Grant Park Music Festival making an appearance, conducting a group of string players during Bad Bunny’s “Monaco.”
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