Bad Bunny’s Groundbreaking Performance at Coachella 2023

Coachella 2023 Day 1 is over and one person owned the night: Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican singer became the first Latino artist ever to headline the festival, and he didn’t disappoint. Bringing the Hispanic spice to the stage with both his music and his wardrobe, Benito conquered the desert.

Several hours before Bad Bunny came out to sing on stage, his presence was felt in the way many attendees dressed: bucket hats, colored glasses, and short pants showed that the Puerto Rican is not only a musical reference but also an aesthetic one.

Photo Credit: Twitter @popbase

Bad Bunny took the stage at 11:30 p.m., the exact time his performance was scheduled. “I want to ask you a question”, the star, who has taken Spanish all over the world, asked his audience. “What do you prefer? Talking to me in English o Español?” “Español!” the audience responded in chorus. “Entonces, ustedes mandan,” he replied, who began his performance by singing from a raised platform several feet above the stage.

For more than two hours, the artist captivated the audience with his box office record-breaking songs, which he performed on tour last year, filling arenas and stadiums in several countries. With his hair styled in braids and wearing a thick, luxurious jacket, Bad Bunny made tens of thousands dance while singing his hits such as Titi Me Preguntó, La Santa, Yo Perreo Sola, Callaíta, and Safaera.

“Mythical characters have passed through here, a legendary list. The most incredible thing is that out of so many, there was never someone like me- the first time that a Benito closes an epic night,” he said, in Spanish, remembering his first presentation in Coachella back in 2019.

Bad Bunny & Post Malone / Photo Credit: Twitter @accessbadbunny

Besides his world-famous hits, Bad Buddy’s performance also included dazzling choreography, several large screens, lasers, fireworks, and real objects such as a jet ski brought on stage. Invited guests included Ñengo Flow, Jowell y Randy, Jhay Cortez, and Post Malone, with whom he shared an awkward moment, as they did not understand each and had some technical difficulties. He sang several songs from Un Verano Sin Ti and others from the three albums he released in 2020: YHLQMDLG, Las Que No Iban A Salir, and El Último Tour Del Mundo.

“Now everyone wants to be Latino,” he expressed on several occasions during the concert, revealing how his career has contributed to making Spanish-language music one of the most listened-to genres internationally today.

Photo Credit: Twitter @GlobalDanceGDE

During his performance, the Puerto Rican also honored those who paved the way for Caribbean rhythms in the United States, mentioning Héctor Lavoe, Tito Puente, and Celia Cruz, as well as pioneering reggaeton artists such as Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón, among others.

During the presentation, Benito took several breaks. In the first one, he played an educational video on Latin and African rhythms that would become the foundation of Latin American genres, especially reggaeton. In another one, he gave a monologue, asking people not to judge him by the version that the media created of him, after he was criticized for his statements about racism and his political weight in his native country in a Time Magazine interview. “Whoever wants the truth, come to my house. Who wants to meet me? Who wants to come home?” he asked.

Last but not least, Bad Bunny wrapped up the weekend by announcing his new collaboration with Grupo Frontera called “Un x100to,” a long-waited collab now available! Check it out: