Wallpaper*: The Puerto Rican superstar certainly delivered on that pledge with his sizzling show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. But it wasn’t just hits like ‘Tití Me Preguntó’, guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and the musician’s signature hip thrusts that sent the crowd wild — the multi-faceted stage design allowed Bad Bunny create a powerful portrait of Latinx culture.
6 comments:
From that very first scene where Bad Bunny is walking through the sugarcane field, it was clear that this set design was going to tell a story. The tall grass did an amazing job of creating these different scenes for the camera to follow Bad Bunny through. I am imagining the amount of planning that went into all of these live scene changes and am astonished. Also, the amount of people that worked on this is amazing. Seeing all of the celebrities on the casita porch, and even having the actual owner of the New York bar there to serve Bad Bunny was so cool. Plus the absolute mass of dancers performing in these large blocks delivered such a clear “everybody will dance” message. I think this performance was such an amazing example of art as a form of protest and community. It brought the audience into this party and gave a sense of hope amid dark times.
Honestly I spent 80% of the halftime show waiting for the people in the grass to start dancing. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall in the production meeting where they decided “yeah, the most efficient way to get a field of tall grass on and off the field is to have people dress up as grass and just walk on and off the field.” I love how closely tied to the artist this set was–it reads as personal, warm, and inviting. The clear impressions you get without speaking Spanish (as I don’t) are of a warm, close community, and that feeling is furthered by the only words in English throughout the performance: “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Something that is CRAZILY juxtaposed by Trump hating the performance. I can’t speak Spanish but at least I can speak vibes, which the scenic design of this show conveys easily. Many people have revealed that they cannot speak vibes and are very sad individuals.
When watching this I was in in awe due to the quality of the production. The number of scenic elements was wild, but it really brought together the story. I loved how people were the ones who actually made up the grass throughout the set. I assume for time and the overall build process, it was innovative from them to get on and off the stage easily, but also to still have that vision come to life to replicate the elements of Puerto Rico. The attention to detail in the designs from the signs on the street building or the insides of the house and the piragua cart at the start of the show helped to drive the culture and the different aspects of everyday lives for people for latin heritage. I love how Benito brought the aspect of bringing everyone to together by music and dance. It was overall such a great production.
I have never wanted grass to dance more than I did in this Super Bowl event. In all seriousness, I thought that the set told an incredible story and was a great mention back to Bad Bunny's hometown. The inclusion of all the important jobs that those of often times immigrant descent hold (agriculture, power line electricians, etc.) was super powerful, and brought his message across well. I did actually tear up when all the flags came out, and when the big screen behind him said "The only thing more powerful than hate is love," it turned on. Bad Bunny made a political message without being so overt about it, and people didn't even notice because they were too mad about the fact that he was the performer. Another thing I loved was the theme that "everyone will dance," accompanied by the massive swaths of dancers (no grass, though. terrible). I loved seeing the joy and happiness in their air. Joy is a form of resistance!
As a Colombian woman, I was so proud to see my Latin American culture represented to all of America in the way that Bad Bunny did it. In the current political state of the USA, Bad Bunny was able to represent all cultures and show people that everyone is human and we should all love and care for each other rather than whatever is going on in the country right now. The scenic design of Bad Bunny's super bowl half time show was so impactful, even though it wasn't the biggest in your face set I think that really told a story. He wanted to go out there and show that Hispanic people are human... they are hard working, kind, empathetic people who deserve love just like everyone else. I really love how simple but emotional the scenic design was, the designers and Bad Bunny did an incredible job. I hope this performance opened eyes for people.
While watching the halftime performance the set design felt much different than previous years. Just starting from the beginning it felt like this show was gonna tell some kind of story rather than more of a concert type performance. The setting along with dancers made viewers see a glimpse of Latin culture. You see different aspects of culture like workers, social life, even romance during the wedding, and of course the dancing. I feel like many other halftime show performers go more for a spectacle, while Bad Bunny’s felt more like an impact. Which of course makes sense, due to the current issues with ICE I think it was very important that Bad Bunny took advantage of one of the largest performances ever in the U.S. to spread awareness. The American people need to know that there are better ways to handle conflicts than how things have been going on recently.
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