A few months ago, I wrote an article called “Why Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show is More Than Just a Performance,” in which I discussed the announcement of Bad Bunny’s Halftime show and the discourse surrounding it. Since then, Bad Bunny has been having some major wins, with his album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, securing the Album of the Year award at the 2026 Grammys. However, along with that success, the hate attempted to rear its ugly head, with threats becoming so bad some people thought he wore a bulletproof vest in the same Grammy awards. Despite all this, at halftime, Bad Bunny went on and gave his nearly 14-minute halftime show, AKA Benito Bowl!
Before I break down the performance and the symbolism, you may be asking right now: What did I think? We’re not going to beat around the bush here; this is the best halftime show I have ever seen. With gorgeous sets, an incredible representation of Puerto Rican and Latin culture, absolute banger song choices, surprise guests that actually had me screaming multiple times, this halftime show was a party, a celebration, and a love letter all in one.
Let’s break it down. We start the performance with workers in a field of grass, beginning with “Titi me Pregunto,” a killer choice to open the show. These fields honor the legacy of the agricultural workers of Puerto Rico, as its sugar and fruit farms were a huge part of the economy, and an aspect of Puerto Rico multiple countries wanted to capitalize off of, including Spain and, later, the US itself. While he is walking through these fields, he gives us glimpses of Puerto Rican life, with piragua and taco stands appearing as he walks through the fields.
We then go into “Yo Perreo Sola”, a killer reggaeton song from his 2020 album, YHLQMDLG, that then transitions into “Safaera” and “Party” off of Un Verano Sin Ti. Here, we cut to a pink casita, and we get a bunch of insane celebrity cameos, such as Cardi B, Karol G, and Pedro Pascal. The dancers here are amazing, and the energy and passion they bring are nothing short of infectious. From the brief inclusion of “Party”, we go to one of my favorite songs off the album, ‘Voy a Llevarte pa PR,” before he collapses into the casita and exits it.
From here, we get one of my favorite parts of the show. The second he exits, we see a bunch of dancers, and a brief clip of the iconic Puerto Rican artist Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” plays. This transitions into “EoO”, which is also a killer choice for the Super Bowl. As you may have noticed, two songs now have mentioned “perreo”, a type of dance associated with reggaeton music that came to be in the 1980s in Puerto Rico.
Much of it involves moving your hips, and it can be done either by yourself or with a partner. It is a form of liberation, utilized in feminist movements to represent self-empowerment and autonomy. Back in the fields, violinists along with a conductor aid Benito in performing “MONACO,” as he gives an inspirational speech to the audience. We then cut to an actual, real wedding. Yes, a couple got married during Bad Bunny’s halftime show. The show is all about pure love, and having a wedding take place on your stage emphasizes this.
Now this is where the gag takes place. After this wedding, Lady Gaga, mother herself, appears to do a salsa rendition of her song “Die With a Smile,” leading to my first audible scream of the night. She goes to Benito to perform a salsa dance break during his beautiful song, “Baile Inolvidable”. He includes another beautiful nod to Latin culture by showing a child sleeping on two chairs, which so many Latino children who grew up going to parties and making beds out of chairs to sleep on can relate to.
It is another example of how Benito showcases Latino culture so authentically, and this continues into “NUEVAYoL”, which shows him dancing through a bodega. During the song, we get a special guest appearance from Tonita herself, who owns a famous Puerto Rican social club called the “Caribbean Social Club”. Fun fact, part of the profits from Un Verano Sin Ti made were donated to her business!
Right after this, we see a family watching his Grammys speech before Benito gives a young boy his Grammy. This is not only a message to his younger self that he made it, but a message to every child out there that you can do it.
The second audible scream I screamed came right after, as we cut to Ricky Martin, another prominent Puerto Rican artist, sitting on a backdrop of the album cover singing “Lo Que le Paso a Hawaii,” my favorite song from the album. From there, we cut to “El Apagón”, which literally translates to “The Blackout”. This song is a direct critique of the United States’ constant depletion of resources from Puerto Rico.
It also references the destruction Hurricane Maria brought and the lack of aid the island received, despite being a United States territory. Benito represents this through multiple utility poles, one of which he climbs on top of in reference to the destruction, before going briefly into “Café Con Ron.”
This was the most beautiful part. After saying “God bless America”, he listed every South American, Caribbean, Latin American, and North American country to show that America is more than just the US. It is every country that makes up the Americas, and like his football says, “Together we are America.”
Ending the show with everyone in unity, singing “DtMF” while holding the flags of every country he listed, the board behind him saying “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” is a moment that had me in tears. Watching people choose joy and love, and come together in this one beautiful moment, was something the world needed desperately.
Bad Bunny not only gave an authentic display of Puerto Rican culture, of Latino culture, but also put it on the world’s biggest stage. He showed the world what love, joy, pride, and most importantly, unity looks like. He showed the world that, despite hatred, love always wins. Love trumps any hate and sadness that the world brings as long as we are united. He took every insult and lie that was hurled at him and turned it into a message of love. He said “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” and I firmly believe everyone should take that message home. This is why this is not only the best halftime show of all time; this is why this is the halftime show the world needed.