Bad Bunny brought his Most Wanted tour to Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. The arena tour was one of the most anticipated tours of the year, with most dates selling out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The Most Wanted tour kicked off in February in Salt Lake City and will crisscross the country until the end of May, where he’ll wrap up the tour with three Miami shows.
Bad Bunny is a 30-year-old Puerto Rican rapper and musician who got his big break in 2016. Initially putting out music through SoundCloud, Bad Bunny caught the attention of the Hear This Music record label. In the years that followed, Bad Bunny has smashed record after record with his music and has been crowned the King of Latin Trap. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the rapper’s given name, has branched out beyond just creating music. Known for his distinct style, Benito has become somewhat of a fashion designer. His merch booth featured his sneaker collab with Adidas, and next month he’s set to co-host the Met Gala in New York.
Bad Bunny’s music explores a wide range of themes that hadn’t previously been prominent in Latin music. According to a 2019 Paper magazine article, his music occasionally explores themes of LGBT acceptance. A proponent of queer and trans rights, Bad Bunny often wears flamboyant outfits including bright patterns and skirts. In the past, he has used his outfits and lyrics to draw attention to various socio-political topics that he supports, including wearing a shirt to draw awareness to Alexa Negròn Luciano, a trans woman that was murdered in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny’s music, activism, and personality brought together an incredibly diverse, kind, and loving crowd on Tuesday night. Families with small children, college kids, grandparents and others filled the arena. Most of the crowd dressed up for the show, with cowboy hats and western wear seemingly being the dress code for the evening.
The level of theatrics presented in the show was unreal. The stage design was composed of two half circles, one on each end of the arena. A movable floating walkway connected the two stages. At the start of the show, one stage featured a live orchestra while Benito performed on the other. The orchestra retreated about four songs into the setlist, changing the atmosphere of the event entirely. Numerous interludes allowed for costume changes and set movements, and at one point, Benito came out on a live horse. Pyrotechnics were used throughout the entirety of the show, creating a larger than life feel for the audience.
There were no openers for the show, giving Bad Bunny the responsibility of capturing the crowd’s attention and holding onto it the whole night. He didn’t shy away from this, and despite taking the stage promptly at 9pm, his show went on well past 11pm. Bad Bunny’s use of the set, dancers, and pyrotechnics created an incredible energy, but the most profound moments were the moments of stillness Benito incorporated throughout the show. Several times throughout the event, Benito stopped and stared in awe at the audience, visibly taking the moment in.
Bad Bunny is on tour promoting his 2023 album, “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow). The Most Wanted tour will continue with three New York dates, before heading across the country through the end of May. The Most Wanted tour explores themes of love, heartbreak, acceptance and more. Bad Bunny’s ability to touch souls through his music shows the beginnings of an icon in the making.
Final Grade: A+
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