Review: Bad Bunny Transforms Made in America Music Festival Into a Beach Party
Bad Bunny and Tyler the Creator headlined 2022’s Made in America Music Festival — a 2-day event curated by Jay-Z himself. Here’s Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s review of Bad Bunny’s Made in America performance.
Bad Bunny headlined the Sept. 4 Made in America Festival
Bad Bunny earned recognition for his collaboration with Cardi B on “I Like It.” He received praise for 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti and its songs “Titi Me Preguntó,” “Me Porto Bonito,” and “Moscow Mule.” Now, he’s considered one of the most popular artists in the world.
Recently, Bad Bunny became the first non-English-language act to win the MTV VMA Award for Artist of the Year. A few days later, the reggaeton artist headlined Made in America — a 2-day music festival in Philadelphia curated by Jay-Z.
Bad Bunny said the ‘Latino’ made America — our review of his headlining performance
“Buenas Noches, Philly.”
Complete with sunglasses and a cooler with drinks, the artist lounged in a beach chair to start his Made in America set. For the next hour, Bad Bunny turned the Benjamin Franklin Parkway into a celebration of the Puerto Rican (and Latino) community.
At the center of everything, Bad Bunny’s charisma shined through. The running back and forth, even thinking about it 12 hours later, is mind-boggling. The strategic footwork to get to the edge of the stage and sing to the audience. Even from the back of the crowd, Bad Bunny somehow felt close — personable, almost like a friend.
But juxtapose that with fireworks, a handful of backup dancers, and colorful backgrounds changed intermittently, and Bad Bunny is genuinely one of the most exciting, energetic performers to see live.
Of course, part of that is the crowd’s energy. Some Made In America attendees threw beach balls back and forth. Others draped themselves in the Puerto Rican flag, kind of like a superhero cape. When Bad Bunny performed “El Apagón,” almost everyone was screaming and/or jumping.
When the lights dimmed, a chant of “otra” broke out. In response, Bad Bunny asked attendees to shine their phone lights while discussing music and his love for Puerto Rico, even pausing to address the audience in English.
“For people who don’t speak Spanish, I’m Benito…” Bad Bunny began. “I’m Latino… We made America — the Latino.”
In a clever nod to the “playa” aforementioned at Made In America, Bad Bunny ended his set with “Después de la Playa” (which translates to “After the Beach”) from Un Verano Sin Ti. What’s left after a perfect night at the beach? Wonder what to do until next time.
Bad Bunny made history with ‘El Último Tour del Mundo’
This was just one stop along Bad Bunny’s 2022 tour, which was significant in more ways than one. The LA Times reported that Bad Bunny’s “El Último Tour del Mundo” became the “highest-grossing tour ever by a Latinx artist, grossing more than $116 million.”
The North American tour kicked off the 35-show run in February, “averaging more than $3 million per night in ticket sales,” according to the same LA Times article. Individual tickets cost an average $180.
