A piraguas stand, sugar cane fields, and a child sleeping on chairs at a wedding (presumably after his parents told him they would be leaving 40 minutes ago). These are some of the nuances that created a remarkable performance that will go down in history as one of the greatest.
Bad Bunny’s ‘Supér Tazón’ 60 half time performance was a celebration of love, family, culture, and unity in a time of great division.
Sept. 28, 2025 the NFL released a commercial featuring Bad Bunny wearing a pava, sitting on top of a goalpost. The commercial’s release sparked major controversy among viewers, with comments ranging from “Hasn’t been a halftime show worth watching in years,” “I can’t remember the last time I seen a good halftime show,” and “NFL prefers trends over traditions”; To “Love to see us Latinos get the shine we deserve,” “This will easily be the most watched Super Bowl halftime show in its 60 year history,” and “He knows how to create an outstanding show.”
The controversy surrounding the NFL’s announcement led to the creation of a separate ‘All-American’ halftime show organized by Turning Point USA, featuring Kid Rock and various country artists. Wife of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk and right-wing activist Erika Kirk claimed “People want that,” in reference to Bad Bunny’s performance, “but they want ours more.” Predictably, Bad Bunny’s performance received approximately 128.2 million viewers, while TPUSA’s performance received about 6.4 million viewers.
In response to the backlash surrounding a Puerto Rican Spanish-language-only performer, Bad Bunny opens the show with the words, “Que rico es ser Latino,” (How great it is to be Latino). With this statement alone, Bad Bunny reminds the Latino community not to lose touch with their roots, and to always feel pride in their culture.
Throughout his performance, Bad Bunny places many nods to Latino culture, visually emphasizing the beauty of the culture. The artist has never been shy about speaking on politics, and this performance further shows his stance without directly saying anything.
While performing his first song of the set, ‘Tití Me Preguntó,’ the camera follows Bad Bunny walking through a path featuring multiple aspects of Latino culture. He passes a ‘Coco Frio,’ stand (a popular beverage in Latin America), a group of men playing dominoes (a game popular in the Caribbean considered to be a symbol of community and competitiveness), a piraguas stand (a popular Puerto Rican treat), and a taco stand. Featuring these cultural staples shows Latinos’ ability to appreciate each other’s cultures and the unity within the community.
Before performing his own old-school reggaeton influenced song, EoO, the artist features a tribute to iconic reggaeton artists before him, such as Don Omar, Tego Calderon, Hector “El Father,” Divino, and Daddy Yankee. Not only does the feature create a nostalgic feel, but Bad Bunny also pays his respects to pioneers of the genre and further showcases the exciting aspects of his culture that are enjoyable to people across the globe.
Stepping out of his role as a performer, the artist introduces himself as his real name, Benito Antonio Ocasio-Martinez, reminding the audience that he is also a normal person. He announces that the only reason he’s made it to a stage like the Superbowl is because he never stopped believing in himself, and he reminds the audience that they should also never stop believing in themselves.
The overarching theme of Bad Bunny’s performance is love and unity, and he furthers this idea with a wedding ceremony and reception, and a heartfelt salsa rendition of “Die with a Smile” from Lady Gaga. Not only do the romantic lyrics of ‘Die with a Smile’ create a segue into the theme of love with Bad Bunny’s ‘BAILE INoLVIDABLE,’ but the performance from Lady Gaga represents unity across Latinos and Americans.
Bad Bunny moves on to perform his song ‘NUEVAYoL,’ with a diverse crowd dancing together and bodega in the background. The song blends together genres from different cultures, including salsa, reggaeton, and primarily dembow. The lyrics reflect on the experience of being Puerto Rican in New York, and the song represents the influence of Latino culture on American cities. This song choice for the Super Bowl is a subtle reminder to those who were opposed to Bad Bunny’s performance that we are not so different from one another.
The artist does not fail to highlight issues in his motherland that are at fault of many mainland-Americans. Guest performer Ricky Martin, a Puerto Rican artist who had formerly been heavily pressured by the music industry to sing in English, sang Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAII,” which focuses on the gentrification of Puerto Rico that ultimately pushes out locals, similar to what’s taken in place in Hawaii. He then performs a song with similar themes, “El Apagon.” The song talks about the greatness that comes out of Puerto Rico, while also using the blackouts caused by hurricanes as a theme of the perseverance coming from the island.
Bad Bunny closes out the show by mentioning all countries and territories on the American continent, in which he holds a football with the words, ‘Together we are America.’ With the flags of various countries behind him, he performs his final song “DtMF,” standing for ‘Debí Tirar Mas Fotos,’ (I should’ve taken more photos). While the song reminisces on his time in Puerto Rico, claiming he should’ve cherished time with his friends and family more, the song is truly about all themes developed throughout the show: love, family, and unity. As they walk down the path, the light reflects behind them from a billboard with the most important message of the show ‘The only thing more powerful than hate is love.’
