When Bad Bunny took the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 8, he not only performed a set of chart-topping songs, but also amplified a message. Through his performance, Bad Bunny honored cultural pride and emphasized the importance of connection and love. For many students at Haven, his message of love stood out more than any controversy surrounding the show.
That theme appeared throughout his entire performance. From the jumbotron reading “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” to the final shot of Bad Bunny holding a football with the words “Together, we are America,” he made his intentions unmistakable.
At the end of the show, he spoke his only English words of the night — “God bless America” — and then listed countries across North, Central, and South America, reinforcing the message of connection and unity. Although the Super Bowl is centered on U.S. teams and audiences, Bad Bunny used the stage to broaden the definition of “America.” By highlighting his Puerto Rican homeland — a U.S. territory — and its cultural influence, he reminded viewers that American identity extends beyond the continental United States.
Students said the performance went beyond the music.
“Although he could have taken his performance in a political direction, he was able to take the high road and just kind of preach love and care for everyone,” junior Kasey O’Sullivan said. “That was really impressive to me.”
The show included many references that caught students’ attention and strengthened the themes of pride and unity. The appearance of the Puerto Rican toad, the sapo concho, referenced cultural identity and environmental concerns. Visuals alluding to hurricanes acknowledges Puerto Rico’s recent hardships. Even a live wedding ceremony during the performance helped to echo his message of love.
“I really liked the wedding,” senior Vincent Dykes said. “That was their actual wedding. I read about this the day after, that they invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, and he couldn’t [go] because he was going to the Super Bowl. So he invited them to the Super Bowl.”
Junior Kara Siri said the moment Bad Bunny listed countries stood out most to her.
“He was representing the entirety of America, not just the U.S.,” Siri said. “When I heard him say Dominican Republic — because my dad’s from the Dominican — I was like ‘Wow, he’s really representing everyone here.’ And I thought that was cool.”
Siri added that the imagery felt especially meaningful in today’s political and cultural climate.
“I thought the show was really impactful,” Siri said. “Saying how everyone — all these countries — are associated with America, I just thought it was really impactful and it was something that people needed to hear.”
For some viewers, the entirely Spanish setlist made the performance’s meaning harder to immediately grasp. However, others argued that the intangible emotion could be felt no matter what language you speak.
“I thought it was really, really entertaining. I didn’t really understand what he was talking about, but I really enjoyed all the dancing, the performance, and the energy, and the message that we should all love,” Dykes said.
O’Sullivan agreed that the language barrier should not prevent audiences from engaging with the meaning behind it.
“I think everyone should listen to Bad Bunny’s message and understand it. If you don’t understand it, then you should take the time to process it and hear what he’s saying,” O’Sullivan said.
These students agreed that the performance left a lasting impression.
“Bad Bunny’s awesome,” Dykes said. “He’s one of my favorite artists now.”
Each opinion represented in The Panther Press is the view and voice of the writer. Opinions, as the selection and curation of content by the editors, do not represent the views of the entire Panther Press staff, the adviser, the school, or the administration.
