When I got out of the car outside of the arena I saw a party. People were dancing, eating, and going into shops to buy merchandise before the show. Even an hour before the concert, as I entered the venue, I noticed fans singing his music while they were getting food and drinks.

This wasn’t a dream world: it was a Bad Bunny concert. 

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio just finished up his concert series in Puerto Rico, entitled No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí, which translates to “I Don’t Want to Leave Here.” That is exactly how I felt, not wanting to leave when it was over. The residency brought tens of thousands of people to the island to see him in El Choliseo (Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot), an arena in San Juan.

I was one of the fortunate people to go see him. The first nine shows were only for residents of Puerto Rico, and for his last show he gave residents the option to buy tickets first, showing his love for his home and its people.

I went to his show on August 9th, and it was the best concert I have ever been to. The lights, music, and fan interaction made it exciting.

However, what made it special was the connection to Puerto Rican culture. My family is Puerto Rican and we all felt like this concert was for us.

As he opened with “ALAMBRE PúA” you could feel the energy in the building getting higher with each note and lyric. When he walked onto stage he was accompanied by multiple people playing bomba drums and dancers all wearing traditional bomba attire.

He started out with more traditional Puerto Rican salsa music like “KETU TeCRÉ” and “EL CLúB”, both from his most recent album.

After this, he brought out Puerto Rican singer Chuwi to sing a duet of  “WELTiTA” on the catwalk of the screen. This started the acoustic set, which featured slower paced songs.

During “KLOuFRENS”, the screen featured members of the audience. The people shown on screen were presumably “close friends” (an ode to the song’s message being about former lovers who are now only friends) and were singing, dancing, or hugging one another. 

Then, Benito moved to a Flamboyan tree, an icon of Puerto Rico, where he was joined by an acoustic guitarist.
He sang “Vete” while sitting under the tree, which is one of my favorite songs. During these slower melodies, the audience sang with him adding to the atmosphere of community. He then moved to the second stage of the concert called “La Casita” which was modeled after a small traditional Puerto Rican home and was filled with celebrities and dancers on the outside and inside of the house. 

When he was in “La Casita” he began with “NUEVAYoL” from his Debí Tirar Más Fotos album. After this, he sang mostly older hits such as “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito”.

These songs turned the concert into a big party, and Puerto Rican pride was on full display when he brought up a member of the audience to start the song, “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR”. The person shouted into the microphone: “Acho PR es otra cosa!” (Hey, Puerto Rico is something else!) to start the song.

The concert also featured multiple guest performers.. During the song “PErFuMITO NUEVO”, RaiNao sang with him.

She wasn’t the only guest to sing with him as Dei V and Omar Courtz also went up on stage with him and sang “VeLDÁ” together.

The songs were enhanced by smoke, lasers and a light show turning the arena into a dance club.

Returning to the main stage, he performed the most popular songs from his newest album, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”, “DtMF”, and “La MuDANZA”.

These songs are all a unique blend of reggaeton and salsa. During these songs couples started salsa dancing in the aisle, and when “DtMF” was played, friends and family members started hugging each other.

My favorite parts of the entire show was when Bad Bunny had fans sing parts of his songs. It was a magical experience with thousands of voices singing in unison and only focusing on one thing—music.

One thing I love about Bad Bunny fans is how passionate they are. Even after the concert was over, people were still singing loudly while leaving the arena, and I had never experienced anything like that before.

Bad Bunny’s next adventure is an eight month-long “Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour”. In the middle, he will also headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Even though he is embarking on a world wide tour, the impact of No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí will forever stay in Puerto Rico.