NFL Halftime Show, More like a Statement
This past Sunday, Feb. 8, marked the 60th annual Super Bowl with a matchup of the New England Patriots v. the Seattle Seahawks. This much anticipated game garnered the attention of millions; not necessarily because of the game itself, but instead due to the selected halftime show performer, Bad Bunny.
For weeks leading up to the game, there was controversy online surrounding the Puerto Rican musician’s upcoming performance. Many individuals showcased outrage towards the selected performer via social media over how the performance would be sung in Bad Bunny’s native language, Spanish. There was such much outrage, in fact, that Turning Point USA hosted a secondary halftime performance featuring Kid Rock.
The disdain towards the selection of performers had been framed online as a sort of referendum on who the NFL believes its audience is or “should be,” however, the performance made those arguments feel quite small.
As Bad Bunny’s performance wasn’t just a musical lineup, but instead a cultural reminder that Latin artists don’t need to translate themselves in order to belong on the biggest stages of American entertainment.
The stage for the show was grounded rich with Puerto Rican culture, as he performed surrounded by sugar cane fields, pava hats, street vendors and dancers artistically styled to resemble field workers. By turning the stage into a living map of his homeland, Bad Bunny signaled a shift in who gets to define what is and isn’t considered an “American” spectacle.
Instead of utilizing traditional halftime show visuals, such as pyrotechnics or a large and elaborate dance number, Bad Bunny highlighted the joys of everyday life. The main visual being centered around celebration with a real wedding being officiated mid-performance. He managed to push the show into something that was both theatrical and filled with sincerity.
The show’s multiple guest appearances also amplified the artists message of unity, with a Salsa rendition of “Die With a Smile” performed by Lady GaGa showcasing the conjoining of different musical genres. As well as a cameo by Ricky Martin, which tied the performance to a long lineage of Puerto Rican stardom. Celebrities including Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Alix Earle and Jessica Alba were also featured dancing in an onstage casita, which turned the show into a real life example of what multiculturalism in America already looks like in today’s society.
The most emotional part of the performance, however, was at the very end in which Bad Bunny shouted out the names of countries that make up the Americas before turning a football towards the camera that read “Together, We Are America.” All the while a large screen in the stadium read, “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love.” Which, in my opinion, was a direct defiance towards the narrow minded way “America” is often defined as a country, instead of a continent.
Overall, this performance served as a reminder that across borders and languages we are all humans who carry stories, joys and struggles that deserve to be seen rather than flattened by stereotypes.
