Bad Bunny Cowboys Up at Bridgestone Arena

Bad Bunny is in his cowboy era. No, he's not dropping a country album like Beyoncé, but the Latin trap star has been playing with Western imagery for a while now, including the balaclava-clad rodeo cowboy on the cover of his most recent album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. The imagery was enforced by the light-up cowboy boots on lanyards handed out to audience members as we filed into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

In turn, cowboy outfits and Western wear have become a trend at Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour, and Nashville, of course, did not disappoint when the Latin trap star came to town. It’s likely Nashville wasn’t just repping its country bona fides here — the city also boasts fans of rancho, grupo and norteño, genres that invoke vaquero imagery. (Benito has also dabbled in the genre, working with artists like Grupo Frontera and Nathanael Cano.) 

The crowd was starting to get antsy but was still in good spirits when the show started an hour-and-a-half late. Excitement rose when a live orchestra — mostly strings and some horns — took the stage for a few melodies, and then started on the opening of “Nadie Sabe,” the sprawling, introspective first track of Bad Bunny’s most recent effort. The reggaetonero himself then appeared on a giant screen, and you could hear the audience trying to find his hiding spot. Minutes later, he emerged from the floor of the stage opposite the orchestra to raucous applause.

The live band stuck around for “Monaco,” a jet-setting, wealth-flexing song with mafia-movie vibes. He continued on with more from Nadie Sabe, including tracks like the bouncy “Fina” and pulsing “Cybertruck,” flanked by dancers wearing black fringe chaps and vests.

The dance crew later donned creepy masks and black robes for the dark and raunchy “Baticano” — a track that calls out religious attitudes toward sex and features some juvenile similes about Teletubbies and finger-play. At the end of the number, Benito succumbed to the demons surrounding him as the dancers clawed at him and dragged him down. That provided a segue to a black-and-white video of the trapero masked up and riding solo on a horse, monologuing about going it alone. Bad Bunny has a message of following your heart and being true to yourself — even when that means playing the bad guy.

And then Benito returned to the arena, riding in on an actual horse. This short part of the show has generated some controversy and criticism from animal rights activists. On the one hand, we've seen horses perform at loud places like rodeos and in parades. On the other, do you really need a live animal for such a brief entrance?

He soon performed “Teléfono Nuevo,” reinforcing the loner transformation. But Bad Bunny didn’t stick to just new stuff for Saturday’s show. His newest album is in many ways a return to his trap roots, and he broke out into a medley of verses from past singles like “Vuelve” and “Soy Peor.” He performed much of it from a rotating catwalk in the center of the arena, meaning even folks in the nosebleeds got a decent look at his wardrobe change — a casual cream-and-white ensemble had replaced the dark suit from earlier that night.

He then hopped a few feet off the catwalk and onto a piano, lounge-singer style. Accompanied by a balaclava-masked pianist, he belted out a few verses, including “Gracias por Nada” and his ode to quiet girls and beach parties, “Callaíta.” It was a surprisingly intimate moment despite the size of the venue, and a much-needed change of tone and pace. 

These theatrical arena shows can feel impersonal, made to replicate the same spectacles with not much variance. And as fun as the catwalk stunts, pyrotechnics and light displays were at the show, at times there was a workmanlike pace to Benito’s performance — not quite rushed but far from leisurely.

The final few songs were all about perreo, the Puerto Rican dance associated with vigorous grinding and reggaeton. He brought out the feminist hit single “Yo Perreo Sola” from 2020’s Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da la Gana and slower “Me Porto Bonito” from 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti. Gotta respect the man for bringing out some of his most danceable material at the tail end of the show, invigorating a crowd that could have been flagging otherwise.

If there’s one big takeaway for me, it’s that all the production value in the world can't manufacture pure star power. Bad Bunny showed he had plenty of it — he was able to trigger waves of deafening cheers simply by unbuttoning his shirt or even just taking a sip of water, heightening tension and anticipation in the silent moments between songs.

The man's a rock star, and hopefully it doesn’t take another six years before he returns to town. Even if it does, it will be interesting to see what iteration of the ever-evolving trapero we see next.

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