It was silly to think that the crowd wouldn’t fill in. It was a Thursday night. Folks most likely had to work, and traffic down Madison Street around the United Center is always terrible on show nights.
By the time the first notes of “Monaco,” the viral single from Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s latest album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” rang out, the blinding light coming from every cell phone and glowing cowboy lanyard (provided upon arrival) were enough to confirm the fans by the thousands were present and ready.
Kicking off his first of three, narrowly sold-out nights in Chicago on his Most Wanted Tour, Bad Bunny (El Conejo Malo in Spanish, or if you — like his loyal fanbase — prefer to be a bit more familiarly affectionate, simply, Benito) took to the stage with the confidence only a global superstar can carry.
The anticipation ahead of his arrival was palpable. Approaching the venue, vendors lined both sides of the street with bootleg merchandise and sombreros Sinaloa (known by Anglo audiences as cowboy hats) embellished with everything from beads and feathers to flashing LEDs. In contrast to his previous outings, Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — had asked fans ahead of the tour’s start in February to trade their neon and streetwear styles for the likes of bolo ties, denim, bell bottoms and fringe-lined button-ups. Chicago, like other cities visited thus far, complied.
Just after 8 p.m., fans were still arriving. Some heading straight for the box office to cop last-minute tickets not gobbled up by ‘bots or scalpers lurking on Ticketmaster, while those inside clamored around merch booths for official, Benito-sanctioned fashions.
Fans Melina Coronel and John Boyer, who purchased tickets back when they first went on sale, were hesitant to speculate on what was in store for them that evening.
“I upgraded my seats,” Coronel said excitedly. “I was originally in the 300 section, now I’m in the 100 section, so I got lucky. You know, YOLO.”
“We’ve been fans for quite a few years,” Boyer added. “We went to his show, the first one after COVID at Allstate Arena in 2022 when things first started opening back up. Then we went to the Soldier Field one. It was like a party. But a good show, a good crowd — the more excited and energetic the crowd, the better the show. We’re just excited for the whole thing.”
For friends Evelyn Gomez and Lyz Chavez, attending Thursday’s show was a game-time decision. Gomez had purchased tickets for the pair two hours prior after realizing she didn’t want to miss the artist she first saw back in 2018.
“It was with Pitbull. Becky G was on (the bill) too. Her and Bad Bunny, it was before they got big-big. I had pretty good seats, too.” Gomez remembers. “But I wanted to come tonight regardless, it was just time, money, everything. Last minute, I asked a group of friends and they already had tickets, so I asked Lyz and she was down. I was thinking I’d even come by myself. I just want to have fun.”
She says Bad Bunny’s three-night run means much more to Latinx folks in the city than simply catching a great concert.
“I love seeing his growth,” she continues. “I love that he’s brought more of the Latin side to the U.S. than the opposite. We’re finally popular, our music is on English stations and you never heard that before. What he’s doing is awesome, he’s brought everyone together.”
“It’s also amazing to think that he came from bagging groceries to all of this,” Chavez adds. “To go from that to breaking barriers and bringing the Latin community, the Latin people and culture to American culture — he’s a huge artist. He did it on his terms. I didn’t know I was coming to this concert and I was listening to his albums this morning when I was working from home and I can’t pick a favorite. They’re all great in their own way. They make you think about specific things that were going on in your life at that time — the album where he was riding around New York City during the pandemic (2020’s “El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo”) – you attach your memories to that. He’s become a generational artist. He’s going to be the Los Bukis or Juan Gabriel of our time.”
As the lights dimmed at 9 p.m., the Philharmonic Orchestra Project — a 12-piece orchestra led by Carlitos Lopez — graced the far stage. Setting the early tone for what was about to become an ambitious spectacle of grandiose proportions, the ensemble’s lush, sweeping arrangements were likened to “an old movie where the credits play at the beginning” by one attendee. The stage was a large circle divided into two, separated by the audience in the middle and connected by a runway suspended mid-air — and guaranteed a 360-degree immersive experience.
Fifteen minutes later, a suddenly pitch-black venue (again, save for cellphone and lanyard lights) welcomed its hero. Opening with the Drake-adjacent celebrity lament “Nadie Sabe,” Bad Bunny arrived front and center. With his velvety baritone booming, he rolled through myriad tracks from 2023’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” with sophisticated flare and ceaseless energy, flanked by upwards of 15 dancers, funnels of smoke, fireworks, and other flashy pyrotechnics. A stunning choreography sequence made “Vou 787,” which samples the seductive, siren synth of Madonna’s “Vogue” a standout of the night.
The just over two-hour show was complete with video intermission — which brought the filmed Benito-on-horseback to life with the actual Benito re-entering the arena on one of two horses he’s been touring with, along with their trainers and owner — and was a journey in self-actualization and mythologizing. It was dramatic, as any true Pisces would produce, and exhilarating, a place where he and his fans alike thrived in both tension and catharsis. Peppering the end of the night with bites of now-classics such as “Chambea,” “Yo Perreo Sola,” and “Me Porto Bonito,” among others, the artist showed just how far he’s come in a decade — though debut LP “X 100pre” was left untouched throughout the performance (and many fans griped they didn’t get their fill of songs from the breakthrough “Un Verano Sin Ti”). Then the audacious newcomer with labyrinthine graphics shaved into his scalp, now a consummate showman with nothing to prove, still unflinching in his vision for what popular music can and should be.
In a stripped down moment, where he sat atop a piano serenading fans (and letting them serenade him in return) with “un x100to” (released last year with beloved, regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera) and 2018’s “Amorfoda,” Bad Bunny displayed the graciousness, humor and humility that has endeared him to fans from the beginning.
Filtering back to their cars, ride-shares, and idling buses around 11:15 p.m., throngs of anointed followers continued smiling and dancing. Aida Acevedo and her daughters Bella, 13, and Delilah, 11, were more than pleased with their first time seeing their favorite artist.
“It was so fire!” Bella smiled. “(The tickets) were kind of a surprise. But hearing ‘Monaco,’ the horse — it was awesome.”
“I knew they were going to love it,” Acevedo said. “I love him. I liked that he played all songs, not just the new, but the old. His music has so much feeling. There’s so much love there.”
Jessi Roti is a freelance writer.
