By Amanda Guevara, Oct. 4, 2022
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny, has quickly become a household name as a rising Puerto Rican pop star. Some of his new songs like “Moscow Mule” and “Me Porto Bonito” can be heard on the radio. His newest album, “Un Verano Sin Ti” was released on May 6 and hit the Billboard 200 on May 21. It quickly became the summer anthem and during August he started “The World’s Hottest Tour.”
This tour had three dates in California, one in Oakland, San Diego and Los Angeles. The first half of the tour dates are in the U.S. while the other half of the tour will take place in Latin American countries.
I got the chance to attend the concert in Oakland at the RingCentral Coliseum on an impulse decision that I don’t regret at all. I attended the concert on Sept.14, and after I went through security at the coliseum, I was handed an LED bracelet designed with the name of the album and cover art.
I was then greeted by rumbling crowds of fans within the corridors of the coliseum. It was almost impossible to move between the crowds, but eventually, I found my seat in the middle section of the stadium.
The concert was expected to start at 7 p.m., but our famous reggaetonero did not show until two hours later at around 9:30 p.m.
He opened the concert with “Moscow Mule,” and everyone got up from their seats to dance. The first six songs he sang were from his recent album, then he started to sing a couple of older songs for the original fans. Some included were “Vete,” “Diles” and “Soy Peor,” from his “Trap Bunny” era.
I’m a camera-shy person, so normally I wouldn’t record footage of myself singing at a concert, but when he started to perform some of his older songs, I knew I had to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
I was so ready to sing along to all his songs, new and old. It was fun and exciting to see the people next to me dancing along to our favorite songs. In between songs he would take a moment to talk to the crowd and tell us that tonight was our night to party, to enjoy ourselves and go wild.
Before he sang the song, “Un Ratito,” he decided to share the spotlight with a random couple he saw in the crowd and asked them questions regarding their relationship. He then performed the love song in which he sings about how love is beautiful. I thought that was a great way for him to introduce the song.
Later, he got onto a platform, where he was strapped onto a light-up palm tree and lifted into the air to perform closer to the bleachers. It was amazing to see him up closer because I didn’t think I would be able to with my seat being a lot farther from the stage.
There was a sweet moment when he paused the concert to walk around the stage and form a heart shape with both his hands and everyone went wild flashing their phones to capture the moment.
He ended the concert with the song,” Después de la Playa,” which has some Cumbia influence, and was the perfect song to end the night with because it made everyone dance their way out of the stadium, myself included. There were also fireworks coming up from the stage making it an even more memorable night.
This concert was such a fun experience, and I am happy to say that I was able to go to the “World’s Hottest Tour.”
Feature image courtesy of Amanda Guevara
