Inside Bad Bunny’s Last Show at His Puerto Rican Residenc…

Back in July—right in the middle of Puerto Rico’s low tourism season—Bad Bunny kicked off No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí, his residency at San Juan’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum (or “El Choli” if you live on the Island). At that opening show, which was only accessible to locals, he gave his form of a rallying call, telling the crowd: “We have to protect this land…We have to protect what’s ours if we want our children to make a life here.”

If you’ve been paying attention, you know what happened next: 10 weeks, 30 sold-out nights, a tourism boom that generated more than $200 million in the local economy, his own version of a Labubu doll, and surprise appearances from superstars that ranged from LeBron James to Travis Scott to star couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Last weekend was meant to be the emotional grand finale. Until he added one last surprise show, which went down last night, September 20th, which also happened to be the eight year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island.

Like those opening weeks, this final performance was reserved for locals, but it was also streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime. For most fans in the States, this will be the closest they get to seeing Benito this album cycle—he won’t tour his latest project in the U.S., citing heightened ICE presence across the country as the main reason. (The show became the most-watched single-artist performance in Amazon Music history.)

Bad Bunny—already a world-class performer—delivered one of the finest concerts in recent memory: a jaw-dropping, nearly four-hour epic that spanned more than 40 songs. The only comparison that came to mind while in attendance was Beyoncé’s stunning 2018 Coachella set, in the way it wove together history, politics, storytelling, showmanship, and artistic vision. The show followed a clear arc, balancing inside references and Easter Eggs for die-hard fans with enough accessibility for casual listeners.

It started with the stage itself. Both the front and back played crucial roles. The front was naturalistic, framed by backdrops of trees and greenery, an homage to Adjuntas, the mountainside town in the Cordillera Central. The first third of the concert focused on his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (which translates to “I Should Have Taken More Photos”), which is not only one of his most successful albums but also his most overtly political one, an album about the effects of colonialism. During this portion, he performed standouts like “Ketu Tecre,” “El Club,” and “Alambre Púa”—the latter debuted during the residency—each amplified by the constantly shifting lights and cascading visuals from the ceiling.

During a performance of his 2022 banger “El Apagón,” the lights cut out in a chilling nod to the blackouts that regularly plague the island, before erupting back into a high energy explosive moment of release. Later, he cycled through some of his most affecting ballads throughout his career before arriving at “Turista,” a breakup song that doubles as a metaphor for how tourism treats Puerto Rico: a fling that leaves locals to clean up the mess. Given the impact of the residency, it was one of the night’s most striking performances.

And then the turn-up started. At the back of the stage stood La Casita—a pink-and-yellow house modeled after an old-school Puerto Rican home. For this run of shows, it doubled as the VIP hangout—where Bron, Travis, Ricky Martin and others kicked it—and the setting for the night’s most high-energy moments.

The La Casita segment marked the show’s Latin trap moment, running through more than a dozen songs and stacked with modern classics like “Tití Me Preguntó” and “La Romana.” Before the concert, locals whispered about potential surprise guests. And, throughout the residency, Bad Bunny had already welcomed figures like reggaeton icon Ivy Queen, Puerto Rican rapper Eladio Carrión, and Colombian star Feid. Tfhis night was no different. From the top of La Casita, he brought out reggaetón OG Ñengo Flow—wearing a jersey with “4,646,” honoring those lost to Hurricane María—and the legendary duo Jowell y Randy, who tore through favorites including their timeless “Hey Mister.” Later, Arcángel and De La Ghetto joined for the epic posse cut “Acho PR” from Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.

But the biggest guest of the night was still to come. While those artists had appeared at different points in the residency, the final third of this show—more salsa-driven, spotlighting the excellent live band—delivered the residency’s star cameo. Salsa legend Marc Anthony took the stage to join Bad Bunny for a performance of “Preciosa,” Rafael Hernández Marín’s 1930s ode to Puerto Rico, famously reimagined by Anthony. Seeing the two on stage—which, in some ways felt like a true passing the torch moment—was the loudest I’ve ever heard a crowd, and one of the most emotional. In front of me, a woman burst into tears, hugging a stranger.

Onstage, the two stars deferred to each other, with Marc Anthony repeatedly encouraging Benito—who admitted he hadn’t sung the song in more than 20 years—to sing along. By the end, they embraced several times before Anthony exited draped in the Puerto Rican flag.

Even though Bad Bunny returned to perform his melancholy smash “DTMF” the duet with Marc Anthony felt like the true closer—a capstone to a run unlike anything we’ve seen before.