It’s not every day that a performer comes out riding a live horse during the middle of their show, but that was just one of the many over-the-top elements that Puerto Rican rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, incorporated into his performance at TD Garden April 17.
The singer last performed in Boston nearly two years ago at Fenway Park and now is currently more than halfway through his “Most Wanted Tour.” The tour promotes his newest album, “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana,” or “nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow.” Despite some controversy over high ticket prices, the Garden was generously packed — though not sold out — for this tour stop.
Fans’ energy and excitement were palpable throughout the area. Attendees arriving in droves from the T and walking from the surrounding streets wore sparkly light-up cowboy hats, matching boots and other cleverly-put-together outfits. For those who may have forgotten their Western attire, several cowboy hat, glow stick and T-shirt vendors set up shop in front of the TD Garden escalators and marquees to sell these items.
Upon entry, venue staff handed fans cowboy-boot-shaped lanyards to place around their necks that would flash in time with the songs and complement the on-stage lighting. Once at their seats, fans saw the unique setup that Bad Bunny had in store for the show — two semi-circle stages separated by a general admission pit. A bridge between the two stages was neatly tucked in the rafters to be used later in the set.
Another unique feature of Bad Bunny’s show was that it didn’t have an opener. Instead, he opted for a 10-minute live orchestra set, which played on one of the semicircle stages. The orchestra also accompanied his first few songs after he took the stage. When the initial 10 minutes were up, the orchestral beginnings of “NADIE SABE” began to fill the stadium, with Bad Bunny singing backstage for the first portion of the song before emerging in a black hoodie amidst a cloud of fog illuminated by the colorful stage lights.
His chart-topper “MONACO” was next, with fans shouting every word as smoke blasts and fireworks went off on the stage. By the third song, “FINA,” Bad Bunny’s entourage of background dancers had joined him to add even more excitement to the show.
After about seven more songs on the first stage, the arena went dark as Bad Bunny presumably made his way to the other side of the arena to perform the next portion of the show. He emerged riding a live horse, an homage to the album art for his most recent record which features a drawing of a brown horse. The well-behaved horse didn’t even flinch at the thousands of fans cheering. Bad Bunny momentarily stayed on the horse for dramatic effect before dismounting and making his way to the second stage to continue the show. Some songs performed on this stage included “Tú No Metes Cabra,” “Vuelve” and his collaboration with Arcángel, “Tú No Vive Así.”
As Bad Bunny finished performing “Diles,” the floating walkway that had hung from the ceiling began to lower to a point where the singer could step onto it and walk above the crowd. The bridge rotated nearly all the way around, allowing him to walk to the edges between songs and pause as he silently expressed gratitude to fans in every section of the arena by waving and putting his hands together in thanks. After making his way back to the first stage, Bad Bunny took a moment to sit down at the piano and give a speech in Spanish to his fans, thanking them for coming to the show. He then performed stripped-down versions of “GRACIAS POR NADA” and “un x100to” before launching into the show’s final part.
Bad Bunny still had nearly 18 songs to play at around 10:45 p.m. — according to setlists from previous shows — so the high ticket prices finally began to make some sense. He played on, joined again by his background dancers, with lively performances of songs like “Yo Perreo Sola,” “La Santa” and “DÁKITI.” The show concluded with a performance of his hit song “WHERE SHE GOES,” accompanied by more light displays and confetti blasts before the concert wrapped up for the night, two and a half hours after it had started.
There was no encore at the end of the show, but this didn’t bring the mood down amongst the attendees who heard nearly 40 of Bad Bunny’s songs. The energy and high spirits continued as fans walked to their cars and made their way home on the train, excitedly discussing the spectacle they had just witnessed.
