Bad Bunny in the Bronx

It’s been a whirlwind three years for Bad Bunny, who brought his World’s Hottest Tour to two sold out nights at Yankee Stadium and whose ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ has been a mainstay on this year’s “Billboard 200.”

“Next stop, Bad Bunny, baby!” said the conductor as the 4 train pulled into the station at 161st Street. It was night one of the superstar’s two-day residency at Yankee Stadium, and even the MTA was primed. Someone started handing out White Claws, and the crowded train erupted in cheers.

The 28-year-old star is in the midst of an unprecedented run. He’s been the biggest artist on the planet for three years running; his 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti, is still a mainstay at the top of the “Billboard 200” (despite being released three months ago); and this past Sunday, he accepted the VMA for Artist of the Year. These two sold-out shows were a fresh reminder that Bad Bunny shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

As thousands of fans streamed out of the subway station, Colombian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican flags rustled over the shoulders of everyone from teenage girls to middle-aged men. The line to get into the stadium extended into the road, and soon people without tickets were turning the sidewalks into an unofficial tailgate. The interpretation of what to wear to the New York edition of the World’s Hottest Tour varied wildly. For some, it was colorful skin-tight clubwear with cutouts; for others, island-print shirts and matching shorts. Light-up bunny ears could be spotted everywhere. One group of women wore head-to-toe PR gear, a walking declaration of love for the island and its people. The $400 resale numbers meant not everyone here would get a seat, but that didn’t stop fans from trying to attend the party El Conejo Malo promised to deliver.

Inside the stadium, seats filled quickly as Diplo began his preshow set. When Bad Bunny finally arrived to screams, he was sitting down in a beach chair, leaning back like a king surveying his kingdom, before opening with Un Verano Sin Ti lead single “Moscow Mule.” Small fireworks exploded and projected palm trees swayed behind him as he quickly took control of the stage, and those with floor seats moved to get as close as possible. It sounded like every single person in the stadium was singing along. The perreo went into full swing at Bad Bunny’s prompting, and the audience kept up word for word, moaning with an unimaginable amount of horniness during the “Papi, sí ” line in “Yo Perreo Sola.” “God, he’s beautiful,” a woman next to me said to no one in particular as Bad Bunny thrust his pelvis up and down with enough rhythm to make the spin cycle on a washing machine jealous. Meanwhile, the woman’s boyfriend had bumbled toward the front in an attempt to give his heart-shaped sunglasses to Benito. It was clear he’d seen the TikToks from previous tour stops where fans had been able to swap shades with Bad Bunny, but he was unsuccessful.

Bad Bunny getting ready in his dressing room before the show.

Waiting patiently for his cue to launch into set opener “Moscow Mule.”

Photographs by Eric Rojas/Eric Rojas, Eric Rojas