This Sunday, the Seahawks claimed their second Super Bowl in dominant fashion over the New England Patriots. However, while millions of fans tuned in to watch the NFL’s finest clash in San Francisco, millions more tuned in to witness Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
The performance, which garnered mixed reactions when announced, was the first halftime show to be almost entirely in Spanish. The language barrier led to a range of different reviews, with some citing an inability to understand the lyrics as a key reason that the Grammy-Award winning artist wasn’t the right pick to headline America’s Game. However, others raved over the selection, considering it to be a celebration of culture and believed it could act as a moment of unity across the country.
Regardless of opinion, the Puerto Rican’s performance found major success. The halftime show eclipsed the record set by Kendrick Lamar’s performance last year, drawing an estimated 135.4 million viewers to become the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show in history.
Even with a large viewing audience, issues did still plague the performance. Audio issues were a notable flaw of the show. Many viewers mentioned an inability to properly hear Bad Bunny, or incredibly muffled audio while watching the show.
Across the SCH community, the performance saw equally mixed reviews, with many leaning towards a more positive angle. In a survey of twenty students, the average student rating came out to roughly 8/10.
Just like most viewers, the most common critique from students centered around the audio quality. “It sounded consistently muffled,” said SCH senior Ryan Shapiro. “I really liked the visuals and the music, but I couldn’t really hear it clearly and that messed up the performance for me.”
The other major criticism it faced was for being “underwhelming.” Many fans noticed other artists in the crowd or teased in the performance, and wanted to see them join in. “I took a point off for the Cardi B and Bruno Mars teasers,” said junior Taylor-Rae. “I’d also take off another because it was too short.”
However, many students stated how much they loved the performance, especially the message it brought. “It was an amazing display of family unity,” said junior Sarah Murphey. “Even though I don’t listen to his music a lot, I can appreciate the message and the artistry and performance.”
Students also enjoyed the message the musician displayed. At the end of Bad Bunny’s performance, a message flashed on the Jumbotron behind him: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
“It was so perfect,” said senior Colin Salas. “It showed that people from other countries have their own culture, and we’re all Americans.”
