No, I say: have you seen Bad Bunny? His thirteen-minute-thirteen at Halftime of the last Super Bowl will remain in the annals, not only for the large records (it is the first in the history of the competition, a tradition within the tradition, to be almost entirely in Spanish) and small (it is the most watched ever, but certain records are children of their time and made to give way), but for the impact, the message, the here and now. In summary, you will have read it everywhere, it was a tribute to his country, Puerto Rico, in the wake of the last album You need to take more photosa worldwide success that has cleared a reggaeton played and authored everywhere, including Italy, so now “everyone wants to be Latin”.

The strength of Bad Bunny

While Trump, obviously, was horrified on social mediahe redefined the boundaries of what we call “America”, in an anti-MAGA key (and therefore also talking about the center and south of the continent), he cited peace and love, inclusion, but also reflected on his roots – such as in the beautiful generational handover with his predecessor, Ricky Martin – and on the relationship with the United States themselves, as evidenced by the salsa version of Die with a smile by Lady Gaga, with the pop star on stage with him, as well as the only one there singing in English. All around, gigantic sets, dancers, a (real, it seems) wedding celebrated live, references (others) to Puerto Rico and the feeling of having truly made history. From the stage anymore American that there is, he has put together a grandiose show that speaks to the whole world and reflects, well, on what theAmerica Today. Courage and vision.

And in Italy?

And ok, beautiful. I add: have you ever seen something similar in Italy, even vaguely? No, there isn’t any. And above all, there can’t be. On the one hand – leaving aside the discussion on the inauguration of the Olympics, something “bigger” to which individual artists are individually called to contribute, while at Halftime the protagonist has carte blanche – because such a stage is missing: the only sporting event capable of catalysing so much attention is European, it is the Champions League final, which has also hosted various horrors over time; it certainly cannot be the dull final of the Italian Cup, while in general there is no stage Like this pay attention.

Apart from Sanremo. Let’s leave aside Pucci, the sermons from the right or the left that we have heard in recent years, the infinite – or not, it depends – agreements and bureaucratic steps to go through to get there. The fact is that in recent years and beyond, we have seen great guests on the Festival stage, some of whom with shows that have also remained in the annals, from Jovanotti last year to Cesare Cremonini in 2022. Stuff to rub your eyes in itself, but incredibly innocent and harmless: everyone was there to promote, to talk about themselves. It fits, it’s the standard, this does not take away the fact that Bad Bunny – and he had already demonstrated it in the summer, organizing concerts only in Puerto Rico, even if already requested all over the world, as a way to strengthen the image of his country – has played another championship: he has brought forward a community, critical, disobedient music, which tells a collective and identity story; while he doesn’t make political songs in the strict sense, he still has represented. Our pop stars now lack this aspect, also for cultural reasons.

The only ones, in one way or another, who can aspire to such a role are Marracash – for his ability to x-ray the world – and Geolier, which is to Naples more or less as Bad Bunny is to Puerto Rico. It’s not a question of talent, obviously the right proportions must be used, but of approach. Yet, rumors never circulated at the Festival about having them as guests (having said that Geolier himself, when he went in 2024, had become a case for the use of dialect, but that’s it).

The value of a show (which escapes us)

On the other hand, it’s true that Bad Bunny shows like this are oppositesagain, to our culture: in our country – and in this the United States has a lot to teach us – anyone who resorts to a dance troupe or any other “tinsel” is accused of HIDE his own music, in short that his songs are not up to the standard of pure, simple, virgin singing. Well, and then we tear our clothes up in front of the Halftime Show. In fact, tonight’s show reiterates that, for some time, it is the opposite of what we think: a stunning scenography amplifies an artist’s message, rather than disguising it. It is the reason why an Elodie, among many, is always considered to be from Serie B. If anything, and here we return to the initial short circuit, the problem is in the message: even those like her or Marco Mengoni who have taken a position have always done so in a very vague and disconnected way from their songs, during concerts (losing their strength). In short, there are structural absences, but a little less hypocrisy and provincialism, on the part of everyone, from us the public to the artists, up to the professionals, would perhaps allow us to have, sooner or later, our Bad Bunny.

undefined