Over 8,300 miles east of Bad Bunny’s historic 31-show residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in Japan, Benito continued to flex his global superstardom with an intimate, invite-only showcase of his streaming heavyweights at Spotify’s fourth live iteration of ‘Billions Club.’
In front of less than 2,000 of the singer’s biggest fans plus a few dozen more VIPs — Blackpink’s Lisa could be seen turning up hard during “Dákiti,” and contemporary artist Takashi Murakami had his two hands in the air more often than they were by his side — Bad Bunny ran through hit after hit, delighting the crowd in Tipstar Dome Chiba, about an hour east from Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing.
All in all, Bad Bunny has 29 songs that have hit over a billion streams on Spotify, but it’s not all about the numbers for the star: “Muchos números, pero no son números. Sino personas con las que he conectado a través de todos estos años con mi música, entonces por eso estamos aquí con ustedes,” he told the crowd, underlining that all the streams he’s racked up symbolized connections he’s made with people through music.
On stage, Bad Bunny traded one pink (La Casita, a house styled like a traditional Puerto Rican home that’s become a staple on his latest tour) for another pink: two towering cherry blossom trees on either side of the main stage. As the lights dimmed and the opener “EoO” instrumental burst from the speakers, a party erupted on the venue’s floor that would continue well past Bad Bunny’s 90-minute set was up. Much like the star, the crowd played the hits: countless pavas (a traditional woven straw hat), Puerto Rican flags draped over shoulders, and mini dance circles erupting from all corners of the arena.
During a rousing rendition of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos salsa standout “Baile Inolvidable,” a man in an aquablue jumpsuit and a woman in a black suit began dancing with one another, even executing a twirl or two. The two, seemingly strangers, then exchanged a hug and went back to their respective groups on the dance floor. The power of Bad Bunny.
At times, Benito seemed to tease the crowd, flashing a grin when asking “quieres más?” and commending the crowd for still having a lot of energy. The first few chords of “Tití Me Preguntó” erupted from speakers and stopped short, sending the crowd into a frenzy with Bad Bunny surveying from the stage’s center platform. Finally, the song started as purple lights cloaked the cherry blossoms on stage while orange and blue lights danced feet over the raucous crowd.
Bad Bunny danced, ran, and gyrated up and down the stage’s short catwalk, wearing a white shirt with wide cuffs (reminiscent of a poet blouse), a vest and pants. Later on, he traded his vest for a jacket with Tokyo written in Japanese characters on the back (“東京”).
Bad Bunny’s connection to salsa music, especially when it comes to DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is well-documented by now. Over a year ago, he talked to Rolling Stone’s Julyssa Lopez about making “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” and salsa music: “It’s a dream come true, because I’ve had this song in my head for such a long time. The synth you hear in the beginning, I first heard that when I was making [my 2022 album] Un Verano Sin Ti, and I said, ‘This is a salsa song.’”
In Tokyo’s Tipstar Dome Chiba, Bad Bunny went further. For the first time ever, he performed his 2018 hit “MIA,” originally a collaboration with Drake, with a salsa twist.
Just under a month ago, Bad Bunny was performing his hits on another stage with a much bigger audience: across the Pacific Ocean at Super Bowl LX. Back in Tokyo, he preached similar messages that he had delivered in Santa Clara, California: ones of togetherness, unity, and love.
“No pierdan su tiempo en lo negativo. No pierdan su tiempo haciéndole caso a comentarios de personas que no te conocen, sé tú mismo, sin importar lo que digan los demás,” Benito told the crowd, urging them to be themselves and to ignore critics that don’t know them.
To end the night, Bad Bunny performed a beautiful rendition of “DtMF” that capped off a celebration of an extraordinary artist’s global reach — from one island in the Caribbean Sea to another in the north Pacific. The gravity of the moment seemed to touch Bad Bunny, who spent multiple pauses soaking in the crowd, the evening, and the accomplishments that allowed twenty-nine of his songs to notch over a billion streams on the streaming service.
“Este show se trata de la unión de Puerto Rico con Tokio y todos los Latinos que estamos aquí,” Bad Bunny said, telling the crowd to dance without fear: “Baila sin miedo, Tokio.”
On the way out, dozens of fans looked through Benito’s Spotify billion-stream plaques on display in Tipstar Dome Chiba — taking enough pictures with loved ones that would make the DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS hitmaker proud.
