We’re still wiping the tears after watching Bad Bunny’s heartfelt and sizzling Super Bowl performance. One thing that stood out the most to me was the powerful symbolism during “El Apagón” (“The Blackout”). The powerline poles and the men climbing them, including Bad Bunny, during his historic Super Bowl performance, carried powerful symbolism. They reference the ongoing struggle for electrical power in Puerto Rico, due to a fragile grid that results in frequent power outages, especially after devastating hurricanes like Irma and Maria.
The beauty of the acrobatic dancing across power lines symbolized the pride of the Puerto Rican people, particularly the jíbaros, the island’s farmers, who wore their traditional pava hats and risked their lives restoring power and infrastructure when the U.S., under Trump’s first term, failed to deliver critical aid in a timely manner, post Irma and Maria. The imagery served as a tribute to Puerto Rico’s strength, resilience, and self-reliance.
Sadly, they still have not recovered from their grid challenges, and to this day, the brave people will take matters into their own hands to bring power to their neighbors, many of whom live in vulnerable communities.
These challenges were prevalent before Irma and Maria; however, the two hurricanes exacerbated Puerto Rico’s already sensitive grid, and for being a part of the U.S., it’s wild how little support they’ve received in terms of giving the people a reliable power grid, and one that the people can actually afford.
And then there’s the problem with Puerto Rico’s power company, LUMA. It has faced intense scrutiny, public protests, and legal challenges over allegations of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and failure to improve the island’s fragile power grid.
“It’s very important to understand this because the Electrical Company is US & Canadian purposely tormenting the people with constant power outages and bills dramatically higher than anywhere else in the US, in a place where people are not earning as much money as the rest of the US.”
~ @kei_pirata
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“As Puerto Ricans, this part of the show was very powerful symbolism for us. Right now in Puerto Rico we are fighting against a monopoly called “LUMA,” which is in charge of the island’s electricity and power system. It’s a deteriorated system, and even though electricity rates keep going up, the service keeps getting worse. Every day people are left without power, and what Bad Bunny showed-hard as it may be to believe-happens all the time. For Puerto Ricans, what you saw with the power poles and transformers is our day-to-day reality. The system is so old and so damaged that outages can happen at any moment, right in front of your house, even when it’s not raining much. LUMA and the Puerto Rico government are stealing millions, while we keep getting worse and worse under this electric system.”
~ @crisss.paola
The performance for “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” featuring Ricky Martin was a nod to stolen land. Hawaii too, was once a U.S. territory. Both Hawaii and Puerto Rico have endured the same struggles as they became a part of the U.S. and saw their people get displaced as gentrification and tourism took over these gorgeous islands.
There’s a reason why Bad Bunny was waving the original flag of Puerto Rico with its beautiful shade of light blue. It acknowledged the resistance against colonization.
Diving in deeper to that Hawaii mention and it can be applied to the problematic and archaic infrastructure of power lines across the U.S. and how electrical companies’ negligence has caused so many fires and the loss of lives and communities. From Lahaina to Altadena, and the Camp and Woolsey fires, and that’s just naming a few.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was, at its core, a work of art—rich with social and political messaging, and grounded in love. It made people across the Americas feel seen. Viewers found points of connection that spoke to their own lives, their communities, and their cultures.
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With Puerto Rico at its center, the performance illuminated a shared struggle experienced throughout Latin America: failing infrastructure—water systems, electricity, roads, and buildings—exacerbated by natural disasters and compounded by governmental neglect. Whether from local leadership or foreign powers, aid is often delayed, insufficient, or absent altogether.
That is the beauty of the performance. It was art. And while its messaging was clear, art remains open to interpretation. Those who have endured hardship found symbolism in Bad Bunny’s performance that reflected their own experiences.
During his performance, we saw Bad Bunny call out several Latin American countries while holding their flags as he and the dancers ran across the field. The camaraderie here reveals the many Latin countries and cultures that make up America. From North to South, and particularly in the United States of America and Canada, this is all America.
Towards the end, Bad Bunny holds out an American football that reads: “Together We Are America.”
Considering the horrors our nation is facing under the Trump administration and with ICE terrorizing immigrant communities, the messaging was a powerful reminder of who makes up America.
It was a nod to the strength and resilience of the Puerto Rican people.
It was a nod to all the gente who have suffered, leaned on each other, and endured.
This post was updated on February 9, 2026 to add more commentary and sources.
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