The two-faced truth of the artist’s concert residency experiment
Bad Bunny, one of the most famous Latinx artists in the world, has recently gone viral for his one-of-a-kind “residential concert” in Puerto Rico. Titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí,” Spanish for “I Don’t Want to Leave Here,” the concert experience involved Bad Bunny performing 30 shows at El Choli, a venue in San Juan, Puerto Rico, over the course of ten weeks. The idea was to create a more immersive experience for his fans. He chose San Juan because it is his hometown, and he wanted his concert to bring tourists to the area. The concert seemingly benefited both the locals by creating jobs and increasing tourism and fans because of its unique experience.
Yet some people don’t think as highly of this special concert. Critics cite a phenomenon called tourism leakage, where tourists’ money goes mostly towards large multinational businesses rather than small local businesses. They also point to the temporary basis of this large influx of visitors, as the majority of them are there for Bad Bunny. After the 70 days, a majority of tourists leave, and afterward, “a void will return” to San Juan as an article in The Atlantic notes.
Many also bemoaned the concert’s price inflation, which created quite an expensive trip for fans. It’s well known, too, that such a high volume of tourists can affect the local environment. Usage of planes and boats to the island increased, and carbon emission numbers exploded during this 70-day period.
We have to remember, however, that Bad Bunny’s concert brought an estimated 600,000 people to San Juan, creating thousands of concert-adjacent jobs for locals and expanding the city’s economy. This concert generated an estimated $180 million, nearly twice the amount of a typical summer. Local restaurants, rideshare cooperatives, and even short-term rental platforms all benefited from the surge in tourists. Looking beyond the short-term boost in the economy, the concert shone a spotlight on San Juan, spurring future tourism and sustained economic growth.
While the influx of unexpected tourism can be seen as both good and bad, the decision to hold the concerts in Puerto Rico was powerful. Many Puerto Ricans have felt the U.S. government has abandoned them in times of need, such as hurricanes, and that Bad Bunny is a source of national pride. Hurricane Maria was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in September 2017. It would prove to be a catastrophic event, killing over 3000 people, costing over $91 billion, and creating the longest blackout in U.S. history, lasting 11 months, and affecting 95% of people in Puerto Rico. The hurricane also destroyed 80% of the island’s crops, created an island-wide health crisis due to loss of infrastructure, and destroyed around 300,000 homes. Puerto Rico is still recovering from this event, mainly due to the lack of federal aid. Many hope that the attention generated by the concert will force the U.S. government to finally give Puerto Rico the aid it needs.
Overall, Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí concerts were a one-of-a-kind spectacle that greatly benefited Puerto Rico in many ways. Although the influx of tourism can emphasize foreign businesses instead of local shops and worsen inflation, it has also brought attention to the area, which should hopefully help the island receive the aid it needs and share its culture with the world.
