MUSIC

Bad Bunny arrived on horseback and went hard with a full orchestra in wild Phoenix concert

Ed Masley
Arizona Republic

In 2022, Bad Bunny drew an estimated crowd of more than 43,000 to a packed Chase Field with the promise of delivering the World’s Hottest Tour.

Not quite two years later, the Puerto Rican superstar returned to downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, Feb. 27, for a two-night stand at Footprint Center, treating fans to an epic, career-spanning set that Benito Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, has said is aimed at longtime, hardcore fans.

Which certainly appeared to be the case in a set that took a journey from his early trap hits to the lion’s share of his new album, 2023’s acclaimed “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.”

At 29, the global superstar remains one of the most-streamed artists in the world on Spotify, where his previous album, 2022’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” was last year’s most-streamed album.

Peso Pluma's sold-out Phoenix concert:An electrifying show from a superstar in the making

Bad Bunny's Phoenix concert: A live orchestra and fireworks

The fourth date on a tour the King of Latin Trap has confidently titled the Most Wanted Tour began with an orchestral suite performed by the 24-member Philharmonic Orchestra Project led by Grammy-winning conductor Carlitos Lopez.

After 9 minutes of scene-setting music, Bad Bunny appeared on the video screens above the audience wearing a black suit, his features partly covered by a head scarf, to open with the song that sets the tone for “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” a dramatic title track of sorts called “Nadie Sabe,” backed by the Orchestra Project.

As the song progressed, he made his entrance, rising from beneath the stage to the rapturous applause of his adoring fans, who emphatically chanted “Benito” at the song's conclusion.

"Nadie Sabe" gave way to the next four songs on his new album, including the huge hit single, “Monaco.” His crew of 20 dancers joined in on “Fina,” which also brought the night’s first fireworks.

Bad Bunny's Most Wanted Tour 2024 has 4 acts and an encore

It was a fast-paced concert that lasted just over two hours, divided into four acts, each with its own personality, performed on two crescent-shaped stages at opposite ends of the arena.

By the time the night was through, he’d made his way through nearly 40 songs, some performed in shortened versions just to fit more songs into the mix.

Bad Bunny commanded the room throughout with the charisma of a natural entertainer, speaking often and at length in Spanish.

Bad Bunny arrived on horseback for his 2nd act

The 10-song first act was devoted to the new release and ended with his dancers dressed in shrouds and skull masks overpowering Bad Bunny, who disappeared beneath the stage at the close of an ominous “Baticano.”

He made his entrance for the second act on horseback in a blue suede rhinestone cowboy suit with fringes after a narrated video showed him riding through the desert on a horse, returning to the new release for Teléfono Nuevo."

From there, he reached back to 2017 for “Tú No Metes Cabra” to kick off a medley of his early trap songs, from the brooding, emotional balladry of “Pa Ti,” “No Te Hagas” and the Daddy Yankee collab “Vuelve.”

Bad Bunny built that section to a climax with “Tú no vive así,” “Chambea” and a massive singalong to his Soundcloud breakthrough “Diles” before boarding a floating bridge to close the act with “25/8,” “Vuelve Candy B” and “Thunder Y Lightning” while suspended high above the crowd.

Act III was an acoustic mini-set that featured “Gracias Por Nada” and a gorgeous, understated reinvention of "Un x100to," a Grupo Frontero collab, performed to piano accompaniment.

Bad Bunny closed his Phoenix concert with a crowd-pleasing Mix Perreo

Act IV was a Mix Perreo reggaeton set that brought the show to a crowd-pleasing climax, from the throbbing beats of “Baby Nueva” and "Perro Negro" to “Un Preview” before treating the fans to one last song, the new album’s lead single, “Where She Goes.”

Surprisingly, he only did two songs from “Un Verano Sin Ti" — "Efecto" and "Me Porto Bonito," played back-to-back as the final act was building to a fevered pitch.

Bad Bunny will be back in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday, Feb. 28. If you plan on being there, here's our handy guide to tickets, parking, the Footprint Center bag policy and what time to arrive.

Bad Bunny setlist 2024

Here's every song Bad Bunny played on Feb. 27, 2024, at Footprint Center in Phoenix:

ACT I

  • "The Orquestra"
  • "Nadie Sabe"
  • "Monaco"
  • "Fina"
  • "Hibiki"
  • "Mr. October"
  • "Mercedes Carota"
  • "Cybertruck"
  • "Vou 787"
  • "Seda"
  • "Baticano"

ACT II

  • "Telefono Nuevo"
  • "Tú no Metes Cabra"
  • "Pa Ti"
  • "No Te Hagas"
  • "Vuelve"
  • "Me Mata"
  • "Soy Peor"
  • "Tú No Vive Así"
  • "Chambea"
  • "Diles"
  • "25/8"
  • "Vuelve Candy B"
  • "Thunder Y Lightning"

ACT III

  • "Gracias por Nada"
  • "Un x100to"

ACT IV (Mix Perreo)

  • "Baby Nueva"
  • "Perro Negro"
  • "Safaera"
  • "Yo Perreo Sola"
  • "La Santa"
  • "La Jumpa"
  • "Dakiti"
  • "Efecto"
  • "Me Porto Bonito"
  • "Un Preview"
  • "No Me Quiero Casar"

ENCORE

  • "Where She Goes"

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.