SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Unhealthy Bunny followers drowned out recollections of Hurricane Maria in a single booming voice on the anniversary of the devastating storm.
Saturday was a live performance for Puerto Ricans by Puerto Ricans to remind the world concerning the energy of “la isla del encanto” (“the island of enchantment”).
“We’re not going to quit. The entire world is watching!” Unhealthy Bunny thundered into his microphone as he seemed right into a digital camera streaming his final present in Puerto Rico this 12 months to viewers around the globe following a historic 30-concert residency within the U.S. territory.
The gang roared as 1000’s watching by way of Amazon Music, Prime Video and Twitch joined them, marking the primary time Unhealthy Bunny was streamed throughout the globe.
The residency was greater than only a collection of concert events. Saturday marked the tip of an prolonged love letter that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio sang to Puerto Rico. He tapped into what it means to be Puerto Rican, to please within the island’s magnificence, defend its land and struggle for its individuals.
“This is for you,” Unhealthy Bunny mentioned from the rooftop of an iconic Puerto Rican home put in on the live performance venue as he raised his glass and the gang raised their glasses in return.
‘We are still here’
Saturday marked the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which slammed into Puerto Rico as a Class 4 storm on Sept. 20, 2017.
An estimated 2,975 individuals died within the sweltering aftermath of the storm that razed the island’s electrical grid, leaving some communities with out energy for as much as a 12 months. Anger and frustration over the tempo of reconstruction continues to simmer as persistent energy outages persist.
In a Sept. 11 report, the U.S. Workplace of Inspector Normal discovered that 92% of accepted and obligated initiatives associated to Puerto Rico’s crumbling grid had been incomplete, and that $3.7 billion of obtainable funds had not been obligated.
“Over seven years after Hurricane Maria, FEMA does not know when Puerto Rico’s electrical grid will be completely rebuilt. The grid remains unstable, inadequate, and vulnerable to interruptions,” the report said.
On Saturday, the variety of estimated deaths had been printed on the again of T-shirts and written on Puerto Rican flags that the gang waved into the air.
“We are still emotional and carry the trauma of having gone through a horrible thing,” mentioned Marta Amaral, 61, who attended Saturday’s live performance. “Beyond the sadness and remembering the negativity of having gone through a traumatic event, this is a celebration that we are still here, standing.”
A shock visitor
At each live performance this summer time, Unhealthy Bunny invited new celebrities — amongst them LeBron James, Penélope Cruz, Darren Aronofsky, DJ Khaled and Kylian Mbappé — and sang with completely different musicians, together with Rubén Blades, Residente, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Rai Nao and Jorge Drexler.
However on Saturday, the noise from the gang hit new ranges as Unhealthy Bunny rapped with Puerto Rico heavyweights Ñengo Movement, Jowell y Randy, Dei V and Arcángel and De la Ghetto. 1000’s of followers flexed their knees in unison to thumping rap and reggaetón.
Then, the gang gasped in disbelief as Marc Anthony appeared on stage after Unhealthy Bunny pleaded along with his followers to affix him as a result of he was going to sing a track he hadn’t sung in public in some 20 years.
“Yo te quiero, Puerto Rico!” the gang cried as the 2 singers embraced on the finish of the enduring track, “Preciosa,” whose lyrics say, “I love you, Puerto Rico.”
‘An emotional night’
1000’s gathered exterior the live performance venue on Saturday hours earlier than the live performance, with Puerto Rico’s nationwide flower, the colourful flor de maga, tucked behind their ear, and the standard straw hat often called the “pava,” set at a jaunty angle on their head.
However not all had been celebrating.
Darlene Mercado milled round, asking strangers in the event that they knew of anybody with tickets she may purchase for herself and her daughter, who had flown in from New Jersey.
They had been round quantity 122,000 in a digital ready line to purchase tickets for Saturday’s sold-out live performance and weren’t in a position to get any after ready eight hours on-line.
“This is not only the anniversary of the hurricane, but it’s also the anniversary of me no longer having cancer and it’s my birthday. We wanted to celebrate everything with a bang,” she mentioned.
Saturday’s live performance was open solely to residents of Puerto Rico, as had been the primary 9 concert events of Unhealthy Bunny’s residency, however the the rest was open to followers around the globe.
Total, the concert events attracted roughly half 1,000,000 individuals, producing an estimated $733 million for Puerto Rico, based on a brand new research by Gaither Worldwide.
Most overseas guests got here from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Spain, with a mean keep of practically 9 nights, the research discovered. Total, roughly 70% of concertgoers had been feminine, with a mean age of 33, based on the research.
Amongst these attending was Shamira Oquendo.
“It’s going to be an emotional night,” the 25-year-old mentioned, noting that Hurricane Maria was her first hurricane. “It was very sad. A lot of people around me lost their things.”
‘Yo soy boricua!’
Puerto Rico’s occasion with Unhealthy Bunny ended early Sunday, however the famous person who not too long ago clinched 12 Latin Grammy nominations will go on a worldwide tour in December, with concert events deliberate in international locations together with Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Spain, France and Sweden. Notably, he’s skipping the U.S., citing considerations over the arrest of immigrants.
On Saturday, Unhealthy Bunny thanked his followers for his or her love.
“I’m going to miss you a lot. I’m going to miss this energy,” he mentioned as he urged the gang to embrace love irrespective of the state of affairs.
At that second, family and friends within the crowd started to hug one another, some with tears of their eyes.
After greater than three hours of singing with Unhealthy Bunny, followers weren’t fairly able to let go. As the gang filed down the steps and into the night time, one man yelled, “Yo soy boricua!” and the gang responded, “Pa’ que tú lo sepas!”
It’s a conventional cry-and-response yell that lets individuals round them know they’re Puerto Rican and happy with it.
