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Big Day for Bad Bunny: He'll Knock it Out of the Park

I may not care for football but I will be watching this afternoon to see Bad Bunny's half time show, which he'll sing in Spanish. He is probably the biggest global performer in the world right now.

Close behind is Shakira, who just began her weeklong residency in El Salvador where she had her first concert last night. Tens of thousands of her fans crossed El Salvador's borders (legally) to be able to see her in person. Every hotel room in the country is reserved and she's expected to bring many millions to the local economy. El Salvador's gang-crushing President, Nayib Bukele, said he was determined to make sure everyone was safe and thus has deployed 3,000 military and civil guards to the venue. Here's a photo of what they look like.

Bad Bunny brought $400 plus million to Puerto Rico's economy during his music residency which just ended.

At the Grammy's last week, Bad Bunny began one of his acceptance speeches with:

"Before I say thanks to G-d, I'm going to say ICE out,"... "We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens – we're humans," he added from the stage after his win for best musicá urbana album.

"The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that's more powerful than hate is love, so, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if he could make it so?

The intense globalization of music and culture continues next month when k-pop super band BTS embarks on its first tour in five years. The pomp and circumstance in Seoul will be enormous. I could watch then dance for hours. But their tickets are going like wildfire all over the world:

BTS has made history in the UK after selling out London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, setting a new record for the highest seat occupancy ever achieved for a single concert at the venue.

....The group is scheduled to perform at the 62,000-seat stadium on July 6 and 7, with total attendance expected to reach about 120,000 over the two nights. Both dates sold out completely after BTS announced a fully immersive 360-degree stage, allowing audiences to view the performance from all directions.

Their new album, the first in five years, is already at the top of the charts and it hasn't been released yet:

A day after the album’s release, on March 21, BTS will hold a live comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. The event will be streamed live to more than 190 countries via Netflix.

Yes, they will be touring in America, and all 42 shows are already sold out. After that, it's on to Europe and Asia.

The only place where global tourism may not rise is the United States, because of Donald Trump. Foreigners don't want to spend money or time here. How embarrassing that the Vice-President got booed at the opening winter games ceremony in Milan. I wonder how many years it will take the U.S. to shake the tawdry image the world now holds of us thanks to Donald Trump.

I'll put up an open thread this afternoon.

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  • Display: Sort:
    I wish more American cans heard the booing (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 09:20:54 AM EST

    The world heard JD Vance being booed at the Olympics. Except for viewers in the US

    Even MSN edited it out

    NBC appears to cut crowd's booing of JD Vance from Winter Olympics broadcast
    Vice-president given hostile reception by some in Milan
    US broadcast cuts out crowd's show of dissent

    No booing allowed (none / 0) (#6)
    by jondee on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 12:39:49 PM EST
    Holy sh*t, seriously?

    Why not use AI to give him a golden halo, a flock of twittering blue birds, and a rainbow overhead?

    They might as well go all the way.

    Parent

    It's pretty shocking (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 01:58:23 PM EST
    but I wonder if the decision not to broadcast it had more to do with not showing the athletes being booed which also happened at about the same time.

    They started by booing the athletes and when the beard stood up it accelerated

    Parent

    I looked for a link (none / 0) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 02:01:53 PM EST
    But all US sources are saying the athletes got cheers and only Vance got booed.

    I read another account that did not agree.  But I can't find it,

    Parent

    AI (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 02:03:59 PM EST
    Vance Booing: When U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance were shown on the stadium's big screen, loud and sustained boos broke out.
    Athlete Reception: While there were some boos for the U.S. delegation, the team was also met with cheers from spectators.

    Parent
    Not (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 06:13:08 PM EST
    a good look

    This came from FBook

    Parent

    My sister, (none / 0) (#2)
    by Chuck0 on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 09:34:23 AM EST
    a US citizen living in Nanjing won't come here.

    U.S. military personnel (none / 0) (#3)
    by KeysDan on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 10:47:38 AM EST
    have complained of being pressured by commanding officers to see "Melania, the Movie". Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, reports that he is swamped with complaints from service members at eight facilities worldwide who felt forced to attend the film to avoid repercussions from unit commanders.

    A Department of Defense official stated there was no formal directive requiring service members to see the film, but added that the movie was "fantastic".

    Melania, the movie, does not seem like a manly choice of Hegseth for his male warriors what with its attention on her fashion and dress fittings. Perhaps, he is now woke.   In any event, this bomb can be added to the Pentagon's ordnance.  Wonder if Bad Bunny's half-time performance will be encouraged?  

    Funny (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 11:12:56 AM EST
    You can mass buy copies of crappy books but it turns out with movie tickets someone has to show up.

    Or people notice.

    Parent

    Fantastic.. (none / 0) (#5)
    by jondee on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 12:26:05 PM EST
    they should make a second documentary about searching the planet to find a single film scholar or critic anywhere who unironically thinks Melania is fantastic.

    The second shooter in the Grassy Knoll would be easier to locate.

    Parent

    Helpful guide (none / 0) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 02:22:10 PM EST

    It is almost certain the flag of Puerto Rico will appear in some form on the Super Bowl stage. But its colors are worth noting. If it is shown in red, white and blue, that is the current flag of Puerto Rico and has been since 1952. If there are flags that feature light blue, that is reflective of the Puerto Rican independence movement. A black and white version of the flag has become synonymous with Puerto Rican struggle and resiliency. And if there is a flag that more closely resembles the Dominican Republic's flag, that is the flag of the Puerto Rican mountain town Lares. It was used in the Grito de Lares, the first short revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico in the 19th century

    KOS

    He did not disappoint (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2026 at 08:24:41 PM EST
    the Grammy to the kid was perfect.  

    Trump said it was a slap in the face to America.

    I was thinking watching it it was more like a slap in the face to him.


    Parent