Bad Bunny. Photo by Eric Rojas.
Back in January, Bad Bunny announced a 30-date residency at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico in support of his recent album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Not long after, he shared a slate of world tour dates with precisely zero shows in the United States. He called performing in the United States “unnecessary” in a Variety cover story published in June, citing his extensive prior history of performing in the country. But in a new I-D profile, Bad Bunny speaks a bit more candidly, saying he chose to avoid the States this time partially over ICE’s draconian immigration enforcement and how it could affect his fans.
When asked if his lack of concerts in the USA was due to “concern about [the mass deportations of] Latinos in the United States,” Bad Bunny responds, “Man, honestly, yes.” He explains that he had “many reasons” for not performing in the country. “I’ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US.”
He adds that anyone from the United States was welcome to travel to Puerto Rico to watch the residency. “There was the issue of—like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.” Bad Bunny has previously criticized ICE’s presence in Puerto Rico, sharing footage of a raid in Pontezula lambasting the officers as “sons of bitches.”
Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency, titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui” (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”) will conclude on September 14. His Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour begins in December, and will cover Latin America, South America, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Europe, Australia, and England.
