If the world were ending, Lady Gaga still would have wanted to celebrate the love and community Bad Bunny spotlighted during his history-making Super Bowl halftime performance. The musician made a special guest appearance during the set to perform a salsa version of the hit single “Die With a Smile.”
“It was my absolute honor to be a part of Benito’s halftime show,” Gaga wrote on Instagram. “Thank you Benito for inviting me and thank you to the entire cast for welcoming me onto your stage. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Bad Bunny’s performance was packed with people — some were dancers, others were disguised as trees, and two in particular were pronounced man and wife in a real wedding during the set. It was just after their vows were sealed that a choreographed shift revealed Gaga in her bright blue dress, singing, “Lost in the words that we scream/I don’t even wanna do this anymore/’Cause you already know what you mean to me/And our love’s the only war worth fighting for.”
Gaga and Bad Bunny have been vocal about their mutual respect and fandom towards each other over the past few years. At the Super Bowl in particular, they shared a brief dance together before the Puerto Rican star continued his unifying performance.
At the end of the set, Bad Bunny repeated the words he spoke during his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards the prior weekend: “The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.” The quote appeared on a massive screen as he led his party of performers off the field, as they waved flags representing dozens of countries. The sentiment is echoed in the lyrics that Gaga sang, too.
After the show, Bad Bunny posed backstage with Gaga and Ricky Martin, who made an appearance during the show to perform “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.” “They have to give me several hours to let me understand the tsunami of emotions I am feeling,” Martin wrote on Instagram.
Bad Bunny closed his performance — the first halftime show to be delivered almost entirely in Spanish —with “DtMF.” In the song, he mourns the missed opportunities to share more love, to take more photos, and to cherish people while he has them. On Sunday, he not only made history but also memories that will last a lifetime.
