This week, Bad Bunny is set to transform Puerto Rico’s typically quieter season with a 30-show residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (a.k.a. El Choli).

Choosing not to tour globally this summer, the Puerto Rican superstar will instead showcase his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, exclusively on his home turf from July 11 to Sept. 14 with the concert series No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí (I Don’t Want To Leave Here). The extraordinary demand for tickets — with 400,000 selling within four hours, half to international tourists — confirms the residency’s global appeal and its potential to substantially enhance the island’s local economy during its sweltering summer months.

This residency concept represents a first for Puerto Rico. Although the Coliseo has hosted multiple back-to-back shows in the past, with artists such as Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel performing on consecutive weekends, the scope and magnitude of Bunny’s residency has never been seen before. This series of 30 shows is unprecedented not only for the number of shows but also for the intensity of the preparation and the international anticipation it’s been generating.

The initial nine shows in the lineup are reserved exclusively for Puerto Rico residents, who had to provide proof of residency at one of nine designated locations to purchase tickets, resulting in 125,000 tickets sold. The other 21 shows will be available to anyone willing to travel to the Caribbean island.

On Jan. 5, Bunny released Debí Tirar, which reached No. 1 on multiple all-genre charts, including the Billboard 200 and Top Streaming Albums. Reflecting on this success, Benito told Billboard a few weeks after releasing the album, “Man, obviously I’m thankful with the way the world has embraced this album. The thing is, this project… it isn’t mine. It belongs to many people: everyone who worked with me, it belongs to Puerto Rico, my friends, my family. This project belongs to all of us who feel proud of being from Puerto Rico and being Latin.”

Alejandro Pabón, the Move Concerts promoter behind the residency, details the extensive preparations necessary to accommodate such an unprecedented influx of fans. “We’re expecting around 200,000 people from abroad visiting the island,” he says. “All the local businesses are going to be impacted. All the hotels are sold out. Today [Feb. 13], a local newspaper put out an article saying that for the residency dates, there’s a 70% surge on AirBnB.” While the volume of business will be overwhelming, Pabón mentions that the event’s organization relies on local labor, creating more job opportunities for Puerto Rican residents. “All the hotel staffing are going to have to level up because they’re expecting 100% capacity for those three months,” he says.

Preparing for the residency presents a complex challenge, introducing a level of scale and coordination previously unseen in Puerto Rico’s entertainment history. But it also promises to bring a raft of economic benefits to the island not typically seen during the summer season.

“Traditionally, July is the slowest month show-wise for the venue since forever. So we went and found the slowest period and booked it, which definitely is helping the economy,” says Pabón.

Travel and concierge expert Rob Dellibovi, who serves as founder/CEO of RDB Hospitality, elaborates on the strategic timing of the residency and its benefits to the local economy. “A time where it’s probably 30-40% occupancy, it’ll be like 90% because of all these shows,” he says. “The fact that they’re doing this in July and August is going to be a huge win for the island because nobody’s there at those times [due to the heat]. They’re not displacing any other kind of revenue; they’re just bringing people during the slow season to Puerto Rico.” 

Pabón notes that Puerto Rico is well-equipped for major events, boasting a “state-of-the-art arena,” abundant “natural resources, great restaurants, and a lot of hotels.” Unlike typical residencies in cities like Las Vegas that feature international artists, this local showcase will potentially alter perceptions of the island as a global tourist hotspot.

Building on this framework, Coliseo de Puerto Rico has established itself as a rite of passage to Latin pop superstars and beyond. Situated in the heart of San Juan’s Milla de Oro, the venue has held some of Latin music’s most important events of the 21st century. A sold-out Coliseo performance is an affirmation of star power.

El Coliseo is no stranger to record-breaking events. In 2021, Karol G made history by becoming the first international female artist to set the record for the fastest ticket sales at the venue with two sold-out dates. More than a decade earlier, on March 14, 2010, Metallica became the fastest-selling concert ever at the Coliseo, drawing a crowd of 17,286. However, Bad Bunny has already surpassed Metallica’s record twice: first in March 2019 and again in July 2022. In 2019, Daddy Yankee broke Wisin & Yandel’s record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at the venue with a total of 10 concerts as part of his Con Calma Pa’l Choli tour — a record Benito is now poised to break.

Jorge L. Pérez, the general manager of Coliseo de Puerto Rico, calls Bad Bunny’s upcoming residency a “historic event.” He tells Billboard that in August 2023, Pabón and Noah Assad, Bad Bunny’s manager, unveiled the concept of the residency to him. “I was blown away,” says Pérez, underscoring the complexity of keeping the plans under wraps. “When they started working the room blocks, I got calls from a lot of skeptical hoteliers. They were like, ‘Why are they asking for so many rooms?! What is happening?!’ I was like, ‘I can’t reveal that information, give them all the available inventory that you have. We have a signed contract at Coliseo. This is legit.’” 

With the months-long advance notice of 30 sold-out shows, Pérez says the planning becomes much more manageable. Helping matters, he says, is the fact that they are sourcing all concessions products locally, with the venue to feature a special menu highlighting local delicacies such as “alcapurrias and bacalaitos,” embracing Puerto Rican culinary traditions. 

“[This residency] will position Puerto Rico as a premier entertainment destination,” says Pérez. “It will open the eyes of visitors who have never come to Puerto Rico. It will create awareness of Puerto Rico as an entertainment and leisure destination.” 

Pérez says that growth has been evident in the post-COVID era, as the Coliseo has consistently ranked in the top 20 on Pollstar’s year-end list of highest ticket sales among arenas globally. On Billboard’s 2024 year-end list of Top Venues (15,001+ capacity), Coliseo de Puerto Rico was ranked No. 39, with a gross of $52.5 million and 750,000 tickets sold.

With the Bad Bunny residency and other scheduled events, Pérez says he expects to set a sales record at Coliseo, projecting total ticket sales between 1.3 and 1.4 million for the first time in a single year. He adds that the venue is on track to hold more than 100 events in a single year — another milestone. Because of Bunny’s residency, he says there’s potential for the Coliseo to place among the top five on Billboard’s year-end Top Venues chart. At a minimum, projections show 2025 sales increasing by 73% from last year.

While the venue has hosted residencies before, such as Daddy Yankee with 12 shows in 2019 and Wisin & Yandel with 14 in 2022, this is the first time the Coliseo has accommodated a residency of this magnitude, says Pérez. “The uniqueness about this is a call made by the artist, saying, ‘I released a new album that’s at the top of the charts globally, and I am not going on tour. If you want to see these concerts, you have to come to my island.’ I believe that this call is what makes this residency very special — and the impact it will have on the island’s economy,” he says.

“They’re digging into what the whole Vegas set up is,” says Dellibovi, describing the economic strategy behind such events. “The casinos know that if they have a huge act like Adele, Céline Dion or whoever is doing a residency…people are going to fly in for it — and the casino itself is going to make a ton of money.”

Of the potential ripple effects the Bunny residency might have on the global entertainment scene, Dellibovi hints that it could spawn a new potential trend. “Is Andrea Bocelli going to do an Italian residency? I have no idea,” he says. “I just think it’s super cool that this is going to spark a whole new residency game, in my opinion, where people are going to go to all these places to see the artist in their homeland. Every international artist from any country is going to be like, ‘Oh s—, I’m going to go back to wherever I’m from and have a month of shows and make a lot of money.’ Those cities are going to want it because there are slow seasons. They need it. Everyone’s going to want to support this.” 

Echoing this sentiment, Pabón emphasizes the significance of cultural representation and local benefit: “Who wouldn’t want to showcase their hometown or contribute to it in a positive way? It’s not just going to be the Sphere or the MGM [Grand in Las Vegas] doing residences.”

Traveling to Puerto Rico is particularly convenient for Americans, as only a driver’s license is required for entry. Given this ease of access, Puerto Rico is well-positioned to outpace other popular Caribbean destinations such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic in attracting American tourists, Dellibovi points out. 

“This is a big trip for people. That’s a party weekend,” he says. “Make sure you’re stocked and make sure your vibe is right. Make sure that you’re ready to deal with a crowd that’s there to have fun. This is not your typical beach crowd. This is going to be people who are in town to party.”

With more than 1.1 million Puerto Ricans residing in the New York metropolitan area, accounting for 6.7% of New York City’s population in 2020, according to the New York Academy of Sciences, the city not only serves as a significant cultural epicenter for the Puerto Rican diaspora but also stands as a primary source of attendees for major events in Puerto Rico. He expects that will be the case here as well.

“New York is the number one [demographic] of people that are going to come visit,” Pabón says. “I’m definitely expecting a lot of second and third-generation Puerto Ricans to come back home. I know that for a lot of them it is going to be the first time that they’ll come visit, because not all of them have had the chance to be here. I know it’s going to be a special [destination] that’s going to let them connect with their island. It was the artist’s idea to create this synergy between them and their island.”

According to the Puerto Rico Report, there are about 5.8 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States, compared with 3.2 million on the Island.

“This is like a pilgrimage, a Hajj for Puerto Ricans,” echoes Dellibovi. “If you’re Puerto Rican, and you love Bad Bunny, who’s not going to want to go to the homeland and see him? It’s the coolest experience ever for actual Puerto Ricans [living abroad].’ He continues, “Bad Bunny is the biggest Latin artist in the world. He is the only Latin artist who can sell out a stadium in any city in the world. He can go to Sweden, Tokyo, Sydney, anywhere. It’s very rare for a Latin artist to be able to do that.”

Pabón emphasizes the deeper motivation behind the residency, reflecting a sentiment shared by his team: “We’re doing this not just for business, that’s secondary. This is done for our country, for our identity, because we really love Puerto Rico. The artist really loves it. Noah really loves it, and all the team. It’s personal. We’re all really excited and happy about this.”

This article was originally published on March 7.

Skepta and Joyner Lucas have been going back and forth on social media after the U.K. rapper said that he wanted to “clash an American rapper” to “get this UK/US rap debate sorted” on X July 3.

Over the weekend, the U.K. legend had a message for Lucas that he posted on his Instagram Story as he was getting off a flight. “Hey Jonah, I wasn’t even gonna reply back but I’m a rapper’s rapper,” he said in response to Lucas saying this was the moment he’s been waiting for on his X account. “I’m gonna respect the fact that you stood up and said something. The first man, you get me? But this is just another example of the ignorance. Jonah, if you was from the UK, fam? Quiet, bro, understand?”

1st 👏🏿 you’re a brave man Jonah.
How long you been waiting for this moment though? https://t.co/6P6euSNtME

— Big Smoke – (@Skepta) July 6, 2025

However, while being slightly offended that he was the first American rapper to speak up, Skepta said that he may give him some acknowledgement in a diss track that he has planned for A$AP Rocky. “You may cut the numbers out there and I respect it,” he said of Lucas’ listenership. “So, when I make my diss track for Rocky, I’m gonna give you two bars and then make one of the young Gs just rub you out… I didn’t do the work that I did for Jonah Lucas just to be saying my name anyhow. I got diss track on YouTube with 30 million views, no ad-libs. It’s levels, bro.”

Joyner then replied on X with a clip of comedian Aries Spears making fun of British rappers to which Skepta responded by writing, “I was wondering who’s perspective you were gonna diss me from, never would have guessed Aaron Spears.”

In the midst of all this back and forth, fans were confused by the mention of a Rocky diss track, being that he and the Harlem rapper seemingly have a close relationship and frequently collaborate together. Skepta cleared things up, though, by posting that it’s all in fun.

“It’s not beef, Rocky is my family,” he said. “Rap is a sport, same way we have dissing matches on the block we can do it on record.” And when one fan on X said that he and Rocky basically already clashed on their single “Praise the Lord,” Big Smoke said that he thinks a clash with his friend would be great. “I think me vs Rocky would be a [fire] clash,” he wrote on X. “No violence, just bars, punchlines and counteractions.”

During his spree of messages on X last week, Skepta even started suggesting matchups of what a U.S. vs. U.K. rap battle would look like. He matched up Chip with Kendrick Lamar, Dave with Lil Wayne, Central Cee with Jack Harlow, Queenie with Megan Thee Stallion, his brother JME with Tyler, the Creator, Eminem with Ghetts, Lancey with Travis Scott, Youngs Teflon with Meek Mill, and Blade Brown with Pusha T.

Billie Eilish, Shakira and more stars are speaking out amid the deadly floods in Texas.

Starting on the Fourth of July, natural disaster swept through much of central Texas as torrential rains caused catastrophic damage across multiple counties. At press time, CNN reports that at least 89 people — including 27 young girls and counselors belonging to the Camp Mystic summer camp along the Guadalupe River — have died as a result, while others are missing.

In response, Eilish shared a video capturing some of the flood damage and wrote Sunday (July 6) on her Instagram Story, “this is so sad.”

“sending love to Texas,” she added, following it up with a reshared video of a meteorologist warning how budget cuts to the National Weather Service under Donald Trump’s administration would inhibit its ability to properly warn people of disastrous weather crises such as the floods.

Shakira encouraged fans to join her in donating to Texans in need, sharing a link to a local crisis response charity and revealing that a portion of the proceeds from her July 5 concert in San Antonio would go toward the cause. “Our hearts and prayers are with those affected by the flood in Central Texas,” she wrote on X. “Your help is important and appreciated.”

Miranda Lambert also sprung into action, sharing posts on Instagram about how her pet charity, Mutt Nation, would be assisting displaced animals in her home state. “I can’t even come up with the words for the loss everyone is suffering,” the country star says of the floods in a video posted on her Instagram, after which she shared resources about fostering pets, dropping off supplies and donating on her Story.

Other Texas natives who posted about the disaster were Maren Morris and Hilary Duff. Sharing old photos of herself performing in the Lone Star State, the former wrote on Instagram that she was “thinking of my home state right now.”

“the floods are devastating and people are still missing,” she added in her post. “there are several places to donate but i’ll be donating to an incredibly impactful fund called the Texas Hill Country Community Foundation.”

The Lizzy McGuire actress shared a statement decorated with bluebonnets — the state flower of Texas — on Instagram. “Heartbroken doesn’t begin to cover it,” she wrote. “Praying for even a shred of a miracle — to find a child alive in the wake of this boundless disaster … I’m just so deeply, absolutely sorry. Your loss is felt across the world.”

Lana Del Rey mourned the loss of lives in both the Texas floods and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, sharing in a statement on Instagram, “We’ve been thinking of you every day since the floods … May all the angels be with you as you search for even more lost loved ones.”

“And yes of course we pray for Palestine every day,” Del Rey added in a comment on the post. “There is never a good way of wording things that will make all people happy but that is my personal truth. Politically I do keep up and have been very much hoping for cease fire.”

The musicians’ posts come as responders are still searching for survivors on rescue missions across the impacted areas in Texas. Even days after the disaster began, active flood warnings are currently still in place across the state.

State representatives are also now grappling with how they could have better protected citizens amid the crisis. Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters Monday (July 7) that “if we could go back and do it again, we would evacuate,” while Mayor Joe Herring Jr. of the heavily affected Kerrville, Texas, revealed in an interview with CNN that he hadn’t even received an alert before the floods hit seemingly out of nowhere.

“It all happened upriver at the worst possible place,” he told the news network. “And I think everyone in Kerrville, everyone in Kerr County, wishes to God we had some way to warn them. To warn those people … Everyone here, if we could’ve warned them we would have done so. And we didn’t even have a warning. We did not know.”

When I was 10 years old, I stood up in front of the whole class and warbled my way through Oasis’ 1995 track “She’s Electric.” This was for the school’s talent competition, an opportunity for cocky children to show off their talents or, in my case, lack thereof. I did not progress to the next round.

Even then, I was drawn to Oasis, even though their mid-‘90s heyday was almost a decade in the past. (What’s The Story) Morning Glory was the CD that got the most air-time in my dad’s car, and he’d snappily alter the volume every time in “Hello” Liam sneered the line about “wiping the s–t from your shoe.” It was thrilling, emboldening stuff, and gave me (misplaced) confidence to stand there and sing one of its tracks for my peers. Can I be electric too, I wondered?

Everyone in Cardiff, Wales over the weekend (July 4, 5) no doubt had a similar story about their connection to Oasis, and can pinpoint the moment their world was altered by Liam and Noel Gallagher’s music, their attitude and outlook on life. The city’s 74,000-capacity Principality Stadium was chosen for the opening stand on the 41-show Live ‘25 tour, which hits North America, Asia and South America in the coming months. A mural of one of Liam’s tweets, painted onto the side of the city’s smaller Utilita Arena gave the answer of why Welsh capital was the perfect place to kick things off: “Because Cardiff is the b—-cks.”

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In recent years, Cardiff has been chosen by a host of artists to kick off the U.K. legs of massive tours. Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour in 2023 plumped for the same venue, and Lana Del Rey did the same a fortnight ago. Its location on the Bristol Channel makes it well-placed for tours shipping in big productions into the U.K..

Cardiff is a proud city, but not a massive one. Its population of 372,000 makes it just the 11th most-populous in the U.K., and is home to over a tenth of Wales’ entire population (3.1 million). It has ancient roots and has been inhabited since 6000 BC, thousands of years before Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids in Giza were raised. Now it is the beating heart of the Welsh economy and culture, its ideas travelling well beyond the country’s border. A statue of Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, architect of Britain’s National Health Service, stands proudly in the centre of town overlooking the castle.

Like most cities in the U.K., it is full of local character and quirks. A street dedicated to takeaway food (princely fish and chips) can generate fierce debate: most locals call it “Chippy Lane,” but some refer to it as “Chippy Alley.” Which moniker you choose says something about your outlook on life and politics, the locals say.

Perhaps, then, it feels obvious that a band like Oasis who generate such a passionate response would find a perfect home in the city. Fans queued for pictures outside of a mural made of Liam and Noel made of bucket hats, or for the mega pop-up shop inside the St. David’s shopping centre in the heart of the town. They came out clutching armfuls of vinyl and merchandise, with some made specially for the opening dates. 

Cardiff had the feel of a Super Bowl weekend, or a World Cup tournament rolling into town, where the entire city gets swept up in the moment and day. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour exerted similar dominance over happenings in each city she visited, sparking sidequests and local angles on a global phenomenon. There’s a fair chance Oasis will do something similar as they bring the rock’n’roll roadshow to the world.

In the vicinity close to the stadium, the atmosphere grew rowdier but good-natured. A marching band plodded down the high street performing a brassy version of “Roll With It,” and the BBC scuttled around the city for a livestream broadcast of festivities leading up to the commencement of the show. It later showed ticketless fans standing outside the stadium, listening to whatever sound leaks out.

Since Oasis emerged in 1994, fans have felt an ownership over their music and adopted their ethos. Songs like “Don’t Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall” and “Live Forever” have entered the fabric of U.K. society (particularly England) and are yet to budge. The first of those three, in particular, became a rallying cry to overcome adversity for their hometown following the horrific terrorist attack at Ariana Grande’s show at the Manchester Arena in 2017, which claimed the lives of 22 concert-goers. These songs now say little about its authors, but much about its listeners.

The streets were appropriately filled with DIY merchandise, with punters using the brothers’ iconography and claiming it for their own purpose. At a pre-party at beloved haunt Clwb Ifor Bach, a group of lads unfurl a personalized flag that features the band’s logo, their image, and the three shows they’ll be heading to on the Live ‘25 run: Cardiff, London, Dublin. A convenience store prints off a life-size cut-out of Liam, but they’ve plumped for a less-than iconic shot of the frontman. He looks like he’s putting his bins out for collection, rather than posing as the irresistibly cool ringleader of the world’s best band.

Inside the stadium a high percentage of attendees proudly wore their new merchandise. Whether it be homemade or the stylish new line with Adidas, which has created bespoke football shirts for the occasion — one of which comes in sky blue, a nod to their beloved Manchester City F.C.

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With the retractable roof closed, eyes around the darkened stadium were pointed towards the stage, which includes a ginormous screen for visuals and a classic Oasis logo atop. The crowd were slightly subdued for the Britpop band Cast who appeared, in truth, somewhat out of their depth in a venue of this size. The same cannot be said for Richard Ashcroft who raced through a number of Verve classics including “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Sonnet.” One fan close by sincerely screamed that Ashcroft “should be headlining” the whole event.

The crowd for Oasis is one of the loudest this writer has ever heard at a concert. Virtually every word in each song – even for 1994 B-Side “Fade Away” – earns a big singalong. For “Cigarettes & Alcohol” Liam asked the crowd to link arms, turn away from the stage and perform the “poznan,” a jumping celebration invented by fans of Polish club Lech Poznan and adopted by Manchester City. It made for a breathtaking and slightly bizarre sight as fans crane their neck to ensure they don’t miss a moment they’d paid a fortune for. Liam quipped at one point, “Was it worth the £40,000 you paid to get in?” The crowd roared back their approval. “Yeah, I thought so…”

Nostalgia has undoubtedly been a key factor in the fevered response, but the reunion has offered an opportunity for a new generation of fans to witness the band live for the first time in their lives. Teenagers and 20-somethings made up a healthy proportion of the crowd and brought the same style, attitude and energy that attracted their parents’ generation in the first place. Some come together for this special moment; others held their head in their hands, still in disbelief in what they’ve witnessed. When Noel introduced the “The Masterplan” towards the show’s close, he dedicated it to the youngsters seeing the band live for the first time, setting the tone for a tour that has no time for gate-keepers.

As the show ends, the pair share a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it embrace. Liam zooms off in a black 4×4 parked up on the pitch, while Noel and the rest of the band soaked up the atmosphere. Fans spilled onto the street into pubs and wobble down to Chippy Lane for some grub. One group of lads took turns trying to launch their Oasis’ branded bucket hats onto the top of Nye Bevin’s statue. Cardiff has set the bar for what is set to be the summer’s biggest party all across the globe. Is your city going to be as mad fer it?