Bad Bunny had the world in his hands during the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 8), complete with several surprise guests—including Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Los Pleneros de la Cresta—that helped ensure the moment went down as one of the most memorable and important in the history of the league.
Aside from guest performers, Benito also enlisted Cardi B and Pedro Pascal, among other familiar faces, for a casita set inside the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Along the way, he brought powerful (and decidedly timely) symbolism to the world’s biggest stage, further solidifying the production’s place in pop culture history.
Director Hamish Hamilton, in comments to Variety, said Bad Bunny’s performance marked “the biggest team effort of a show I have ever been involved in.” Hamilton’s previous credits include multiple past iterations of the halftime show, plus work with Eminem and Ariana Grande.
But as the sheer scale of Sunday’s production should make clear, it wasn’t just superstars who made it all possible.
Below, we take a look at some of the other performers who were lucky enough to bag a role in the larger Benito Bowl spectacle.
Chicago conductor leads orchestra for “Mónaco”
Giancarlo Guerrero led a string orchestra for “Mónaco” during Bad Bunny’s set. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Guerrero, who serves as artistic director principal conductor for the Grant Park Music Festival, the musician called the moment “one of the greatest joys in my life.”
José Eduardo Santana on cuatro
“In my strings are all the cuatro players who have sweated and fought for this day after day, those of us who are here now and those who will come after,” the accomplished musician wrote on Instagram when celebrating his part in the Benito Bowl. “This is for all of them and for every person who lives proudly and happily embracing our culture and our identity as Puerto Ricans.”
Villa’s Tacos featured on the field
“To my dear friend Benito, thank you for bringing me on the field with you [and] giving me the opportunity to represent my people at the highest level,” Villa’s Tacos owner Victor Vella said after taking the field with Bad Bunny and company. “Thank you. … This moment goes down in history [and is] something i will never forget. This one was for all the Mexicans. This one was for all the Latinos. This one was for all the immigrants. It’s crazy where a taco can take you.”
Alexis Vázquez as a backup dancer
Alexis Vázquez, whose work has previously brought him together with Teyana Taylor and other stars, told Out magazine that his journey to the Super Bowl began in December of last year. Though he wasn’t immediately made aware of what, exactly, the gig would entail, he came to the realization that he was vying for a Super Bowl spot as the auditions process continued.
“It was just a waiting game of desperation,” he told the publication, adding that he finally got confirmation of his selection in early January.
Yes, the bushes were people too
While presumed NDAs prevent anyone from letting the proverbial cat out of the bag ahead of time, numerous performers were quick to announce their participation in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance after Benito left the stage. Among them were people whose sole job was to play a bush—more specifically, the bushes inside Levi’s Stadium intended to symbolize Puerto Rican sugarcane fields.
There were plenty of other noteworthy participants too
Maria Antonia Cay, better known as Toñita, runs the Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn. Following her lyrical shoutout in Bad Bunny’s “NUEVAYoL,” she was spotted running a replica of the club on the Super Bowl field.
The inclusion of Raúl Zúñiga, an 88-year-old Costa Rican, also added to the infectious joy of Bad Bunny’s performance. Speaking with La Nación about securing the gig, he said it made him feel like “the happiest man in the world.”