On Sunday night, Will Smith made a surprise appearance on stage with J. Balvin, wearing a full-body “Men in Black” suit and sunglasses to perform the title song from the 1997 film. The appearance was short but memorable, capping off a UFO-themed set with Balvin's black-suited dancers as Smith pulled out the film's famous memory-erasing device, the Neuralizer. It ended with him being dragged away.
But Balvin returned with another song, energetically belting out a frenetic version of his hit “In Da Ghetto” with a group of dancers dressed in comically stereotypical alien costumes with green eyes and large black eyes. Ta.
Balvin's concerts were always very themed, with an interstellar theme present throughout. It begins with a mock 1950s newsreel (in English, with Spanish subtitles) about an alien invasion, and it is eventually revealed that the alien is… Balvin. Balvin then rose from below the stage onto a platform beneath a giant mock UFO that looked like this: It's a combination of the evil spaceship from the movie Nope, a Ouija board pointer, and a cushioned toilet seat. His troupe of ace dancers soon joined him on stage, appearing in a series of alien-like costumes, first in a space suit-like outfit, and later as Balvin in a full silver glitter suit. He made otherworldly moves (and he flashed a shiny grill), often starting with his 2018 global smash hit “Mi Gente,” and soaring with many other hits. . He primarily spoke to the audience in Spanish, but then often in English, and his songs included snippets of familiar hits such as Usher's “Yeah!” And Cardi B's “I Like It.”
The stages are huge but spacious, initially lit in white and gray, but gradually more colors and interstellar visuals are introduced, ending with glorious galaxies, stars, and wild lighting treatments. It was done.
Balvin is no stranger to Coachella. In fact, his show-stopping 2019 set included not only his global smash hit “Mi Gente,” but also guest appearances from Rosalía and Sean Paul, as well as tracks from NORE and Daddy Yankee's 2006 A tribute medley to reggaeton “OG'' was also performed, including covers of songs such as “Oye Mi Canto'' and Yankee's 2004 smash “Gasolina.'' Balvin also paid homage to Nicky Jam's “X” and Prince Royce's “Sensual Dad,” and covered Cardi B's “I Like It.” Cardi and fellow featured artist Bad Bunny didn't join her on stage, but Balvin was accompanied by something perhaps even more interesting. Dancers wear hilarious giant caricature heads of two people, Cardi's with her tongue extended. Balvin danced with her on some of her songs.
That year also featured performances by Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Chilean singer Mon Laferte, and Mexican local giants Tucanes de Tijuana. At the end of his set, Balvin said how proud he was to hear so much Spanish being spoken on stage at Coachella. It has become a familiar sound over the years since.
