Bad Bunny kicks off Most Wanted tour in Utah with a horse, floating stages and yeehaw fashion

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah − If there's one thing Bad Bunny is going to do, it's drive his fans insane.

Before the first concert in his Most Wanted tour began, you could hear fans asking "Where is this dude?" Everyone's necks jerked left, right, up just to get a glimpse of him. Sardined between two crescent-shaped stages, fans scurried from one end of the GA floor to the other trying to guess which stage Bad Bunny would hit first. ("No, he's going to come out from that side, but people think it's the other way around.")

The Puerto Rican superstar's performance in Salt Lake City on Thursday could only be described as an unpredictable marathon. Over the course of the two-hour set, Bad Bunny revisited every chapter of his career.

From 2016's Soundcloud hit "Diles," to treating fans to an acoustic snippet of "un x100to," his joint effort with Mexican music group Grupo Frontera, and ending the night with a few perreo anthems to throw it back − in more ways than one − Bad Bunny proved to fans that as elusive as he may be, Benito isn't going anywhere.

Bad Bunny setlist:Here are all the songs at his Most Wanted Tour

Bad Bunny outdoes himself with Most Wanted Tour staging. There's even a horse.

Conversation and beer flowed, selfies were taken, a group of young women were seemingly escorted out of the venue before he performed, and to kill the two-hour wait time after doors opened at 7 p.m., fans speculated about the setlist and stage setup.

Pointing to a 20-meter runway stage above our heads on the GA floor, one fan said: "Look, that's going to be another stage he walks through between the other two." Eager to start dancing and singing along, another fan asked: "Do you think he's going to play old stuff?"

As we neared the second hour since doors opened, the floor kept growing tighter and empty arena seats were far and few in between. Once 9 p.m. hit, an orchestra on one stage began playing and fans went feral.

Still no Bad Bunny in sight.

Finally, he appeared on the opposite stage, singing "NADIE SABE," wearing a black Prada suit and a headscarf nearly covering his face. Upon removing it, Bad Bunny was yet again rocking a curly-haired wig attached to a hat; a hair look he tricked fans with during the album rollout.

In many ways, Thursday night felt like an ode to the different eras of his career, from swaggering rapper to devil-may-care reggaetonero. "For those that don't know me, my name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, in some parts of the world they know me as Bad Bunny," he said addressing fans at the show.

Or if you've been here since Day 1, you might also know him as El Conejo Malo. So it's no coincidence he split up the show's production into three different stages − or three acts.

Performing all but three tracks off of "Nadie Sabe," he started at the present; his demeanor cagey and calculated, possibly a reflection of the at-times frustrating relationship between him and his fanbase. After an interlude and an outfit change into a CNTRA-designed navy suede suit, he rode out from backstage on a horse before taking it back to the beginning, performing a string of back-to-back trap songs. 

He also treated fans to "Un Verano Sin Ti" and "YHLQMDLG" throwbacks, and performed acoustic versions of "GRACIAS POR NADA" and "un x100to" accompanied by a pianist. While it felt like a missed opportunity to perform "Amorfoda," which begins with piano notes, perhaps Bad Bunny will rotate those songs with each tour date.

Fans go from World's Hottest Tour beach fashions to Most Wanted Tour yeehaw fits

For this rodeo, Bad Bunny fans traded in their bikini tops and platform heels for western wear and cowboy hats.

In 2022, his World's Hottest World Tour inspired concertgoers to channel the carefree, tropical beach vibes of his fifth album, "Un Verano Sin Ti." The tour, which kicked off late summer of that year, saw fans rocking neon hues, micro mini skirts, crochet tops, bucket hats, baggy cargo bottoms and an overall brighter, edgier fashion sensibility.

When Bad Bunny released "WHERE SHE GOES" in May last year, fans immediately knew the vibe had shifted and began planning their outfits accordingly. Bad Bunny, too, began to step out at events and awards shows rocking a more Western flare: bolo ties, denim on denim, cowboy hats and snakeskin boots. (And lest we forget, he started riding horses with a certain someone.)

Naturally, fans at the Utah stop showed out in their yeehaw best. A sea of cowboy hats roamed outside the venue, cowboy boots danced the night away, and the denim and leather jackets − fringe included − kept fans warm throughout the 39-degree night.

Overheard: Bad Bunny fan pays $800 for floor ticket

Who, among the 15,500 people expected to attend Bad Bunny's show, dished the most money to be there? One fan told their friends they paid $800 for a single floor ticket.

Another fan, Giselle Galiana, told USA TODAY she paid a little over $1,000, for floor tickets for her and three of her friends. "It took us two hours to book the tickets," she added. Her friend chimed in excitedly: "She's the reason we're here."

Other fans like Camila Baltazar traveled from Idaho and attended the show with her cousins hoping for special guest appearances. Miguel Ortiz, a fellow Puerto Rican, was excited to see Bad Bunny for the first time in concert. "In Puerto Rico, the tickets sell out way too fast," he said, waiting in line for merch before heading inside.

Hours before doors opened, a massive merch truck parked outside in front of the venue (with prices ranging from $35 "Men Are Trash" hats, $50 shirts and $135 hoodies), and dozens of fans dished even more cash all in the name of their favorite artist.

But being the first group of fans to witness Bad Bunny's Most Wanted Tour? Priceless, sort of.

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