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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

The cultural impact of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published February 11, 2026 at 4:58 PM EST
Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has long brown hair and is wearing glasses and a purple sweater with bright pink pants; a bald man front right has a dark goatee and is wearing a blue blazer, light blue button-down shirt, jeans and black shoes; a man back left has short dark hair and is wearing a dark blazer over a white button-down shirt; a woman back right has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a light grey blazer over a purple button-down shirt; a man at center has short dark hair and is wearing a plaid button-down shirt, jeans and sneakers.
George Yeadon
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WXXI News
(foreground) Anabelle Del Valle and Juan Nieves, (background) Julio Sáenz and Norma Holland with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, February 11, 2026
WXXI News

Puerto Ricans in Western New York took in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl set with a unique perspective.

They didn't just see elaborate set pieces; they saw sugar cane fields and an island's history. They saw utility poles and flickering lights, referencing Puerto Rico's notoriously shaky energy grid.

They heard the sounds of family and community and positivity and resilience.

Our guests discuss what it meant to them. We also talk about Bad Bunny's visit to Rochester years ago.

In studio:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams