Ricky Martin had just 30 seconds at this year’s Super Bowl performance to remind the world of his importance in the history of Latin pop music. In 90 minutes at Ravinia Thursday night, he further reclaimed his stake.
Nothing about his performance in Highland Park was as political as the surprise half-time show appearance in February — when Bad Bunny invited the Puerto Rican megastar to sing “Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii,” BB’s track decrying gentrification and overtourism of the island state. Still, Martin’s Ravinia debut was a kind of political act.
After the undue controversy stirred up by an American sporting event’s entertainment wholly in Spanish, Martin soldiered on with a similar commitment during his Ravinia set. Across 20 songs, most of them (including “María,” “Tu Recuerdo” and “Vente Pa’ Ca”) were in his native tongue, performed in an affluent town where 80% of the demographic is white.
And the beautiful thing is, Martin’s Spanish-soaked gesture was welcomed, celebrated and honored by Ravinia, too. The park did a fantastic job of transforming the space into its own kind of placita. While there weren’t detailed buildouts of a casita or a sugar cane field like at the Super Bowl, Ravinia did have salsa lessons and open dancing, led by West Loop’s Latin Rhythms.
“We’re going to teach you some moves so when Ricky comes out, we’re ready to go,” said the instructor.
There was an opening set of traditional music at the Carousel Stage from the Latin Music Project, organized by the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance. Casa Famosa had a tent selling its hard agua frescas. There was even a jumbotron set up on the north side of the lawn so patrons could see all of Martin’s incredible dance moves and follow along. And fans did so, waving Puerto Rican flags, proudly wearing blue-white-and-red paraphernalia and donning traditional pava straw hats.
If there was ever any doubt of the importance of the Latin music explosion that has reached a new fever pitch, one only needed to look around the park at Ravinia for verification. According to a Ravinia spokesperson, it was one of the venue’s biggest shows of the summer so far.
We have Ricky Martin to thank for much of the genre’s ascent.
More than 40 years ago, his appearance as a pre-teen in the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo set off a chain reaction that led to one of the most successful breakout careers for a solo pop artist on a global stage. Since hailed the “King of Latin Pop,” Martin is widely credited for the gate busting that helped usher in the Shakira, J Lo and Karol G kingdom. Bad Bunny paid back Martin with the Super Bowl cameo.
Thursday’s Ravinia set felt just as momentous. The lawn and the stage inside the Hunter Pavilion were busting at the seams with pop spectacle. “I just had a couple of days at home. I’m coming full of energy. I’m ready for a party tonight!” Martin declared — and he delivered.
The show was his first performance in the States, months after a run of appearances in Europe and Asia, and Martin pounced on the opportunity to show what he was still remarkably made of at 54.
But it wasn’t just his well-preserved dance moves and vocal tenor, or the never-ending parade of ab-bearing frocks and sweat towels he teased all night. It was also the excellent eight-piece band (with full horn section) and dozen-member dance squad that brought pure electricity to the night and demonstrated why Latin music is always so alive and communal.
The audience got to its feet when Martin launched into the tropicalia mix of “Pégate.” Even through the heartfelt ballads, such as his personal favorite Franco de Vita’s “Vuelve,” a dropped bomb couldn’t have turned eyes away from him. Of course, perennial hits “She Bangs,” “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “Nobody Wants to Be Lonely” (with a video from the song’s collaborator Christina Aguilera) ignited the mixed crowd.
The renewed reaction to his music over the past year seems to have only reignited Martin, too. Before the show was over — with a balloon-dropping finale of his World Cup anthem “The Cup of Life” — Martin teased a return “very soon” with new music and poked fun at his own longevity.
“I think I’m gonna be 85 years old and still be performing because I just love it,” he said, referencing the Rolling Stones. “As long as you allow me to, I’ll be here.”
Ravinia 2026 set list
Pégate
María
Adrenalina (Wisin song)
Love You For A Day
Bombón De Azúcar
Vuelve (Franco De Vita song)
Shake Your Bon-Bon
Que Rico
Lola, Lola
La Bomba
She Bangs
Private Emotion (The Hooters cover)
Nobody Wants To Be Lonely
Te Extrano
Tu Recuerdo
La Mordidita
Por Arriba, Por Abajo
Vente Pa’ Ca
Livin’ La Vida Loca
The Cup Of Life