Rauw Alejandro brings Puerto Rico’s rich music legacy to Red Bull Chapters

Sold out. On Saturday, Sept. 5, 13,000 fans packed night one for the debut of Red Bull Chapters, an immersive, three-part theatrical experience celebrating Puerto Rican superstar Rauw Alejandro. The show traced his rise from early trap mixtape roots to his status as a Latin Grammy–winning force with six studio albums.

The historic night marked Red Bull Music’s first open-air concert of its kind and Alejandro’s debut performance in Queens, New York. The setting was deeply personal, located just a few miles away from the Brooklyn neighborhoods that shaped him during his time spent living with his paternal family growing up. It was there he absorbed Nuyorican culture, American R&B, and dancehall, the exact genres he fused alongside reggaeton, pop, rock urbano, trap, and electronic music across a two-night sold-out run.

The Labor Day weekend spectacle brought high-production energy: two stages, fireworks, a live band, and dancers powering a 1 hour and 48 minute set filled with 26 songs. Heavyweight cameos from reggaeton legend Chencho Corleone and producer Tainy brought the energy to another level, completing a career-defining setlist including hits from Afrodisíaco (2020) to Cosa Nuestra: Capítulo 0 (2025), complete with heavyweight cameos from Chencho Corleone and Tainy.

Rauw Alejandro performs at Red Bull Chapters at Forest Hills Stadium in NYC
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool

Entering the Building

As the sun set over Queens, fans walked onto the Forest Hills Stadium grounds; the energy was buzzing. As guests fueled up on smash burgers, empanadas, and cold Red Bull, many lined up for limited-edition soccer and baseball jerseys bearing the number 26 — marking the year Alejandro made history with Red Bull. Before even reaching their seats, attendees encountered Easter eggs teasing the retrospective journey ahead.

Display cases showcased iconic outfits from key eras of his career: the Pirates jersey from his 2020 "Perreo Pesau’" music video, his all-white outfit from his 2022 "Cúrame" music video during the Vice Versa era, a silver suit from the 2023 Saturno World Tour, and the red satin three-piece suit from the 2025 Cosa Nuestra World Tour. Each display portrayed key memories that were defining moments of his career, foreshadowing to fans that they would be going on a journey on the other side of the concrete tunnels.

Chapter One: Inspiration

At around 8 p.m., the crowd’s anticipation paid off as the giant LED screen above the main stage came alive. Animated visuals and voiceover narration set the tone, grounding us in Rauw’s Taíno, African, and Spanish roots while tracing his path from reggaeton to rock. "He realized he no longer had to sleep to dream, and that awakened a shooting star that was impossible to extinguish," the narrator declared to a packed stadium. Right after the narration wrapped, the screen revealed Chapter One: "Inspiration." His band and dancers stormed the stage next, firing up the crowd with a high-octane routine.

Minutes into the hour, Rauw made his grand entrance in a sparkling brown jacket, matching pants, and shirt to full-blown stadium chaos. He launched straight into his 2024 hit "Santa" a song he recorded with Jamaican producer Rvssian and Nigerian afro-pop singer Ayra Starr, then slid into "Déjame Entrar" off Cosa Nuestra, backed by flashing palm tree visuals that brought the tropical heat of Puerto Rico straight to Queens. Screaming "Nueva Yol!" to salute his second home, Rauw shifted the vibe into a passionate serenade. Bathed in deep red and purple lights, he wove through early hits "Toda" and "Dream Girl," along with "Khé?" — his Billboard Latin Airplay No. 1 collab, a legendary collaboration he made with bachata legend Romeo Santos.

Moving into "Committed" and "No Me Sueltes," the stage visuals locked into that distinct Caribbean barrio feel, playing into the around-the-way energy of the stomping grounds that raised him across Canóvanas and Carolina in Puerto Rico, and Miami, and Brooklyn. You could see couples dancing and fans screaming every word back to him. Around 8:36 p.m., two skateboarders rolled out onto a mini-ramp flanked by live horn players, turning up the crowd even further. Rauw brought Chapter One home with two massive tributes to Latin music history: "Tú Con Él" (his cover of the classic popularized by Uruguayan band Los Iracundos and Puerto Rican singer Frankie Ruiz) and the Bomba-infused "Carita Linda" — a rich, full-circle opening that proved Rauw honors and protects the sound that defines his home.

Chapter Two: Momentum

At 8:45 p.m., Chapter Two: "Momentum" hit with a total shift in energy. Rauw stepped back out in an all-black fit with iced-out jewels dripping off his collar and sleeveless top. The screen narration dialed up the tension, zeroing in on the pressure that comes with massive growth: "The courage it takes to leap into that void, without knowing if you’ll be able to fly, or if gravity will pull you down," the evening's narrator reflected before the headliner hit the stage again.

The romantic crooner was officially left behind for full-on rockstar Rauw. Backed by heavy live rock arrangements, he tore through a relentless, hit-heavy run: "Baby Hello," "Dime Quién????," "Todo De Ti," "Tiroteo (Remix)," "Desenfocao'," and "2:12 AM.” All songs that spanned different points in his career.

During "Déjau'," Rauw brought the show directly to the fans, hopping off stage to walk through the front pit with a Red Bull in hand. To close out the act, Red Bull freestyle motorcyclist Aaron Colton and a crew of motorcyclists stormed the stage, revving their bikes to unleash an intense, high-voltage finale that proved Rauw has no intention of letting off the gas.

Chapter Three: Legacy

The final stretch brought the stadium to a fever pitch with surprise cameos, a secondary stage activation embodying "Legacy." True to the event's cinematic format, the final chapter opened with a thoughtful voiceover setting the stage: "No one can quantify how long it will last, how big is the impact, or how much the artist has to risk..."

As the screen faded, fans in the back of Forest Hills Stadium got a surprise of their own. First, b-boys paying homage to the original Puerto Rican innovators of breakdancing appeared, then Tainy ran through an explosive set of reggaeton classics to keep the crowd hyped. Moments later, Rauw reappeared on the back stage in a sleek all-white outfit, giving the back rows an up-close, 360-degree view of the performance.

This final act was pure energy — a non-stop showcase of the biggest party anthems and milestones of his career. Rauw tore through a heavy-hitting setlist featuring "Party" (his hit collaboration with Bad Bunny), "Panties y Brasieres," "Diluvio," "Qué Pasaría," "Lokera," and "Punto 40," which is his modern remake of the underground reggaeton classic by Baby Rasta & Gringo. The venue erupted when reggaeton legend Chencho Corleone joined him on stage to perform their multi-platinum hits “El Efecto” and "Desesperados."

Fireworks lit up the Queens sky as Red Bull Chapters came to a close. From start to finish, the entire crowd stayed on their feet, singing and dancing along to every line. The inaugural production made one thing clear: Rauw’s story is rooted in perseverance, Puerto Rico's rich history, and a deep bond with his community, solidifying him as a young icon carrying those traditions forward and giving his fans another reason to be proud to wave the Caribbean island's flag.