In town for a slew of arena dates for his The Romantic tour, the Hawaii-hailing global superstar showed all 90,000 Wembley Stadium attendees why the microphone will always be his best friend.
Entirely my fault for not reading the bag restrictions prior, but my long-awaited Bruno Mars concert was off to a pretty bad start. Pretty poor form from me considering he’s been a mainstay in my musical rotation since his soulful debut project Doo-Wops & Hooligans and shedding one too many tears to his many sad songs.
Foolishly bringing my work laptop to the concert led me to be diverted to the bag drop area, a 14-minute round-trip walk away. After successfully getting back to the security area, I was quickly ushered to the ticket reception to get my pass reactivated, having already scanned it. I (im)patiently waited in line with many others who had made the same mistake, frowning as I listened to a muffled version of one of my favourite songs, “Treasure”, on the outskirts of Wembley Stadium.
My foul mood quickly vanished as I walked into the start of “God Was Showing Off”, his utterly smooth vocals serenading any ill feelings I had towards the stewards that sent me on a 5,000-step detour. I’ll be the first to reluctantly admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Romantic, but hearing it live with the close proximity of his raw emotions and god-given voice led me to bopping my head to the looped album on the (agonisingly long) tube ride home to South East London. This section of his performance was also peppered with some older flavours, including certified classics like “24K Magic”, “Perm” and “That’s What I Like” that turned out to be the perfect complement to the groovy new album’s sound.
After a funky synth interlude that concluded the first part of the show, we were sharply introduced to the Silk Sonic era. Anderson .Paak, the other half of the Grammy-winning soulful duet, made his big entrance to the Casino-infused “777”. Their chemistry was electric, bobbing and weaving simultaneously on stage as they wholeheartedly performed the other big-hitters from the album like “Fly As Me”, “Smokin Out The Window” and “Leave The Door Open”. They closed out the segment with a back-to-back vocal masterclass, locking in to a tonal tapestry; “Come on over, my baby” they soothe to each other.
And now we arrive at the final portion of the night. A climax filled with his discography’s greatest bangers. Songs so widely known, you’re almost required to know all the lyrics. He begins with “Marry You”, and the crowd’s instantly on its feet, jumping in glee as they all proclaim their love to the stadium – and some probably to Mars himself. The mood shifts as he moves onto his Grammy-winning song “Die With A Smile” before he doubles down on the yearning mood when he perches himself on the piano for a medley of “It Will Rain”, “Talking To The Moon”, “Grenade” and “When I Was Your Man”. Every couple in the venue seemed to be embracing each other, a particular pair of sons with their respective mothers in front having quite the heartwarming moment that really heightened the already overflowing emotions I was feeling on the night as I watched on solo.
He ended the show with a trifecta of undeniable crowd pleasers which started with “Locked Out Of Heaven” which quickly evaporated any leftover tears from the previous tear-jerking ballad. Confetti flying as wildly as the crowd’s hands as the final hook exploded all the energy in the vast stadium, with “Just The Way You Are” and “Uptown Funk” keeping the party going for just a little longer.
A true showman, Mars gave every ounce of himself to each note that came his way, holding the mic as dearly as you would a loved one. Knockout after knockout, he promised an unforgettable night and signed, sealed and delivered it.
Photography – Daniel Ramos
Words – Jotaro Joden
