If anyone can come remotely close to being as entertaining on stage as the great MJ, I’d point straight to Bruno Mars. Everything I’ve seen him do live through my various screens, has left me in absolute awe. His in-sync moves, his vocal range, his charisma, they are all now signature to him, so that way, he is able to put on a show that sets him apart from the rest. Even the king of pop himself.

Finesse has been on repeat from the moment I heard the 90’s hip-hop inspired track on the 24k Magic album, on its day of release. So, when the colourful stage opened up and Finesse was the opening track, I shot out of my seat and so did everyone else. This has got to be a first, where everyone got out of their chairs, and stayed out of them. Finesse turned into 24k Magic and I was surprised that he’d perform the two big hits so early on in the show. It doesn’t matter though, because the hits kept coming and there was nothing stopping the crowd from screaming, dancing and singing along to every single tune.
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt so much happiness during a live show. Bruno was able to keep entertaining non-stop, with no dull bits. Even during the slow jams like Calling All My Lovelies, Bruno was able to provide some solid laughs, bringing out a vintage mobile phone, pretending to be on a call and joking about how his next new hit will be called Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi, all while still being in character, but obviously going off script.

It was during Marry You that he gave us some guitar skills of his own. He’d then sneak a little bit of the riff from Purple Rain as an homage to the late, great, Prince. It was a precious moment for me, as I am a huge fan of the great man who passed away in 2016.

Watching Bruno on stage, it’s so hard not to compare him to some legends which he has an uncanny resemblance to. Yes, he stands on his own as an incredible talent, but what we saw on stage was also fragments of Michael Jackson, Elvis and James Brown. It’s so easy to see that these men were an enormous inspiration to the Hawaiian-born performer.

The Hooligans deserve a mention, also. Their ability to keep up with Bruno and be in complete sync with him is an honour to watch. All the men on this stage are some talented dudes.
I also wanted to praise Dua Lipa who has seen some huge success with hits like IDGAF and New Rules. The support act absolutely killed it during her time, and was able to convince the lady sitting next to me to buy her album.

Bruno Mars is one to tick off the bucket list. As long as he keeps up this energy, this charisma and this momentum, he’d be an unstoppable force. I am such a fan, and was so happy a friend asked me to take her spare ticket after missing out on getting one of my own when they went on sale.