Bruno Mars: 24K Magic World Tour, Camila Cabello as the Opening Act
Date Seen: July 30, 2017
Cost of Ticket: $195
Rating: 88%
Kicking off the show
There are so many great things to say about tonight's Bruno Mars concert that it's hard to find a place to begin. So let's make a list so we get to them all:
1) The voice. Bruno sounds better live than on his record. He has an impressive vocal range that allows him to master ballads like "When I Was Your Man" and "Versace on the Floor." However, he also has a quick tongue that allows him to keep to the beat of faster tracks like "24K" and "Perm." There are moments when he channels legendary Michael Jackson with his voice and moves.
Finesse
2) The moves. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, his feet didn't stay still. The man has an excess of swagger and moves. It is rare to find a performer who can move and sing so well together. His signature moves are perfect for his funky R&B disco vibe. By the second song, Bruno was dripping with perspiration as he jammed out to his songs. But that certainly didn't stop him from grinding and grooving for the rest of the night.
24K
Bruno & The Hooligans
3) The staging and lighting were innovative. I've never seen so much pyrotechnics used in one concert before. There was no shortage of fire and fireworks throughout the show. To the point where I could feel the heat 24 rows back. The stage had moving platforms to add extra levels. The stage was completed with a back row of lights as well as mobile floating banks of lights. These lights took on so many different formations that they were interesting to watch. On top of that, lazers were just the icing on the cake. Finally, there was a stage wide video screen to project video feed of the concert alongside two other big screens.
Lazers!
Incredible lighting
4) The setlist. With the exception of "Billionaire," (which was part of copyright lawsuit), Bruno performed all of his hits while also including a good sampling of his new album. He put a fresh spin on older hits like "Grenade" and made us fall in love with some of his newer songs like "Perm" and "Finesse." My only criticism is that Bruno uses "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Uptown Funk" as his 'encore.' These are must haves in the setlist and so really they are just the finale.
Runaway Baby
Grenade
5) The band. Ooo...the band was good. After watching Ed Sheeran perform last week for 2 hours with just his guitar, I REALLY appreciated the awesome sound of The Hooligans. Special shout out to the 3 piece brass section that added that unique sound that differentiates Bruno from other artists in the pop genre. John Fossit on keyboards also had a solo that was showstopping.
Chunky
Now there are a few things that could have made the show a 10/10. Bruno was on stage for 90 minutes which just isn't enough. 90 minutes is the Las Vegas standard but not for a touring show. I think anything less than 2 hours is cheating. The opening act, Camila Cabello, was utterly forgettable. She started the show off at 8:15pm and wrapped her set after 30 minutes. Bruno came on stage at approximately 9:30pm and I was outside of Rogers Place by 11pm.
Lastly, while I will praise the staging, I didn't love the stage. When you tour a show in arenas, the show would have benefitted from a catwalk or a secondary stage.
Versace on the Floor
Overall a great night of non-stop energy and music. If you don't have your tickets, get them quick. You will not be disappointed. The remaining tour dates are listed below.
July 31, 2017 Edmonton Rogers Place
August 2, 2017 Winnipeg Bell MTS Place
August 4, 2017 Fargo United States Fargodome
August 5, 2017 Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center
August 7, 2017 Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena
August 9, 2017 Kansas City Sprint Center
August 12, 2017 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
August 13, 2017 Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse
August 15, 2017 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena
August 16, 2017 Chicago United Center
August 18, 2017 Chicago United Center
August 19, 2017 Chicago United Center
August 22, 2017 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena
August 24, 2017 Quebec City Canada Videotron Centre
August 26, 2017 Toronto Air Canada Centre
August 27, 2017 Toronto Air Canada Centre
August 29, 2017 Montreal Bell Centre
August 30, 2017 Montreal Bell Centre
September 2, 2017 Las Vegas The Park Theater
September 3, 2017 Las Vegas The Park Theater
September 14, 2017 Charlotte Spectrum Center
September 16, 2017 Atlanta Piedmont Park
September 17, 2017 Memphis FedExForum
September 19, 2017 Louisville KFC Yum! Center
September 20, 2017 Columbus Schottenstein Center
September 22, 2017 New York City Madison Square Garden
September 23, 2017 New York City Madison Square Garden
September 26, 2017 Newark Prudential Center
September 27, 2017 Buffalo KeyBank Center
September 29, 2017 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
September 30, 2017 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
October 4, 2017 Brooklyn Barclays Center
October 5, 2017 Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
October 7, 2017 Boston TD Garden
October 8, 2017 Boston TD Garden
October 10, 2017 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
October 12, 2017 Raleigh PNC Arena
October 14, 2017 Orlando Amway Center
October 15, 2017 Sunrise BB&T Center
October 18, 2017 Miami American Airlines Arena
October 19, 2017 Tampa Amalie Arena
October 21, 2017 New Orleans Smoothie King Center
October 22, 2017 North Little Rock Verizon Arena
October 24, 2017 Houston Toyota Center
October 25, 2017 San Antonio AT&T Center
October 27, 2017 Dallas American Airlines Center
October 30, 2017 Denver Pepsi Center
November 2, 2017 Fresno Save Mart Center
November 3, 2017 Oakland Oracle Arena
November 5, 2017 Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Arena
November 7, 2017 Inglewood The Forum
November 8, 2017 Inglewood The Forum
November 10, 2017 Inglewood The Forum
November 11, 2017 Inglewood The Forum
Latin America
November 18, 2017 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Praça da Apoteose
November 19, 2017 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Praça da Apoteose
November 22, 2017 São Paulo Estádio do Morumbi
November 23, 2017 São Paulo Estádio do Morumbi
November 25, 2017 La Plata Argentina Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
November 28, 2017 Santiago Chile Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
November 30, 2017 Lima Peru Estadio Nacional de Lima
December 2, 2017 Quito Ecuador Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
February 2, 2018 Mexico City Mexico Foro Sol
February 3, 2018 Mexico City Mexico Foro Sol
February 5, 2018 Guadalajara Estadio Chivas
Oceania
February 27, 2018 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena
February 28, 2018 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena
March 2, 2018 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena
March 3, 2018 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena
March 7, 2018 Melbourne Australia Rod Laver Arena
March 8, 2018 Melbourne Australia Rod Laver Arena
March 10, 2018 Melbourne Australia Rod Laver Arena
March 11, 2018 Melbourne Australia Rod Laver Arena
March 14, 2018 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
March 15, 2018 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
March 17, 2018 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
March 18, 2018 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
March 20, 2018 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
March 23, 2018 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
March 24, 2018 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
March 26, 2018 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre
March 28, 2018 Perth Perth Arena
March 29, 2018 Perth Perth Arena
Asia
April 12, 2018 Saitama Japan Saitama Super Arena
April 14, 2018 Saitama Japan Saitama Super Arena
May 3, 2018 Manila Philippines Mall of Asia Arena
May 9, 2018 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Axiata Arena
North America
June 8, 2018 Monterrey Mexico Estadio Universitario