The legendary, Grammy-Award-winning artist Bruno Mars is a generational talent. From his early hits, to his most recent collabs with other artists, Bruno Mars has never produced a non-hit song. His music has shaped the lives of many Gen Z and Millennials as they grew up, and I know it did for me, too.
Most of you have heard one or more of his songs, as he was the “It” factor in the early 2000s. Even today, we still use his songs as a way to feel nostalgic and reminisce about our early childhood days. Some of his greatest hits include “Just the Way You Are”, “Locked Out of Heaven”, “When I Was Your Man” and “That’s What I Like”. Not only does Mars have millions of listeners daily, but on the Spotify charts, he is first in the world and has held this position for MANY months.
Bruno Mars is one of those artists who is rare and has pure talent. No shade or disrespect to other artists, but this man has made some of the most iconic pieces of music in the world. Maybe I’m speaking from a bias, but his concert was worth the four hundred dollars I spent to attend.
You might be asking, “$400?!?!?” (But, of course, there are other artists whose tickets cost WAY more.) At first, I was hesitant about purchasing my tickets, because $400 is not a small amount, but after the concert was over, I’d buy those tickets again in a heartbeat.
Bruno Mars doesn’t just put on a concert–he creates a full-blown experience. There are no backing tracks, no pre-recorded vocals. It’s just him, his band, his voice, his dancing and a theater full of people singing their lungs out to his music.
This was one of my very first concerts in a while, and I don’t think I would compare any others I’ve attended to his. A part of me thinks that the only reason the concert was so enjoyable was because of the setting. I decided to attend his concert in Las Vegas, not Los Angeles.
During this time, Mars was going on tour around the world, and his concert in Los Angeles didn’t call out to me as much as one in Vegas did. The venue was quite small, but it still fit a good number of people, and since we were all so close together, I could hear every word being said from each person.
His performance was just non-stop. He danced and sang during every moment of those two and a half hours. (The concert was supposed to be only two hours, but he gave us another thirty minutes.) Mars was very interactive with his audience and always kept it 100% with us. Something about his live band being there, and filling up the atmosphere, just brought more joy and life to all of us. It made us feel like we were partying at Coachella or something.
I tend to avoid concerts because of the post-concert depression and just the overall pain of fighting for parking, having enough time to find your seat and dealing with traffic afterwards. But I’ll make an exception for Mars, but ONLY if it’s in Vegas. My hotel was walking-distance from the venue, and in Vegas, casinos tend to cross paths.
I won’t lie and say my experience was PERFECT. Like every concert, it had its issues. My least favorite part of the event was the no-phone policy, SPECIFICALLY in Las Vegas.
Why was this necessary? According to Mars, he wanted us to take in the moment and not have it on our phones, but he hoped we would keep what we experienced in our memories. While I do believe he’s right, how am I supposed to prove I attended his show? And I don’t have a video of myself singing my heart and soul out to some of my favorite songs 🙁
You might still be stuck on the fact that I paid four hundred dollars to see Bruno Mars, and I get that. It’s not a cheap concert, and I understand that most people would rather spend it on something else. But I guarantee that there will not be another artist who will make you feel like you’re partying at Coachella (without having to drive to Coachella). Mars is truly worth every penny, and you’ve got to give him a chance if you have the opportunity to see him live.
