It's all about the numbers. To date: 58 million singles,10 million albums, two MTV awards, one Grammy, and one Brit. Oh, and he's all of 27.
So when Peter Gene Hernandez brings his 88-date worldwide Moonshine Jungle Tour into Scotland, he does so with an indisputable reputation.
What counts, of course, is how he delivers on the night. And for that matter, how the new venue's acoustics handle his particular blend of soul, hip-hop, and R'n'B (last week's previous big names, Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac, had the crowds won over before they stepped on stage).
So did the man from Hawaii rock the Hydro? That takes us back to numbers. Because the one thing Bruno Mars can definitely do is write songs...for himself, and for others (like Cee Lo Green and Travie McCoy) to record.
All the best numbers are on show: great renditions of Billionaire, Marry you, Grenade and, of course, Just the way you are.
What Mars layers on top is a superb sense of theatre - dance, effects, and sheer sex appeal which plays well to the predominantly female audience.
But he's no simple smoochy crooner or rocker. Instead, think comparisons with Michael Jackson, fused with a touch of Springsteen's primal driving force.
In short, Bruno Mars is seriously good live. And they knew it all the way up to the back row of the Hydro
Hydro, Glasgow
You can practically tick off the retro soul and R&B references offered up by Mars and his virtuoso backing singers
In a few short years Bruno Mars has gone from songwriter/producer for the likes of B.o.B and Travie McCoy to halftime act for next year's Superbowl. He'll join Beyoncé, Madonna and Springsteen among the artists to have played the biggest gig on Earth, to a TV audience of more than 100 million.
The Hawaii-born cat in the white trilby hat undoubtedly has chutzpah, even if he and his songs are infrequently as entertaining as the lavish spectacle that unfolds around him tonight beneath a giant disco ball. Much of this show's immense watchability derives from Mars's eight virtuoso backing musicians, the Hooligans. During Treasure, they assemble for some James Brown and the Famous Flames-style formation dancing; come Runaway Baby, they wind and grind comedically as Mars declares: "We got you ladies." At one point in Marry You there are so many musicians hurtling around clutching horns and guitars, it's like a bomb alert at a big band rehearsal.
You can practically tick off the retro soul and R&B references as they pass – from the Soul Train-inspired stage set to a Michael Jackson homage of finger-clicking and crotchy dance moves by spotlight. It'd be churlish to suggest Mars doesn't make his own mark – Grenade and Just the Way You Are have sold something like 13 million copies combined – but they're the transition point from a show of rare energy and dynamism into a much more procedural arena-pop spectacle.
When Mars emerges for the encore on a hydraulic riser bashing out a slick solo on a gold drum kit, there's little denying he has 360-degree talent. But as pyrotechnics bang and flames shoot from the stage one last time following the Police-cribbing reggaefied new wave of Locked Out of Heaven and the grimly horny Gorilla, it's another visual feast that flatters the music at its core.
It doesn’t take much imagining – just wait until your backing band have dampened the volume to a suitable level that your half-whispered “damn” is the loudest thing the audience hears. It works audibly upon most of the women, although perhaps only for one man in the hall.
This tension between respectfully recreating the classic soul effect and playing to the necessities for a handsome male pop star launched amidst the X-Factor generation is key to Bruno Mars’ live set, and it was one played to creditably well-pitched effect. Most notably, he and his band seemed to be treading the line between old-fashioned soul revue, dressed uniformly as if they were 1970s street hustlers, and arena-filling boy band, dry-humping the stage through the overblown slow jam of Nothin’ On You.
The sextet, Mars included, showed off some impressive synchronised moves throughout, although it became hard to imagine exactly how one could play trumpet or guitar while busting such furious moves. Yet it was a show which accentuated well thought-out and often original fun over going through the motions, with the fedora-wearing Mars impersonating a light-footed Michael Jackson during the slow groove Our First Time, James Brown and the JBs during a fiery funk Runaway Baby and, yes, the least inspiring X-Factor balladeer on the try-hard Just the Way You Are. Proof that you can please most of the people most of the time, at least
Now I got a feeling Bruno just packed 2 pieces of each of his tour tourfit, 2 white shirts (1 short sleeves and 1 long sleeves), and 2 vests (black and red)
These are pics from London 1st show and he wore the same outfit again.
Three sold-out nights at the O2, two number one albums and a Grammy award: Bruno Mars is officially the biggest thing to come out of Hawaii since Barack Obama.
The birthday boy was in the mood to party last night. "Put your damn camera phones down and dance with us," demanded the former Peter Hernandez early on.
If Michael Jackson had The Jackson 5, Mars had The Mars 8 — an energetic backing band happy to share the considerable vocal and gyrating duties.
Dressed in a suede waistcoat, gold chain and white fedora, Mars was part-cowboy, part-rapper, part Man from Del Monte.
The music was similarly eclectic, ranging from the funk-soul of Treasure to the power-pop of Marry You.
At his naffest — touching himself up while covering R Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) — Mars made the O2 feel like a giant cruise ship.
But when he stuck to his own material, he was unstoppable. When I Was Your Man showcased his multi-octave vocal range, while Nothin' on You prompted a mass sing-along (even if its romantic sentiment was somewhat undermined by the spectacle of his backing band dry-humping the floor).
Some tweaking is required but Mars could soon rule planet pop.
so i'm semi stanning for Bruno since UJ ut I never came into this thread or any other Bruno related threads
good I started now
I just wish he could start changing he's outfits for the tour tbh
oh and my fave performance from the Moonshine Jungle tour is that AMAZING Gorilla performance