| BRUNO MARS - live in Auckland, April 18th, 2011. |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Tuesday, 19 April 2011 17:30 |
 If twenty-five-year-old BRUNO MARS was a contestant on 'America’s Got Talent' there is no doubt that he would get a resounding ‘yes’ from the judges. With a strong voice, a cheeky smile, and the ability to play a variety of instruments (and play them well) matched with a strong history of writing killer pop songs, it really isn’t surprising that in his relatively short career in the spotlight he’s won a Grammy, had multiple Number One hits, and has toured the world. Hitting Vector Arena for his first ever New Zealand show, from the moment the lights dimmed and his ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans’ neon backdrop lit up, Bruno Mars and his band had the audience of mainly teens (and their parents) in the palm of his hands. Proving his multitude of talents right from the get-go, Bruno jumped straight on the drums for a set-opening solo, only to then grab his guitar and launch into ‘The Other Side'.  Urging the crowd to put down their cameras and dance to "the first song [he] ever wrote" - ‘Top Of The World’ - the feel-good upbeat anthem elevated the audience's participation from screams of joy to even louder screams of joy, synchronized hand-clapping and dancing. Everyone seemed to be lapping up every second of the show... that is, except for me. Don’t get me wrong, the strength of Mars’ voice impressed me immensely, however there’s something about slow-motion pelvic thrusts, songs about going slow on your first time (‘Our First Time’) and singing about touching and kissing someone all over to a crowd of mainly under-age kids and their parents, that left me feeling slightly uneasy. There are a few other things I didn’t particularly like about the show - the hype-man/rapper/back-up vocalist seemed to detract from Mars’ voice and at times seemed unnecessary. His mash-up of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (Nirvana), 'Billie Jean' (Michael Jackson) and 'Seven Nation Army' (The White Stripes) didn’t come off as entirely authentic, and the synchronised dancing and ‘spontaneous’ stops and starts from the band felt too rehearsed and contrived.  However, Bruno Mars is a pop artist after all, and it was in the quieter moments of his set such as ‘Count On Me’ and ‘Liquor Store Blues’ where it felt like the audience got to see a little flash of his raw personality rather than a perfectly polished stage-show. The crowd went crazy for ‘Marry You’ (thanks, 'Glee') and when Bruno singled out a girl named Brianna in the front row to sing part of ‘Nothin’ On You’ to, hearts were melting left, right and centre. If hearts made a noise while they were swooning, I’m sure it would have been heard all across New Zealand as Bruno ended the main portion of his set with his two hit singles ‘Grenade’ and ‘Just The Way You Are’. The floor was lit up with cameras capturing the moment and the sing-a-long's were loud. As Bruno introduced us to "the best band in show business" I couldn’t help but feel like the concert was a perfect example of just that - show business.  Returning on-stage for an encore of ‘Runaway Baby’, Bruno showcased his dancing (something he claims to not do on-stage often...) and was running between each side of the stage to ensure every part of the arena was included in and exposed to the Bruno Mars experience. Promising to return "very, very shortly", it seems like New Zealand fans won’t have to wait too long before their next Bruno hit, and judging by the shrieks of excitement and sighs of adoration from the audience as they left the arena, for many that hit can’t come soon enough. Click HERE for more live Bruno Mars photos.  |
