Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 26/3/2018

Adelaide had eagerly awaited Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic arrival, having heard news that he had already wowed audiences with mega-superstar performances on his global tour. If you were a fortunate South Australian who held one of these hottest tickets in town and got to witness this musical genius, you would not have been disappointed.

It was less than a fortnight ago that Adelaide was swept up in Ed Sheeran fever, being serenaded by only Ed and his guitar. In comparison, the entertainment spectacular presented by Bruno Mars and his tribe of male dancers, musicians and singers took showmanship to the next level. The 11,000-strong crowd was immersed in a disco-esque setting, bathed in glittery lights, strobes effects and even frequent show-stopping pyrotechnic bursts of colour and flame from a vertically-moving stage.

Supported by pop’s new hottest icon, Dua Lipa as the opening act, Lipa was supported by a three-piece band on stage. The crowd favourite of Hotter than Hell was the opening song for the set accompanied by her lively dancing on stage to invigorate the crowd and prepare them for what was to come. Lipa performed a mix of her well-known dance tracks such as IDGAF and Scared To Be Lonely intermingled with some lesser known tracks like Garden that proved her vocal ability. Lipa closed with her latest hit sensation, New Rules with the crowd singing along with every word, pumped and ready for the main act to start.

Bruno Mars burst onto stage to an ecstatic audience, launching into his recent hit Finesse followed by 24K Magic. Mars had a bit of fun and showed his more humorous side, using a pretend gold phone to call his lady. His local reference to Hackham as a romantic getaway destination had the audience in fits of laughter. Instead of only performing his recent hits, Mars mixed up the set list with older hits such as Treasure from his Unorthodox Jukebox album to get the audience to sing along. Versace On The Floor was a highlight from his 24K album and when Bruno Mars sung it atop a splendid gold-adorned cube, the ballad had the crowd spontaneously waving their phone lights in the air.

The second half of the concert was a showcase of some of Mars’ greatest hits with the feel-good song Marry Me having all the romantics in the audience either reminiscing or planning weddings. The mood was brought down a tempo with the slower song of regret, When I was your Man, which Mars used to demonstrate his awe-inspiring vocal range and ability. Mars’ falsetto is pure, strong and with it, he will be remembered as one of the legendary icons of the 21st century.

Runaway Baby, Locked out of Heaven, which ended with gold confetti raining down on the general admission audience, were both sung with boundless energy and accompanied by slick choreography. Finishing the main set with his debut solo single from 2010, Just the Way you Are, was a seamless end to a refined, polished and flawless show. Audience goers could definitely tell that this performance had been honed and perfected on Mars’ 24K Magic global tour. Instead of being jaded after a year on the road, Mars and his band were fresh, upbeat, dynamic and appreciative of this Monday night Adelaide audience. Mars and his seven-piece on-stage ensemble, glided effortlessly around the stage in slick choreography, with boundless energy for the entire 90 minute set, getting his Adelaide fans up on their feet and dancing – a rare sight at Adelaide concerts.

Emerging from the fallen black curtains fully shrouding the stage to sing the encore, Uptown Funk Mars left the audience on a high, having been reminded that this eleven-time Grammy award winner is a musical force that we had the privilege to witness in all his glory in 2018.

Live Review by Ilona Schultz and Kim Burley

Set list
Finesse
24k Magic
Treasure
Perm
Calling all my Lovelies
Chunky
That’s What I Like
Versace on the Floor
Marry You
Runaway Baby
When I was Your Man
Locked out of Heaven
Just the Way you Are

Encore
Uptown Funk