One of the first concerts my mom and I saw together, just the two of us, was Earth, Wind & Fire. Our second was Bruno Mars. It was nice growing up to share a bond over music that was more from her “generation.” At 12 years old, I was unapologetically listening to Mars’ “Count on Me” and “The Lazy Song,” so finding out my mom was also a fan of Bruno Mars, probably much more than I was, was exciting because we also were able to form a connection over “my” generation of music.
We saw Mars in concert just this October. My mom was the first one to clue me in that he was coming to our home city of Los Angeles, which was, of course, many months in advance. At this point, I felt I had reached a lull in the universe of Bruno Mars: the early 2010s of Doo-Wops & Hooligans was settling squarely into the back of my mind, I’d heard “24k Magic” blasting through the radio on the way to high school more times than I could remember, and I’d outplayed his and Anderson .Paak’s groovy nod to the 70s with Silk Sonic in college, and wasn’t really thinking about him much anymore, to be honest. So, when The Romantic released this February, I gave it a listen—and surely enough, I was back to being a fan.
Mars embarked on his world tour shortly after the album release, starting in Las Vegas in April, heading overseas to Europe in the summer and landing in the City of Angels at SoFi Stadium for a five-night run this October. We were lucky enough to see him on Saturday night during a pretty unforgettable evening. Not just because we were able to bring two different generations and perspectives to a concert we were both over the moon to see, but also because it was still 90 degrees at night, in October, in Los Angeles—making it pretty hard to reciprocate.
Mars wasn’t the only big name on the stadium stage that night. He was opened by DJ Pee Wee (a.k.a. Anderson .Paak) and Raye, just one of the many explanations that the nearly 70,000-capacity stadium was sold out all five nights and packed all the way to the nosebleeds. And when I say nose bleeds, I mean I’m not even sure if you’re able to breathe so high up there.
My mom had never been to SoFi Stadium before, so if you can imagine a daughter trying to navigate her mother around the 3.1-million-square-foot venue, know it was a hassle. After five escalators, two failed food runs and running to our seats right after Mars hit the stage, we were finally ready to experience the concert no holds barred.
Standing at five feet five inches, Bruno Mars has enough swagger for three times his size. His voice, crystal clear, carries seamlessly into the rafters; his stage presence is genuinely magnetic; his dance moves are flirtatious enough to make any generation blush. Like his album cover, Mars was outfitted with a red bandana tied tightly around his forehead and facial hair groomed into a neat mustache and goatee. He sported black Vans for the entire concert, giving him enough grip on the stage floor as he shimmied, sidestepped and shuffled with complete ease.
Part of the reason my mom is such a fan, which she offered up to me night-of, is that Mars reminds her of a young Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5 era specifically. It makes sense, given the fact that Mars partially got his start as a Michael Jackson impersonator in his hometown of Honolulu, Hawai‘i. After seeing the singer on stage, I certainly could draw the comparison, as well.
During the concert, he performed “Cha Cha Cha,” a song from his new album, taking to the bongos as he belted out the lyrics. He was backed by an extremely talented band dressed in their own rendition of Mariachi attire, matching Mars’ energy from the first song to the last of the nearly two-hour concert. The energy never let up, and it was hard not to get swept up in it.
As he began the lyrics to his next song, “On My Soul,” I turned to my mom and asked if she was familiar with it. Surprisingly, she wasn’t, but that didn’t stop her from dancing along to the infectious beat. Truth be told, the only other times I can remember seeing my mom dance to live music were in church, so seeing her let loose in the middle of the concert felt like its own little moment. I knew then that the music had reached her, too.
Earnestly, I grew up with my mom only listening to Christian music. Sure, we listened to 70s on 7 on SiriusXM on occasion during after-school pick-up (hence my love for Earth, Wind & Fire), but she wasn’t keen on “popular” music. This is to Mars’ favor: he really makes music for everyone. Love songs, heartbreak ballads, a sassy salsa beat, an old-school boogie, a top charter with a chorus so catchy, your dad and brother are singing it, too.
And the night definitely picked up as Mars moved into more of his mainstream singles. The sea of fans dressed in black-and-red, an ode to his latest album, jumped out of their seats for “24K Magic,” “Treasure,” and “Perm,” which the singer had made a quick change into a cape reading dramatically “The Romantic” across the back.
That was only shortly before he brought Anderson .Paak back out to the stage for a little Silk Sonic reunion—and it was a good reminder he isn’t just Mr. Romantic, but also Mr. Best Friend, too. Their chemistry was hard to look away from, as they played off each other perfectly for “Smokin’ Out The Window” and “Leave The Door Open.” The dynamic duo ended up in a vocal competition during the outro of “Come on over, baby / I’mma leave the door open for you,” which culminated in a spirited “Go Dodgers!” from Anderson .Paak—and eventually Mars duly getting the last laugh.
My mom had her own notes to share, which suggested that Mars started as Mr. Loverboy and is now proving his true musical and instrumental talent more relentlessly. I agreed, especially when he slowed things down at the piano, moving down the ivory keys with grace for slower songs like “It Will Rain” and “Talking To The Moon.” We were both already impressed before he tore through the guitar solo, his fingers gliding across the fretboard like butter, holding the stage all on his own for “Dance With Me.”
It wouldn’t be a sold-out Bruno Mars tour without a few odes to the songs that got him there, with “Marry You” and “Just The Way You Are” having deserving spots on the setlist. While singing “Girl, you’re amazing/Just the way you are,” my mom turned to me and said, “I really like his shirt, do you think it’s Versace?” I laughed and said, “Probably, his band did just play his song called ‘Versace on the Floor,’” which they played without the leading man, Mars, during a quick instrumental interval.
I’d be remiss to not further mention his band, really one of the most impressive groups of supporting musicians I’ve seen lately. Not only did they play the hell out of their respective instruments, but they also moved in harmony right alongside Mars, participating in every dance number and never missing a beat of the perfectly choreographed routines. It was just as much of an entertaining watch as staring straight at the singer himself and added a layer of performance art to a concert that rightfully commanded the attention of the audience—and Los Angeles itself.
And as the audience slowly began to trickle out, I convinced my mom that there would, in fact, be one more number. And I was right. Mars ended on the upbeat, post-disco-inspired “Uptown Funk,” lit up by a neon facade of the city and another round of band magic. With a band that talented, if you have it, flaunt it.
Afterward, my mom and I joined the masses in a slow-moving procession, but we were both feeling giddy after a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience: two generations, two Bruno Mars fans, two L.A. residents attending just one of the singer’s five nights in town, just happy to be there. While eavesdropping, I heard a dad ask his kids behind me, “What did you think of the concert?” To which one of his daughters wholeheartedly replied, “It was awesome!” Maybe one day she’ll be able to repay the favor and treat her parents to a Bruno Mars concert, too.
