REVIEW: Bruno Mars live at Spark Arena

Bruno Mars has all of the finesse of the women he sings about, and the 24K Magic World Tour concert is non-stop, dazzling entertainment, but what happens when ‘nostalgia’ turns into imitation?

Bruno Mars jived, sidestepped and slid through his 90-minute set with ease, putting on an energetic display that had the crowd on their feet. The funk and soul singer's vocals were pitch perfect and he was able to keep twirling even during the songs where he had a guitar around his neck.

It’s that showmanship that helped Mars sell out four nights at Spark Arena, setting a local record for promoter Live Nation when they went on sale eight months ago.

When the curtain rose on night one last night, an impressive stage set up was revealed, complete with hydraulic stage lifts, light-up disco flooring and pyrotechnics so loud I jumped every time they went off. The foam earplugs I had jammed in my ears were no use.

Opening with ‘Finesse’, Mars was joined on stage by The Hooligans, a seven-piece backing band that was the perfect harmonising, two-stepping accompaniment to their frontman. The way they all moved together with Mars was at times reminiscent of a West Side Story street gang and at others like the house band for James Brown, an artist Mars is frequently compared to.

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