Up and dancing with Bruno Mars

Fans of  pop singer and multi-instrumentalist Bruno Mars were in for a real treat last Thursday night as one of America’s brightest stars rocked Impact Arena with fireworks, an eclectic mix of music and electrifying showmanship. 

For Thai fans, it has been a long wait to get up close and personal with the multi-talented singer who won the world over with his two albums, “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” in 2010 and “Unorthodox Jukebox” in 2012. The young Hawaiian of Hispanic and Filipino descent was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and the 12th richest musician of 2013 by Billboard, thanks to his versatility in musical styles, charming showmanship and live shows that please pretty much anyone from 15 to 50. 

Fans of all age groups, Thais and foreign alike, flocked to the sold-out show on Thursday, some even sporting Afro wigs and hipster hats to resemble the singer’s trademark look. 

“I want to make you move. I want to make you dance. I want to make you shake. I want you to get on your feet like when you go to concert,” Mars told the crowd, who ecstatically obeyed. He kicked off his debut Bangkok show with “Moonshine” to loud cheers and quickly followed up with hits like “Natalie”, “Treasure”, “Billionaire”, “Our First Time” and “Marry You” before taking it down a few notches with “If I Knew/It Will Rain” and “Runaway Baby”. 

With an ability to fuse eclectic cluster of sounds, from soul, funk, R&B, reggae and even rock in his repertoire, Mars’ show was unlikely to go stale as fans were taken on a musical journey of diverse sounds executed with decent musicianship, finesse and flair. He can also dance and it was easy to see that he’d spent a large chunk of his childhood singing and dancing to Michael Jackson’s music videos.

Mars got the fans on their feet again with “The Lazy Song”, “Grenade” and his breakthrough hit “Just the Way You Are” before bidding farewell and disappearing backstage. 

A moment later, the kama’aina boy returned on a drum kit, banging away profusely, while the rest of the band also showed up to take their places. The encore was delivered with one of his biggest hits “Locked out of Heaven” and “Gorilla” that had the fans belting out every word at the top of their lungs.

Charming, genuine and natural, Mars as well as his backup band totally owned the stage. There was nothing too contrived nor cheesy – just simple fun with polished flair. And in a world that’s become blase, it was refreshing to see an artist enjoying himself and his own music on stage.
Making the show even more pleasant was BEC Tero Entertainment’s ban on tablets, meaning that fans were not distracted by people determined to film or capture the show the entire time as is all too often the case.
Bruno Mars’s “Moonshine Jungle Tour 2014” pcontinues on to Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo before heading to the UK and Europe.