Things I’ve Watched Thursday | The Romantic Tour
As I reviewed the footage in my phone’s Gallery, I went back in time (2 weeks, to be exact) to the Bank of America arena in Charlotte. It was here that I finally ticked an item off my live music bucket list: See Bruno Mars in-person.
Let the record show that I had been an admirer of Bruno’s music ever since 2010, when he was the featured artist on two of the year’s biggest rap tunes: “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and “Nothin’ On You” by B.O.B. Before long, Doo-Wops & Hooligans dropped the following year, and I became as much a fan of “Just The Way You Are”, “Grenade”, and “The Lazy Song” as any other pophead was.
Technically, I had an opportunity to see him in 2017 on the 24k Magic Tour — or, at least try to score tickets — when he came to Madrid (where I lived at the time). I didn’t really try, though: I liked his music, but I wasn’t a super-fan at the time. However, it was only after listening to the album in question in full that I realized how much of a generational talent Bruno was — an opinion that was further solidified by An Evening with Silk Sonic (one of my top albums of 2021).
It was at that point that not even attempting to see Bruno live when I could have became one of my biggest live entertainment regrets — one that I was determined to rectify sooner or later.
Come January of this year, Mr. Mars broke the Internet with the reveal that his album, The Romantic, was complete; a few days after that fact, the presale for tickets to the eponymous tour was announced, and you bet your sweet Aspercreme that I put myself on the waiting list.
The time for the presale came, and though the struggle to snag two side-by-side seats was a struggle, and though I wasn’t able to snag closer seats (no thanks to a former employer who didn’t pay me on time), the mission was a success: Me (and my brother) were finally going to see Bruno in-person!
Best believe, it was worth the wait.
What I Liked
Bruno, Bruno, Bruno: Although people argue between him and The Weeknd being MJ’s modern-day successor, to me there’s never been any doubt: Bruno is, currently, the most all-around talented, charismatic, and captivating mainstream pop star we have now.
First of all, the mic was on. It’s no secret that the guy has range with octaves, but also versatility in tone: From the laid-back swag of “That’s What I Like” to the pleading, begging intensity of “Why You Wanna Fight?”, he can sell any emotion.
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Plus, he looked really good in all three of the looks he rocked on stage Granted, he didn’t bust out any Usher-level choreo this go around, but he moved with an effortless coolness.
Did I say he’s charismatic? He’s rather reclusive and rarely shares any details about his personal life, but given how he had the crowd — especially the ladies among us — eating out of the palm of his hand, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s as smooth an operator IRL as he is on stage. Besides Prince, he’s one of the few short kings I know who the majority of women surveyed would want to get with.
Also, his dynamic with Anderson.Paak was fun to watch — especially when they tried to outsing each other at the end of “Leave The Door Open”.
The Stage Setup: While the staging was minimal, I liked how they changed what the object at center stage was. One moment, it was a suped-up, classic Cadillac, the next was a screen with a planetarium’s worth of stars projected onto it.
The Hooligans: Serving as both Bruno’s backing band and dancers, these guys were absolutely precise. Special mention goes to the saxophonist who regaled us with an instrumental version of “Blast Off”, one of my favorites from Silk Sonic’s debut.
What I Didn’t Like
The Openers: I got nothing against either Anderson.Paak (a.k.a. DJ Pee.Wee) or Leon Thomas, but neither of them are who I came to see. Now, if it was RAYE opening (as she is for certain dates), I would have liked that, but honestly…Silk Sonic’s other half is nowhere near charismatic or talented enough to keep me engaged, and I wasn’t vibing with Leon (doesn’t help that I know none of his music).
The Lack of Space: Given that this is Old Boy’s first solo tour in The U.S. in a decade and that none of the venues have been suffering from blue dot fever, the entire stadium was packed out. That in and of itself doesn’t bug me: What bothers me was that I barely had any room in the nosebleeds to be able to stretch my arms. It doesn’t help that the seats barely accommodated my wide hips.
Still, my fellow audience members were a vibe.
No “Grenade”: ‘Nuff said. That one’s my favorite of his early hits.
My Rating: 9/10 — Crowd congestion and mid opening acts notwithstanding, Bruno was well worth the wait, and look forward to going to the next tour!
Or, at least going to The Pinky Ring in hopes he might be there…
