A fresh king before a full house, Mars took to the 270-degree stage. Revealed by lifting curtains embellished with crown emblems, the stage itself was a marvel – a beautiful white that lit up in ‘90s brights.
Only a few tracks into the show, Mars acknowledged the issue of people videoing and taking photos on their phones during gigs – this was perhaps the worst case of such behaviour I’ve witnessed. A huge majority of the crowd whipped out their phones at almost every opportunity, which was a terrible shame, as the show through the lens of my eyes was perfect.
Openers ‘Finesse’ and ‘24k Magic’ were appropriately golden, shining examples of why he’s so adored by the merchandise-clad audience of literally every age. Mars and his posse, or “Hooligans”, as he calls them, are the most charismatic and talented gang of individuals in music right now. Their choreography – the same you would come to expect from his music videos – is expert, made all the more impressive by the fact the Hooligans are not only back up dancers, but the live band – including a horn section.
Truly a star, Mars’ dancing was absolutely flawless and infinitely entertaining, but he came across as effortless – always moving, hips always thrusting, oozing sex appeal with every move and breath.
The stage was almost alive, the blocks of lights above the stage moved with the music, changing their alignment above the stage throughout the set. Lower and blue for something sombre like ‘When I Was Your Man’, while high and bright yellow with raining gold glitter for ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’. Brilliant firework displays were scattered throughout the show, marking the beat with power.
His stunning high note during ’Call My Lovelies’ was the first really stunning vocal moment, and from there, his vocal stylings soared above and beyond beautifully, demonstrating that Grammy-winning skill. ‘Just The Way You Are’, ‘When I Was Your Man’, and ‘Grenade’ were truly demonstrative of this, but the entire show was utter music magic.
Alone on stage singing ‘When I Was Your Man’, with nothing but a microphone, he was just as captivating as when he was dancing, and it was so joyful to watch a truly versatile performer on display in his element.
He finished the night the only way he could, with mega-hit ‘Uptown Funk’ showing off the best of all he can do. The curtain slowly lowered back down over his stage, as he and the Hooligans danced and sang and grooved. Rod Laver was alight with the party.
Highlight: Every dance move drove me wild, he’s dripping with charisma and more than a little sex appeal.
Lowlight: His outfit didn’t do him justice, would’ve loved to have seen him with chucks on, in Saint Laurent.
Crowd Favourite: Can’t go past the purity of ‘Just The Way You Are’.
