Bruno Mars at the Frank Erwin Center

Last week, I had the incredible experience of seeing Bruno Mars perform at the Frank Erwin Center.   I had started becoming interested in him after Unorthodox Jukebox came out and when he posted on his Facebook page that he was coming to Austin, I decided I had to go.  

Before the concert, I'd thought it was going to be pretty good.  I knew that he sometimes did dance moves with his adorable band, and that he sometimes did fun stuff with the crowd.  I hoped they would do a little of that, but assumed it would probably be one or two songs only. But I could never have expected the crazy show that I saw.  

All in the one concert, he sang, danced, whether by himself or as James Brown, up on a podium, solo Prince-style, or with his backup band, Jackson 5 style.  He played guitar and drum solos and alongside all of that, his backup band performed plenty too - whether attempting to charm ladies in the crowd or to play random jazz and classical solos.  Little stage pyrotechnics were used, apart from a few fiery, glittery explosions for the finale.  While still recalling styles and elements of performers from the past, Mars retained his own style with reggae, even Hawaiian elements, and the pure fact that he was recalling old styles to his current music.  



Throughout the show, he played all of the songs off of Unorthodox Jukebox and five off of Doo-Wops and Hooligans, along with two more songs that he was featured in.  The whole concert was one long, cohesive piece - from the first song, Moonshine, to the last, Just the Way You Are, the songs either had a short interlude in which they flowed from one to the next, or a sort of skit - at one point, he called out a girl in the front row and he and his band took turns competing to charm her. The concert ended with two encores, Locked Out of Heaven and Gorilla (which he will be performing on the MTV awards this Sunday!), for a booming ending leaving everyone cheering, screaming and wishing the concert would never end.  

Summing up the performance perfectly, a quote from Rolling Stone Magazine:  "Anyone from the age of 5 to 95 can walk out of a Bruno Mars concert feeling like the show was designed just for them.  Mars walks the old-school walk (occasionally in James Brown's funky shoes) and talks the sexy talk (sometimes in Prince-like come-ons), but he also nails the hits, leads a super-energetic nine-piece soul band, and rips a mean drum solo.".