Concert Review: Bruno Mars delivers a dynamite opening night in Vancouver

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Did Bruno Mars deliver the kind of performance that deserves to sell out five shows at B.C. Place?

It’s the question everyone going to the next four concerts are asking and I can assure them all that this show is everything anyone could want in a stadium event. From the minute B.o.B’s Nothin’ on You came on over the sound system announcing the artist’s arrival to the closing beats of Uptown Funk, it was a night that never once dropped below maximum R&B.

Every segment of this charismatic and chameleonic artist’s career was touched upon, including a show within the show by his several Grammy-winning duo Silk Sonic featuring Anderson. Paak. Aside from two medleys that ran through some of his best-known songs — gunning for the sing along moment in the chorus — and then moving on to the next tune, the 26 song set was expansive and gloriously executed.

To say that this is a marvel of live performance production doesn’t really do The Romantic Tour justice.

From the five projection screens framing the mainstage area to the round mobile screen that travelled behind the backstage area to the multi-tiered Tetris type bandstand that could be configured several ways and a sweet vintage red Cadillac convertible that wheeled out for some dancing on the hood action, every part of the design did the music justice.

It also seemed perfectly placed to guarantee the best possible camera angles of the band and Bruno pulling off their super slick seventies soul revue style choreography. Toss in filters on the video feed that ranged from puffy clouds framing the performers to those classic disco era split screen strobe effects and The Romantic Tour proved seductive across decades. Imagine the best episode of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert or Top of the Pops and you’re getting the right idea.

Of course, all the presentation tricks around can’t hide when the music isn’t there. This is not a problem Mars needs to be concerned with at all.

His catalogue is exceptionally deep and has more in common with the varied creativity of the classic rock era than anything current. While he is at his most comfortable delivering beat-driven funk workouts like Perm or I Just Might, he can easily slip into a New Wave track like Locked Out of Heaven or seduce hearts with a ballad like Risk It All. To get caught up in the details of how pristinely produced, perhaps even predictable, his writing can be can’t take away any of its impact live.

The Hooligans are simply one of the better backing bands on the circuit today and their lockstep stylings add so much to the delivery of the hits in concert. There are few horn sections that can bust a move and play as hard as these guys do and when they get behind a mic the harmonies are simply angelic.

Keyboardist John Fossitt even took lead vocals for Blast Off, the first song in the Silk Sonic set.

This proved to be something of a break from what had come before it and what followed as Mars and. Paak clearly have a creative connection that lets the two distinctive artists find common ground when they write together. From 777 to a sharp parting performance of the hit Leave the Door Open, Silk Sonic was a great change-up in the evening’s entertainment.

It says something about Mars’ confidence that he would bring along the charismatic. Paak to pump up the proceeding in his closing alter ego DJ Pee. Wee. Most show DJs tend to sit back on the side of the stage and do a few mediocre mash-ups, say the headlining artist’s name as many times as possible and leave the stage as quickly as they arrived.

DJ Pee. Wee dropped 30 minutes of turntable silliness that rarely did much musically, but still managed to get folks smiling and singing choruses to everything from ABBA’s Dancing Queen to other decade-defining tracks. Add in. Paak’s hype man act and occasional rapping and it was really fun.

The spectacular singer Raye followed. With her crack 10-piece backing band and stellar songs, she made it clear that she’ll be headlining B.C. Place in the not-too-distant future. The British vocalist is making some of the best pop/R&B around at the moment and fans worldwide are understandably digging killer creations like Baby, Where the Hell’s My Husband and others. She is all that and then some more and an indie act to boot.

As he headed toward the closing song of the show, Mars mentioned that Vancouver was his home for the next little while. For those holding tickets to one of his remaining concerts, you’ll love what he’s done to B.C. Place.