independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > The Bruno Mars Thread Part II *BRUNO TO PERFORM GORILLA @ THE MTV VMAs?? (post #446)*
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Page 1 of 16 123456789>Last »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 06/23/13 9:42pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

The Bruno Mars Thread Part II *BRUNO TO PERFORM GORILLA @ THE MTV VMAs?? (post #446)*

So since the other Bruno Mars thread got locked confused I made a new thread to continue on with the opening night concert coverage.


To go to the original thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/396636


*The Org's own Mjscarousal went to the Bruno Mars concert on 6.22.2013. Read her review here!

***I SAW BRUNO MARS PERFORM LIVE ON JULY 11, 2013! READ MY REVIEW OF THE CONCERT!!! See post #223*** headbang headbang headbang


**EVERYBODY GO READ this incredible write up on why Bruno Mars is MORE than just an average pop star. See post #291 or read it here!**


****BRUNO TAPS INTO HIS INNER FUNK GOD AND GETS SUPER FUNKAYYYY!!!! See posts #335-336****


*****ED SHEERAN MAKES AN APPEARANCE DURING THE ST. LOUIS SHOW - WATCH HIM & BRUNO DUET ON "A TEAM " & "NOTHING ON YOU" Posts #385 & #397*****


******BRUNO SHARES HIS FEELINGS ON KIDD KRADDICK'S DEATH. See post #415 sad ******


Where I last left off:






You know, these past couple weeks I’ve been suffering the loss of my goddess, the woman of my life…and I want y’all to know…I want y’all to know that being here tonight with all y’all lets me know that I wanna do this for the rest of my life. It’s because of y’all. Thank you guys for giving me the strength to come up here and sing. Thank you so much.” — Bruno Mars during Just The Way You Are in DC





Bruno's performance of Just The Way You Are + his emotional speech



Gorilla (full performance!)






Sexy ending! love drooling His arms! eek


faint











LOL! I love how he interacts with his band and lets them share the spotlight. They always look like they are having so much fun together up on stage lol



Another sexy breakdown from Mr. Sexy himself *swoon* faint





Gorilla from another angle. You can really see how much he digs this song, he really gets into it.



Natalie


Runaway Baby


If I Knew



[Edited 6/24/13 16:17pm]

[Edited 6/24/13 19:42pm]

[Edited 6/30/13 13:18pm]

[Edited 7/1/13 21:57pm]

[Edited 7/2/13 18:29pm]

[Edited 7/4/13 13:38pm]

[Edited 7/10/13 15:56pm]

[Edited 7/11/13 7:01am]

[Edited 7/13/13 17:51pm]

[Edited 7/13/13 17:53pm]

[Edited 7/24/13 10:36am]

[Edited 7/28/13 22:28pm]

[Edited 7/29/13 19:13pm]

[Edited 7/30/13 17:49pm]

[Edited 8/1/13 18:53pm]

[Edited 8/9/13 20:32pm]

[Edited 8/11/13 15:11pm]

[Edited 8/13/13 17:20pm]

[Edited 8/20/13 10:40am]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 06/23/13 9:44pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Reviews:


Bruno Mars brings flash, substance to D.C. tour launch

Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY 12:07 p.m. EDT June 23, 2013

The singer's summer Moonshine Jungle tour kicked off Saturday night in Washington.

The event: Pop juggernaut Bruno Mars kicks off his Moonshine Jungle summer arena tour Saturday night with a sold-out D.C. show in support of his second album, Unorthodox Jukebox.

Location: Verizon Center, Washington.

Opening act: Soul sextet Fitz & the Tantrums starts things off. (The group is tag-teaming the opening slot with London's "folktronica" star Ellie Goulding.)

The merchandise: Many fans turn out wearing Bruno-inspired fedoras, but brothers John Montgomery, 45, of Covington, Va., and Monty Montgomery, 49, of Roanoke, are eyeing camo Moonshine Jungle caps to replace their John Deere ones. (Their assessment of Mars: "In between Michael Jackson and Prince.") Also on sale: plush gorillas, T-shirts with Mars' Afroed head and dark blue running shorts emblazoned BRUNO MARS in bright yellow caps across the seat.

I heart Bruno: Sophia Nadder of Richmond, Va., 11, wears her heart on her black walking cast. The superfan, herself a singer, neon-painted the star's name on the Velcroed boot she's sporting.

Confident fan: Prettany Overman of Abington, Md., here in a "Doo-Wops" tee to celebrate her upcoming 20th birthday, credits Mars hit Just the Way You Are with boosting her low self-esteem.

Lots of heart: Fitz frontman Michael Fitzpatrick and his band assemble in front a red LED heart that turns psychedelic as the band breaks into Breakin' the Chains of Love.

Audience participation: The crowd claps, stands, waves its arms and does call-and-response to a cover of Sweet Dreams as vocalist Noelle Scaggs and Fitz rock MoneyGrabber and show off fancy footwork in The Walker.

Busted: Scaggs is on the ground taking pictures with fans before security swoops in to take her away.

Golden: Loud screams erupt at the sight of a giant curtain with sparkly golden palm trees. Lights dim, the crowd stands and monkey sounds are heard over an African drum beat. An eight-piece band, plus Mars, all clad in red suits and cheetah-print shirts, dive into Moonshine. Some parrots join the fun on the video screen.

She got me for everything: Closeups of fire, panthers and a tattooed woman? Must be Natalie.

'Treasure' time: The performance looks just like the song's new throwback music video, complete with Jackson 5 moves and a disco ball. Mars slings on a guitar, sweating, which he emphasizes with a big brow wipe.

Money mashup: Billionaire (which Mars wrote), then Aloe Blacc's I Need a Dollar, to deafening screams.

It's getting freaky in this room: For Show Me, the band shows off Caribbean sounds and synchronized moves, then segues into Our First Time with gyrating and purple mood lighting.

Heating up: Marry You gets a new bass line. Jumping and spinning is in order, as the guys sweat through their jackets and peer-pressure the crowd to wave. "I'm hot as hell," Mars says. "I should have thought about this suit."

Last song from 'Jukebox' is up: If I Knew goes out to Bruno's special someone.

Stage patter: Mars teaches the crowd how to say "damn" with feeling, before finding "a lucky lady to serenade tonight." He fakes one out by nearly picking her, moving on, then returning. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm the dude on the ticket."

Light 'em up: Things heat back up — with fire — and Runaway Baby. The stage lights up with moving squares of LEDs. Mars breaks out a megaphone and sings into it.

The disco ball is back for 'Young Girls': He sings of "young wild girls, making a mess" of him, and intercuts a line of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Sing-along: "The next song is the hardest for me to write and the hardest for me to sing." Of course, it's When I Was Your Man, with just Bruno, a piano and emotional notes.

I'd do anything for you: After teasing us earlier, Mars goes into a drum- and trumpet-heavy Grenade. Red mood lighting illuminates the stage as he sings "if my body was on fire." He's all about the electric guitar solos and sings the chorus in pieces before dozens of lights strobe. Big finish. Boom!

Time for 'Just the Way You Are': Girls sing, no, shriek, the words. "I've been suffering," he tells the audience. "Thank you guys for giving me the strength to come out here and sing" — a reference to his mom, Bernadette Hernandez, who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

The chants of "Bru-no" have begun: We still haven't heard Locked Out of Heaven. Mars rises from the stage on drums, wearing a Hawaiian shirt. He holds up his sticks and runs to center stage. The bandmates have their casual clothes on as they hop across the stage to Locked. Gold and red glitter falls from the sky.

More sexy songs: Fire blasts from the stage for Gorilla. Everyone in the mood now? Mars strips down to a black tank for a slower, smoother seduction from a high, spotlit platform. Lights out.

Next stops: Philadelphia on Monday, then Boston Wednesday.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/06/23/bruno-mars-moonshine-jungle-tour-kickoff-dc/2445893/




Bruno Mars is otherworldly in a genre-jumping show



Bruno Mars kicked off his summer tour at Washington’s Verizon Center Saturday night with all the requisite retinal razzmatazz. Sprawling video screens. Blasts of smoke, fire and confetti. A disco ball the size of a Toyota Prius.


But the concert’s most dazzling visual element was discreetly physiological. Clad in uniform red blazers, cheetah-print shirts and blingy gold chains, Mars and his eight-man band worked the stage like a platoon of over-caffeinated Big Daddy Kanes. It didn’t take long for those crisp red blazers to start showing splotches of burgundy.



“I shoulda thought about this suit!” Mars said to a capacity crowd, as if he hadn’t. This was no wardrobe malfunction. He wanted everyone to see him sweat.

It was one of those rare, thrilling, upside-down pop concerts where instead of rigidly trying to recreate the high sheen of various hit singles, the singer takes complete control of the songbook, reshaping it at will. Which is to say, it was fantastic.


On the radio, where Mars has four No. 1 hits perpetually floating about, his voice can sound tangy and stiff. But on stage Saturday, it was sugar-dusted and elastic. “Treasure,” his latest single, felt like an old VHS dub of “Soul Train” brought back to life. On the Police-inspired “Locked Out of Heaven,” he sang like Sting with more bite. And during the hushed final refrain of his heart-squeezing “When I Was Your Man,” thousands of fans hushed, too, listening but still unable to stop themselves from crooning along.


Mars hopscotched through Motown, new wave, late-’70s funk, mid-’90s R&B, flaunting a pop fluency that’s earned him a vast and diverse horde of admirers. You could see it in Saturday night’s audience — there were baby boomers, babies of boomers, babies of babies of boomers, and in Section 100, an actual baby.


But Mars seemed to be primarily concerned with the women in the audience, fake-flirting with one in the front row: “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said. “I’m the dude on the ticket.”


There was some genuine showing off, too. He garnished a few songs with guitar solos for the sake of playing guitar solos, as well as a drum solo that was somehow, miraculously, not horrific. And while he may be pushing himself toward that look-at-me-I-can-do-everything space where Prince resides, he still needs to learn how to assert his personality through all of his genre-jumping time travel.


Here’s one move he should steal from Revolution-era Prince immediately: Put the Hooligans, the name of the backing band, on that ticket stub, too.


The front line — guitarist Phredley Brown, bassist Jamareo Artis, supporting vocalist Phillip Lawrence and the horn section of Kameron Whalum, Dwayne Dugger and James King — not only brought tremendous life and electricity to their boss’s songs, they also seemed to be having the best 90-odd minutes of their lives. Toward the back, drummer Eric Hernandez and keyboardist John Fossit kept the set glued together.


And on lead vocals, a man poised to spend his summer winning over the planet, one sopping blazer at a time, Bruno Mars.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/bruno-mars-is-otherworldy-at-genre-jumping-show/2013/06/23/5450564c-dc2f-11e2-bd83-e99e43c336ed_story.html

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 06/23/13 9:46pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar







^From a concert event security guard in Washington DC.



  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 06/23/13 9:52pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Online comments from people who attended the show:


Lisa Scroggins
6/23/2013 10:56 PM EDT
Amazing show!!!! One of the best concerts I've seen. Right up there with the King of Pop from the "Bad" tour. Unbelievable talent! Silky voice and sexy! ...and the band is the icing on the cake!



Rozita Victoria Samuels (1 hour ago)
I took my granddaughter and we had a BLAST!!!



konamarsha
6/23/2013 8:52 PM EDT
Bruno Mars is a talent we have not seen since the Old Michael Jackson days. He crosses all genders.

Valrey

6/23/2013 7:28pm

This definitely goes in the book of the best concert experiences.

Bruno is a true showman. He and his band gave the most entertaining, high energy performance.

If you haven’t secured a ticket to one of his shows I HIGHLY suggest you get one NOW! This show is worth every penny. I hope they release this concert on DVD and CD in the future. Everyone needs to listen to and see Bruno and his band perform live. It’s simply amazing.



TracyS (2 hours ago)
I was there and it was AMAZING! I took my daughter for her 5th birthday. It was literally the best concert I've ever been to.

[Edited 6/23/13 21:57pm]

[Edited 6/23/13 21:59pm]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 06/24/13 1:35am

mjforever

avatar

NaughtyKitty said:


Gorilla (full performance!)





thank you for this, amazing performance! [img:$uid]http://www.smil.../img:$uid]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 06/24/13 8:02am

uniden

avatar

thanks for posting all of those awesome videos! just makes me even more excited to see his show next month! razz fallinluv mushy love2 heart love bow whistle lick worship faint

be kind, be a friend, not a bully.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 06/24/13 10:01am

chocolate1

avatar

uniden said:

thanks for posting all of those awesome videos! just makes me even more excited to see his show next month! razz fallinluv mushy love2 heart love bow whistle lick worship faint

When are you going?

I'm attending next Monday's at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with wonder505.
I can't wait!
dancing jig


"Love Hurts.
Your lies, they cut me.
Now your words don't mean a thing.
I don't give a damn if you ever loved me..."

-Cher, "Woman's World"
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 06/24/13 1:39pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

uniden said:

thanks for posting all of those awesome videos! just makes me even more excited to see his show next month! razz fallinluv mushy love2 heart love bow whistle lick worship faint

My pleasure uniden!

Uniden & chocolate1--after you see the concert would you mind posting your thoughts/reviews here in this thread? I love reading people's reviews who attended his concert! smile

Here's another raving review from a concert goer:

CAROLYN Says:
June 24th, 2013 at 10:15 am

Well, I was at the Washington, D.C. show, and it was FANTABULOUS ! It was the most amazing performance, that I have seen since the Jackson’s VICTORY tour in 1984, at the RFK stadium, in Washington, D.C. ! Bruno Mars was born to ENTERTAIN, and I pray that he entertains us for a LONG time ! He is awesome, not to mention naturally handsome ! He is my new idol ! ( James Brown was my old idol ). By the way, like James Brown, Bruno Mars does not need ” special effects ” ! Bruno can STAND on his own talent !

Its amazing how several comments on Bruno's concert are comparing it to a Michael Jackson concert! eek

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 06/24/13 1:41pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

mjforever said:

NaughtyKitty said:


Gorilla (full performance!)





thank you for this, amazing performance! [img:$uid]http://www.smil.../img:$uid]

Co-sign w/you on the [img:$uid]http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Girls/smilie_girl_249.gif[/img:$uid]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 06/24/13 2:41pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Bruno Mars: Love & Respect For Michael Jackson - by Rhapsodyincolour

It’s all for the L.O.V.E. ~ From Bruno Mars’ early days as a child performer to now as a worldwide star, Michael Jackson has always been an influence in the way Bruno carries out his showmanship and music production. In honour of Michael, here is a compilation of material I’ve made showing just how much Bruno loves and respects MJ.

  • Part 1 | A Fan Since Childhood | 01:58
  • Part 2 | Thoughts About MJ’s Work | 08:54
  • Part 3 | Michael’s Influence | 13:20
  • Part 4 | Bruno Covers MJ | 15:14

Links to each clip used are in the description box on the video’s YouTube page. An extended version that includes Bruno’s SNL Pandora Skit can be watched here: http://vimeo.com/rhapsodyincolour/bmmj


  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 06/24/13 3:45pm

EMPEROR101

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 06/24/13 3:49pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Please. There's no comparison. rolleyes Bruno trumps Justin in every area of musicianship and artistry.

Tour Merchandise



  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 06/24/13 3:54pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

bmars-news:  “postcardfrom_paris: While Bruno played his drum solo before performing Locked out of Heaven and Gorilla. I nearly died… along with the girl next to me. #brunomars #moonshinejungletour #bruno #hooligan #DC #VerizonCenter”
“postcardfrom_paris: While Bruno played his drum solo before performing Locked out of Heaven and Gorilla. I nearly died… along with the girl next to me. #brunomars #moonshinejungletour #bruno #hooligan #DC #VerizonCenter”

bmars-news:  “alistafford: I took this at #BrunoMars amazing concert last night! What a great show! #concert #moonshinejungle #entertainment #moonshinejungletour #verizoncenter #washingtondc #music #amazing #fun #happy #talent #love”
“alistafford: I took this at #BrunoMars amazing concert last night! What a great show! #concert #moonshinejungle #entertainment

#moonshinejungletour #verizoncenter #washingtondc #music

#amazing #fun #happy #talent #love”



bmars-news:  “shadeerose: This man is a GOD #brunomars #mypic”





mushy

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 06/24/13 4:03pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Bruno tearin up the drums during the concert! eek




Great performance of Runaway Baby



headbang

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 06/24/13 4:07pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Bruno and the Hooligans performing tonight in Philadelphia. Looks like there will be an after party following the concert smile








  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 06/24/13 4:12pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Bruno posing for pics with fans before the concert












bmars-news: “ssophrosyne: HEY THIS IS AN AWFUL PICTURE PLEASE DONT UNFOLLOW BUT I JUST MET BRUNO MARS IN PHILLY BY ACCIDENT IM LAUGIBNG SO HARD”

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #16 posted 06/24/13 4:23pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

For more concert coverage pics and videos, these blogs are great resources:


http://bmars-news.com/


http://bruno-news.tumblr.com/



http://rhapsodyincolour.tumblr.com/

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #17 posted 06/24/13 5:09pm

EMPEROR101

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #18 posted 06/24/13 5:42pm

mjscarousal

NaughtyKitty said:

Reviews:


Bruno Mars brings flash, substance to D.C. tour launch

Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY 12:07 p.m. EDT June 23, 2013

The singer's summer Moonshine Jungle tour kicked off Saturday night in Washington.

The event: Pop juggernaut Bruno Mars kicks off his Moonshine Jungle summer arena tour Saturday night with a sold-out D.C. show in support of his second album, Unorthodox Jukebox.

Location: Verizon Center, Washington.

Opening act: Soul sextet Fitz & the Tantrums starts things off. (The group is tag-teaming the opening slot with London's "folktronica" star Ellie Goulding.)

The merchandise: Many fans turn out wearing Bruno-inspired fedoras, but brothers John Montgomery, 45, of Covington, Va., and Monty Montgomery, 49, of Roanoke, are eyeing camo Moonshine Jungle caps to replace their John Deere ones. (Their assessment of Mars: "In between Michael Jackson and Prince.") Also on sale: plush gorillas, T-shirts with Mars' Afroed head and dark blue running shorts emblazoned BRUNO MARS in bright yellow caps across the seat.

I heart Bruno: Sophia Nadder of Richmond, Va., 11, wears her heart on her black walking cast. The superfan, herself a singer, neon-painted the star's name on the Velcroed boot she's sporting.

Confident fan: Prettany Overman of Abington, Md., here in a "Doo-Wops" tee to celebrate her upcoming 20th birthday, credits Mars hit Just the Way You Are with boosting her low self-esteem.

Lots of heart: Fitz frontman Michael Fitzpatrick and his band assemble in front a red LED heart that turns psychedelic as the band breaks into Breakin' the Chains of Love.

Audience participation: The crowd claps, stands, waves its arms and does call-and-response to a cover of Sweet Dreams as vocalist Noelle Scaggs and Fitz rock MoneyGrabber and show off fancy footwork in The Walker.

Busted: Scaggs is on the ground taking pictures with fans before security swoops in to take her away.

Golden: Loud screams erupt at the sight of a giant curtain with sparkly golden palm trees. Lights dim, the crowd stands and monkey sounds are heard over an African drum beat. An eight-piece band, plus Mars, all clad in red suits and cheetah-print shirts, dive into Moonshine. Some parrots join the fun on the video screen.

She got me for everything: Closeups of fire, panthers and a tattooed woman? Must be Natalie.

'Treasure' time: The performance looks just like the song's new throwback music video, complete with Jackson 5 moves and a disco ball. Mars slings on a guitar, sweating, which he emphasizes with a big brow wipe.

Money mashup: Billionaire (which Mars wrote), then Aloe Blacc's I Need a Dollar, to deafening screams.

It's getting freaky in this room: For Show Me, the band shows off Caribbean sounds and synchronized moves, then segues into Our First Time with gyrating and purple mood lighting.

Heating up: Marry You gets a new bass line. Jumping and spinning is in order, as the guys sweat through their jackets and peer-pressure the crowd to wave. "I'm hot as hell," Mars says. "I should have thought about this suit."

Last song from 'Jukebox' is up: If I Knew goes out to Bruno's special someone.

Stage patter: Mars teaches the crowd how to say "damn" with feeling, before finding "a lucky lady to serenade tonight." He fakes one out by nearly picking her, moving on, then returning. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm the dude on the ticket."

Light 'em up: Things heat back up — with fire — and Runaway Baby. The stage lights up with moving squares of LEDs. Mars breaks out a megaphone and sings into it.

The disco ball is back for 'Young Girls': He sings of "young wild girls, making a mess" of him, and intercuts a line of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Sing-along: "The next song is the hardest for me to write and the hardest for me to sing." Of course, it's When I Was Your Man, with just Bruno, a piano and emotional notes.

I'd do anything for you: After teasing us earlier, Mars goes into a drum- and trumpet-heavy Grenade. Red mood lighting illuminates the stage as he sings "if my body was on fire." He's all about the electric guitar solos and sings the chorus in pieces before dozens of lights strobe. Big finish. Boom!

Time for 'Just the Way You Are': Girls sing, no, shriek, the words. "I've been suffering," he tells the audience. "Thank you guys for giving me the strength to come out here and sing" — a reference to his mom, Bernadette Hernandez, who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

The chants of "Bru-no" have begun: We still haven't heard Locked Out of Heaven. Mars rises from the stage on drums, wearing a Hawaiian shirt. He holds up his sticks and runs to center stage. The bandmates have their casual clothes on as they hop across the stage to Locked. Gold and red glitter falls from the sky.

More sexy songs: Fire blasts from the stage for Gorilla. Everyone in the mood now? Mars strips down to a black tank for a slower, smoother seduction from a high, spotlit platform. Lights out.

Next stops: Philadelphia on Monday, then Boston Wednesday.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/06/23/bruno-mars-moonshine-jungle-tour-kickoff-dc/2445893/




Bruno Mars is otherworldly in a genre-jumping show



Bruno Mars kicked off his summer tour at Washington’s Verizon Center Saturday night with all the requisite retinal razzmatazz. Sprawling video screens. Blasts of smoke, fire and confetti. A disco ball the size of a Toyota Prius.


But the concert’s most dazzling visual element was discreetly physiological. Clad in uniform red blazers, cheetah-print shirts and blingy gold chains, Mars and his eight-man band worked the stage like a platoon of over-caffeinated Big Daddy Kanes. It didn’t take long for those crisp red blazers to start showing splotches of burgundy.



“I shoulda thought about this suit!” Mars said to a capacity crowd, as if he hadn’t. This was no wardrobe malfunction. He wanted everyone to see him sweat.

It was one of those rare, thrilling, upside-down pop concerts where instead of rigidly trying to recreate the high sheen of various hit singles, the singer takes complete control of the songbook, reshaping it at will. Which is to say, it was fantastic.


On the radio, where Mars has four No. 1 hits perpetually floating about, his voice can sound tangy and stiff. But on stage Saturday, it was sugar-dusted and elastic. “Treasure,” his latest single, felt like an old VHS dub of “Soul Train” brought back to life. On the Police-inspired “Locked Out of Heaven,” he sang like Sting with more bite. And during the hushed final refrain of his heart-squeezing “When I Was Your Man,” thousands of fans hushed, too, listening but still unable to stop themselves from crooning along.


Mars hopscotched through Motown, new wave, late-’70s funk, mid-’90s R&B, flaunting a pop fluency that’s earned him a vast and diverse horde of admirers. You could see it in Saturday night’s audience — there were baby boomers, babies of boomers, babies of babies of boomers, and in Section 100, an actual baby.


But Mars seemed to be primarily concerned with the women in the audience, fake-flirting with one in the front row: “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said. “I’m the dude on the ticket.”


There was some genuine showing off, too. He garnished a few songs with guitar solos for the sake of playing guitar solos, as well as a drum solo that was somehow, miraculously, not horrific. And while he may be pushing himself toward that look-at-me-I-can-do-everything space where Prince resides, he still needs to learn how to assert his personality through all of his genre-jumping time travel.


Here’s one move he should steal from Revolution-era Prince immediately: Put the Hooligans, the name of the backing band, on that ticket stub, too.


The front line — guitarist Phredley Brown, bassist Jamareo Artis, supporting vocalist Phillip Lawrence and the horn section of Kameron Whalum, Dwayne Dugger and James King — not only brought tremendous life and electricity to their boss’s songs, they also seemed to be having the best 90-odd minutes of their lives. Toward the back, drummer Eric Hernandez and keyboardist John Fossit kept the set glued together.


And on lead vocals, a man poised to spend his summer winning over the planet, one sopping blazer at a time, Bruno Mars.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/bruno-mars-is-otherworldy-at-genre-jumping-show/2013/06/23/5450564c-dc2f-11e2-bd83-e99e43c336ed_story.html

I see you beat me to the reviews razz

Here is my review of the June 22 show in Washington DC!

It was GREAT!

Gurl you have to go see him!

I knew it was going to be a good show but I was really impressed. He is a really good singer. Last year I thought he was a average vocalist but I was really impressed. Everything was LIVE no special effects or gimmicks or extra stuff. Just the nice red suits and the bandmates THATS IT. Thats what all live shows should be. All the instruments were LIVE too. They all played and danced at the same time including Bruno. His music is also really good. He reminds me so much of Janelle Monae in the sense that they both are so eclectic genre wise.

I have been persuaded to buy his CD and will do so soon! lol He didnt do a ton of dancing but the dancing was mostly James brown moves. The choregraphy steps with the bandmates were Temptations moves and a few MJ ones. I had no idea Bruno played as many instruments as he did and he played them exceptionally. He play the guitar, piano and the drums. He was KILLIN it on the drums!! He is really into James Brown because he played some of his voice overs when he was drumming and kinda referenced him alot which I thought was pretty cool. His band is off the chain and their all so funny lol They were playing with the audience as well as Bruno. Bruno is the type of man you wish was your bestfriend or boyfriend. lol He has so much charisma and personality. I see why him and Janelle get along so well because their both so goofy lol He was very funny and comfortable with the audience and its crazy because he just lost his mom but he didnt seem down. He was really energized and pump. He did briefly mention her though.

He covered a couple of songs/lines of songs that were not his that were fun to groove too. He singed Pony by ginuwine LOL Candy, Tevin Cambell etc He had a straight 90s tribute cover section for the ladies that I thought was sexy and fun. He picked a girl from the audience and singed to her. The pick up line section was really really funny lol

Some chick threw her bra at him lol

Overall, it was a really good show and when he comes to your area GO SEE HIM wink Im really proud of him he has came such a long way. Here are some bad quality pics. lol I tried to choose the better quality ones.

mms_img-870369976.jpg

mms_img598977424.jpg

mms_img-209377666.jpg

mms_img1853197598.jpg

mms_img1687720004.jpg

Yea kinda had bad seats well they were bad seats lol but it was still a good show : )

Bruno and Bieber should be no where in the same sentence at all. Naughty, I didnt know Bruno was a apart of a songwriting group " The Smeezingtons" and that they use to write for other artists. I think they still do. I really hope you get to see him!

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #19 posted 06/24/13 7:29pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

^THANK YOU MJSCAROUSAL FOR THAT GREAT REVIEW! thumbs up! hug I think the pics look great too! It definitely sounds like its the concert of the year! (or at least one of the best concerts of the year).


Yeah Bruno is 1/3 of the Smeezingtons production team. He, his bandmate Phillip Lawrence and Ari Levine have been writing/producing songs for other artists even before Bruno made it big. They've worked with a lot of artists. Here's a bit about them:



The Smeezingtons are a songwriting and production team consisting of Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine.[1] They have produced and written songs for artists and groups such as the Sugababes,[2] Travie McCoy,[3] B.o.B, Brandy Norwood, K'naan, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida,Chad Hugo,[4] Lil Eddie, Bad Meets Evil, Adam Lambert, Cee Lo Green and Charice among others. They have produced many smash hits including the #1 hit Nothin' on You[5] by B.o.B, as well as being involved in the writing of the #1 hit Right Round by Flo Rida.[6] Initially formed following Mars' disillusionment with his first solo deal with Motown, The Smeezingtons have since gone on to provide the springboard for Mars' international-chart-topping solo success as an artist with Elektra Records.[7]

Production credits[edit]

2008[edit]

Natasha BedingfieldConfessions of a Shopaholic (soundtrack)[edit]

2009[edit]

Far*East MovementAnimal[edit]

K'naanTroubadour[edit]

Matisyahu – "Light"[edit]

  • 03. "One Day"

Sugababes – "Sweet 7"[edit]

  • 01. "Get Sexy"
  • 05. "Miss Everything"(featuring Sean Kingston)
  • 07. "She's a Mess"

Flo Rida – "R.O.O.T.S."[edit]

Sean KingstonTomorrow[edit]

  • 07. "Island Queen"
  • 08. "Tomorrow"

Justin Bieber – "My World (EP)"[edit]

2010[edit]

SugababesSweet 7[edit]

B.o.BB.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray[edit]

Bruno MarsIt's Better If You Don't Understand (EP)[edit]

  • 01. "Somewhere in Brooklyn"
  • 02. "The Other Side" (featuring Cee-Lo & B.o.B)
  • 03. "Count on Me"
  • 04. "Talking to the Moon"

Travie McCoyLazarus[edit]

ShontelleNo Gravity[edit]

Mike Posner31 Minutes to Takeoff[edit]

  • 03. "Bow Chicka Wow Wow"

Sean Kingston - Non-album single[edit]

Bruno MarsDoo-Wops & Hooligans[edit]

Far East MovementFree Wired[edit]

Cee Lo GreenThe Lady Killer[edit]

Kid CudiMan on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager[edit]

  • 01. "Scott Mescudi vs. the World" (featuring Cee-Lo Green) (produced with Emile and No I.D.)

Flo RidaOnly One Flo (Part 1)[edit]

Alexandra BurkeOvercome[edit]

  • 05. "Perfect"

2011[edit]

Bad Meets EvilHell: The Sequel[edit]

Lil WyaneTha Carter IV[edit]

  • 07. Mirror (featuring Bruno Mars) (produced with Ramon "REO" Owen of The Soundkillers)

Bruno MarsThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (soundtrack)[edit]

Snoop Dogg & Wiz KhalifaMac & Devin Go to High School (soundtrack)[edit]

ChariceInfinity[edit]

  • 07. Before It Explodes

2012[edit]

Adam LambertTrespassing[edit]

Neon Hitch – "Gold"[edit]

Alicia KeysGirl on Fire[edit]

Bruno MarsUnorthodox Jukebox[edit]

Target deluxe edition bonus tracks[edit]

  • 11."Old & Crazy" (featuring Esperanza Spalding)
  • 12."Young Girls" (Demo)
  • 13."Gorilla" (Demo)

2013[edit]

98 Degrees - 2.0[edit]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #20 posted 06/24/13 7:32pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Feast on the fineness that is Bruno Mars drool




From last night, the 90's breakdown that Mjscarousal mentioned in her review:

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #21 posted 06/24/13 7:37pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Scenes from tonite's concert in Philadelphia


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2



bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #22 posted 06/24/13 9:13pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

More scenes from the Philadelphia concert June 24, 2013.



bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2

bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2

bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2


bmars-news:  June 24 - Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) MJT 2013: Day 2

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #23 posted 06/24/13 10:13pm

NaughtyKitty

avatar

Here's a sample of some work the Smeezingtons did before Bruno's fame:


Travis McCoy, "One at a Time"

| December 04, 2009 5:51 PM EST


Travis McCoy's gig as the ambassador to MTV's Staying Alive foundation recently gave the Gym Class Heroes frontman another reason to make music. On Dec. 1, McCoy and the nonprofit released "One at a Time," a charity single that coincides with World AIDS Day. The track was written after McCoy visited communities in South Africa, India and the Philippines that are fighting the global epidemic. Producers Philip Lawrence and Bruno Mars, better-known as the Smeezingtons, mix lingering acoustic guitar riffs with midtempo beats, over which McCoy sings, "We gotta speak soft and listen harder . . . so go on and spread the word, and not the virus." Though McCoy's signature tongue-in-cheek approach is absent, his lyrics should resonate and influence young listeners to get involved in a vital cause.-Michael Menachem


http://www.billboard.com/...-at-a-time




That's Bruno singing on the chorus and playing the guitar. nod

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #24 posted 06/25/13 4:26am

Shawy89

avatar

Actually Bruno is THE PRODUCER of The Smeezingtons, He writes & produces (Philip Co-writes with him), and Ari Levine does the mixing stuff, so basically Bruno is the one who produces.. and him producing Fuck You, Gorilla and Locked Out of Heaven which are great songs instrumentally makes me proud, he really gets the vibes.

---

Carousal LUCKY YOU MAN! cool cool I'm glad you got to see him.. I'm most excited for the Gorilla performance, I saw it on YouTube but I really wanna EXPERIENCE it live.. with the falsettos and sexy breakdowns. I recommend you to buy Unorthodox Jukebox, maybe you'll find it musically incoherent, you know, listening to New wave/rock song, then a soul song, and suprisingly a wild reggae song comes up JUST LIKE THAT, then some doo-wop&60's Sam Cooke-y stuff.. It's just the way Bruno likes to put his work and that what bothers critics, not to pick one musical genre, they know he's a good singer (they know he could do something like Fuck You for his own albums).. But they keep bashing him LOL and I love how Bruno just doesn't give a single fuck.

Speaking of Janelle Monàe, her next album is the most anticipated album for me this year, I mean I looked to Eminem, to Beyoncé and other mainstream artists, I just said IT'S GOING TO BE JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ALBUM!! But Janelle is going to slay hopefully.. And I hope she tours, and maybe tours with Bruno just like she did back in 2011 (Hooligans in Wandaland) lol lol

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #25 posted 06/25/13 8:24am

Shawy89

avatar

And here's Billboard saying the same thing about it

BILLBOARD:

Bruno Mars Romps Through 'Moonshine Jungle' Tour in Philadelphia: Live Review

Bruno Mars Romps Through 'Moonshine Jungle' Tour in Philadelphia: Live Review

One of the most impressive things about Bruno Mars' performance on Monday night at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center was, in fact, the list of songs that he left off the set list. The 27-year-old has been famous as a solo artist for roughly three years, and has already reached a point in his career where he can shrug off a No. 1 smash ("Nothin' On You," his B.o.B duet), a "Twilight" anthem ("It Will Rain") and a fan favorite ("The Lazy Song") in his live show, simply because his arsenal of songs is strong enough to allow the oversights. Don't let the perfectly coiffed hair and easygoing smile fool you: as his 87-date Moonshine Jungle world tour gets underway -- the Philadelphia show was the run's second stop, after beginning in Washington D.C. on Saturday night -- Mars has become a stone-cold hit machine who has rattled off a staggering amount of ubiquitous singles over the course of two albums and a few extracurricular appearances. He is an efficient, impeccable star that has thrown a bunch of timeless influences into a blender and jammed his finger down on the 'high' button. His sophomore album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," confirmed that he is an enduring pop personality, while the Moonshine Jungle tour, his first headlining arena trek, may turn him into an international superstar in a way that hasn't happened since Lady Gaga through a Monster Ball a few years ago.

As Mars' collection of radio hits and audience size have concurrently swelled, so has his production budget, although the main tenets of his stage show are still the same as when he wanted to be a billionaire so freakin' bad. Mars' biggest asset as a performer has always been his ambidextrousness, and in his current stage show, the singer holds high notes, leads choreographed dances, plays electric guitar, plays acoustic guitar, plays drums, engages the crowd and even flirts with some ladies in the front row. He's a convincing "whole package" kind of pop artist, and like an ace Pixar movie with "in" jokes for parents, he expertly caters to his older and younger demographics at his live shows. The parents get the Motown callbacks, demure sexual come-ons and an old-school R&B montage that includes Soul For Real's "Candy Rain" and Ginuwine's "Pony"; the kids get their favorite radio hits and a messenger that radiates positivity. And if you don't think Mars has younger fans, just wait until the lights dim before his show -- the little-girl shrieks reach decibel levels typically reserved for Justin Bieber.

The "Unorthodox Jukebox" tracks that Mars had yet to play live sounded swell. "Moonshine" kicked off the evening with animated parrots flapping their wings in slow motion on a giant screen behind Mars; "Show Me" turned into an extended reggae jam complete with red, yellow and green adorning all corners of the stage; and "Gorilla," although an odd selection for a set closer, is clearly a favorite of Mars', as he lost his mind while perched upon an elevated platform with pyrotechnics blasting off behind him. Mars' band, led by his bespectacled and underrated production partner Philip Lawrence, made themselves just as crucial to the performance as the frontman by keeping the energy high and mugging for the audience at just the right moments. Everyone in the eight-piece setup appeared to be having a tremendous time as Mars zipped through instruments and zigzagged between ornately constructed dance tracks ("Runaway Love"), wrenching ballads ("When I Was Your Man") and songs that fell somewhere in between ("Grenade").

"We wanna see y'all moving, we wanna see y'all dancing... maybe, just maybe, put your camera phones down and get into it!" Mars commanded early in the show. It was a reasonable request -- after all, Mars' lifeblood is entertaining and keeping smiles plastered on the faces of his onlookers, and he does a better job at it than almost anyone working in music right now. His pop tracks may not possess enriching messages, but his tirelessness and dedication must be appreciated when seen in person. And appreciate it they did: when all was said and done, the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia roared with a collective dizziness usually reserved for the all-too-occasional Flyers playoff win.

Here is the set list from Bruno Mars' June 24 performance in Philadelphia:

Moonshine
Natalie
Treasure
Money (That's What I Want) / Billionaire
Show Me
Candy Rain (cover)
Our First Time / Pony
Marry You
If I Knew
Runaway Baby
Young Girls
When I Was Your Man
Grenade
Just the Way You Are

Encore:

Locked Out of Heaven
Gorilla


  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #26 posted 06/25/13 8:46am

uniden

avatar

chocolate1 said:

uniden said:

thanks for posting all of those awesome videos! just makes me even more excited to see his show next month! razz fallinluv mushy love2 heart love bow whistle lick worship faint

When are you going?

I'm attending next Monday's at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with wonder505.
I can't wait!
dancing jig

i'm going to the july 24th show in sacramento, ca. biggrin i am so excited!

be kind, be a friend, not a bully.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #27 posted 06/25/13 8:56am

uniden

avatar

of course biggrin

NaughtyKitty said:

My pleasure uniden!

Uniden & chocolate1--after you see the concert would you mind posting your thoughts/reviews here in this thread? I love reading people's reviews who attended his concert! smile

be kind, be a friend, not a bully.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #28 posted 06/25/13 10:02am

NaughtyKitty

avatar

^Cool, thanks uniden! And thank you Shawy for posting that review thumbs up! Here's another one:


Bruno Mars struts his stuff at Wells Fargo Center Join our daily free Newsletter

MENAFN - - 6/25/2013 12:10:04 PM


Jun 26, 2013 (Menafn - The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Bruno Mars loves us just the way we are -- and he doesn't feel too bad about himself, either.



And who can blame him? The chart-topping singer-songwriter-producer's sold-out show at the Wells Fargo Center Monday night was the second date on his first tour headlining hockey arenas.

The freshness of that feeling for the 27-year-old multi-racial multi-instrumentalist Hawaiian (born Peter Hernandez) was apparent in the broad grin on his face. It was shared by his fairly fabulous eight-piece band, the Hooligans -- dressed, like their leader, in matching red suits.



And it came though clearly during a brief break in the action before "Runaway Baby," a song from his 2010 album Doo-Wops & Hooligans that warns potential paramours to flee "before I put a spell on you."



Mars and his bandmates took turns playfully trying out pickup lines on an ardent fan in the front row who became the object of envy in a crowd that was about 85 percent female. When it came time for Mars to show his game, he played to his strengths.



"I'm the dude on the ticket," he said. "And the one on the video screen up there."

Mars' Moonshine Jungle tour came with all the requisite bells and whistles. The staging for Mars -- who penned the words "I want to be on the cover of Forbes magazine," in "Billionaire," his hit with Travie McCoy -- included flashpots, confetti cannons and on-screen gorillas, black panthers and African parrots. But for all the big-time staging, the lively-stepping musicians were never in danger of being overwhelmed by effects.



During the 90-minute set which the audience stood throughout, Mars mostly sang -- in a sweet and supple voice. He also played guitar, memorably during a nifty medley that began with Barrett Strong's Motown oldie "Money" before moving into Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar" and "Billionaire."

Before kicking off an encore with the plea for sexual gratification "Locked Out of Heaven," he took over from his brother Eric on the drum kit, laying down a rhythm that he accentuated with a mimicked arsenal of James Brown grunts and groans.



Mars' hits can tend toward the shamelessly saccharine. "Just the Way You Are," the ballad which shares a name with the Billy Joel chestnut, is Exhibit A. But on Monday night, even that crowd-pleasing trifle turned into something more satisfying as the band gathered stage center to dig into the groove while resisting the temptation to indulge in undisciplined vamping.

It's clear that Mars -- who has ditched his trademark Fedora and pompadour, and was introduced by vocalist Phillip Lawrence as "the man with the frizziest Afro in the band" -- is a disciple of Prince and Michael Jackson. He can't dance as well as his heroes, and his pop-savvy tunes don't bring you up short with their brilliance. Not yet, anyway.

But Mars is a cool customer and ingratiating entertainer who's strikingly facile in a number of idioms. He moves from R&B to reggae to rock with ease, and he's such a pro that he never falls into the common trap among polymaths of shifting gears before each musical idea is brought to fruition. He's one to be watched, and not underestimated.

Openers were Fitz & the Tantrums, the formerly retro-'60s band, have gone '80s pop on their sophomore release, More Than Just a Dream. Leader Mike Fitzpatrick and, especially, the second-in-command singer Noelle Scaggs worked the just-shuffling-in crowd with a "Thou Shalt Have Fun" rigor that showed the strain of effort, in contrast to the way Mars would have his way with ease.



http://www.menafn.com/97b...r?src=main

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #29 posted 06/25/13 10:03am

NaughtyKitty

avatar

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Page 1 of 16 123456789>Last »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > The Bruno Mars Thread Part II *BRUNO TO PERFORM GORILLA @ THE MTV VMAs?? (post #446)*