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

PITTSBURGH -- Bruno Mars was more interested in playing guitar than dancing Tuesday.

Turns out he's a pretty good guitarist, as he proved at Consol Energy Center with brief but flashy solo runs on hits like "Marry You" and "Grenade."

Of course, skillful guitarists aren't nearly as rare a breed as guys who can bust dance moves like Michael Jackson and James Brown, as Mars also did during "Runaway Baby" about 10 songs into his performance.

I'd have liked to see more of his electrifying dance moves, though if Mars' intent in Pittsburgh was to establish himself as a versatile artist, he succeeded.

And if making teenage girls scream with excitement was another of his goals, well, he can consider that mission accomplished, too.

From the drop of the curtain decorated in the theme of his "Moonlight Jungle" tour, the 27-year-old Hawaii native enthralled a young and mostly female audience with a fast paced set that mixed pop, rock, R&B (modern and old-school) and even reggae with the song "Show Me."

Mars' eight-man backing band -- like him, all dressed in black -- whipped through an opening trio of "Moonshine," "Natalie" and "Treasure," before Mars grabbed an electric guitar and powered them through Barrett Strong's 1960 hit -- and later the Beatles' -- "Money (That's What I Want)." Mars dropped to his knees while grinding on his guitar, as the song segued smoothly into "Billionaire," his 2010 smash collaboration with Travie McCoy, with a verse of Aloe Blacc's same-year single "I Need a Dollar."

During the "Billionaire" part of that medley, the band spun around in perfect unison -- one of a number of instances when they threw in a choreographed stage move, which they always managed to convey as well-timed and tasteful. No boy band excesses here. Think more like how Amy Winehouse's bandmates used to spin around with her.

Mars participated in most of those choreographed sequences. His penny loafers -- chic designer brand, no doubt -- seemed to magically glide across the stage during "Moonshine."

And with the band rocking out on "Runaway Bride," Mars did a Michael Jackson-like slide, then a James Brown shuffle, stopping in a straight line with the band as they all did a toe-tapping move in perfect precision as gold lights flickered all over the stage, followed by a brief, smoky blast of pyro.

Ah, now that was the stuff.

But then Mars picked up an acoustic guitar, and slowed the tempo for "Nothin' on You," his Grammy-nominated collaboration with B.o.B. Female fans shrieked with delight, as Mars crooned about all the beautiful girls in the world, none of whom weren't tempting enough to lure him away from his true sweetie.

Fans squealed even louder during "When I Was Your Man," particularly when Mars got to that part about telling an ex-girlfriend he hopes her new beau buys her flowers like he should have done.

Mars' voice showed impressive range. There were times it called to mind Jackson.

"I got love for old-school music," he said to preface the vintage R&B-sounding "If I Knew," which he playfully instilled with an over-dramatic lip bite.

"That's what they used to do in those old songs, right?" Mars said. "I don't know why you bite your lip, but they always do that."

Needing to pick up the tempo again as the show neared its encore, Mars reached for his guitar and "Grenade." The horn section went full-throttle once more, as laser-ish lights, of a baby blue hue, scanned the crowd.

Mars pounded out a drum solo to launch the encore that began with "Locked Out of Heaven." Confetti cannons -- all the rage this year -- poured gold flecks on fans in the front rows, while fire shot out of a half-dozen tubes on followup song "Gorilla."

There wasn't a sense of spontaneity to the show. Mars said it was good to finally play Pittsburgh, though he didn't make mention that he was named after the city's "living legend" wrestler, Bruno Sammartino.

Though the fans that filled about 90 percent of Consol Energy Center's closed-end stage setup didn't seem to mind, especially when Mars flashed one of his big, beaming smiles.

English singer Ellie Goulding, 26, opened the concert, showcasing her expansive voice with its interesting shades of softness, rasp and a slight quiver. Several songs she sang while pounding on drums as she danced. Her best numbers combined synth-pop and thumping percussion, including "Figure 8," "I Need Your Love" and "Starry Eyed."