C H ▲ S E R .

Monday, May 9, 2011

Hooligans in Wondaland (Review).

Bruno Mars + Janelle Monae

All together, a really well put together show! The opening act, a British rapper, Plan B, did not seem to blend with the other two artists, stylistically, which was proven by the moans and groans coming from the majority of the audience members who were less than enthusiastic to hear beat boxing. After his set, there was a slight intermission as Janelle Monae's stage was brought on. I was unexpectedly impressed by her elaborate stage direction for such a miniscule stage, ie. four piece orchestra, on-stage costume changes, and intricate dance routines. Shortly following her 45 minute set, the performer whom the crowd was (impatiently!) awaiting, finally arrived. Bruno took his place, guitar in hand, with three trumpet players, a drummer, a bassist, and a backup singer, on a much larger stage than the other artists had performed on. His set consisted of each and every song on his album, including all of his #1 hits, mixed in with a few covers. Because it was the first night of the tour, his voice had never sounded stronger. The crowd knew the lyrics to most every song and continued to profess their love for Mr. Mars with the more than occasional "Marry me!" poster that would pop up. It became obvious that Bruno's passion for performing runs so deep and throughout the rest of the night it was more than apparent that Bruno Mars was made for entertaining.

Overall: 4.5/5