Bruno Mars appeared determined to lift the nation's mood during the first of his six nights at Wembley Stadium on Thursday. His last UK performance came in July 2018, shortly after England had been knocked out of the men's World Cup semi-finals. Eight years later, history had repeated itself — but the showman, wearing an England football scarf, Union Jack bucket hat and clutching a Paddington Bear, energised a 75,000-strong, multi-generational crowd.
The show began with a pre-recorded video of Mars praying in a church for a good performance, before he emerged beneath visuals of a stained-glass window in a red suit bejewelled with roses. It was a suitably theatrical opening to a two-hour, 15-minute set. But for those who had avoided spoilers, Risk It All, a slow R&B ballad from Mars' latest album, The Romantic, was perhaps an unexpected opener.
“Bruno Mars opens six-night Wembley run with romantic, hit-filled show for 75,000 fans.”
Any surprise was short-lived. Within minutes, Mars sat behind a pair of bright red congas for Cha Cha, signalling the start of a set that moved between R&B, funk, Latin influences and pop. It was an early glimpse of what was to come as he declared: "London, it's time to party." The crowd quickly accepted the invitation. From then on, neither Mars nor his fans stood still.
24K Magic and Treasure prompted one of the night's biggest singalongs. As Mars sang "put your pinky rings up to the moon", thousands of little fingers rose into the air. The opening run of songs showed why Mars has remained one of pop's most reliable live performers. Rather than relying on one sound, he moved between genres without ever losing the crowd.
Romance has always been at the heart of the singer's music, and it soon became the focus of the show. "Tonight we sing about love," he told the crowd after Treasure, before introducing the Angel Baby Cam, a segment in which fans' reactions were projected onto the giant screens as he serenaded them. It was one of several moments that played into his trademark romantic showmanship. Later, he even emerged wearing a cape emblazoned with the words The Romantic, which appeared to nod to soul legend James Brown.
In the years between his solo releases, Mars has focused on collaborations, most notably Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak, a partnership he has previously described as "natural and organic." That chemistry was evident as Anderson .Paak joined Mars on stage for a four-song Silk Sonic segment, with the pair delivering tightly choreographed performances that thrilled the crowd.
After nearly a decade away from UK audiences, Mars proved why fans had snapped up tickets in record numbers. The show ended with the promise of more to come — five more nights at Wembley, each likely to be just as packed.