The show typically ends with Mars performing an encore of "Uptown Funk" (2014). It received a positive reception from music critics, who praised the energy and the singer's showmanship. The concert residency was promoted by Live Nation and MGM Resorts, lasted eight years, and grossed $114.3 million. The April 2020 shows were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, the residency won Top R&B Tour.
Background and development
On October 10, 2016, Entertainment Tonight announced that Bruno Mars had signed a two-year deal with MGM Resorts International to perform at the Park Theater in Las Vegas and the Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.[1] This was Mars' second concert residency, after performing at The Chelsea.[2] The president of MGM Resorts International, Bill Hornbuckle, was quoted as saying "There is no stronger launching pad for a new venue than for Mars to be among the first to grace its stage".[1] The singer was among the first to perform at MGM National Harbor, as well as the first to perform at the new Park Theater, which, at the time, featured 5,300 seats, as well as brand new audio and visual technology.[3][4] The concert residency was promoted by Live Nation and occasionally by MGM Resorts.[5][6][7]
The first show of the residency took place on December 27, 2016, at the theater at MGM National Harbor. It was followed by two shows on December 30 and 31 of 2016 at the Park Theater, in Las Vegas.[5] In 2017, the singer performed a total of eight shows, two at the theater at MGM National Harbor and the other six at the Park Theater. He also took the stage on December 30 and 31, similar to the previous year.[6][7][8] In 2018, Mars performed shows in February and July, all at The Park Theater.[9][10][11] In 2019, he performed at the Park Theater in April, May and September.[12][13]
In 2020, the singer only performed on March 6 and 7, both at the Park Theater, mainly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] In 2021, Mars returned to perform at the Park Theater and MGM National Harbor from early July until late August.[16] He continued performing in October at the both aforementioned venues.[17][18] In mid-October, the Park Theater was renamed "Dolby Live", and the theater's sound system was upgraded to use Dolby Atmos surround sound technology as part of an agreement with Dolby.[19] Mars continued his performances at both the venues aforementioned into December 2021.[20][21]
In 2022, Mars performed seven shows, two at MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, three at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, and two at Dolby Live in Las Vegas, including the New Year's Eve show.[22][23][24] In 2023, Mars performed in January and February at Dolby Live.[25] Extra show dates for May and June 2023 were later added to the lineup at Dolby Live, except for two in June at The Theater at MGM National Harbor.[26][27][28] In August, the final five show dates were added, including one on New Year's Eve.[29]
In 2024, various shows were scheduled, including one on January 6 for the MGM Cotai in Macau.[30] Several other concerts were scheduled in Las Vegas at Dolby Live throughout the rest of the year, including shows in February, June, August, September and December.[31][32][33]
Cancelled and rescheduled shows
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Mars avoided close contact with fans at his shows on March 6 and 7, 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[34] Moreover, MGM Resorts announced the cancellation of shows planned for April 20, 24, and 25 at the Park Theater due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On April 26, 2021, it was announced that Mars was to return to perform more concerts at the venue beginning on Fourth of July weekend.[35] The scheduled shows sold out within minutes after being announced.[36] On July 22, 2021, Mars postponed his July 23 and 24 shows to August 27 and 28 due to "unforeseen circumstances", according to a spokesperson for MGM Resorts.[37]
Concert synopsis
The concert, which had a runtime of 90 to 95 minutes, opened either with "24K Magic" or "Finesse".[38][39] During the show, Mars would split the fans in half "to see who was loudest". During the concert, the song "Runaway Baby" was interluded with The Isley Brothers' single "Shout", and as Mars sang "A little bit softer now..." he and his band, The Hooligans, would fall to the ground, only to rise again, ending the track. There was also a mash-up of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire", the latter of which featured Mars. He also covered "Pony" by Ginuwine and gave "Grenade" a guitar solo, transforming it into a rock song.[38][40] Mars sang the ballad "When I Was Your Man" alone on the stage.[39] Afterwards, his band came back to perform "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Just the Way You Are" with him. During the 2017 New Year's Eve show, as the performance of "Locked Out of Heaven" ended, the power went out onstage. The show closed with an encore of "Uptown Funk". The concert included fire cannons and a large sign that spelled out 'Bruno Mars'.[38]
During the New Year's Eve show on December 31, 2021, Usher joined Mars on stage. They sang Usher's 2001 single "U Got It Bad" together as Mars played the piano, and Usher's "U Don't Have to Call" while Mars played the guitar and both danced side-by-side. After this number, Usher left the stage and watched the rest of the show from the Dolby Live VIP section.[42]
Reception
The residency was met with positive reviews from critics. Mike Weatherford from Las Vegas Review-Journal, while reviewing Mars' 2017 New Years concert, commented: "If the casinos could genetically engineer the perfect entertainment machine, Mars is it."[38] Weatherford gave the show an A rating.[38] Writing for the same publication, John Katsilometes dubbed the performance "extraordinary" and "classic".[41] When reviewing Mars and Usher's show, Katsilometes wrote that these two kings "won the hand and rocked the house at Dolby Live at Park MGM".[42]Las Vegas Weekly's Brock Radke noted that "the modern age of Vegas entertainment hasn't had a hotter, more relevant regular than Bruno Mars".[39]
As of August 27, 2021, Billboard's Boxscore reported that Mars grossed $53.2 million and sold 201,000 tickets after playing 41 shows. The ten shows played between July and August 2021 had the highest per-show gross, per-show attendance, and per-ticket price out of the entire residency.[43] In late September, his theater residency was the highest-grossing in the MGM franchise at $56.2 million.[16] In late 2021, Billboard's Boxscore reported that Mars had the top R&B/hip-hop tour of the year, as well as the top-earning residency of 2021 with $24.4 million and 240,000 tickets sold that year.[44] The residency won Top R&B Tour at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.[45] As of December 2024, the residency's Las Vegas shows have grossed $124.5 million from a total 410,000 tickets sold.[46]
Shows
List of concerts, showing date, city, venue, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
