The American singer-songwriter performed his music for the masses during a record-breaking six-night run at Wembley.
Bruno Mars has spent the past 15 years making old-fashioned showmanship feel modern. A songwriter with ten Billboard Hot 100 number ones and 16 Grammy wins, he is one of the few pop stars whose catalogue can move from a wedding dancefloor to a late-night lounge without losing its identity. His appeal lies less in reinvention than refinement: soul, funk and R&B, tailored and presented with the precision of a bespoke suit.
After almost a decade away from a full headline tour, The Romantic Tour arrived at Wembley Stadium for six nights, backed by exceptional demand. Ticketmaster shifted 2.1 million tickets for the day in a single day, setting a record for the platform.
On Tuesday night, Wembley was awash with red and white. Roses, bandanas and coordinated outfits turned the walk beneath the arch into a dress code that I had evidently missed. The show opened with a pre-recorded film of Mars praying in a church, before the stage became a stained-glass tableau and he emerged in a red suit embroidered with roses.
His era-spanning setlist is split into three sections; the first is frontloaded with his greatest hits interspersed with material from The Romantic, his fourth solo album and first in a decade. Released in February, the nine-track record debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, while “I Just Might” became its first hit single.
“Risk It All” was an unexpected opener. Rather than beginning with an immediate burst of funk, Mars chose an R&B ballad from his latest album that placed the focus firmly on his intricate vocals. It proved a powerful showcase for his supple voice and remarkable control. Soon, Mars was behind bright red conga drums for “Cha Cha Cha”, beginning a flamboyant run through pop, funk and Latin rhythms with his band, The Hooligans.
Romance has always sat at the heart of Mars’ music, and here it was inflated to stadium scale. He later appeared in a cape emblazoned with “The Romantic”, one of several knowingly theatrical touches in a production built on pageantry and pomp rather than narrative. Yet for all the gyrating, the pacing was uneven. The ballads showcased his showmanship, but several created lulls as vast swathes of the audience moved from dancing on their feet to slumping in their seats
The suave second act brought Anderson .Paak onstage for Silk Sonic. Dressed in black jackets studded with diamonds, the pair possess easy chemistry and camaraderie. “Smokin Out the Window” and “Leave the Door Open” were silky highlights, framed by fireworks and a shower of oversized poker chips.
Then came an ill-judged appearance from the woman associated with the “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” meme. Her ad-lib fell entirely flat, missing the expected recognition from the predominantly British audience, and nearly erasing the memory of two of the duo’s greatest hits.
The larger issue was the staging. Mars performed almost entirely from a conventional front-facing platform, with no catwalk or satellite stage. Recent stadium shows from the Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar have incorporated intricate catwalks and platforms, while Drake performed on a rotating pendulum for his recent Wireless sets, so he could get as close to the crowd as possible. Bruno’s stadium show needed a Kanye West-style globe to allow the audience to connect and interact with their idol, especially with individual ticket costs soaring to hundreds of pounds. For all the pyrotechnics and confetti, there was a definite disconnect.
That was apparent during “Die With a Smile”. A projected globe revolved behind him as Wembley supplied Lady Gaga’s lines in a stadium-sized singalong. Mars’ vocal was faultless, but the image remained two-dimensional. An instrumental passage of “Versace on the Floor” was similarly frustrating, teasing one of his finest songs without delivering the vocal that gives it its sensual pull.
Mars remains an exceptional multi-instrumentalist. Across two hours, he moved between drums, guitar and piano, with the final act placing him at a grand piano amid plumes of smoke. An acoustic “Grenade” drew one of the night’s warmest responses, while “Locked Out of Heaven” restored momentum before “Just the Way You Are” became a communal crescendo.
By “Uptown Funk”, Wembley was standing. Beneath the illuminated arch, the stadium became a giant dancefloor as fireworks cracked above the stage and confetti filled the air. It was the home run the show needed. “Dance With Me”, however, made for a curiously muted finale after such a recognisable peak.
I last saw Mars at MDLBEAST Soundstorm in Saudi Arabia in 2022, where his fancy footwork and slick routines brought finesse to the Riyadh desert. At Wembley, he favoured vocal display over relentless choreography and omitted many of the hits he built his fanbase on, including “Billionaire” and “Beautiful Girls”. The result was accomplished and often entertaining, but less electric than his reputation suggests.
The Romantic Tour now continues through North America and Mexico before reaching Japan in January 2027. Its commercial success is beyond dispute, but Wembley revealed the difference between scale and connection. Mars remains one of pop’s great entertainers. On this occasion, the machinery occasionally outshone the man. Perhaps, after six sold-out nights for Bruno Mars at Wembley Stadium, even The Romantic needs a Jet2 holiday.
Contact: www.brunomars.com