As Bruno Mars took the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 10 to peel back the red velvet curtain on his 77-city, nine-country The Romantic Tour, he celebrated a day packed with more milestones than most artists achieve in an entire career. The spectacle of accolades included a parade courtesy of MGM Resorts, home to his record-breaking residency; a day and street named in his honor; the key to the city; a state flag from the governor; a pop-up merch shop with icon Hello Kitty; the launch of his first American football stadium tour, and a new title, “The King of Las Vegas,” among other honors.
At the first of two Las Vegas nights, the lights dimmed just before 9 p.m. The sold-out crowd was beckoned into the church of Mars via a video intro, where the evening’s spiritual leader (Mars) — a lone Romantic kneeling in prayer — casts a blessing over the audience, vowing to protect all who have entered this sacred space and promising to give the city a show “it would never forget.”
As the stage blazed into view, Mars emerged from a fragmented glow of prismatic stained glass — embedded with a single allegorical red rose — a man on a mission, ready to “Risk It All” for romance.
Choosing to open with “Risk It All,” the second single from Mars’ 2026 album The Romantic, is a surprising move — a ballad in a slot typically reserved for a big bang. But it immediately established the night’s emotional thesis: all-or-nothing love, played out in sweeping highs and funky (not-so) lows. That sense of frenzy and fever became the throughline of a cinematic concert experience that unfolded across the full 26-song set list.
Mars is a flawless performer, from his vocal range to his musical artistry and showmanship. In the live setting, he locked into his character, audience and band in a way that transcended his four albums, taking fans on an interstellar ride through his musical canon.
Here are the best moments from opening night.
The Live Debuts
Mars fully embraced opening night as a way to share new material from The Romantic, and because he hasn’t performed much of it outside of the Grammys, the show was packed with live debuts. In fact, eight of the album’s nine songs made the setlist (except “Nothing Left”). They are woven through the first chapter alongside some of his earlier blockbuster hits.
Sequencing out of “Risk It All,” “Cha Cha Cha” pulled the crowd straight into a funk dreamscape as he hit the congas, releasing a flood of energy. Then “On My Soul” arrived as a pyrotechnic spectacle; it’s clear no one lights up an arena quite like the expanded band, a 12-member Hooligans to support this major effort. After those three live debuts, there was a reimagined version of “24K Magic” in the air, followed by “Treasure,” before veering back to the all-new “God Was Showing Off,” complete with an angel baby cam spotlighting sweet faces in the crowd.
“I Just Might” kept the momentum before the James Brown-coded “Perm” mashed up with “Finesse” — cape and all — created a moment of frenzy. Then came the shift: “Why You Wanna Fight?” and a “Low Rider” medley featuring classics like The Chi-Lites’ “Oh Girl,” The Stylistics’ “Everything” and Roger Troutman’s “I Want to Be Your Man”to explore the other side of love — the tension, the unraveling — underscored by stormy visuals and a classic red low rider rolling onto the stage, a wink to Bruno Mars’ “Drive.”
“Something Serious” arrived with a searing, guitar-driven intensity that channeled a full-on, Hendrix-style jam session. A Silk Sonic reunion followed this first chapter, then a third scene of “Bruno bangers,” ending with the night’s final live debut and the closer, the melodic slow-dance jam “Dance With Me.”
The Return of Silk Sonic
Not surprisingly, Anderson .Paak’s alter ego, DJ Pee Wee, is Mars’ opener for The Romantic Tour. What the audience was not expecting was a full-scale Silk Sonic reunion that brought .Paak onstage with Mars for a second chapter dedicated to their supergroup and its 2021 award-winning album. This was the first time they have performed as Silk Sonic in almost four tears. The show-within-a-show featured their five hits: “Blast Off,” “777,” “Fly as Me,” “Smokin Out the Window,” and “Leave the Door Open.”
Gambling Debt-Free
Leading into “Leave the Door Open,” the duo exchanged banter about Mars’ often gossiped-about love of gambling. “When I think about how much debt … I mean how many steps it took to get here,” .Paak joked. In return, Mars clapped back, “I’m debt-free. I paid the casino off a long time ago.”
No Album Left Unplayed
All four of Mars’ albums and his major collaborations received love throughout the two-hour event. Mars threaded together his biggest hits from 24K Magic, Unorthodox Jukebox and Doo-Wops & Hooligans, blending the eras into a cohesive work that feels timeless. The set also dipped into “It Will Rain,” “Uptown Funk” and the Gaga duet “Die With a Smile.”
Superstar-Coded
While many acts feel compelled to lean into the cliché “Viva Las Vegas” bonus track during their Strip tour stop, Mars didn’t overstate the obvious. He isn’t just Sammy, Dean or Frank; he is the entire Rat Pack in one. Don’t forget Elvis, Hendrix, Prince and Michael Jackson — and, of course, James Brown — all omnipresent in his superstar-coded performance style.
Earlier in the day, during his parade, where he was called the “new King of Las Vegas,” he became the second celebrity in history to have a street named after him connected to the Las Vegas Strip, as Park Avenue was renamed Bruno Mars Drive. (Sammy, Frank and Dean’s streets do not intersect with Las Vegas Boulevard.) The first was Elvis Presley, marking a true full-circle moment — as a kid, he performed as an Elvis impersonator.
www.billboard.com
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