Wembley Stadium is awash with crimson as the Bruno Mars operation rolls into town for the first of a six night run. The tour is named for the diminutive singer’s 2026 album The Romantic. Mars is feeling amorous and the Saturday night crowd is very happy to be romanced, clad in red and brandishing hand fans that read “Hot for Bruno”.
He starts with a prayer, a kitschy video in which he asks for a hand giving the audience a show we’ll never forget, before emerging in a puff of dry ice. Stained glass behind him and twinkling fairy lights all around, it’s half seedy club, half church service as he barrels into Risk It All. Is this show meant to be a spaghetti western or a 50s high school prom? The Romantic Tour bravely asks: why not both?
It’s been a summer of inventive stadium productions designed to bring the crowd into the action (Metallica’s 360-degree stage, BTS’s huge X-shaped setup, Harry Styles’ themed quadrants), so it’s almost strange to see a set that keeps its audience at arm’s length. Mars has no B-stage, no catwalk to strut down and there’s absolutely no question of anyone flying anywhere over anything – just a good old-fashioned proscenium arch for a show that leans more on Mars’ stage presence than pyro and pageantry.
Mars sings every line like it’s his big solo, head thrown back, neck vein popping. He has a great voice, strong and supple, but when every vocal is delivered as a knockout, it punctures the effect. His stage patter seems stuck in the past: he dedicates croony ode to beauty God Was Showing Off to the ladies and Why You Wanna Fight? to the lads. Women, eh? Great to look at but they come with all those pesky thoughts and feelings, amiright boys?
The women of Wembley don’t seem to mind: and Mars is such a showman that even tossing the mic from one hand to the other feels like a moment. Anderson .Paak joins him for a segment dedicated to their side project Silk Sonic, bringing with him a welcome change of pace and a pint that he downs in deference to British culture. The high point of the show is Locked Out of Heaven, Mars’ 2012 hit and a near-perfect pop song that he delivers with as much enthusiasm as if it were brand new. It’s a fun show but unforgettable? That prayer went unanswered.
• Various dates at Wembley Stadium until 28 July
