By Catherine Nguyen & Sheris Mendiola, Courier Staff Writers
On November 3rd, I attended Bruno Mars’ concert at Oracle Arena and experienced an amazing performance up close.
With his witty and humorous acts in between songs, Mars truly connected the audience together. His excited fans were grooving to the music and living in the moment together.
The opening act starred Jorja Smith, whose music complements Mars’ funky and fresh tunes with a more laid back chill. Despite her visual performance lacking the usual choreography and props, Smith’s music was both inspirational and moving.
About twenty minutes later, once Bruno Mars appeared on stage, a wave of cheers and clamors swept across the audience. Working in perfect sync with his band, his electrifying visuals really upped the vibe in the arena. Mars and his dancers’ signature style, combined with the piercing lights and roaring flames, left the audience wholly exhilarated.
Mars’ band, The Hooligans, stayed on point and enhanced his performance by dancing while playing their instruments. “It was exciting and fun getting to listen to his songs which I listen to a lot”, said senior Rachel Ocampo.
Throughout the show, flames periodically sprung from the sides of the stage. There was even entire light show consisting of his hit song, “Gorilla”, from his older album “Unorthodox Jukebox”.
Mars’ amazing guitar skills weren’t the only thing mesmerizing the audience. The middle of his performance also featured a thrilling piano solo from one of his band members.
Finally, the concert audience was equally immense as diverse, with fans of all ages hailing from various cities. It was particularly difficult for drivers to find parking and leave the stadium. Once we began heading home, the traffic congestion was so extensive that we were stuck in a complete standstill for 10 minutes. Personally, I suggest going to Mars’ and other performer’s concerts by BART, which negates the need to arrive and leave early.