Bruno Mars At The Chelsea, Las Vegas
Background and development
On September 24, 2013, Bruno Mars was announced as the first artist to open the new showroom, The Chelsea, which replaced the Chelsea Ballroom, at The Cosmopolitan on December 29, 2013. His performance as the headliner of the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show led to a rise in demand and increased ticket sales. A week before the latter performance, the Cosmopolitan added two more dates, October 17 and 18, 2014. John Unwin, Chief Executive Office (CEO) of The Cosmopolitan, said, "Bruno Mars is a perfect fit for The Cosmopolitan as he has a natural affinity for Las Vegas and is a true performer". On October 5, 2015, Mars was announced as the performer for the New Year's Eve 2016.
The ticket prices began at $150 for the December 29 and 31, 2013, shows and $95 for the 2014 concerts. The concerts started at 9:00 p.m. and at the New Year's Eve show, Mars counted down and celebrated the midnight hour. Godiva Chocolatier was 2013 New Year's Eve concert sponsor. The concert residency was promoted by C3 Presents.
Synopsis and reception
The stage had a triangular digital screen which projected various images such as dancing female silhouettes, moving clouds, butterflies, fireworks and others. After the opening act by DJ Supra, Mars, wearing a black blazer, graphic shirt while his bandmates were dressed in suits and suspenders, started by playing an electric guitar. During the concert, Mars and The Hooligans' dance routine featured a "Motown-inspired choreography" and the R&B/pop aesthetic form. Mars occasionally made the audience laugh with small comedic sets. As the show continued, the setlist resembled the one used in the Moonshine Jungle Tour including the energetic performances of "Treasure" and the "Billionaire" medley with Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" and the chorus of Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar". He also played "Show Me" with red, yellow and green graphics, which led to another blend between "Our First Time", Ginuwine's "Pony" and "Ignition" by R. Kelly.
The next song on the setlist was "Marry You" which included the use of dancing lights. During the performance of "If I Knew", Mars and Philip Lawrence, The Hooligans' bandleader, harmonized on the track. Next was another blend of covers, The Outfield's "Your Love", "Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe, Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It", "Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown, and Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes", with other tracks. At this point, a waterfall was displayed on the background screen, with Mars singing TLC's "Waterfalls", while guitarist Phredley Brown rapped Left Eye verses on the track. After these covers, Mars sang his piano ballad "When I Was Your Man" with the audience singing along. He then asked the crowd for suggested songs he performed an infused medley of "Billie Jean" and "Dirty Diana", both by Michael Jackson. Towards the end of the show, the audience's energy was lifted by a performance of "Just the Way You Are". The last song of the setlist, "Locked Out of Heaven", was performed as an encore while golden confetti poured down on the audience. The concert had a run time of two hours and Mars's set was 90 to 105 minutes long.
Ashley Lee of The Hollywood Reporter said that the concert was "an intimate, action-packed performance of crooning and camaraderie sprinkled with humorous remarks and improvised covers". LV Woman considered that Mars "delivered a brilliant and high-energy" performance. Las Vegas Weekly's Don Chareunsy believed the show "solidified" Mars as "one of the best live performers today. Mars can sing (anything), dance and charm the pants off audience members".
Set list
The set list given below was performed on December 29, 2013. The list evolved over the course of the concert residency, and sometimes included other numbers. These included "Gorilla" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock".
- "Money Make Her Smile"
- "Treasure"
- "Money (That's What I Want)" / "Billionaire" / "I Need a Dollar"
- "Show Me"
- "Our First Time" / Pony" / "Ignition"
- "Marry You"
- "If I Knew" / "It Will Rain"
- "Runaway Baby"
- "Your Love" / "Poison" / "This Is How We Do It" / "Every Little Step" / "Let's Talk About Sex" / "Candy Rain" / "That's the Way Love Goes"
- "Waterfalls"
- "When I Was Your Man"
- "Billie Jean" / "Dirty Diana"
- "Just the Way You Are"
- Encore
- "Locked Out of Heaven"
Shows
Date | City | Venue | Opening act | Attendance | Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 29, 2013 | Las Vegas | The Chelsea | DJ Supra | 5,800 / 5,800 | $1,062,850 |
December 31, 2013 | |||||
February 15, 2014 | Havana Brown | 6,000 / 6,000 | $659,025 | ||
February 16, 2014 | |||||
May 23, 2014 | DJ Supra | 2,900 / 5,800 | $338,903 | ||
May 24, 2014 | |||||
August 22, 2014 | N/A | 5,800 / 5,800 | $669,590 | ||
August 23, 2014 | |||||
October 17, 2014 | 5,800 / 5,800 | $682,455 | |||
October 18, 2014 | |||||
December 31, 2015 | DJ Crykit | 3,426 / 3,426 | $686,450 | ||
Total | 29,726 / 32,626 | $3,036,423 |
References
- ^ Clarke, Norm (February 5, 2014). "Cosmo cheers Bruno Mars' new orbit". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Adams, Mark (September 24, 2013). "Bruno Mars Opens Cosmopolitan's New Chelsea Concert Venue NYE Weeknd". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Frankenberg, Eric (January 24, 2019). "Bruno Mars & Maroon 5 Leave Las Vegas With Their Biggest New Year's Eve Jackpots Yet". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019.
- ^ Newsdesk (September 24, 2013). "Bruno Mars To Open The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas New Year's Eve". Travel Agent. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Bruno Mars returning to the Cosmopolitan for New Year's Eve". KVCW. October 5, 2015. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Wong, Genevieve (December 5, 2013). "Ring in the New Year with Bruno Mars". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Chareunsy, Don (January 3, 2014). "Five Thoughts on Bruno Mars' New Year's Eve Show at The Chelsea". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Bruno Mars at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan:
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. June 11, 2014. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. February 10, 2016. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Ashley (December 30, 2013). "Bruno Mars Christens the Chelsea in Las Vegas With Hits and Off-the-Cuff Covers: Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Woman, LV (December 29, 2013). "The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas Celebrates The Grand Opening of the Chelsea with a Performance By Bruno Mars". LV Woman. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.