Bruno Mars Is the Greatest Showman Alive on The Romantic Tour

Bruno Mars tears off his jacket in Hulk-like fashion, gets hit by the ghost of Tito Puente, and takes to the congas for “Cha Cha.” The crowd could feel him connecting directly with his Puerto Rican father, Peter Hernandez, a salsa percussionist from Brooklyn. It was a moment in a concert full of them.

Friday night at a sold-out MetLife Stadium, the first of four nights on The Romantic Tour , Mars didn’t just deliver a love letter to Black and Latin music, he cemented his place as this generation’s greatest showman.

The nearly two-hour set opened with a clip of Mars kneeling in a Mexican-style church, praying for everyone’s safety and a show they’d never forget. The man who’s been training for this since he was a 4-year-old Elvis impersonator delivered. Dressed in a bright red charro suit with two perfectly placed gold chains, he opened with “Risk It All,” a bolero that set the tone for a night built entirely around love.

“We’re celebrating love tonight,” he told the crowd, a sea of fans in “24K Magic” silk short suits, red bandanas, and a few dressed in wedding attire inspired by the “Risk It All” video. From there, pinkies hit the sky for “24K Magic” before his perfectly crafted “Treasure” put the synchronized choreography of The Hooligans on full display. It’s Motown-worthy.

Here’s what separates Mars from every other stadium act working today: He doesn’t save the spectacle for the finale. Fireworks, pyrotechnics, and confetti erupted throughout. On “Just Might,” every hip thrust drew swoons. On “Perm,” draped in a James Brown-style cape reading “The Romantic” across the back, every pimp step landed with ohhs and ahhs as Mars and his crew delivered their finest Commodores impression.

Then, naturally, a vintage cherry-red Cadillac rolled onto the stage. “I see this car and it gets me in my feelings,” he said. “We used to take this to the park and sing all our favorite slow jams.” A cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” melted into “That’s What I Like.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

“Something Serious” was the night’s crown jewel, a full celebration of Latin music that felt like the Latin Grammys. It opened with Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s “La Murga,” wove in riffs from “La Bamba” and “La Pulga,” and closed with a Santana-like guitar solo felt in the heavens.