Bruno Mars brought his first world tour in nine years to Raymond James Stadium this past weekend, and Tampa showed up twice. Both Saturday and Sunday nights sold out, a big jump from his last local stop at Benchmark International Arena during the 2017 24K Magic tour.
The setlist covered sixteen years of music, including seven songs from his new album “The Romantic.” Mars rotated between drums, guitar, and keys, and worked in a red Cadillac segment honoring old-school R&B. Anderson.Paak opened the night as DJ Pee Wee with a thirty-minute set, then returned for a full Silk Sonic segment. British singer RAYE, a seven-time Brit Award winner, opened with six songs of her own. Fans dealt with September heat and humidity the way Floridians do, with cold drinks and battery-operated hand fans allowed inside the stadium.
The moment that traveled fastest online came near the end, when a 70-year-old superfan appeared on the “Angel Baby Cam” and Mars told her, “I’m gonna call you.” The show closed with “Uptown Funk!” Did you make it to either night, or are you already checking tour dates for the next one?
