Bruno Mars and Pharrell: Hollywood Swinging at the Hollywood Bowl

This past year has been quite a whirlwind for Bruno Mars and Pharrell, so there is no question why these two funky superstars wouldn’t share the same stage for the Moonshine Jungle Tour. In 2013, Pharrell penned some infectious summer hits including Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” He also sparked a worldwide craze with fans creating their own versions to his “Happy” video and releasing his sophomore album, G I R L. Bruno Mars has also added to his impressive resume in the last year: Touring in Las Vegas, winning Best Pop Vocal album at the 56th Grammy Awards, not to mention headlining this year’s Super Bowl halftime show with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s no wonder why Mars wanted to bring a fellow pop star to wow the crowd with a little funk, soul, and rock in the Hollywood hills.

Mars held a two-night experience at the Hollywood Bowl and Saturday was the opening night to a sold-out crowd filled with celebrities and fans of all ages. Many concert-goers showed their spirit by dressing up as Mars and sporting tour paraphernalia.The man who wears many artistic hats, Pharrell accompanied by his infamous hat, opened the show with the disco-inspired Daft Punk song, “Lose Yourself to Dance” before going into his latest single, “Come Get it Bae.” Pharrell engaged the crowd with a backdrop of neon graphics along with his band, and all-female background dancers and singers known as “The Baes.” For the true-blue Skateboard P fans, he made sure to perform songs from his solo debut album and his N.E.R.D. days. He tried to keep the profanity in his songs a bit more G-rated since he noticed there were plenty of children in the audience and he wanted to keep the show family-friendly. He then went into a medley of hit tunes he penned for artists such as Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and Jay-Z, which gained a great reaction as fans sang and danced along. However, to everyone’s surprise he brought out his longtime friend who he referred to as the “Queen of Awesome,” singer Gwen Stefani. The exhilarated crowd rocked out of their seats as they sang every word and shouted, “B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”  to her massive hit, “Hollaback Girl.”

Pharrell then gave the audience a retro summertime vibe singing “Blurred Lines” and “Get Lucky” before ending the set with his hit song, “Happy.” His suave appearance and humble mentality displayed emphatically across the stage. For fans that weren’t too familiar with his music, they learned about his music versatility, as well as his calm, cool, and collected presence on stage.  Pharrell’s performance was a solid introduction for fans that will see him embark on his own “Dear G I R L” tour coming later this year. Pharrell was always known as the man behind-the-scenes in music, however this tour gave him a chance to advance himself as an artist in the forefront.

Mars on the other hand, has always been the artist who would front his own band. Anyone can tell from watching his performances that he draws inspiration from Elvis Presley and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Set to a jungle ambiance including wilderness sounds and a forest backdrop, Mars brought a neo-Motown vibe to Hollywood. The singer started his set with songs from his latest album Unorthodox Jukebox such as “Moonshine” and “Treasure,” with his all-male soulful doo-wop band backing him up throughout the night. Mars displayed an aura of musicianship with a smashing rock-n-roll guitar solo similar to rockers like Lenny Kravitz or Slash as he performed his rendition of the Barrett Strong song, “Money (That’s What I Want).” He slowed things down a bit for all the lovers in the crowd as he sang songs from his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans such as “First Time” before jet-setting into his own covers to classic R&B songs made popular by Ginuwine and R. Kelly.

The sweetness of his song “Marry You” and the James Brown-inspired synchronized steps between Mars and his band on “Runaway Baby” was a funky transition to get the crowd back in a partying mood.

“I’ve been living in LA for over ten years and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the Hollywood Bowl,” said Mars as he reiterated how years ago, people could watch him and his band play at every local bar in the Los Angeles area. To give the audience a taste of his past bar performances, he jumped into a stellar Led Zeppelin classic.

Mars continued to dazzle the crowd with classic R&B renditions from Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison” to Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” to Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step” and ending with Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.”

Neon laser lights, fire pyromania and a large disco ball reflected to the audience throughout the night as Mars ended his set with his songs “Grenade” and “Just The Way You Are.” The crowd gave Mars a standing ovation filled with whistles and chants as he came back for an encore presentation of a drum solo before performing “Locked Out of Heaven.” He mentioned to the audience how he grew up listening to Pharrell and felt honored to share the tour with him. He welcomed Pharrell back on the stage as the two rocked out together to the N.E.R.D. hit song, “Rock Star.”

To close out the Moonshine Jungle Tour, it was only fitting for Mars to perform “Gorilla” as fireworks filled the night sky. Positive grooves were felt the entire night as Mars brought a Fourth of July vibe to the outdoor show.

Mars is a performer who can cater to fans of all ages, as his inspiration derives from classic rock and old-school R&B for his older fans, to meshing his music with new-age hip hop and pop for the younger generation.

So what’s the melody behind Bruno Mars and Pharrell? These are two artists who are not distinguished by genre, but liberated by their musicianship, creativity, artistry, and showmanship.