Before Bruno Mars took the stage for The Romantic Tour’s sold-out Soldier Field show on Saturday, Anderson .Paak performed a DJ set organized by decade.
Disguised as DJ Pee.Wee — silky bob wig and all — the artist, who is touring with Mars, played hits by ABBA and Whitney Houston for the ’70s and ’80s babies. Then, he spun “Macarena,” “Teach Me How to Dougie” and Travis Scott’s “Fein” for those born in the ’90s, early aughts and beyond. (Chicago trumpeter Maurice MOBETTA Brown provided accompaniment.)
The enthusiastic reception of each song underscored Mars’ ability to attract a multigenerational audience. People of all ages not only showed up but dressed up, donning red outfits to match the visual aesthetic of the crooner’s latest record, “The Romantic.” Women adorned their hair with roses, men tied bandannas around their heads and some even wore silk pajamas resembling his “24K Magic” album cover.
Essentially a career retrospective, Mars’ high-energy show demonstrated why he has sustained a diverse audience for more than 15 years. He deftly moved from soul, funk, R&B, rock and pop. He executed some smooth choreography for the dance lovers, belted for the ballad fans and shredded for the guitar enthusiasts. Everyone at Soldier Field Saturday appeared to be satisfied, from a young boy who passionately sang along to this year’s No. 1 hit “I Just Might” to an older woman across the aisle who declared, “This is the greatest night of my life.”
Mars followed opener Leon Thomas, who played an impressive set supported by Chicago musicians Oscar “Obie” Brown, on guitar, and Rico Nichols on drums. Wearing a dazzling red suit embroidered with a flower pattern, Mars launched into the Latin-flavored and retro soul-inspired tracks of “The Romantic.” He delivered an exciting solo on congas during “Cha Cha Cha,” and his famous backing band, the Hooligans, sounded like a well-oiled mariachi band on “Risk It All.” While performing “God Was Showing Off,” he serenaded some lucky ladies, who were captured onscreen via an “Angel Baby Cam.”
Mars also peppered in his hits from the Grammy-winning “24K Magic,” including a standout rendition of “That’s What I Like” atop a red Cadillac. The car — along with some fire effects and pyrotechnics — was one of the most elaborate elements of an otherwise simple set design. Mars changed into a few outfits, including a pretty snazzy black cape bearing the title of his album.
.Paak returned to the stage to join Mars for a few songs from their collaborative album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic.” The two delighted with some lovely harmonies and a playful vocal battle, which they called a “yearn-off,” during “Leave the Door Open.” But one of the night’s best moments happened when Mars couldn’t contain his laughter while singing a silly line from “Smokin out the Window”: “Got her bad — kids runnin’ ’round my whole crib like it’s Chuck E. Cheese.”
It was a rare moment of breaking character for Mars. If any criticism is to be levied against him, it might be that his shows are, at times, too polished. For example, the ballad “Why You Wanna Fight?” — a highlight of “The Romantic” — could have benefited from a rawer performance; though his singing was top-tier, the number, which included a dramatic drop to one knee, seemed more choreographed than organic. The lyrics of the song, like others on his latest album, don’t read as a peek into Mars’ real-life loves and heartbreaks. Even after all of his time in the industry, there’s still some mystery about the person behind the performer. “The Romantic” is his first solo effort in nearly a decade. What has happened in his life during that time, and might he ever tap into that on a record?
For now, his fans are still keen to celebrate the past. During the second set, the crowd sang every line of his older pop hits, including “Marry You,” “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Just the Way You Are.” During a superb acoustic piano set, all he had to do was hit the first chord of “When I Was Your Man” to elicit screams. He closed with “Uptown Funk” and “Dance With Me,” remarkably ending a night with vocals as strong as when it began. And he’ll do it all again at another sold-out show at Soldier Field on Sunday.
“Chicago, I love you forever,” he said. “Could I stay with you forever?”
At this point, who is going to say no?
Bruno Mars’ set list for May 16, 2026 at Soldier Field
Risk It All
Cha Cha Cha
On My Soul
24K Magic
Treasure
God Was Showing Off
I Just Might
Perm
Why You Wanna Fight?
Oh Girl / I Miss You / You Are Everything / I Want to Be Your Man
That’s What I Like
Something Serious
With Silk Sonic
Blast Off
Silk Sonic Intro
777
Fly as Me
Smokin Out the Window
Leave the Door Open
Second set
Marry You
Die With a Smile
It Will Rain / Talking to the Moon / When I Was Your Man
Versace on the Floor (Instrumental0
Locked Out of Heaven
Just the Way You Are
Uptown Funk
Encore
Dance With Me
