Bruno Mars Reopens Mexico City’s Renovated Estadio GNP Seguros With ‘3 Beautiful Fiestas’ (Live Review)

When a major renovation was first announced for Mexico City’s 65,000-capacity Foro Sol, promoter OCESA planned to reopen the stadium in late September with a run of shows by Metallica. But then an opportunity came about to book Bruno Mars, who hadn’t toured extensively outside of his Vegas residencies since 2018, and the major Mexican promoter pounced on the chance to book the Grammy Award-winning pop star. So the venue’s team put in extra work (with 1,000 people on average working per day for a total of 710,000 man-hours over 177 days, a combined effort from 15 companies) to move up the reopening to early August — an effort that paid off with three dazzling performances from Mars.

Pollstar was fortunate enough to be in the audience for the second night of Mars’ Aug. 8, 10-11 run at the stadium now known as Estadio GNP Seguros. He opened the show with the super catchy “24K Magic,” the title track of his 2016 album, which won seven Grammy awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the tune. The funkalicious song was just the thing to set the mood for the night. With bursts of gold fireworks going off above the stage throughout the performance and Mars sporting a Hawaiian-style Aloha shirt and his signature red bandana in his Afro, it was clear we were here to party.

And with the revamped Estadio GNP Seguros, there was lots to celebrate. The renovations included a new 139,930.84 square foot roof that serves to protect fans from the sun and rain, while also collecting rainwater to be stored and subsequently reused for sustainable purposes such as flushing toilets, washing floors and watering plants. Additional sustainability upgrades include the use of LED lamps and equipment with minimum power consumption. Improvements to the building that enhance the fan experience include new and improved spaces for food and beverage consumption, increased restrooms, indoor lighting and on the periphery of the venue for increased visibility and safety, panoramic-view elevators and more accessible spaces for fans in need, and more than 280 state-of-the-art screens throughout the venue to improve the viewing of the shows.

Whether showing off more of his high-energy songs like the funk-pop/disco “Treasure” or sensual tracks like the R&B jam “Calling All My Lovelies” (with Mars using an old school phone to call up a “señorita” to tell her he’s in Mexico right now) and ballads like “When I Was Your Man,” the always charming Mars proved why he’s earned a reputation as one of the ultimate modern showman and a strong case for the “Prince of Pop.” From his smooth dance moves to strong vocals to playing multiple instruments (including the piano, guitar and bongos), Mars effortlessly does it all. And then of course, there’s his ultra-talented backing band, the Hooligans, who showed off their fancy footwork and instrumental chops along with Mars.  

Mars’ setlist was packed with hits including “Finesse,” “That’s What I Like,” “Marry You,” “Locked Out Of Heaven,” and “Just The Way You are” along with “Leave The Door Open,” his Grammy-Award winning collaboration with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic. 

The admiration Mars has for his band is apparent including giving individual members the chance to show off their skills with solos. 

One especially touching moment for the crowd in Mexico City was when keyboard player John Fossit played the traditional Mexican folk song “Cielito Lindo.”

Other covers included a guitar solo take on “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” 

The show wrapped in a grand fashion with a finale performance of “Uptown Funk” that was preceded by a cover of the electrocumbia banger “El Sonidito,” by the Hechizeros Band, which hails from Nayarit, Mexico, with Mars playing bongos as red and green lights flashed in honor of the Mexican flag.

Following the final show of his Mexico City run, Mars posted a video on Instagram of himself donning a gold luchador mask and having a good ol’ time around the capital, from wandering a mercado, petting a Chihuahua, playing soccer and showing off his wrestling moves. 

“Gracias Mexico City for 3 beautiful fiestas,” Mars wrote in his caption on Instagram Aug. 12. “I got to live out a childhood dream and be a luchador for a day. Premiering my now signature move: The Oaxaca Shaka 🍋‍🟩 🤙👁️🩸 ™️ Te quiero MUCHO Mexico Te quiero MUUUUUCCCHHHOOOOO!!!!! Please enjoy this club banger until I return!!! Sincerly, Your Brunito #ThisIsTheBesta!!! ♥️ 🇲🇽”

Mars last played Mexico in 2018, a four-show run that included two nights at Foro Sol that sold a total of 115,147 tickets and grossed $8,665,384 (161,637,455 pesos), according to reports submitted to Pollstar Boxoffice.  

Booked by WME’s John Marx, Mars has another set of milestone performances coming up with his Aug. 15-16 gigs opening the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. A few days later he returns to Vegas to resume his residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, with performances scheduled through Sept. 1. He also has shows lined up in Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia in September, followed by 14 dates booked in Brazil in October and November.