What’s a leather-clad, metalhead chick doing at Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic concert? Easy. The man’s pure gold—24 karats of it, to be exact.

It all started back in 2010 when I first heard Grenade. One minute I was headbanging to heavy riffs, next thing you know, I was scream-singing “I’d catch a grenade for ya!” like I’d just been personally wronged. The melody? Insanely catchy. The lyrics? Surprisingly deep. And Bruno? Let’s just say the man didn’t just bring vocals—he brought the gospel. His high, crystal-clear notes soared above the sea of auto-tuned synth-pop and smacked me right in my musical soul.

So yes, this metal chick showed up—eyeliner sharp, horns imaginary, and all—for the 24K Magic Tour in the Philippines. And spoiler alert: I left bedazzled. Here’s my review.

What Happened at Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic Concert in the Philippines?

May 3, 2018 — Mall of Asia Arena: A sea of sequins, soul, and sheer excitement. Old fans, new fans, and probably a few converted titas came together, buzzing with anticipation to witness the one and only Bruno Mars moonwalk, sidestep, and smooth-talk his way through a glorious 90-minute funk fest. Yes, friends — this was night one of his 2-day, sold-out 24K Magic World Tour in Manila, and it was nothing short of electric.

Warming up the stage (and setting it on metaphorical fire) were the legendary Jabbawockeez. These masked dance ninjas hypnotized the crowd with gravity-defying choreography, bass-thumping beats, and visual effects so slick, even your camera roll got jealous.

An hour in — boom! The drapes flew up and the stage setup dropped jaws like confetti. Think hydraulic lifts, LED disco floors straight out of Studio 54, and pyrotechnics that exploded so loud, I may have aged a year each time they went off. My poor heart wasn’t ready — but my soul? Oh, it was dancing already.

Kicking off with Finesse, Mars was joined on stage by The Hooligans, a seven-piece backing band that was the perfect harmonizing, two-stepping accompaniment to their frontman. The crowd went crazy when they played the second song, 24K Magic and that was just to get the crowd hype.

Throughout the evening, Mars, with his trademark swagger, served up a smorgasbord of hits from his last three albums belting out crowd favorites from Treasure, Locked Out Of Heaven to Versace on the Floor, Marry Me, and Calling All My Lovelies.

There were little breaks of Bruno talking to us and introducing certain songs, but for the most part he kept the momentum going, from one to another while still delivering his dance moves and high octanes without a fault.

He let the crowd cool off and gave the band a break as he stepped up to the mic to sing the ballad When I Was Your Man. He sung with so much passion you could almost spy a tear trickling down his face. It was a huge moment vocally and the audience sang along like it was karaoke night. And out of nowhere, someone nearby screamed “Bruno, I love you!” in a deep, manly voice and got people in our area laughing.

I was pleasantly surprised by Bruno’s sense of humor. He teased, “If you’re gonna be quiet, we’re gonna be quiet too” and proceeded to perform with the Hooligans playing at an incredibly low volume to the point when they were just miming. And those times when he’d mention about his fans being on their phones but would jokingly do some cheesy poses (to be posted on their Instagram) before putting their devices away.

The set ended with Just The Way You Are which Bruno dedicated to me *wink* (and everyone else in the arena). We sang it back to him and he intro’d his band before leaving the stage.

Bruno left Uptown Funk for encore. The crowd was on its feet, reveling in the 70s funk-ignited moment before two firemen appeared, discharging fire extinguishers as if to quell the heat Mars had released into the room.

The heartbreak of the night? Grenade didn’t make the setlist. I came ready to scream “I’d catch a grenade for ya!” at the top of my lungs, but alas — Bruno left me emotionally holding the pin.

Bruno Mars Set-list for his 24k Magic Tour in Manila, Philippines 2018

• Finesse
• 24K Magic
• Treasure
• Perm
• Calling All My Lovelies
• Chunky
• That’s What I Like
• Versace on the Floor
• Marry You
• Runaway Baby
• When I Was Your Man
• Locked Out of Heaven
• Just the Way You Are
• Uptown Funk (encore)

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