Silk Sonic’s 25-date run at Park MGM’s Dolby Live theater is going to be the sexiest party of the year. Bruno Mars, one half of the superduo, tweeted so himself, so it must be true. An Evening With Silk Sonic, the residency, is also the only way to catch Mars with his faithful neo-soul companion Anderson .Paak, who is scheduled to open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers this summer. Starting Feb. 25-26 and continuing on selected dates through May 29, Mars and .Paak will make live music magic exclusively in Las Vegas.
What that will entail remains a mystery until the debut concert, but the first lyrics the audience hears will likely be, “Who y’all came to see tonight? / Who gon’ get the ladies feeling somethin’?” from “Silk Sonic Intro” as .Paak locks the groove down tight from behind his drum kit. The opening track from An Evening with Silk Sonic, the album, seems designed to open a show featuring music that pays homage to styles from the pre-rap ’70s. Translating that vibe into a live presentation is key.
There will be a lot more to the set list than Silk Sonic songs, though. The recording clocks in at just over a half hour, which left a lot of listeners hungry for more. Philly soul à la The Delfonics, Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium era and layered harmonies laced with the sounds of string sections and glockenspiels informed the tracks. Mars paid attention to the big picture and smallest details, while .Paak made sure the funk was not faked and maintained the flow.
The result was a No. 2 album and No. 1 single with “Leave the Door Open.” The song manages to be both heartfelt and corny at the same time (“What you smoke? / I got the haze (Purple Haze) / And if you’re hungry, girl I got filets), setting the tone for An Evening’s balance of tribute and self-parody. That spirit has to dominate the atmosphere of the Dolby Live series, or it wouldn’t be worth booking more than two dozen dates.
What will surely take place is music history. Odds are .Paak will find a place in the band for Mars’ solo songs while Mars weaves his way into .Paak tracks from the latter’s Grammy-graced oeuvre. They both had first-hand opportunities to absorb performance lessons from each other when .Paak opened for Mars on tour in 2017. Casual conversation about collaborating came to fruition during the lockdown days of the pandemic, with bassist Bootsy Collins lending his distinctive voice to the project as well as coming up with the name.
Collins making a guest appearance at the Vegas shows would be ideal. Expect Dr. Dre to be in the VIP section on opening night, as the producer’s label Aftermath is home to Silk Sonic and .Paak’s solo recordings. Signing to Aftermath placed .Paak on an exclusive roster alongside Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, but he’ll be a superstar on Mars’ level at the conclusion of this Evening.
Park MGM, Feb. 25-26, March 2, 4-5, 16, 18-19, starting at $175.50, ticketmaster.com
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