Want to close out the year on a high note? Before the calendar runs out, Bruno Mars is at Park MGM, turning the end of 2025 into a celebration.
At this point, we locals claim Mars as a Vegas native. Since 2016, he’s performed over 100 shows at Dolby Live, building something that feels less like a residency and more like permanent residence. When he first started in 2013 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, everyone warned him against it.
“Someone reached out and said, ‘Bruno, we want you to play a residency at the Cosmo,’ and everybody was telling me, ‘No! Don’t do it! This is where entertainers go to retire!’” Mars told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2024. “They were saying, ‘It’s too early in your career to be playing Vegas like that!’ But I fell in love with the city very early.”
That love has paid off, and anyone who saw those early performances at the Cosmo (myself included) could see that Mars would become a Vegas mainstay. He now holds 16 Grammy Awards (from 36 nominations), including his 2025 win with Lady Gaga for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Die With a Smile.” The collaboration also earned him a Song of the Year nomination, while “APT.” with Rosé landed three nominations at the upcoming 2026 Grammys in February. Between “Die With a Smile” and “APT.,” Mars dominated the Billboard Global 200 in 2024, holding the No. 1 spot longer than any artist that year.
Mars brings that success directly to the stage. When he performs new songs alongside his established catalog—“Uptown Funk,” “Treasure,” “Just the Way You Are,” to name a few—the setlists feel like conversations between eras, where a 2024 hit sits comfortably next to a decade-old anthem because the musicianship behind them shares the same DNA.
Speaking of musicianship: The Hooligans deserve a massive shout-out. These musicians aren’t your run-of-the-mill backup band. The horn section hits with precision, the rhythm section locks in without effort, and when Mars steps behind the drum kit or trades off with his band, you’re watching people who genuinely enjoy playing together. Dolby Live’s intimacy works in Mars’ favor, too. In the 5,200-seat theater, he commands the room whether delivering a powerhouse vocal run or letting a quiet moment breathe.
Mars has become the first artist to surpass 150 million monthly Spotify listeners, proof that his reach extends far beyond the residency circuit. But there’s something irreplaceable about seeing him live, something that streaming can’t quite capture. It’s the difference between hearing a song and feeling it move through a room full of people who showed up for the same reason you did.
If you’re looking to close out 2025 with live music that feels both current and timeless, this one delivers. No gimmicks and no manufactured nostalgia here. Just a performer who understands that great shows are built on great songs, played by great musicians, fronted by a talent who comes once in a generation.
Park MGM, 9 p.m. Dec. 30 and 8 p.m. Dec 31, starting at $604 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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