The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour


The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars that was launched in support of his 2010 debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The tour was announced in October 2010 and included dates in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and South America.
The setlist featured most of the songs from Doo-Wops & Hooligans, and covers of Barrett Strong's "Money ", Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". Mars also performed his featured singles "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire". He performed "Grenade" or "Lighters" interpolated with "Talking to the Moon" as the show's encore.
The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour received a generally positive-to-mixed reception from music critics. They praised Mars' energy in his performances and his ability on the drums and guitar solos, as well as his showmanship. Others criticized the various covers he performed. The tour was nominated for a Pollstar award.

Background and development

On September 9, 2010, it was announced that Mars would promote his 2010 debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans as the opening act for Maroon 5 and One Republic on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour in North America. Aftewwards, Mars joined Travie McCoy to co-headline a European tour, from October 18 to November 3, 2010. Then, from November 20 until November 30, 2010, Mars performed the first dates of his headline concerts, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour, to support his debut album. Dates were announced for Europe and Oceania in January 2011. On November 11, 2010, tickets for additional dates added to the North America leg of the tour went on sale and Paradigm was later announced as the tour's producer. The initial setlist included seven songs from the Doo-Wops & Hooligans album, plus an unreleased track and three covers.
In February 2011, a co-headlining tour between Mars and Janelle Monáe was announced, dubbed the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour. This tour was completed in North America in May and June 2011, after which the Doo-Wops and Hooligans tour resumed.

Concert synopsis

American rapper Donnis opened for the first leg of the North American tour. Alex Hepburn appeared at some of the European shows, while hip-hop duo Diafrix supported Mars in Australia. Mars performed with his band, The Hooligans, that consisted of Phillip Lawrence, Phredley Brown, Jamareo Artis, Eric Hernandez, Kameron Whalum, Dwayne Dugger and James King, and Kenji Chan. Mars wore a black suit and tie at some shows in the United Kingdom. He used a Fender Stratocaster guitar. The set for the tour was 80 minutes long. Mars' shows included rehearsed comedic interludes. Critics noted the difference the backup band and the arrangements made to the sound of the live versions of the songs compared to the recordings on the album.
In some sets, Mars started by playing a drum solo, followed by the songs "The Other Side" and "Top of The World". In others, he opened by performing rock versions of the aforementioned songs, the latter with a dance breakdown. The third number on the setlist was a rock cover of "Money " by Barrett Strong. This served as an interlude before Mars featured verses on Travie McCoy's "Billionaire", a song that the crowd was noted to join in with at many performances. The fourth number was "Our First Time". It was followed by a mashup of Michael Jackson's" Billie Jean" and The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army", performed to the rhythm of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Music critics found this an amusing way for Mars to show off his guitar skills.
Later, he sang the ballad "Marry You" while the crowd sang along as they did to "The Lazy Song", one of the highlights of the tour. "Count On Me" was another singalong for which Mars switched his guitar for a ukulele. Mars dedicated a performance of his guest feature on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You", singing one of the rap verses himself, to a girl in the crowd. The next song in the setlist, "Just the Way You Are" was dedicated to the female audience members who sang along while holding up their smartphones. At the end of the show, Mars left the stage and Lawrence asked them if they wanted an encore. Mars returned to the stage and sang "Grenade", the live performance featured changes in the song, due to the "pumping beats".
In 2011, the setlist changed, with the covers of Michael Jackson and The White Stripes being replaced with "Liquor Store Blues" and the funky "Runaway Baby". The latter, highlighted by some James Brown-inspired footwork and dance moves by Mars. A mashup of a shortened version of "Lighters" with "Talking to the Moon", was performed as an encore.

Critical response

The tour received generally positive-to-mixed reviews from critics. Deanna Ramsay of The Jakarta Post gave the show a positive review, saying Mars was able to coax the crowd into singing along with him on most of the songs. She described Mars as a "truly global star". The Boston Heralds Jim Sullivan noted the loud screams for Mars, comparing it to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson audiences, and likened his showmanship with theirs. The Express-Timess Lynn Olanoff said the show lived up to fans' expectations; Mars' performance confirmed her belief he is "one of the best male vocalists" on radio. In a similar review, Holly Frith writing for Gigwise commented that the show did not disappoint the crowd and praised Mars' showmanship. The West Australians Ara Jansan called the performance "one of the most creative and exciting displays of musical artistry" she had witnessed in a long time and dubbed Mars a "superstar in the making". The sold-out concert attracted an audience of all age groups. Jansan also said the show's volume hid Mars' voice and his falsetto nuances.
The New Zealand Herald critic likened Mars' skills on the drums, guitar and ukulele, and his energy to that of Prince. However, the reviewer said the set had too many covers. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised Mars' showmanship and called him versatile in his musicality like Prince. McCormick found the mashup of "Billie Jean" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" "comical" and was impressed by it. He criticized "Grenade" for its lyrical content, calling it "whiny". The Guardians Gareth Grundy also complemented Mars' stage presence, comparing him to Michael Jackson and Prince. Grundy, however, wrote that while "his take on traditional song-and-dance shtick is proficient, his clean-cut blandness and myriad talents can sometimes collide in an unpleasant, teeth-grating manner". He considered the show forgettable.

Accolades

Mars earned a nomination for Best New Touring Artist at the Pollstar Awards in 2011.

Set list

Notes
DateCityCountryContinentVenueReason
January 26, 2012Belo HorizonteBrazilSouth AmericaMineirinhoLogistical problems

Box office score data

Personnel

Credits adapted from several sources:
The Hooligans
Management
Production