I’m going to start off by saying this; I am a huge Bruno Mars fan. I was a fan long before he became the ‘Grenade-Catching’ star that he is today. So when I found out that he was going on tour, I was ecstatic. I heard of the co-headliner, Janelle Monae, but I’ve never actually listened to her music. Although I got the tickets about three months ahead of time, I wanted to be surprised when I came to the concert. Surprised, I definitely was.

The opening act was a guy called Plan B. I only found out a few weeks before the concert that he was opening, and again, I wanted to be surprised. This UK rapper and soul singer really got the crowd going. Featuring dub-step covers of various songs, he left everyone excited and wondering, “Who is this guy?” People all around me kept saying they thought he was “amazing.” Plan B definitely showed what he can do, and earned him plenty of American fans. I have no doubt that he will be a hit throughout the rest of the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour.

Next up was Janelle Monae. The R&B singer opened with the song Suite II. It featured interesting light shows that made us curious as to what she’d be doing through the rest of the show. Monae came out in a black and white outfit, which she is known for. She kept us on our feet for a while, but for the most part, I just sat and enjoyed her show. I was really just too eager for Bruno Mars to come on and I was just waiting for Monae to finish, so I could finally see this guy, live and in person. But her performance made the wait bearable. She danced around the stage and really got the crowd excited. My favorite song was Smile, a cover of the famous Charlie Chaplin song. After that song, I was hooked and really got into her performance.

But I was still just waiting for Bruno Mars. There was someone on Monae’s stage who was wearing a mask, and I thought it had to be Mars. Even though it wasn’t, it made me all the more excited to finally see him. My friend and I just kept looking at each other asking, when he is coming on?! Monae was good, yes, but it was Bruno Mars that we really wanted to see. After running and dancing through the crowd, she closed her performance with her song Come Alive. Her finale was a great and it left people even more excited for Bruno Mars. Whether it was because he was coming up next or that she actually did well is a matter of opinion, but personally, I think it was a mixture of both. Monae did a great job, and I would definitely recommend seeing her live.

Finally, out came Bruno Mars. He opened up with a solo performance of The Other Side, one of my favorite songs, which originally features B.o.B and Cee-Lo Green. He did better than I expected. I thought, he always does acoustic music, this probably won’t be anything different than what I’ve seen online. I was wrong, big time. Every single performance kept everyone on their feet, whether it was the fast-paced “Runaway Baby” or a slower song like “Count on Me.”

I also enjoyed the fact that Mars made us want to stop recording video and taking pictures, and actually watch him. He added his fun dance moves at least once into every song he did. He had nonstop energy throughout his hour-and-a-half performance, which definitely kept the sold-out audience energized, as well. Best of all, we saw him having fun, which made it that much more enjoyable for us.

My absolute favorite part of the show was Mars’ encore. He tricked the crowded by thinking he was done. I thought that even though he said goodbye to the crowded and thanked his band, like the end of most concerts, he couldn’t have actually been done. It felt like we still needed more. Maybe that was me being too eager and excited that I saw him, but I wasn’t sure. Sure enough, the Susquehanna Bank Center lights stayed off for a few minutes after he left the stage, then he came back and did an encore. He performed the song that first got me hooked on him as a solo artist, Somewhere in Brooklyn, as well as my favorite ballad, Talking to the Moon. It was a great ending to a great concert.

Every single part of that concert was amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a big fan of Bruno Mars. Plan B got the crowd hyped, by performing things that no one in the United States is really used to. Janelle Monae showed that even though she’s not all that well known, she puts on a show that will make you remember her name. Bruno Mars was so great that I honestly can’t even think of a word or phrase that can actually describe how well he performed. Maybe the only way to know is to see for yourself, which I would highly recommend to anyone. By far, this was my all-time favorite concert, and I think the only way that it could be topped is by seeing Bruno Mars again.