It’s a rare occurrence when a global phenomenon like Bruno Mars lands in our little neck of the woods.
Israeli music fans seem to have realized that big time, snapping up tickets to his October 4 show at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv within hours, and then helping a second date on October 7 to also sell out in no time at all. That’s 125,000 tickets, which makes Mars one of the most – if not the most – successful artists to ever appear in Israel (according to Ynet, only Michael Jackson and Madonna have filled the park for two shows – mega-artists Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and U2 sold out one show, not two).
Mars, with 200 million records sold worldwide, is undoubtedly one of the biggest pop stars of his generation, having released hits like “Uptown Funk” (reputed to have been played at every wedding in the Western hemisphere for the last 10 years), “Grenade,” “The Lazy Song,” and “Just the Way You Are.” Over the past few years, Mars, alongside rapper Anderson Paak, has been part of the duo Silk Sonic. His Israel concerts come as part of his world tour, which will see him perform in Saudi Arabia on Friday night (September 29) and then head to Qatar after Tel Aviv (the Abraham Accords in musical action).
This side of Bruce Springsteen in his prime, there’s probably no more dynamic performer onstage than the Hawaiian-born, 38-year-old Mars, who effortlessly combines pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock songs.
Who is the dynamic performer Bruno Mars?
Born Peter Gene Hernandez, his skills were apparent at an early age. Videos of him as a child impersonating Elvis Presley are riveting, displaying dancing and singing skills beyond his years as well as an abundance of charisma and presence.
Upon finishing high school in Hawaii, he headed to Los Angeles to launch his music career in earnest. At first, he wrote and produced songs for other artists, but with his debut album in 2010, Mars’ star exploded. One high point was in 2014 when he performed at the Super Bowl halftime show with special guests, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
According to social media posts, Mars’s father is half-Jewish and half-Puerto Rican, and one grandparent, of Hungarian and Ukrainian descent, was reportedly a Hebrew teacher. Whether or not that instills in Mars a particular affinity for Israel is unknown; however he has stood firm against BDS efforts to pressure him to cancel his shows here.
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a pro-BDS group, claimed in an open letter addressed to him earlier this month that performances in Israel by high-profile artists like Mars “divert attention from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
“By playing in Tel Aviv, you would be crossing an international picket line,” the letter said, adding that “Israeli government and its supporters use international artists’ performances in Israel as propaganda.”
Although other artists have caved into the BDS pressure (the most recent being octogenarian bluesman Buddy Guy), it’s unlikely at this late date that Mars will decide to pull out from next week’s shows.
Promotors of the shows, Live Nation, released an email last week sent from Mars’ production team that had very little in the way of specific “rock star” demands for the performer and the entourage. Instead, they wrote that they relied on Live Nation to provide food and beverages they saw to be fitting and only requested that all leftovers “be donated to the homeless, the needy, and those who are less fortunate.”
Regardless of the two sold-out shows, that sentiment makes Mars a success story any way you look at it.
