If his recent "Saturday Night Live" appearance and current Rolling Stone cover story weren't already sure indicators, Bruno Mars is planning for a busy 2017, including an 85-city tour that will land at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Aug. 5. Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster and the arena box office for $47-$122.50.
The Los Angeles-bred "Uptown Funk" co-creator and 2014 Super Bowl performer is hitting the road to tout his third album, "24K Magic" (pronounced "24 karat magic"). It will be his second major headlining tour after his well-received Moonshine Jungle Tour, when he previously hit the X in 2014. No openers have yet been named for the tour, which kicks off March 28 in Belgium.
Shortly after the Mars news came another concert announcement from Xcel Center that will appeal more to the moms of Mars fans: New Kids on the Block will lead the Total Package Tour to St. Paul on June 14, an early-'90s pop throwback outing also featuring Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men. Tickets to that one go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. for $30-$200, also via Ticketmaster and the arena box office.
While both NKOTB and Boyz II Men have successfully ridden the nostalgia wave on tour in recent years, this will be the first chance to catch Abdul in concert in 25 years. We're seriously hoping Twin Cities fans also get to see her reunite with her "Opposites Attract" MC Skat Cat, aka rapper Derrick Stevens, who was played by a cartoon cat in the video and now serves the local music community as a producer for 89.3 the Current and Minnesota Public Radio.
This should pump up the idea:
