Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak Play Surprise Show at Cosmo’s Barbershop

By Scott Roeben, on August 15 2022
2 min read 10 comments
Las Vegas

Superstar Bruno Mars, and his Silk Sonic collaborator Anderson Paak, performed an electric “surprise” set at The Barbershop at Cosmopolitan on Aug. 13, 2022. We’ve got some exclusive video of the show, of course.

First, technically, it wasn’t a surprise.

Also, technically, the venue is called The Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails. It’s an actual barbershop, but there’s also a “speakeasy” lounge.

And in a further technicality, it’s “Anderson .Paak,” but that random period is just stupid and annoying, so we’ll pass.

The Bruno Mars show at Cosmo was gloriously free of auto-tuning and backing tracks. Just sheer talent and a sense of play.

Mars and Paak took to the stage just after midnight, fresh from their Silk Sonic concert at Park MGM.

Paak wore a blond wig for some reason, possibly to try and compensate for the fact Bruno Mars is a lot more talented and famous.

We got our hands on some exclusive video of the lively show that featured a medley of cover songs, including “Your Love” by The Outfield, “Last Resort” by Papa Roach and “Roxanne” by The Police.


What a surreal experience for those lucky (or connected) enough to be in attendance.

The performance was yet another reminder of how freaking talented Bruno Mars is. The dude’s fearless when it comes to the high notes, and the red Solo cup just makes the whole thing more nonchalant and badass.

As mentioned, the “surprise” visit wasn’t really a surprise. The house band, The 442s, had been given the set list prior to the show, and industry insiders were invited to the venue knowing the performance would take place. There was also a sign outside saying, “Closed for Private Event.”

Still, the 10-minute set had a very on-the-fly vibe, assisted by the fact Anderson Paak was a trainwreck trying to play drums for “Roxanne.” Granted, Stewart Copeland is a hard act to follow.

The guitar player’s like, “Dude, have you ever actually heard this song before?”

Making the drop-in even cooler is the fact Mars and Paak stuck around after the show, grabbing a VIP table and mingling with audience members.

A news release about the appearance says Bruno Mars ordered Selvarey Rum, a brand Mars co-owns. We honestly didn’t know Bruno Mars co-owned a rum company until we got the news release. Thank you, Wicked Creative.

The Barbershop is operated by Clique Hospitality, of which we are a big fan, especially after we recently got to try the new tableside cocktail menu at Clique Lounge, also at Cosmopolitan. Clique has a number of other venues in town, including one of our favorite spots, Tailgate Social at Palace Station.

The Barbershop appearance by Mars and Paak is no doubt emblematic of the synergies created by MGM Resorts buying the operations of Cosmopolitan. MGM Resorts also owns Park MGM, where Silk Sonic has a residency.

There’s been some apprehension among Cosmo fans that MGM Resorts is going to “ruin” the place, but the company has said any changes will be minimal. Related: We were told the casino’s loyalty club, Identity, will stay in place until the third quarter of 2023, when the switch to MGM Rewards is expected.

Any Las Vegas casino is happy to see Bruno Mars, as he loves to play blackjack and we’ve heard he’s not particularly good at it. All due respect.

If impromptu shows from entertainers like Bruno Mars are among the perks of the change in Cosmo’s ownership, we say bring it on.