We Got a Seat Inside Bruno Mars’ No-Phones Las Vegas Residency and Nightclub—Here’s What Went Down

" Put your pinky rings up to the moon ," Bruno Mars instructed as he opened his Las Vegas residency concert at Dolby Live in the Park MGM. In sync with the beat drop, an explosion of pyrotechnics accompanied the song and the "24K" singer made his grand entrance on stage. The packed house of concert attendees went absolutely wild, myself included. The energy and excitement in the arena were electrifying, even though we all had just been asked to lock our cell phones in pouches to adhere to Mars' no-phones policy for his show.

With a simple stage backdrop of his name in large floor-to-ceiling letters, Mars and his band put on a very high-energy performance for the sold-out crowd. After opening with "24K," also the name of his last full-length project as a solo artist that dropped in 2016, he followed it up with other popular hits from that same piece of work, including: "Finesse," "Chunky" and more. But as the funny man that he is, Mars joked about his no-phone rule during his third song, which was likely written just for this tour.

" Yes, I made you lock your phones up..." he sang, to which the arena filled with chuckles. "I just want us to be able to forget about all that is going in the world right now and have a good time. Is that okay with y'all," he asked. On cue, we replied, "yeahhhhhhh," and the show went on.

Accompanied by his band consisting of a trumpet, trombone, drummer—who happens to also be his brother—a bass player, saxophone and background singers, Mars literally took us through the various phases of his stacked discography. During his live rendition of the song "Calling All My Lovelies," the song in which he essentially begs Halle Berry to pick up her phone over voicemail, he switched up that famous speech to address the previous rumors of him owing the MGM Hotel millions.

"I know you read those articles about me, baby. The ones that say I'm in debt. I got money, I swear. Just pick up the phone, please," he recited while laughing.

Another highlight of the night was when he sat down solo behind a keyboard, during the band's intermission, to play and sing more slowed down versions of songs like "Leave the Door Open", "Young, Wild and Free" and"Talking to the Moon".

Just before the grand finale, thousands of pieces of confetti were blown into Dolby Live and the arena looked like a real-life snow globe as the star continued to sing. Everyone could be seen reaching up to try to grab a piece as a little souvenir from the night. Mars and his band left the stage for about two minutes before coming back for a very emotional performance of his hit "Just the Way You Are" to end the night.

And, well, as Jay-Z once told us, "after the show, it's the afterparty." So, we made our way to the singer's retro-chic nightclub, The Pinky Ring, over in the Bellagio Hotel. Also, with a strict no-phones policy—and we mean strict—we went into the wee hours of the morning singing along with the house cover band as they performed disco classics, popular R&B hits and more.

The club's interior—which I've been told Mars had a very heavy hand in curating—gave mid-century modern aesthetics with a bit of 70s charm sprinkled in. There were floor-to-ceiling mirrors lining the walls, a gold bar, plush velvet C-shaped couches in the VIP sections and a stunning chandelier hanging in the center of the dance floor. Of course, there was a stage and the band was also decked out in 70s-inspired outfits. It literally felt like we'd been transported back in time.

"What happens in the Pinky Ring stays in the Pinky Ring. That means no photos or videos at any time," the band's drummer reminded us throughout the night.

Right around 1:15 am, we started to see members of his tour band walking around, and that's when we knew we'd likely get an impromptu appearance from the "Grenade" singer. As the house band began to sing its rendition of Mint Condition's "Pretty Brown Eyes," Mars appeared at the mic stand to lend his vocals to the arrangement. The vibe in the club was much different from the larger concert as Pinky Ring is more of an intimate vibe. You almost feel like Mars personally invited you back to his swanky penthouse for a nightcap in what I imagine his entertaining room would look like.

"Ladies, where y'all at? I need y'all to come to the front so I can sing to you," the singer instructed. My friend and I grabbed our drinks, and made our way as close to the stage as possible as he gave us one more cover before literally walking through the crowd. The middle of the dance floor parted like the Red Sea as Mars excitedly made his way through, giving smiles and even some daps as he went over to his roped-off VIP section and retired for the night.

All-in-all, it was a night to remember. I mean, they say if you don't have pictures, it didn't happen. But I'll have these memories of partying with Bruno Mars etched in my memory forever. The no-phones rule was actually a breath of fresh air as it allowed me to just be in the moment and truly take in everything that was happening around me. I honestly wouldn't mind if more artists adopted similar policies in the future.