Mars stars with out-of-this world halftime gig

Super Bowl? Whatever. Bruno Mars showed Sunday that he’s not only a major player in the pop world, but that he can outshine the best team in the AFC.

The BroncosSeahawks noncontest left the crowd of 87,000 at the Meadowlands in dire need of some riling up midway through — and Mars was just the ticket.

The pop star has the songs, the showmanship, the charm and the hair, and, put together, the result was a halftime show and a half.

After teasing the crowd with a drum solo, Mars kicked off with slick versions of “Locked Out Of Heaven” and “Treasure.

As it turned out, he was just getting warmed up. Launching into a rocking “Runaway Baby,” Mars took a page out of the James Brown playbook, sliding across the stage with quick feet and syncing up with the Hooligans, his equally dapper backing band.

As he spun around and hit the ground, the crowd erupted with glee, and for at least half of them, it was the first thing they had to cheer all night.

The spectacle was a poke in the eye for the doubters who questioned the choice of halftime entertainment.

The late addition of the Red Hot Chili Peppers proved to be a smart move, too.

The shirtless Californians still have the energy of teen age boys on a sugar high, and watching them rip through “Give It Away” added an extra level of funk.

Kudos to the band for sticking with their famous shirtless look, too. Not an easy thing to pull off in 40 degree weather.