Live review: Michael Bublé, Sydney (for The Music Network)

15 February 2011

by Poppy Reid

Acer Arena, Sydney
Monday, February 14 

How appropriate that Michael Bublé should play his first of four sold out Sydney dates on Valentine's Day to a room full of loved-up couples and jilted singles.

The curtains opened to reveal ‘The Boob’ looking dapper in his grey suit accompanied by an impressive 13-piece band. Opening with Cry Me A River from his Crazy Love album, the Canadian crooner slid down his stage to meet us, and won us over instantly. The man could have burped into his microphone and we still would have cheered and called it melody. We were putty in his hands from soulful start to blistering finish.

During All Of Me, Bublé stopped to autograph a little girls ‘I’m your #1 fan’ sign before saying, “I love that half of you just booed and the other half just looked at your girlfriends and went 'he is so gay.'”

Bublé’s hilarious banter between tracks Mack The Knife, Crazy Love(named after Van Morrisson) and For Once In My Life, evinced him as the ultimate performer, constantly entertaining and letting us sing all the best bits. “I wanna shower with all of you. Because if we sound this amazing in here, imagine what we'd sound like in the shower,” he told us.

His incredible rendition of Billie Jean partnered with the customary MJ dance moves that jack-knifed their way into the hot-potato for Twist & Shout had the arena looking like the final scene of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Bublé then walked straight through the crowd with his support actNaturally 7 in tow, to sing Wonderful and Home atop a tiny platform.

“I just wanna apologise,” he said seriously. “To all those people who paid big money to sit up front, coz you guys got ripped off!”

Back on the mainstage, Bublé closed with Haven’t Met You Yet, silver flakes burst from the ceiling as high-pitched screams echoed from, wait for it… mostly men. We stood and danced for the three-track encore of Feeling Good, Me & Mrs Jones and Song For You.

“You know that I'll come back here as many times as you'll have my Canadian butt,” he said.

Trumpet player, Justin Ray played faultlessly from the grand stand, but the 360° feast for our eyes wasn’t over yet. Bublé removed his earpiece, and his mic, and sang the final verse of Song For You to a deafeningly silent audience. The energy he gave us buzzed through our veins and hasn’t stopped coursing since.