The legendary charm of Michael Bublé did its work on Tuesday night, bewitching the entire Bell Center in a fraction of a second. The Canadian crooner offered a well-oiled, but above all extremely effective, well-rehearsed concert to some 14,000 fans as won over as they were noisy.
Michael Bublé was still desired at the start of the evening, accusing a [léger] twenty minutes late. The atmosphere inside the Bell Center was already electric as a thick mist spread over the floor, a countdown announcing the imminent arrival of the singer scrolling on the giant screen.
The crooner had not yet set foot on stage that the public – mostly female, visibly – was already swooning in front of his idol. Won in advance, Montreal? Yes of course. But Michael Bublé was able to prove himself worthy of this impressive surge of love throughout this two-hour concert without intermission, and above all, without downtime.
Charming
We also understand the fans who have, in their own way, canonized the Canadian singer since his debut almost 20 years ago. Because he is devilishly charming, this Michael Bublé. Certainly, his humor has a lot to do with it. But his warmth, his closeness and his sincerity with his fans…none of that is a bluff. It’s sincere, it’s spontaneous. And it’s frankly good to see him multiply handshakes, knowing smiles and even hugs to the fans gathered on either side of a footbridge crossing the floor.
The singer even took the time, at the beginning of the program, to advance a fan who was celebrating her birthday (a poster held up in the air clearly announced it) for an autograph and a selfie, encouraging the entire amphitheater to sing him a happy birthday felt good. Gentleman, you say?
Classics in spades
The pretext of this passage in the metropolis? Michael Bublé’s 11th album, Higher, launched last spring. The crooner however shunned the majority of this opus, revisiting only four pieces — I’ll Never Not Love You, Smile, You’re the First, the Last, My Everything and the title track — for the benefit of the essentials of his repertoire.
Certainly, we would have liked to hear him deliver his recent covers of Make You Feel My Love or Crazy (borrowed respectively from Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson). But there is no question of ignoring our undeniable pleasure in hearing his Home, Feeling Good or Haven’t Met You Yet.
Because these are the behemoths of the history of music — real real “standards” worthy of the name — that Michael Bublé has served us, drawing from the repertoires of immortals such as Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin, the Bee Gees and others Marvin Gaye. All this, carefully wrapped in velvet of incredible softness and supported by an imposing orchestra of around thirty musicians.
- The tour Higher will stop at the Videotron Center in Quebec City on Wednesday evening.