Live Review: Michael Bublé – 9th May 2014 – Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia

As Michael Bublé continues his latest live escapade down under, Sydney had its turn to scream and squeal last night as the Canadian crooner took to the stage at Allphones Arena where Bublé is playing 4 dates while on his Australian tour this month.

For someone who for the most part has made his living from performing classic tracks from decades gone by, he has certainly taken on the difficult task of keeping the essence of the musical giants intact and doing each hit justice. His albums have been consistent chart toppers since he emerged onto the modern Swing scene back in 2001 with his debut album, BuBalu and climbing onto the international stage with his 2003 self-titled release, becoming a household name the world over.

Over the past decade the suave and sexy superstar has been knocking out hit after hit with 2005’s single Home landing him a signature penning. He has toured the world multiple times, selling out arenas as he goes, performing his renditions and self-written jazz drenched gems to screaming fans in almost every country on the map. It was with excitement that the fans of Sydney were able to experience one of the finest live performers around today at last night’s show as the singers To Be Loved World Tour rolled into town.

Opening with the pulsating Fever, Bublé emerged from a drawn curtain lit up in flaming ashes before sliding down the elevated stage and moving casually through his powerful catalogue of covers like Van Morrisons Moondance, Frank Sinatra’s Come Dance With Me and a laid-back rendition of Try A Little Tenderness, an early set highlight following a performance of Haven’t Met You Yet, a hit that was written by Bublé and long-time musical collaborator Alan Chang who has joined the singer on tour behind the piano.

While the spotlight was fixed firmly on the Canadian singer and his persuasive vocals, it was impossible not to admire the stage set-up and light spectacle that formed a memorable backdrop for the star. While the enormous screen behind Bublé and co was striking with its piercing 1920’s framed visuals and top centre Bublé logo that was dressed in gold, the stage itself was like a living work of art with parts moving around the band throughout the night. Even the stage floor itself moved, propelling the singer’s orchestra to the front on some of the nights highlight performances.

Further into the set Bublé offered us a catchy cover of the seductive Feeling Good while self-penned tracks like Everything were offered with backstories and a string of jokes from the comedic solo superstar. While the majority of the set was taken up by the successful renditions the star has recorded throughout his career like the full-throttle Elvis juggernaut Burning’ Love, there was time reserved for his own penmanship to be placed under the spotlight and to gather a few royalties of their own.  Among them was the upbeat It’s a Beautiful Day that came hand in hand with a colourful backdrop of air balloon and rainbow visuals and of course the evenings highlight hit, Home where the singer sat perched on a stool in his sharp black suit alongside pianist and co-writer Alan Chang to deliver the beautiful ballad to his fans.

Providing a satirical filling to the set, Bublé allowed his backing band to take centre stage. As the singer introduced each band member with accompanying jokes, the screens lit up with rotating band member photos and a ‘Team Bublé’ shield in U.S basketball style while each member took a stand and performed their instrument in 15 second intervals.

Nearing the end of the set the musician was let to the back of the arena where a blue-light lit walkway had been placed for the singer to perform alongside long-time collaborators and RnB support act Naturally 7 for a Motown segment that was performed in a capella style and dedicated to the stars father who had raised his son on the musical era. A capella was also the order of the day with the closing track, the Leon Russell penned A Song For You with Michael requesting the sound be cut so that he could offer a raw and unaccompanied closing of the cover. Despite the loss of microphone, his strong vocals were able to still cut through the packed out venue with precision and ease.

Unlike many icons in music that rely on auto tune to carry them through a 2 hour show and at the same time take little notice of the high-price paying fans that flock to venues to see them perform, Michael was a true gentlemen from start to end. When he wasn’t taking us through his finely crafted collection of career defining covers and self-penned hits,  the smooth talker was telling anecdotes and jokes to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere among the sold to capacity arena. To be honest, I haven’t laughed so much at a concert in my life. While some of the jokes told were risqué and quite unexpected, they went over well with the crowd and the wisecracking came in the bucket load. Whether he was chatting up his all-female string section, accepting a stuffed Kermit the Frog toy for his son Noah by a fan in the front rows or taking to the crowd with a male fan who called Bublé his ‘Man Crush’, the idol delivered a comedic filling around each of the songs he performed.

There is a reason why Michael Bublé has for many years been branded the King of Swing. His almost effortless ability to draw in sell-out number at arenas the world over and tour relentlessly while still maintaining his polished and comedic stature night after night certainly has to be commended.  This guy is the real deal and an act that everyone should see at some point in their life.

Set List:

Fever (Little Willie John cover)
Haven’t Met You Yet
Try a Little Tenderness (Ray Noble and His Orchestra cover)
You Make Me Feel So Young (Frank Sinatra cover)
Moondance (Van Morrison cover)
Come Dance with Me (Frank Sinatra cover)
Feeling Good (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley cover)
I’ve Got the World on a String (Cab Calloway and His Orchestra cover)
Everything
That’s All (Nat King Cole cover)
Close Your Eyes
Crazy Love (Van Morrison cover)
Home
Get Lucky (Daft Punk cover)
Who’s Loving You (The Jackson 5 cover)
To Love Somebody (Bee Gees cover)
All You Need Is Love (The Beatles cover)
Burning Love (Arthur Alexander cover)
It’s a Beautiful Day

Encore:
Cry Me a River (Julie London cover)
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (Marvin Gaye cover)
A Song for You (Leon Russell cover)

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.