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Review

Review: 8,000 fans of all ages swoon for Bublé at Tucson Arena

By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.01.2008
Michael Bublé flashed a schoolboy grin at the 12-year-old girl in the front row of the Tucson Arena Wednesday night.
How cute, he mused aloud, as the girl with a mouthful of braces smiled and blushed.
Her name was Samantha and she was with her mother.
If it weren’t for kids like her, Bublé told Samantha, he’d easily be another Amy Winehouse — a reference to the troubled Grammy-winning pop singer.
Bublé then hopped from the stage into the 8,000-strong audience and hugged the girl while her mom snapped pictures.
It took about three seconds before an avalanche of fans descended upon him, cameras at the ready, arms outstretched for their hugs.
It was a choreographed moment, to be sure — one of many — but it transcended the cavernous arena and closed the generation gaps of those gathered inside.
Whether we thought it was schlocky or awe-shucks sweet, we had to admit: We like this guy.
In the age of screamo, emo and rap, Bublé is a curiosity. He croons about “Me and Mrs. Jones” one minute, then sweats out “Fever” the next to a crowd that is a veritable generational melting pot: tweens, young girls, college-age kids, middle-age moms and their moms.
On Wednesday night, Bublé prompted schoolgirl shrills from the thousands of women in the audience and admirable applause from the men when he lit into those old Frank Sinatra and Great American Songbook classics.
To see 20-something girls in skin-tight mini-dresses belting out “Call me irresponsible, call me unreliable / Throw in undependable, too” was like slipping into a time warp.
Surely these songs are not supposed to be cool? Surely they don’t know the lyrics?
For whatever reason — whether it’s Bublé’s boy-next-door good looks or his silky, melt-an-ice-cube vocal prowess — the Canadian crooner strikes a universal chord.
The crowd Wednesday night created a wall of screams when he slid down the inclined stage and landed front and center in the middle of the tango-tinged Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer classic “It Had Better Be Tonight.” He twisted his hips for effect — it resembled more of a spasm than a dance move — prompting even the older women in the crowd to swoon.
In between slickly choreographed banter, including comic interludes with his impressive brass section, Bublé added new sheen and contemporary jazzy-pop-inclined arrangements to classic tunes — “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “That’s Life,” “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You).”
Then he dimmed the house lights and, with a single spotlight on him and his pianist/band leader Alan Chang, he made a fine argument to include Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” in the next chapter of the Great American Songbook.
For nearly two hours, Bublé alternated from classic crooner to nightclub schlocker. It was one of the most entertaining shows to hit Tucson since Bublé’s last Tucson appearance — a 2006 sold-out gig at the much smaller Tucson Music Hall next to the arena.
Even the men who were reluctantly dragged to the show got their fix. To make them feel at home, the 32-year-old singer vowed to inject some machismo into the show. So he put on his best Elvis swagger and warbled “It’s Alright” with two of his eight brass players backing him on harmony vocals.
We’re going to get even more macho, he yelled to the crowd, then launched into the most unmacho of male anthems — Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” complete with effeminate gestures and suggestive hip thrusts. Funny thing: The men in the audience happily flopped their arms in the air for the YMCA dance.
Bublé has only a handful of original songs and contemporary pop tunes, including his No. 1 hit ballad “Home.” When he played it Wednesday night, the slick video screens behind him flashed Tucson scenes, including the University of Arizona, “A” Mountain and Hotel Congress. It was touching.
The stunning New York-based vocal-play ensemble Naturally 7 opened the show and rejoined Bublé for his set-closing “That’s Life.” The group was so amazing even Bublé couldn’t resist catching them in action affecting with incredible clarity the sound of a full band — drums, bass, horns, guitars — with their voices Bublé hung out at the side of the stage watching the group throughout their 40-minute set.
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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.
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