Music review: Michael Buble concert

By Christa Lawler
Duluth News Tribune

It’s when Michael Buble references a certain John Hughes movie that everything clicks.

This Canadian singer might be sliding into Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Harry Connick Jr. territory on his smooth-soled shoes. But it’s that lovable prankster, spotlight hound Ferris Bueller, whom he’s channeling.

Buble said as much Saturday night at Amsoil Arena on the final night of this leg of his “Crazy Love” tour. It was watching the character played by Matthew Broderick that gave him that first nudge toward the entertainment biz. Then Buble busted out a bit of “Twist and Shout,” which Bueller performs on a parade float in an iconic scene of the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Toward the end of his concert, Buble ditched the stage. He worked his way through an aisle to a makeshift stage near the back of the floor-level seating, sang a couple songs, then wound his way back through another aisle.

And that is when at least one teenage girl burst into tears.

Buble’s two-hour concert for about 7,000 fans was a mix of jazz standards, ’80s favorites and Buble originals — and heavy, heavy on comedy and charm, with bursts of playfulness and smiles and jokes at the expense of the more than a dozen musicians sharing the stage. Word on the streets is that Buble mingled with fans when the doors opened. Not everyone recognized him.

His entry was a spectacle: The stage curtain parted to reveal a shadow of a conductor with an orchestra while a dramatic string-heavy instrumental played. When that was peeled away, there was Buble and an upright bass player in the spotlight. Buble wore a dark suit, white shirt, black tie and black shoes. He slid down a ramp and oozed to the front of the stage singing the old torch song “Cry Me a River,” which ended with a spray of fireworks from the lights.

His set was lounge-style. There was a grand piano, a guitar player, a bass player and a percussionist at stage right; a multi-tiered horn section at stage left. The backdrop included towers with colored lights and screens that showed Buble or just swirls of color.

He went straight into “All of Me,” then he got comfy with the crowd. He talked hockey. He addressed specific members of the crowd. He said that he had recently gotten married — then gave everyone the finger and a huge smile when they booed. He addressed a wedding proposal from fans in the front row and expressed amazement at the size of a sign he noticed.

Then he got back to the music:

“We’ll start this party with the most depressing song in the world,” he said, and sang “At This Moment” by Billy Vera & the Beaters.

At one point Buble sat on the stage and went through his entire roster of musicians, mentioning them by name and telling an anecdote about them. Fact or fiction, they were high comedy and told with the ease and intimacy of a guy who feels right at home with his face projected on a screen. Then Buble gave them time to strut their stuff with a short jam, packed with solos.

Buble’s 1980s-child style came through in quick bursts of songs: Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” “A Whole New World,” from the movie “Aladdin,” and his main influence, Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

And while his fame is centered mostly on his covers, the crowd was digging his original songs like “Haven’t Met You Yet” and “Home.”

Naturally 7, a group from New York City, opened the show with their vocal-play style. The musicians replicate instruments through the magic of microphones and mouths, all while miming the instrument they are mimicking – horns, harmonicas, drum kits and even a DJ scratching up a record.

This review ran in the Monday, June 27, 2011 edition of the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune