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Manchester Evening News

Entertainment

Dianne Bourne

Michael Bublé sends fans wild in Manchester at first of two AO Arena gigs

Michael Bublé Manchester AO Arena Kenny Brown Elvis Presley

“This is not a concert, it’s a party” Michael Bublé booms out to his delirious audience here in Manchester from the very start of this bouncing AO Arena gig. His fans didn't really need any encouragement to be fair.

From the moment he bursts onto his impressive stage setting to join his full live orchestra, his devotees are already up on their feet. They wave their arms, they sway those hips, and those in the floor seats closest to the vast catwalk stage will spend the next two hours with their hands aloft phone in hand keen to grab a selfie.

The Canadian crooner is perfectly happy to lap all this adoration up of course. Indeed he positively encourages it.

We're barely a song in to the show when he spies a sequinned cushion of his lovely face in the crowds, and he beckons for it to be thrown up to him. Hilarity ensues as we see there's a message that "Jonathan Loves" that cheeky face and Michael gives it a good old hug before returning it to its owner.

Michael hugging his cushion (Kenny Brown)

Looking out across the sea of happy faces here in Manchester, Michael sighs: "I’m so happy to be home thank you."

He tells us: "This is what I was born to be, and this is a celebration of life."

There is no doubting that Michael, here celebrating 20 years since making his debut in the music world, is at the top of his game. Fresh from his latest Grammy win for new album Higher, it feels like he is on a high, and the audience roar their approval at his every slip and trademark slide across the stage.

Emerging onto his incredibly impressive red layered stage set, he looks like he's popping out of an open chocolate box. It's all rather fitting really given the sweet-as-candy performance he delivers to his fans.

It's that adorable sweetness that allows him to get away with his occasional fruity language and cheeky banter. He laughs about being a sex symbol and that we'll all end up with "mini-Bubles" after this show.

Yet fans are literally left fanning themselves by the end of the night. If only he could have heard the comments from some of those lovestruck ladies in the lifts back up to the car park after the show.

Naturally he's in fine voice - from the opening boom of Feeling Good through to the tender emotion in his self-penned Home - there's never a note less than perfect dripping from his honey-hewn throat.

Michael was in incredible form here in Manchester (Kenny Brown)

And there's also plenty of humour too, even when you're least expecting it. A tender opening speech about a special song descends into hilarity when it's dedicated to a burly bloke called "Simon" who had earlier caught his sweat-sodden towel in the audience. Even as he performs his spinetingling rendition of Smile, there's chance to break into a joke too.

He constantly gives nods to his incredible live orchestra and performers alongside him on stage. The string section seem to be having as much as a party as the rest of the arena as they dance along in unison when they're not involved in the music.

Incredibly, Michael reveals later in the show: “There’s no choreography for this show they just do this themselves they’re amazing. Just amazing.”

He dashed out acorss the catwalk to the B stage for one of the highlights of this show, a special tribute to his hero Elvis Presley. We get a sizzling Fever, before he slings on an acoustic guitar and encourages us all to do an “uh-huh”.

Flanked by his incredible backing singers and a stripped back band he performs a raucous Trouble and All Shook Up before a rocking version of I Can't Help Falling In Love.

Returning to the stage for a thumping run through of It’s a Beautiful Day at the grand finale, he exits the stage. It leaves his orchestra to perform a jazzed up version of Smile and allows every member of his band to get a personal “end credit” and a cheer which is a lovely touch.

It’s then time for his dramatic return as the strings saw out the opening bars of Cry Me a River for the perfect endnote to this performance.

Nothing but Love for Michael (Kenny Brown)

“This will never get old for me” he says as he gets the lights up across the arena to survey the crowds. It's most definitely not getting old for his devoted fans either.

There's no support for this show, so if you're heading along on Saturday night be warned it's an early start - he arrived on stage on Friday just after 7.40pm. And trust me, you won't want to miss a second of this.