Friday 5 July 2013

Review: Michael Buble To Be Loved tour at The O2

Now Michael Buble is a man who knows how to put on a show, so much so that he's doing a 10 night residency at The O2.

The sold-out crowd at the North Greenwich venue on the fourth night of the To Be Loved tour were already excited before Buble came out, and things got hotter (literally) when flames burst out of the stage and the singer appeared, sliding (he must have special shoes) into place to sing Fever.

The show is a mix of Buble songs, and covers, with my favourite being a version of one of the summer's hottest songs - Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Trust me, it works, especially as Buble called on (phenomenal, go check them out) support act Naturally 7 to accompany him.

The group also work with Buble on a couple of other numbers, performed from a second stage towards the back of The O2 Arena (meaning, apart from the nosebleed seats, that everyone gets a good look at the singer without staring at a screen). Among them was an acapella performance of Michael Jackson's I Want You Back, which is brilliant.

While the acapella is great, Buble is mostly accompanied by a band, and I'm a sucker for people who can play musical instruments well. The band are fantastic, and Buble takes the time to introduce them properly during a long instrumental segment. While Team Buble are all fabulous, I particularly loved the drummer, who played a blinding musical interlude.

Buble's show is largely fun, the crowd (including me) getting on their feet for a lot of numbers, and there's a relaxed vibe throughout, with Buble sliding around a massive stage, parts of which move up and down, and with big screens projecting various images (some of the graphics feel a bit Gatsby-esque). There are some quieter moments, but they're still uplifting, such as when Buble sings Home, with a video projected onto the giant screen showing various people.

And then it livens back up again for the final segment of the main show, almost into a frenzy as thousands of red and white paper hearts flutter down from the ceiling and Buble sings numbers including The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, and his own It's A Beautiful Day.

Of course, he does come back out for an encore, the most impressive bit of which is the final number, A Song For You. Unexpectedly at the end of the song Buble steps away from the microphone and sings with just a piano accompanying him. If you're watching this at future shows, don't cheer (or you'll drown him out), just listen as Buble's voice fills up the arena, reminding you why you're a fan in the first place.

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