ShareMichael Bublé performing An Evening With Michael Bublé at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Friday 6th December 2019
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Having earlier this year completed a tour of the UK, last night it was the turn of the Motorpoint Arena to welcome An Evening With Michael Buble and it was a packed crowd that turned out to see undoubtedly one of the best crooners in the business.
With Buble’s 2011 Christmas album selling over twelve million copies worldwide and listening to it has become as much a vital part of the Christmas festivities as switching on the Christmas lights, it was a great time for Buble to show off his musical prowess.
When the lights went up, Buble appeared on stage wearing his trademark suit and started with slow burner, Feeling Good before bouncing into Just Haven’t Met You Yet, backed by his incredibly talented thirty four piece band.
My Funny Valentine and I Only Have Eyes For You had the female audience members screaming with delight, before he entertained with his stories, anecdotes and jokes.
With a spectacular set, which featured a walkway and a smaller stage, where he retired with a handful of musicians to deliver his “drunken karaoke fiesta”, which included Buona Sera Signorina, Just A Gigolo and Chuck Berry’s Pulp Fiction favourite, You Never Can Tell.
At a Michael Buble concert, the audience is central to the whole show and last night was no exception. Whether it is his posing for selfies, encouraging them to sing along, or selecting someone from the audience to sing a duet with him and on this occasion it was a man called Mark who was selected for a wonderful version of Matt Munro’s My Kind Of Girl.
Along with his lovely covers, he delivered tasteful originals such as Love You Anymore, the achingly beautiful Forever Now, written during his young son’s cancer illness, and Home which was dedicated to everyone “who served this country proud”.
With everyone a part of the party, even Buble’s trumpet player, Jumaane Smith, was in the spotlight for an upbeat version of You’re Nobody ‘Till Somebody Loves You, before Buble delivered a flawless Cry Me A River as his main set closer.
For a December concert by someone with one of the best Christmas albums of recent years, it was a little disappointing that there were only two Christmas songs, but White Christmas was given an airing and in the encore, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) induced a mass sing along.
Other encore songs included Where Or When and Everything before the crooner turned country for his exit, a powerful rendition of You Were Always On My Mind.
