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TORONTO - I went into the first of Michael Buble's three sold-out shows at the Hummingbird Centre last night with very low expectations.
Maybe because the uber-popularity of the warm-voiced Vancouver crooner -- his first two studio albums including the most recent, It's Time, have sold several million copies each -- has been somewhat of a mystery to me. (Not to my 67-year-old mother, however, who adores him.)
Well, mystery partially solved.
The 29-year-old singer, who's equally at home belting out big band standards like Sway, Fever and Come Fly With Me as he is such modern classics as Van Morrison's Moondance, James Taylor's How Sweet It Is and Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love, has to be seen live to be fully appreciated.
A charismatic, charming and slightly goofy performer who likes to dance, tell jokes and stories, do imitations, and hug and kiss audience members, Buble's enthusiasm is infectious.
Making the crooner particularly giddy last night was the fact that he had just come from a screening of the latest blockbuster.
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"I'm going to try and be professional for you tonight but it's going to be tough. I just saw Star Wars -- Star Wars was excellent!"
Buble also seemed truly thrilled to be back on Canadian soil after touring all over the world in support of It's Time, which has spawned the No. 1 hit, Home, co-written by the singer for his fiance.
"I'm so damn proud to be Canadian!" he screamed towards the end of his show.
Backed by a 12-piece band, including a formidable eight-man-horn section, Buble first appeared in shadow behind a panel at the top of a staircase and the crowd went nuts.
Speaking of which, he knew full well that most of his fans were females, who'd dragged their partners along to see him.
"I know half of you don't want to be here," said Buble, dapperly dressed in a classic black suit and tie ensemble.
"But if we get to put a little air in the tires. You get to ride the bike all night. And on that classy note ..."
Buble also had no shame when it came to pointing out one of his famous fans -- Anne Murray -- who was in the row behind me last night with both her mother and her daughter in tow.
Strangely though, it lead him into doing an imitation of Murray doing Elvis Presley doing her breakthrough hit, Snowbird.
Buble was best when he stuck to the music and kept things lively and uptempo although I'm sure hundreds would disagree with me given the overwhelming reception to ballads like Try A Little Tenderness, You Don't Know Me, That's All and the heartfelt Song For You, which saw him end his 90-minute show singing without a microphone.
But I liked Buble when he kicked the energy up a notch, wildly conducting his band or breaking spontaneously into Maroon 5's pop hit, This Love.
Buble claimed he found last night's audience "quite demure" initially, but by the end of the evening -- specifically during Save The Last Dance -- he had many of them on their feet and dancing near the front of the stage.
"They say you're only as good as your audience. Well tonight, I was brilliant!" he surmised.