TORONTO - Call Michael Buble irresistible.

At least to thousands of excitable fans who turned out for his show at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night.

The 32-year-old Vancouver crooner, who's currently touring Canada in support of his latest album, Call Me Irresponsible, opened his hour-and-40-minute show with I'm Your Man, a nice Can-con move given it was written by iconic Montreal singer-songwriter-poet Leonard Cohen.

"Just because there's 15,000 people and we're playing at the Air Canada Centre doesn't mean this can't be intimate."

He then launched into the sexually drenched Billy Paul classic Me and Mrs. Jones followed by Fever whose opening lyrics he changed to Stompin' Tom Connors' The Hockey Song. (He's a hardcore Vancouver Canucks fan, who later pleaded in the show for a Leafs/Canucks Stanley Cup Final, and claimed he always wanted to be a hockey player instead of a singer.)

Buble also made the most of a malfunctioning microphone that flared up a couple of times.

"We've done 200 shows this year and this hasn't happened yet -- only in Toronto!" he said.

Technical difficulties aside, Buble was sporting his usual classic black suit and tie and white dress shirt look although he opted for a scruffier, five o' clock shadow on his face.

Yes, Buble has the fortunate combination of good looks, a strong voice and quick wit but it's his ability to connect with his fans that sets him apart from the other neo-crooners out there.

"If I didn't have cute little 9-year-olds in the crowd tonight I would turn into Amy Winehouse so fast," jokes Buble, before jumping off stage to have his picture taken with two young female fans.

Once on the floor, adults took the opportunity to hug him, shake his hand, get an autograph or a picture, and even grope him.

"Thank you to that nice woman who grabbed my ass that way," said Buble afterwards, and he wasn't joking.

He also let one of his band members -- he was backed by a jazz quintet on one side of the stage and eight-piece brass section on the other (all of whom he introduced) -- takeover and make fun of him while he went offstage briefly.

"I'm from Boston and we have a word for Buble -- overrated!" said the trombone player. "The guy's a diva!"

The singer, who later took over on trombone, did an Elvis impersonation during an abbreviated version of That's All Right (Mama) before segueing into The Village People's YMCA, just has to be careful his antics don't overshadow his music.

"I can concentrate, too. I promise I can," said Buble, before delivering a more straightforward version of You Were Always on my Mind and later dedicating Home to his Canadian fans complete with a video tribute to Canada.

But standout songs proved to be ones with more of an edge that allowed him to show off his smooth vocals and slick dance moves such as World on a String, Feeling Good, Save the Last Dance, and How Sweet It Is.

Buble is up for two Grammys on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles -- best traditional pop vocal album for Call Me Irresponsible and best male pop vocal performance for Everything, the album's first No. 1 single written by Buble about his British girlfriend and actress Emily Blunt of The Devil Wears Prada fame.

Entertainment Weekly has been reporting this week that he has been approached to perform on the Grammy telecast although his record company couldn't confirm he was even attending.

You can also expect Buble to get more Juno nominations -- he was the big winner in 2006 picking up four trophies including album of the year for It's Time -- when the 2008 Juno nods are announced on Feb. 5 in Toronto.