EDMONTON -- It all started innocently enough - a guy in a modest black suit crooning a song only your mom would love, "A day without you is like day without sunshine, a song without a melody," and so on.

Who knew? An hour into the show, the entertainer is strutting about the stage like a wildman, shirt unbuttoned to the waist to reveal a hairless chest, red handkerchief stuffed into his pants - I wish to God I were making this up - and belting out a version of Great Balls of Fire.

Now mom is going wild - over what turns out to be a 64-year-old man!

This, ladies and gentlemen, was the Engelbert Humperdinck experience - in Edmonton for the first time since 1988. Before it was all over, a nearly full house at the Jubilee Auditorium saw the former Arnold George Dorsey do the moonwalk, a rap song, a country song, a Jerry Lewis impersonation, attempt to start a conga line with Quando, Quando, Quando, tell bawdy jokes and say things like, "Arnold didn't do too bad for Schwarzenegger, but my Humperdinck is bigger than his Schwarzenegger."

Bada-bing, bada-boom. Fans leaving the Jube can be forgiven for imagining they were in Las Vegas. Chock full of entertaining cheese, the show went from schtick to schmaltz at the drop of a hat, manipulated masterfully by a guy who knows all the moves. The crowd got it all.

The Humpster might never be hip again no matter how many times he appears on MTV, but he's still a great showman. He'd said he lives for the stage - and it showed last night.

The amazingly well-preserved singer - did I mention that he's 64 years old? - warmed into the more outrageous routines slowly. Little blasts from the past kicked off the show. Songs like Spanish Eyes drew the expected polite applause of recognition. Backed by a seven-piece band and two backup singers, the Raja of Romance milked every mood and caressed every phrase with his rich baritone voice. It wasn't always in perfect tune, but so what? You were expecting Pavarotti?

It must've been that "little tipple" - what was in that glass of red wine? - because Engelbert was just getting warmed up. With an easy manner and humour, the Engelmeister took the show from its rather sedate opening to a full blown Las Vegas revue. Doling out the love ballads carefully between comedy routines, he performed with the supreme confidence of knowing all he had to do was strike a pose to cause a reaction. (Mom! Please!) He did a lot more than that. His Elvis impersonation, for one thing, managed to be hilarious and maudlin at the same time. Pretty neat trick.

Here's an entertainer whose very name has become a punchline. But there's nothing ironic about his talent. That's for real.