By Katie Stobbart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: July 2, 2014
A soft smoky haze in the air promised fire in Rogers Arena. It’s not the element I would have associated with Michael Bublé, who was born close to the coast, literally kissed his fair share of salmon as a professional fisherman in his youth, and whose vocal fluidity courses through my head regularly. But after seeing him in concert, I can definitely say fire fits the Burnaby-born singer.
The opening act for Bublé was an a capella group, Naturally 7. I’m fascinated by a capella — it’s hard to believe the human voice is capable of making all those instrumental sounds, including a deep, heart-grabbing bass beat. They definitely lived up to their promise to “see how far we can take the human voice.”
It was my first concert, and I found myself astonished at the way the music rolls through you, like standing shoulder-deep in an ocean wave. Naturally 7 selected pieces which showed off the incredible range of their vocal powers, as an ensemble and one by one, so the audience could see how the strands of music wove together into a powerful whole. To my delight, they also did a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” which was well-suited to the a capella style. Then, before they left the stage, they got everyone up on their feet dancing to prepare the audience for the main act.
Unfortunately — this may be a feature of my lack of concert-going experience — the opening act was followed by a rather long intermission, which I suppose makes it possible for nearly half the arena to clear out in search of drinks and bathrooms, but which felt underwhelming after being so pumped up. I twiddled my thumbs, stretched a little, and went in search of a lemonade (I had seen someone else drinking it) but was doomed to disappointment: the only lemonade available was the Mike’s Hard kind, which I enjoy, but not enough to pay $9.50 before tax for a small cup of it.
The concert was bound to be good — it’s his home performance, and Bublé was indeed worth the wait. He entered through a space in a magma-like curtain as if emerging from the mouth of Aladdin’s cave. The special effects throughout the concert were stunning: columns of fire whose heat I could feel from my seat some distance away; moving panels that rose up from the floor, almost alluding to piano keys, and divided the stage either to include or conceal the full band; and a series of projected images and patterns fitting to the theme of each song selection. Bublé’s set ranged from his newer music to fan favourites to covers (among them the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” and Elvis’ “Burning Love”).
Bublé easily shifts from slow, elastic moments to climactic crescendos with absolute control over intensity. He also demonstrated a charming, approachable stage presence, frequently interacting with his audience and cracking jokes. He also pulled fans up onto the stage: first a group of girls holding a sign with electric lights that declared their hope to get a selfie with him, then two young boys who sat up onstage and sang “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” along with Bublé.
My favourite number was toward the end of the concert: the so-catchy, smile-inducing “It’s a Beautiful Day,” which Bublé sang before a brightly coloured backdrop of clouds, rainbows, shooting stars, and hot air balloons reminiscent of a childhood day at the fair. I came out of the concert grinning.
