Buble!

I have been looking forward to this for a long time! Last night we saw Michael Buble in concert. Check out our seats! Row 14. I think that's the best seats I've ever had for a concert, other than maybe my kid's school concerts! Before the show - to show how close we were:

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures or video - too busy enjoying the show!

So, here is our review of the show. First of all, the opening act, Naturally 7. They are an acapella group (7 men, who make all the instrument sounds with their voices). I've seen similar acts, these guys were pretty good, although a couple of their songs seemed really long and slow (perhaps because I was excited for SOMEONE ELSE). Overall, we'll give them a B-.

After a brief break, the show started with this (pause my playlist first):

The band was great - and MB himself - what a voice! And mostly, what an entertainer! He is so funny, and engaging with the audience. His music was awesome, but his dialogue with the audience was fun too. After a couple of songs, we sang happy birthday to this guy (the tall one with the white hair). Bonus points if you can tell me who this is (answer at the bottom of this post):

BTW, the man was 3 rows in front of us. At one point, Michael Buble went out into the center of the audience for a few songs and this is when I turned around and snapped this pic.

Notice that this is an old crowd? Yeah, that's okay. I still really like MB even if he caters to the elderly. :-)

Okay, now back to the show. So, when he walked out into the center of the audience, we were only like 8 people away from him as he walked down the aisle. However, I was too excited and took the pictures without a flash and it's just a big black blur. Oops!

While he was out in the audience, he sang one of my favorite songs, "Home". It was really nice.

My highlight of the show was my favorite Michael Buble song, Haven't Met You Yet. If you want to smile, click on "song" in the previous sentence and watch a fun video of this song. I tried to upload my own version from last night, but it was not working out!

He did two (or three?) songs for an encore. I was hoping that one of those songs would be my second favorite of his ever (LOST), but it was not to be. That is my only criticism of the show - that I didn't get to hear "Lost" or "Sway". Still, it was well worth the money for this show. Next time I go I will take my parents and my kids. How is that for a generational artist?

My grade for the show? A-, just because he didn't do my second favorite song.

Dee's grade? B+, because he didn't think there was enough orignal about the show. (My editorial comment on that: MB has stated - including in the show last night - that he is trying to create an intimate setting in an arena show. The best way to do that is by simply singing and interacting with the audience. No pyrotechnics needed - although there was a brief little pop of fireworks at the beginning.)

Tonight, Dee and Sis head back up to the Palace to see TAYLOR SWIFT! They are so excited. Well, Sis is excited. Dee will tolerate it, and have a great time I'm sure.

So, the mystery man? Okay, I have to admit I had to google him. His name was totally familiar, but if you would ask me, "What is Gordie Howe famous for?" I probably would not have been able to tell you. I'm not sure I would have even known he was an athlete (I know, I'm not a hockey fan, which is a HUGE SIN here in the Motor City). According to this article on wikipedia, he was recently ranked the third best hockey player of all time, behind Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr. What I thought was cool is that he played professional hockey in SIX different decades, actively in the 1940's-1980's and in one professional game in the 1990s when he was 70 years old. That is pretty amazing. So now I have a new respect for this man whose name was familiar but I didn't really know why. Who knew what I would learn at a Michael Buble concert?

And finally, here is a link to a review that I liked: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100326/OPINION03/3260392/1424/ENT04