Sway the Night Away with Michael Bublé {Music Week}

It’s the end of music week 🙁  Luckily there will be plenty more music throughout the year, and we are ending this week on a smooth note.

It’s hard not to be a fan of Michael Bublé.  His covers of songs have been in so many movies over the past couple decades.  He makes you swoon and sway, want to get up and dance and have to wipe a tear away from your eye.

He took some time away from music and touring while his son battled cancer.  Luckily, his son won that battle and Michael has returned to the stage sounding and looking better than ever.

Dad and I headed to Little Caesars Arena (where else???) to bring March in like a lion with a fun night on the town and some awesome last minute seats.  I just have to continue to sing the praises of LCA and all the workers that do an amazing job to make sure everyone is safe and enjoying themselves.  If you haven’t been there, I can’t encourage a trip more highly.

Michael’s set on this tour is formidable with plenty of room for the large orchestra supporting him, some of whom are local musicians in each city.  That’s a super cool touch that really allows musicians to have a once in a lifetime experience.  A long walkway extends from the main stage to the B stage.  I was lucky enough to have seats right along the walkway and almost got to touch Michael’s hand.  Almost.

Though a lot of the crowd surprisingly sat throughout the show as though we were watching the symphony, I was up and dancing with Michael, thrilled to be there every single moment.

It came as no surprise that Michael can seriously sing.  He performed mostly covers, with his biggest original hits worked in.  He opened with Feeling Good, a nice, upbeat way to begin the evening.  The other covers that were my favorites were Sway, When You’re Smiling, and Always on My Mind, which he wrapped the show with.

I really loved his “nightclub” inspired set from the b stage.  I wasn’t expecting to like this as I had never heard the songs before, but it was full of energy and really got the crowd energized and involved.  There were also really neat light fixtures that dropped from the ceiling and changed colors.

His originals like Haven’t Met You Yet, Home, Nobody But Me (my fave!), and Everything were my favorite part of the show.  I wish he would have added in It’s a Beautiful Day.  When performing such a cover heavy set, I don’t know why he wouldn’t include all his original hits.

What did surprise me much more than his ability to sing effortlessly were his personality and natural musicality.

Michael seems like a genuinely nice guy who just so happens to have this incredible talent.  He made jokes and connected with the crowd throughout the night.  One of my favorite jokes was that he had to say pizza pizza after every song (Little Caesars Arena … get it???).  He also came to life when bringing someone out of the crowd to sing and made a running joke of her choice to sing opera (something she could seriously do!).  The ability to be present in the moment and the show is one of my favorite qualities in a musical artist.

I was mesmerized watching him move to the music.  The way he snapped his fingers and tapped and stomped his feet, the way the music ran through his entire body without him having to think – it’s really something to see.  As many shows as I have seen, I’m not sure I have witnessed a performer quite like Michael before.  He is his music, and he appeared to be as happy to be on that stage as I was to be in the crowd.  That is a feeling to be bottled and savored.

In the end, that’s what music is in general.  It’s why I go to concerts.  To have music pulsing through my body and witness an artist doing what they do best.  Michael knows what he does best and he sticks to it.  I hope he continues to do so for a long time.