On June 19th, Michael Bublé kicked off the Canadian leg of his To Be Loved Tour at Rogers Arena for the first of two hometown shows in Vancouver.

The Burnaby boy has had quite a remarkable year since scoring yet another #1 album with To Be Loved, including sold out concerts around the world and becoming a new dad. Thus, he gave generous amounts of gratitude to the people who made this all happen for him – his first class band (Team Bublé), his family and friends, and his fans in the audience. One lady in particular shared a special moment with Michael in honour of her attending her 45th show of his – he gave her an autograph, a photo, a hug, and some playing ribbing from the man himself (calling her a “crazy bitch” and thanking her for the money).

I had seen Michael twice before – in 2008 for the Call Me Irresponsible Tour (my very first concert!) and in 2010 for the Crazy Love Tour – and he always puts on a sensational show. From the get-go, he was all fired up, making his grand entrance to the stage with pyro flames, fitting for the scorching “Fever”. In his welcoming banter, the charming Canadian crooner likened the night to a first date, and he delivered as promised with an enchanting and exciting evening full of romance, dancing, and laughs (when it comes this entertainer, the raunchier the humour, the better). He began the classy affair with a swoon-worthy set of love songs, including “Try A Little Tenderness”, “You Make Me Feel So Young”, “Moondance”, “Come Dance With Me”, “Feeling Good”, “I’ve Got The World On A String”, “That’s All”, “Close Your Eyes”, and “Crazy Love”, sprinkled with his original shows, “Haven’t Met You Yet”, “Everything“, and “Home“. Partway through, Michael switched gears to a full-on arena dance party with upbeat performances of “Get Lucky”, “Who’s Lovin’ You“, “Burning Love”, “It’s A Beautiful Day”, and three songs (“I Want You Back”, “To Love Somebody”, and “All You Need Is Love”) with Naturally 7, his long-time supporting act who had previously warmed up the crowd with astonishing a cappella covers of “Summer Breeze”, “Fix You”, “Fingertips”, and I Feel Good”. The encore included the dramatic “Cry Me A River” and swingin’ “Save The Last Dance For Me”. Michael closed the two-hour show with the emotional “A Song For You“, and sans mic for the final verse, captivating the audience of thousands with the sheer power and passion of his singing voice – a voice that is sure to be loved by thousands more as he continues to tour across North America, South America, and Europe through to the end of the year.

Videos courtesy of yours truly via YouTube.