MICHAEL BUBLÉ - CARDIFF, UK.
Michael Bublé at the International Arena, Cardiff, UK (04/05/2023).
Images by: Caitlyn Ebsworthy.
MICHAEL BUBLÉ
Michael Bublé returns to Cardiff as part of the UK leg of his ‘Higher’ world tour. Coming off the back of his album of the same name, Bublé visits Cardiff International Arena, a somewhat smaller venue in comparison to his visit to the Welsh capital in 2022, where he played at Cardiff Castle to an audience of 10,000 people. But as you’ll read from this review, the venue size provides nothing but a place to gather, he commands the stage regardless of where he is playing.
Being a household name comes with certain expectations. Bublé effortlessly exceeds them. From his opening notes in ‘Feeling Good’ it’s clear the standard is set; only the highest. With no support act, the weight falls on a strong opening, and of course his infamous cover of the song leaves the audience in rapturous applause. He doesn’t ask for your attention, he demands it. I’ve seen many artist of many genres but the sheer control and quality of his voice is unmatched. We are looking at an artist at the very peak of his performing ability.
Taking a step back to consider the staging, I notice its more simplistic than other tours, and similar to some of his original set ups. It makes sense, he spends his time moving about the audience and rarely stops in one place. Its design also allows for his band to be on full display, that being a 34 piece orchestra. It’s a huge assets in his arsenal, elevating the quality of the live experience he has clearly spent years fine tuning. His backup singers are also a highlight, everyone on that stage looks like they want to be there, smiling throughout the show and gaining huge applause whenever Bublé gives them their own moments to shine.
He continues to play through a varied catalogue of older and new material from his extensive career with covers, including ‘L-O-V-E’ and ‘Such a Night’ and originals like ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ and ‘Beautiful Day’. I think if I were to criticise, and I must as no show is without criticism, I would argue that the set list was slightly lacking in places or perhaps played slightly too safe. Songs like the previously mentioned ‘L-O-V-E’ or ‘Smile’ could have made way for more originals especially when he is more than capable of switching from swing to pop so effortlessly. I was for example really delighted by the inclusion of ‘Hold on’ from the album ‘Crazy Love’ but would have really liked to see him include something like ‘Hollywood’ in exchange of some of the slower covers. That being said, the arrangement of some songs leads you to believe they are his own, “Cry Me a River” of course, is a stand out.
With this in mind, the pacing of the setlist seemed very well structured, giving him plenty of time to talk to the audience. I like to see artist/audience interaction so this was a really nice way to segue between parts of the show. Something I should add is that Bublé is very funny. A man beside me had come to the show only to accompany his wife and made it very clear before it started how much he didn’t want to be there. He was in fits of laughter by the time Bublé declared he was not performing Christmas songs and that “Santa has nothing in his sack for you!” during the first portion of the show. I even noticed him singing along to the Elvis medley. The crooner earned himself a new fan, even if he may never admit it.
At the beginning I made a point of the venue size, I’ve seen Bublé in both the O2 Arena, London 10 years ago, and Pryzm Kingston last year, and as much as he can shine in a 20,000 capacity arena, and is clearly at home whatever the venue, seeing him in a smaller space almost convinces you you’re in a New York jazz club in the 20’s. At this point in his career he seems to truly understand what he is capable of and it’s on full display this evening.
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