Michael Buble Took us on a Date at the Air Canada Centre

On the first of two sold-out nights at the Air Canada Centre, Michael Bublé explained to the crowd that he preferred to think of his concerts as date because, “if the date goes well, by the end of it, we’ll be having dirty sex in my car.”

Amidst all of Toronto’s vibrant World Pride celebrations, you’d be hard-pressed to find an audience that more encapsulated the colour beige. The Air Canada Centre was essentially a sea of middle-aged women dressed to the nines with their golf dad husbands who, it seemed, may not be fans of Michael Bublé, but are fans enough of getting laid they would drop the cash for the tickets. One woman and her tiny daughter had bought a rose from Sobey’s, hoping to deliver it to the Canadian crooner from their 10th row seats. When Bublé told everyone to get up and dance, they all stood and did their best clap ‘n’ sway, bad backs be damned. The average age must’ve been 50. But after witnessing a collection of these moments, with the man of the hour working through some of the wittiest stage banter of the year, things became clearer: how could anyone not fall in love with this guy? He’s essentially built a show so intimate that it works on any stage, no matter the size.

The one negative thing about all of this could be the obvious script. But does it matter? Did a huge group of Toronto’s near-seniors check out past sets and old live footage on YouTube to decide whether it was okay to feel entertained? No. They just cuddled while a handsome young man re-ignited a dormant flame, a throwback to the days when entertainment was less picked apart, and more enjoyed for the pure sake of enjoyment.

And so that’s what Bublé did. He took the entire Air Canada Centre on a date. Once the first three were out of the way, he started moving, strutting his stuff a bit (“Moon Dance,” “Get Lucky”), then he brought his friends, Naturally 7, to show off what a cool guy he is (“Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “To Love Somebody,” “All You Need Is Love”). And for the closer, to really seal the deal, he did away with the gimmicks and showed the ACC he was the real deal (“Burning Love,” “It’s a Beautiful Day”). The encore was still to come, but the seduction was complete: even before he came back out for the last three tunes, everyone in the building was ready to have dirty sex in Michael Bublé’s car.

Photos and words by Matt Williams, who is still waiting outside of Michael's bus - @MattGeeWilliams