Wearing a dapper suit consistent with the big band sound he has become famous for worldwide, he went on to catch people off guard, too, with antics as running around and up to the lower box section of the venue to shake people’s hands and kiss both male and female fans, grabbing his crotch while impersonating Michael Jackson, and singing without a microphone in the last song.
In one number, he joked about and parodied international singer Josh Groban by doing the first line of Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive" in operatic style that he introduced with "I’m gonna kick Josh Groban’s ass all over the place."
Previous to that, Bublé launched into a snippet of Maroon 5’s upbeat hit "This Love" while strutting onstage in rock star-fashion.
"I never really liked jazz music," he says in deadpan expression. "I only got into it for the girls. What I’ve always wanted is to become a pop star."
Bublé cajoled the half-filled Araneta (mostly comprised by females) who kept screaming his name out. "You can talk to me but don’t say you love me," he reprimanded tongue-in-cheek. "It’s ‘I love you Michael’ now but next week, I know it’s going to be ‘I love you Christian Bautista!"
He also playfully alluded to some people’s assumption of him being gay because of the kind of music he does and rumors in the web that his shows abroad are always well represented by the gay community.
"I’d like to thank the gentlemen that didn’t want to come but did," he says. "I know that you have looked at my album cover and said, ‘Oh, you little bakla…’ And I also want to thank that gentleman who grabbed my butt back there-you know who you are!"
But it wasn’t all punch-lines and parodies. Bublé delivered his music fabulously stunning the audience especially with poignant renditions of slow standards in rich baritone. These were Otis Redding’s "Try A Little Tenderness," Ray Charles "You Don’t Own Me," ("You Jamie Foxx-loving bastards!"), Stevie Wonder’s "You And I," and The Carpenter’s "Song For You;" the last showing off upper vocal register.
Bublé likewise kept the show from becoming a humdrum affair by balancing the repertoire with Vegas style covers of "Save The Last Dance For Me," "How Sweet It Is," "Fever," "The More I See You" and the opener "Feeling Good" all culled from two big selling albums. Scrapped surprisingly from the line-up, however, were big Manila smashes "Kissing A Fool," "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "The Way You Look Tonight."
And original songs? Just one: "Home" which Bublé penned especially for his sophomore disc similarly titled as the concert’s.
Performing with a seven-piece horn section, Bublé showed off his moves consisting mostly of jerky leg movements and twirls. Buble, too, constantly interacted with band members by making them sing some lines impromptu and cueing them to strike a pose.
"I’m going to miss you guys," he tells the audience before launching into the last numbers. "Even before the rest of the world had a clue, you guys knew what I was doing. Thank you."
Though only halffull, Bublé’s "It’s Time" was attended by Manila’s perfumed lot that cramped the most expensive sections even as parking around the Araneta Coliseum and nearby malls was packed as early as 7 p.m.
