279- And I was Singing my Song for You

         Despite my big mouth almost ruining everything, I still can safely say I had a fantastic time with the lovely Miaya G at Michael Buble's Crazy Love Tour on Friday night.

    First off, let me describe the stage. On one side of the basketball court, they had arranged seats all throughout the court up to the editing booth which took up the rest of the court. The stage had a curtain wrapped around it and two rather large screens on either side so the people up in the VIP (Virtually in the Pyramid) section could still see everything. We were one section away from the stage on the left side and on the front row of the basketball court.

  The best way to really describe it was while we weren't exactly front row- we were close enough to be able to clearly see Michael without the aid of the screens.

   And since I am a theatre nerd I can tell you how much I enjoyed the gently raked stage which allowed Michael  to slide down from the band area, sit comfortable on the ledge by the drummer and crack jokes with his bandstand as the evening wore on. The pianist was forefront (fitting since this is his co-writer and collaborator) and the black tiled stage allowed Michael to zip, glide, and moonwalk with ease.

  The backdrop had multiple screens which were connected to a system of pulleys allowing for various combination of screens. Sometimes it was one giant screen, other times simply a center screen. My favorite was the time it was staggered like steps as the band wailed away and Michael snapped his fingers to the beat- reveling in a much need needed break.

  And the editing crew and camera man worked in such a seamless pattern I couldn't help but be impressed. These men do this almost every other night at different cities across the world and yet, they seamlessly used two different camera angles at once to make it look like a scene right from a movie. I caught myself staring at the screen more than I meant to because of the talented editing that was being broadcast to the upper levels. Add the confetti explosion to cap off the "end" song of "Just Haven't Met You Yet" to which Miaya G and I twirled in while both having our cell phones transmitting the music to the dear friends who couldn't make it (looking at you Savvy D. & Lauren Douglass), the whole concert was amazingly perfect.

  Opening with Cry Me A River, Michael basically made sure we were all awake, excited, and highly aware that he was one talented mofo. I found it highly fitting that this was the song Michael chose to kick off his night. Having fallen in love with Buble during my last relationship and having said relationship put on indefinite hold the previous night, I wasn't sure how much I was going to be able to enjoy the concert. (Not to mention the fact that I had royally stepped in it with other people's matters an hour earlier.)

  But as soon as I heard the orchestra swell and saw Buble effortlessly hitting all the notes, I got a giant grin on my face and sang along to the heartbreak but vindictive energy of every broken heart's dream- getting to say no to the person who left you who now comes crawling back. (I say every- but let's face it, many would happily take the person back even if they were a lying cheating scumbag whore- humans are horrible at being alone)

 To cap off the swelling final note, a flash of pyrotechnics fell from the ceiling as the lights went to dark and the crowd exploded. Welcome back to Memphis, kiddo.

    And did I mention he was funny? He happily announced his recent marriage only to be met with boos by half of the crowd, laughingly accepted the boos and then pointed out the men had not booed but were sitting arms crossed and thinking "Oh well, he's still gay" before pointing out one man in the front with his wife and proclaiming ig he was gay, he would be going after that one tonight. The man in question took it with good grace for the rest of the night, comforted by Buble's constant cursing, references to sex and drinking, and obvious comfort with his sexuality. I personally burst into laughter every time a female audience member squealed and Michael laughingly mocked them by squealing right back.

  He also patiently read every sign- including one from a woman who drove 1500 miles from Mexico for a picture- before inviting her on stage for just that. Thanking the restaurants who had fed him and waving to the servers who he had given free tickets to- (I have never been so pissed that I do not work as a waitress as I was at that moment when he called out "You look beautiful!" to a very happy waitress from Majestic Grill who I've had the pleasure of meeting before. )

   He played all the songs from Crazy Love and a few others such as Everything, I've Got the World On a String, Mack the Knife, Home, and Hollywood. He showed us how he warms up with Don't Stop Believin' and A Whole New Worlds first stanzas as well as a moment from Billie Jean complete with Michael Jackson impersonation and moon walking.Now, I did happen to lose my cool when he started doing the song from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and had the entire crowd on their feet, and giant balls bouncing around the audience's heads (god it was priceless when it would smack an unobservant member on the head)

 Putting it simply, if I wasn't already in love with him as a performer I would have been after this show. He even walked down the aisle at one point to the editing area to sing a few songs with his opening group laughingly teasing the front row of girls "You paid all that money for seats- you got screwed!) No one minded, we all were happy to share the singer who made us promise to get up and dance and sing even if people behind us were scowling at us because "it's a concert damn it, you're supposed to have fun."

   Of course, I don't often go to concerts so it was nice to have the pro Miaya G. reassure me as he left that he would be back for an encore and sure enough- we were treated to three more songs (Feeling Good, Me and Ms. Jones, Song for You). At the last one, he stepped away from the microphone, the band stopped playing, and he sang solo for the last few sweet notes, silently waving his hand to silence the few people who were screaming they loved him. It was a true way to end the night- showcasing the fact that he did not need a band, a microphone, or screaming fans. He had a Voice, a talent, and a way with the audience.

 Let's just say I won't hesitate to see him again- and I definitely will buy the kind of seats I had last night.

And I was having way too much fun to video tape any of it beside this one small portion:
Excuse me and Miaya G singing and me flipping the phone around- but it was fun damnit!