Live Review: Michael Buble at Oracle Arena, 08/25/07

Live Review: Michael Buble at Oracle Arena, 08/25/07

Canadian crooner Michael Bublé at Oracle Arena: Aidin Vaziri | Michael Bublé has a line for every occasion. Facing a sold-out crowd at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Saturday, the 31-year-old Canadian crooner cast his puppy-dog eyes around the far reaches of the arena. "It's really a pleasure to play such an intimate venue," he said. When introducing his smooth rendition of Billy Paul's 1970s soul classic "Me and Mrs. Jones," he gazed warmly at the cougars in the first few rows. "I'd like to dedicate this to all the married women in the audience (squeal!) who cheat on their husbands with younger men." Then, taking time out to thank the people who have helped make him a left-field pop sensation over the past few years - mostly Target shoppers, actually - Bublé offered this indebtedness: "You should see the house I just bought." Listen closely and you could almost here the sound of slot machines dinging in the distance. Between making fun of the weary husbands in the audience and batting away the impromptu come-ons from their overheated wives, the former wedding singer proved that he's still at his best when he just shuts up and let's the music do the talking. Apart from his own songs like "Home" and "Everything," which unfortunately make him sound like a testosteroned-up Celine Dion, every track Bublé ripped out of the Great American Songbook seemed to inspire pandemonium. Continue reading.