oh buble?

i really hate to have another rave entry in such quick succession (ref the one abt guitar boy) but michael buble's concert deserve mention alright. ok if you know me, you'd know im quite the jazz fan. not so much blues, swing kinda jazz, but more bossa nova (mind games, lisa ono, gilberto), mainstream (frank sinatra, laura fygi, diana krall, stacey kent) and some airy-fairy types (lisa ekdahl & silje nergaard, mainly). michael buble wld be mainstream & i like him mostly cos he has a gorgeous voice & the covers he does are really something. BUT i wasn't a huge fan at all prior to last night - i only had ONE cd which wasnt played over like the others (only played through like twice?). some say he's over-commercialized & to an extent i agree, but it doesnt negate his talent. so i attended the concert fairly (not overly) excited as i always am when watching a live performance. 1.5hrs, some 20 songs & a couple of encores later - i have to say, he is amazing. he is thoroughly charismatic, charming & funny - a great performer with & without the music! he engaged the crowd right from the start with his wisecracks & cheeky jokes. told us we cld partake in flash photography anytime we wanted & striked silly poses along with that. he also did really brilliant impersonation of MJ with billy jean & rocked out maroon 5's this love - the crowd went absolutely crazy. i had no idea he was this cool! but what took the cake was his midway (undoubtedly planned) dash from the stage all the way through the crowds... well, in typical starstruck fashion, i clamoured to the aisle like all the other 1000 ladies there who were reaching out, shaking hands, hugging, pecking his cheek. i had my flip phone ready for a shot of him coming back down the aisle (which i took - bad one cos he was still tiny then! too far off) & as he drew closer, guess what? yours truly got a HUG from mr buble himself! yes, little ol' me! okay for the record, i did NOT kiss or do anything more than a friendly fan-performer hug. i know, someone already threatened to report me to pastor Chris, but honest to goodness, it was all very innocent :) of cos you can only imagine my delirium as i sat back down. hehe, super happy & cldnt believe it happened. yah i know, very ditsy lar. anyhow, back to the main story. buble really delivered both in substance & form. his singing, accompanied by a very capable band, was impeccable. yes the 12-pc band was fantastic - precision is what ill call it. there were too many faves to count, but i especially enjoyed smile, i've got you under my skin, you don't know me & that's all. sweetness i tell you. overall, it was his rehearsed spontaneity, charm & voice that made the evening a truly memorable experience. yes, even without the hug, my friends were all raving post-concert via smses & otherwise. so im not biased okay :) and dont worry - i did bathe. it was only a hug & he is but mere man ;) ___________________ on further reflection, here's stuff to consider. standing in the midst of the clapping, cheering, whistling, screaming it did strike me that humans are really strange. on the stage is this man (of flesh & blood like us), we hardly know (nothing of his character, likes/dislikes - for me, i didnt even know which ctry he was from!) & there we were exalting & applauding him with all of our lungs & heart like there was no tomorrow - totally in awe. we cld be awestruck to the pt we wld want "a piece of him" as it were - the hug, photo, drenched towel (?! yes he threw a couple into the crowd. ewww). of cos, the atmosphere, adrenaline rush of being in a huge crowd/concert contributed to our enthusiasm but its strange really. personally i thought: if people are capable of bestowing such praise & glory on a fellow man, surely the worship scene in heaven of God & the Lamb on that Day would be a gazillion times more intense than this! whats more the anticipation of being in His presence shd be mindblowing [woah! im actually, FINALLY going to meet HIM - the One right at the top top top of the chain!]. fwah, cant fully imagine but it shd get us pretty excited alright. more so than the anticipation of meeting buble or MJ in the flesh :)