South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Buble wants shows to ‘have an arc’
Michael Buble is a cinephile, so when he had a chance to create a music video for his new song “I’ll Never Not Love You,” he decided to go all out, re-creating scenes from many of his favorite films.
He covers Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine in “Casablanca,” Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire in the film of the same name, Leo DiCaprio’s Jack in “Titanic,” and Andrew Lincoln’s Mark in “Love Actually.” His actor wife Luisana Lopilato pairs off with him in every scene. His favorite to replicate was 1987’s “The Princess Bride,” when Westley rolls down the hill and Buttercup follows.
Buble admits the video, seen 4.7 million times on YouTube since its release in February, was not cheap to make. “It was an ambitious project,” he said recently ahead of the Monday kick off the U.S. leg of his “Higher” tour in Georgia.
“I just had so much belief in the song,” Buble said. “And the video comes from my basic reverence and admiration for cinema. We go to the theater as cynical adults. Then we let the lights go down and allow ourselves to drop that cynicism and open the door to this sense of wonder. It allows us to drop those barriers and believe in magic again.”
Buble, the king of standards with his distinctly mellifluous voice, has also spent the past two decades assiduously creating stage shows that build an escape and sense of wonder. He’ll bring fans on stage to sing with him and cover a wide array of songs from multiple decades, from Frank Sinatra to Barry White to Olivia Rodrigo.
And while the set lists don’t tend to change from concert to concert once
he’s on the road, he makes sure each night is different. “I sit on my phone and write patter, hopefully clever things to say between songs,” he said. “I want the show to have an arc. I want it to be the greatest show on earth.”
“Higher,” like his past albums, is a blend of originals and several covers, including a duet with Willie Nelson and a version of Paul McCartney’s 2012 song “My Valentine.” McCartney reached out directly to Buble to do the song.
“In my life,” he said, “I can now say I’ve gotten to work with many of my heroes like Tony Bennett, Sir Paul, Van Morrison, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand. All these people have trusted me enough to trust me with their art or making art with me. It’s weird to me. I still feel like I’m 18 and working the clubs. I can’t believe it’s happening. I remember
Priscilla Presley getting to know me. She asked me to sing a posthumous duet with (her husband) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (“Fever” in 2015). Having her support was mind-blowing.”
He said he tries to do that type of mentoring and support with up-and-coming artists himself. “This business has a lot of rotten parts to it,” he said, “but the one beautiful, positive thing is being secure enough in yourself and where you are to be able to lift someone else up.”
Aug. 7 birthdays: Actor John Glover is 78. Actor Caroline Aaron is 70. Actor Wayne Knight is 67. Singer Bruce Dickinson is 64. Actor David Duchovny is 62. Actor Harold Perrineau is 59. Pianist Marcus Roberts is 59. Actor David Mann is 56. Actor Greg Serano is 50. Actor Charlize Theron is 47. Actor Liam James is 26.