Michael Bublé @ the Utilita Arena, Newcastle - May 1

"Is this the way to Utilita?" was an unnecessary question. All we had to do was follow the crowd along - all 10,000 of them - who came from north, south, east and west to converge upon Newcastle's largest concert venue the Utilita Arena for the hottest ticket in town in the form of superstar Michael Bublé.

Even before the show started, fashionably late, the atmosphere was electric. How could it not be in a hall at 99.99% capacity. An audience ranging from the very young to the very old eagerly anticipating the appearance of the great man and when he did emerge from amidst the smoke, dry ice and glitter to sing Brand New Day the place erupted.

This isn't a concert, I thought, it's a party!

Bublé ticks all the boxes, all the genres, strutting down the catwalk connecting with the fans who lined either side of the walkway and making their day

The band plus the all girl string section were absolutely la crème de la crème. Most of them were with him when I saw him in 2019.

The trumpets had an amazing carve-up on Sway. It was as if Cat Anderson, Maynard Ferguson and Jon Faddis were slugging it out up there where the air is rarefied. As it happens, Jumaane Smith (always a major part of a Bublé show), Jean Gaze and A.N. Other did very nicely thank you whilst the girls, when they weren't fiddling, strutted their stuff as if they'd changed one G string for another. The Hallé Orchestra it wasn't!

In many ways it was like a Jason Isaacs show complete with an Elvis medley - thankfully without the American Trilogy. You can see where J boy got his inspiration from.

Everybody screamed, and although I didn't see anybody swoon - apart from me that is when the lady sitting behind me accidentally (I hope) let go of her walking stick and conked me on the noggin. However, I quickly recovered and she did apologise. 

I didn't get all of the musicians names but they included: Roy Dunlap (piano, MD); Jumaane Smith, Jean Gaze (trumpets); Nick Vayanos, Caleb McMahon (trombones); Tim Green (alto sax); Jake Saslow (tenor sax); Erik Kertes (bass guitar); Marion Felder (drums); Loren Battley, Loren Smith, Jarrett Johnson (backing vocals). There were others and of course the ladies of the string section.

Great show, and this morning when I faced a brand new day I was feelin' good. Lance

Brand New Day; Haven't Met You Yet; L-O-V-E; Such a Night; Sway; When You're Smiling; Home; How Will I  Sleep?; Higher; You Don't Know What It's Like; Hold on; Smile; I'll Never Not Love You; Fever; Trouble; All Shook up; I Can't Help Falling in Love With You; You're the First, my Last, my Everything; It's a Beautiful Day; Smile (instrumental); Cry me a River; How Sweet it is.