Michael Bublé performs at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2021. Gary Chancer/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — After being postponed three times, Michael Bublé finally brought his much-anticipated “An Evening With” tour to the Chase Center on Wednesday. Bublé appeared in a slick black suit and fuchsia shirt on stage among his 30-member-plus big band orchestra, bathed in bright red, blue and purple hues. 

Bublé began with a slow build-up, but his melodic voice soon echoed throughout the arena, sometimes poignant and emotional, and at other times jazzy and lively. He moved quickly through his songs, many of them from his eighth studio album, Love, while also sprinkling in some of his older hits like “Haven’t Met You Yet.”

Bublé’s easy and charismatic presence translated immediately to the performance as he transitioned from song to song—joking, dancing and scatting his way through songs like “Feeling Good,” “Such A Night” and “To Love Somebody.”

During one break in the set, he quipped about how his wife spends too much money on Amazon, which led into his take on the, ahem, suggestive appearance of Jeff Bezos’ rocket, New Shepard, before launching flawlessly into soulful ballad “Funny Valentine.” At another interlude, he walked the audience through his journey to becoming the successful artist he is today and shared pictures of himself and his wife at a recent costume party.

He got openly emotional performing “Lazy River” as a tribute to his grandfather, who died just before the pandemic began, as well as healthcare professionals whom he personally invited to the show. 

During one particularly moving moment, he praised the doctor who treated his son after he was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 3, and dedicated his next song, “Forever Now,” to all parents. 

Michael Bublé performs at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2021.

“Even if you don’t have kids, I know you all care about your dogs and cats just as much, so this song is dedicated to you, too,” he said.

While he performed the song, a video of a changing bedroom symbolizing a child growing up played in the background. Even though Bublé tried to bring some lightness into the song by howling at the beginning of it, it still brought tears to many in the audience.

Michael Bublé also spoke several times about the past “18 months of Zoom calls and homeschooling kids” and the stressful times brought on by COVID-19.

Other highlights included Bublé taking a selfie with a fan’s phone, serenading the crowd in Spanish, rallying fans to sing happy birthday to one of his band members, and rhythm-and-grooving the arena into a club of sorts. He said that he wanted to recreate the nightclub he used to perform at when he was a teenager.

Bublé ended the show with an encore that showcased his powerful vocals with “Where or When,” followed by hit and fan-favorite, “Everything.”