Michael Bublé Begins Vegas Run with Rat Pack Vibe, Raunchy Jokes: 'This Is a Real Treat for Me'

It's a new dawn and a new day in Las Vegas.

On Wednesday night, Michael Bublé began the first of six shows at the Resorts World Theatre, and he brought an old school Vegas vibe to a modern-day crowd.

The Grammy Award-winning artist kicked off his show in dramatic fashion, surrounded by a four-tier, 55-person band and orchestra. In a throwback to Rat Pack-era Vegas, two-top tables bookended the stage, giving several of the 5,000 fans in attendance an up-close-and-personal view of the act.

"I have to tell you honestly, I don't know if you need me, but I needed you. I missed you. I missed doing this," Bublé, 46, said in reference to the pandemic and lockdown. "We had over two years of us hiding our apartments, doing Zoom calls, being apart from each other. We're not meant to be apart from each other like that. No, we're meant to be together and sing together."

Bublé was clearly relishing his first show of 2022, as he not only led the crowd in countless singalongs but also walked into the audience and sang into people's phones. He noted that he was breaking COVID protocols but clearly didn't care. At one moment he even sang a capella, a very gutsy move considering even the slightest mistake can't be hidden. Naturally, he was flawless.

Embracing his light-hearted personality, Bublé even look good-natured jabs at other Vegas shows and celebrities, humored the crowd with fictitious stories about his kids "bumming" cigarettes off him at 3 a.m., and he also told some NSFW jokes.

"When you come to a Bublé show you get your cake and eat it, too," he told the audience after one particularly raunchy moment.

Dressed impressively in an all-maroon suit, the Canadian crooner ripped through his hits, such as "Haven't Met You Yet" and "Everything," but he also covered Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and others. Prior to singing "Home," which he wrote, he joked that other artists have had more success with the song than he has.

"Blake Shelton had a bigger hit with this song than I had. So did Westlife and a bunch of people," he said. "Just, thank you for the money."

He added, "Every time I go down the street, people say stuff like, 'Oh, I like when you do Blake Shelton's 'Home.'"

During one part of the 75-minute show, Bublé jokingly questioned whether committing to Vegas for an extended run of shows was a good idea.

"I thought, 'No way I'm gonna come here. I'm an international superstar,'" he laughed. "But when I came, I'm glad I did because it's not the same anymore. Now all the big stars come here to play."

He's not wrong. Since Resorts World opened 10 months ago, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood have all graced the same stage Bublé performed on — of course, major artists have had residency shows all over the city throughout the years, too.

"This is a real treat for me. This is a treat for me," he told the audience before signing off. "You have brought me so much joy in my life, you truly have. You're in my prayers every night."