When turning the final corner of a two-year world tour, it’s tempting for an artist to sail through the rest of the dates with efficient yet uninspiring performances.

That’s simply not Michael Bublé’s style. The crooner kicked off his first of two dates at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night with a show filled with old-school grandeur and sprinkled with nods to his Canadian heritage.

More impressively, with his Dubai stopover arriving after more than 150 shows into this tour, Bublé made the gig stand out with his witty, off-the-cuff crowd banter.

Strolling on to the stage to a flaming backdrop, the dapper, suited 39-year-old launched into the blues standard Fever; however, it was nearly spoilt by the poor sound mixing, which rendered his vocals mushy.

Fortunately, that was resolved by the following number, the Bublé-co-written single Haven't Met You Yet. The Team Bublé Band appeared from behind the curtains and the rhythm section added enough muscle to offset some of the tune's inherent schmaltz.

Then the show went delightfully off-script, with Bublé regaling the audience about his Instagram interactions with a Dubai-based fan with the handle Anonymous Glen earlier in the day. Glen apparently accepted Bublé’s online challenge to find out which hotel the star was residing in. However, through videos posted on his Instagram account, he was unable to locate Bublé’s digs. He later had the distinction of becoming the first fan to enter the concert venue by convincing security he was “one of Bublé’s dancers”.

Impressed by his bravado, the singer rewarded Glen by offering him front-row tickets to the show and completed the honour by walking over to the crowd barrier to take a selfie with him.

Back on stage, the jazz standards and Bublé-ised pop covers came in a steady supply.

Van Morrison's Moondance found Bublé delivering a few welcome high notes, while the jaunty tropical rhythms of Frank Sinatra's Come Dance with Me managed to offset some of the winter chill.

In his biggest salute to his homeland, Bublé referenced the thinker Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour mastery rule to introduce his cracking band in a style familiar to Canadian hockey television viewers.

Each member had their face flashed on screen with a short profile, as Bublé gave each one a signature pun – the best of which belonged to the horn player John Caze, who’s apparently “so cool that when he sleeps, sheep count him”.

Perhaps acknowledging the show was veering a little too close to parody, Bublé then ditched his showman persona and went into ballad mode.

It was by far the most rewarding part of the show. Standing beside his pianist, with the rest of the band silhouetted against moody blue lighting, Bublé's voice shined as he delicately channelled the yearning of That's All (made famous by Nat King Cole) and Bernice Petkere's Close Your Eyes.

Always with an ear to the crowd, Bublé acquiesced to a couple of requests by doing impromptu versions of another Cole classic, Unforgettable, and the bossa nova staple Quando, Quando, Quando.

The party atmosphere returned soon after; Bublé used his faithful cover of Daft Punk's Get Lucky to venture into the crowd to access a small stage situated deep in the general-admission area. Joining the a cappella group and tour support act Naturally 7, Bublé used the elevated platform to deliver punchy covers of soul classics including The Jackson 5's I Want You Back and The Bee Gees To Love Somebody.

The set reached a climax with a stadium-sized version of All You Need Is Love, and the raining confetti and enthusiasm of the crowd did a good job of disguising the fact it was a painfully pedestrian version of The Beatles classic.

For the encore, Bublé cheekily applied for the presently vacant position of singing the next James Bond theme tune with a dramatic, horn-soaked cover of ­Arthur Hamilton's Cry Me a ­River – it was all rather convincing and should give the film's producers some pause for thought.

He closed the show with a heart-warming take on Andy Williams's A Song For You. Bublé delivered the ballad's big finish unplugged and projected his voice as far as it would go into the arena. It was a surprisingly touching moment, and he gave his all to the audience.

sasaeed@thenational.ae