Bublé offers charm and crooning

With his smooth-as-silk vocals and boy-next-door good looks - not to mention plenty of self-deprecating humor - Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, 34, is a true onstage charmer. So much so that not even the cavernous Wachovia Center could detract from the intimate vibe at his sold-out performance Tuesday night. Nor could it hide the mutual affection between the much-adored singer and his much-praised audience, which joined him for sing-alongs several times during the 90-minute show.

It didn't seem to matter that Bublé's song list was all over the place in terms of genre and pacing, everything from Kurt Weill ("Mack the Knife") to a big-band-style Stevie Wonder song ("For Once in My Life") to the Eagles ("Heartache Tonight"). Nor did anyone seem to care that Bublé's stage moves didn't always match the intended mood of a song. His unfailing showmanship trumped it all.

In his first Philadelphia arena show and first appearance in the city in more than two years, Bublé seemed determined to come off as a regular guy, rather than a newly christened superstar. "I'm like your kid; I'm like your brother; I'm like that - ex-boyfriend of yours," he said, explaining that his onstage persona was really no persona at all. And while some of Bublé's quips undoubtedly were well-rehearsed, there were plenty of unscripted moments when the affable singer would chat with individual audience members or pose for a photo.

Backed by a polished 13-piece band, Bublé got things started with plenty of flash - literally - as an unexpected shower of pyrotechnics concluded the dramatic opener, "Cry Me a River." Another surprise highlight was the chitchat about Michael Jackson's early influence that led into a few note-perfect verses of "Billie Jean," complete with Jacko-style dance moves. Later, Bublé bravely pressed his way through the audience singing "All I Do Is Dream of You," before standing on a platform near the soundboard to croon the melancholy crowd-pleaser "Home" (with the help of a cappella opening act Naturally 7). Bublé closed out the evening with an encore that included a vigorous rendition of the Gamble and Huff-penned "Me and Mrs. Jones" and his hushed, emotive take on Leon Russell's "A Song for You."