I didn’t think I had it in me this week to write about much of anything…my mind is 1,500 miles away with my parents as they deal with back-to-back-to-back health issues and I really just wanted to curl up on the couch and have a good cry. But, I was already committed to see and shoot Michael Bublé at MGM’s Grand Garden Arena so I was forced into the Divamobile to go to the Strip and I am so glad I did.

Bill and I got to the back doors a couple of hours before downbeat and waited in the late summer heat for a few minutes for our escort — Lee Moro from Meyer Sound whose sound system is out on this tour — to walk us into the venue and once inside we got the tour of the audio setup and chatted with the sound guys for a while. It took a while but once the opening act, Naturally 7, took the stage I quickly got out of my funk and into The Zone.

I didn’t know much about opening act Naturally 7 before I got to the venue except for some YouTube video that I saw a few months ago. Well, let me tell you that this group delivers contemporary a cappella like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard before. Naturally 7 consists of Roger Thomas (musical director, arranger, 1st Baritone, Rap), Warren Thomas (percussion, guitar, clarinet, 3rd tenor), Rod Eldridge (1st tenor, scratching, trumpet), Jamal Reed (4th Tenor, electric guitar), Dwight Stewart (2nd baritone), Garfield Buckley (2nd Tenor, Harmonica) and “Hops” Hutton (Bass) and started in New York City in 1999 when Roger Thomas started the group with his brother, Warren. Eventually the group’s sound evolved into what they call “vocal play.” What is the difference between Vocal Play and a cappella? Well, a cappella is defined as singing without instruments. Vocal Play is singing AS instruments — literally becoming an instrument with one’s voice. Seriously, every instrument sound that came off that stage was created from the human voice and the group’s sound is nothing short of phenomenal, especially Warren’s fantastic and believable drum sounds (how does he make the kick, toms, snare and cymbals sound so real with just his voice!?!?).

I got the impression that a large portion of the audience had no idea who Naturally 7 was when they walked into the arena. I mean short of a co-headline show the opening act usually serves as a way to start the show and warm up the audience a bit while those still stuck trying to find parking make their way to their seats. But I have been to a lot of shows and I have never seen this kind of response to a basically unknown opening act. You could watch the audience go from “ho hum,” quickly move into “interested” and moving to almost rabid. By the end of their 40 minute set they had the entire arena on their collective feet and had undoubtedly garnered thousand of new fans. I for one will be going to the store on payday to pickup their latest CD. Yes, I said “store.” This is so good that I want to really own it not just download it.

Bublé hit the stage and it was a huge and really beautiful production. This was the last show on this leg of the tour and he seemed intent on giving it everything he had. He even jokingly told the audience that if they had seen any other show on the tour, “You got soooo ripped off.”

And funny? He joked about everything from widely held assumptions about his sexual orientation (he will be marrying his fiancé during this break in the tour) to the songs he was singing. “He intro’d “Mack the Knife” as “a really romantic song about a guy who killed a bunch of people.” Thoroughly entertaining, Bublé has the very rare ability to make everyone in a 10,000 seat arena feel like they are seeing him in a small lounge and connecting in a personal way. It is no wonder that in a season of really down ticket sales, Bublé is selling out nearly every show he does.

But, after being blown away by Naturally 7 I have to admit that Michael Bublé’s set felt a little like he should have been the opener (but give Bublé some credit. He has to know how good Naturally 7 is and he is still had them open more than 200 of his shows). Oh, contemporary crooner Bublé was fantastic, pitch-perfect, charming, funny, without a doubt, but he just seemed to get swallowed up by the amazingly beautiful staging and the 14-piece big band behind him. I can’t really put my finger on it…everything was fine but maybe fantastic just isn’t good enough when you have an opening act like Naturally 7.

Restaurant Week — August 30 to September 5, 2010
Did you know that nearly half of the school-age children in Las Vegas are at risk for hunger? Well, my favorite charity, Three Square, will once again be partnering up with many of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas (both on and off Strip) to bring you Restaurant Week. This is your golden opportunity to sample the cuisine of world-famous chefs at participating restaurants that will be offering exclusive pre-fixe three-course meals, specially designed just for Restaurant Week, at three price points — $20.10, $30.10 and $50.10 per person — with a portion of each bill going to Three Square to help end hunger in Southern Nevada. The hardest part of participating? Deciding which restaurants to try!

While we’re on the subject, Labor Day weekend is a pretty big deal here in Sin City as it’s the final hurrah of the summer so, with any luck, hordes of the young and beautiful will fill the pool parties and ultra-lounges up and down the Strip. If you’re like me and want to avoid the crowds of tourists but still want to have some fun come join me at Sam’s Town. If you’ve never seen Unauthorized Ozzy here’s your chance! Fronted by singer and Ozzy impersonator Peter Marrino (former singer for Cacophony and Lemans) with Larry Hall on guitar, Danny Buss on bass and Chas on drums, this tribute act is a lot of fun to listen to and watch live. The Larry Hall Project will be the opening act and my hubby Bill will be sitting in so you know I’ll be there cheering them on! Friday, September 3, 2010, 9pm, FREE admission, Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, 5111 Boulder Highway.