Why Michael Buble wanted to give back to Australia at the Fire Fight bushfire concert
Michael Buble is making his way Down Under in his first tour in six years and says he can’t wait to come back to the country that has “given him so much” and give back in the wake of the devastating bushfires.
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Michael Buble has revealed he join the Fire Fight Australia concert line-up as a way to give back to the country.
“Besides donating money I obviously wanted to do whatever I could, I felt so horrible for everyone who suffered from the bushfires,” Buble told Confidential.
“Australia has given me so much. As soon as the fires started I wrote a cheque and I thought I could maybe challenge other entertainers who have also done so well here to give back but it soon became clear there was no need to do that, it was great to see everyone getting involved.
“I have spent a lot of time in Australia, I have people that are like family to me here, so it was crushing to watch the country go through this.”
Buble will perform via live cross from his Melbourne concert at Rod Laver Arena, with the Sydney concert now broadcast live on Channel 7 and Foxtel on Sunday February 16.
His first full Australian tour in six years kicks off in Brisbane tonight, before heading to Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
The singer took an extended career break while his son Noah battled cancer – he has now recovered and Buble’s family will be joining him for part of the Australian tour.
“I think I’ve fallen in love with touring in a deeper way than I ever have before. After you go through what I went through you just appreciate things more. I appreciate the people who loved us and prayed for us and come to shows and support me. I think that had a really big impact on me that people were still there for me after my break.
“When you go through tough stuff you realise how good life is. I’ve completely liberated on stage. I feel genuine joy.”
Forever Now, a song written for his sons Noah and Eli, is included in his new live show after being requested by the boys.
“They love it. It’s become therapeutic for me, a lot less morose for sure. But I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been nights when I wish it wasn’t in the set, I had a difficult time and I didn’t get through it (singing the song).
“Now I sing it and I feel hopeful, I feel like it’s almost an anthem.”
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Australian fans may get to see Noah, Eli and maybe baby daughter Vida on stage – the children have made brief appearances during dates overseas.
“Noah is really shy, his favourite part of the show is Nobody But Me, I stick a microphone down and he just sings one line But Eli, that dude just wants to dance. We didn’t want to put our kid up on stage, but after the show he was devastated and kept asking why I didn’t want him to dance. So I let him up the next night and the dude was a dancing machine. My parents saw it and said I did the exact same thing when I was a kid.”
Brisbane Entertainment Centre February 4, 5
Qudos Bank Arena February 7, 8
Adelaide Entertainment Centre February 12, 13
Rod Laver Arena February 15, 16 and 18
Perth RAC Arena February 21, 22
Originally published as Why Michael Buble wanted to give back to Australia at the Fire Fight bushfire concert