Il Volo Flies a Mile High
By Giovanna

All the years I’ve followed Il Volo, I’ve never heard them perform where I live in Denver, Colorado.  I’ve gone as far as Taormina, Sicily, and Lecce, Italia and stateside in NY and NJ, to hear them, but they have not come here.  If I’m not mistaken, I think they have not performed here since March 2016, when they played the Paramount Theater, near the 16^th Street Mall.  That’s back when they looked like little boys, Piero didn’t tuck his shirt in, he was still wearing those very red eyeglasses, Gian wore his hair sticking way up, and the group didn’t book a very large venue.  This time they used the Boettcher Concert Hall.

2011 to 2016 era: Mamma mia, quanto erano giovani!
(Wow, how young they were!)

Il Volo in volo (Il Volo in Flight)

I’ve read the horror-stories/rumors on various web pages about Il Volo landing in Denver years ago in a snowstorm, having problems breathing at mile high altitude, and having Piero’s wheeled case full of eyeglasses get lost at our DIA airport.  I have no idea if any of it is true or not. [By the way, Piero explained on Denver Fox 31 a few days ago that singing is Denver is no problem after singing in places like Mexico City or Bogota.  “Just run 5 kilometers and you’re fine.”] However, after years of using Denver’s airports (old and new), I’m not particularly surprised about lost luggage.  On stage this week, Ignazio added a Piero story to the DIA narrative.  Igna says he doesn’t mind traveling on their big tour bus, because he gets a kitchen to himself.  He says he’s a good “cooker”. He explained that during one tour season, when he and Gian were traveling by bus from the previous show to a Las Vegas show, “Prince Piero” chose to fly.  They didn’t mention whether something happened with his volo (flight) or collegamenti (connections) or our strange weather, but he promptly got himself stuck in Denver.  Piero protested it was still better to sleep in a hotel room than a bus bunk.

There were lots of rumors running around the auditorium lobby, including:

• Piero got married.

• All three guys are married.

• Gianluca’s been divorced.

• A group of concertgoers knew someone in Colorado Springs who claims she talks on the phone daily to all three guys to help them with their English.

I have no patience for that kind of stuff.  In any case, I’m glad the guys started the US leg of the 2026 tour in the Mile-High City.  Denver’s Boettcher Concert Hall, designed for opera and classical programs, has wonderful sound.  It’s also shaped in the round, so most seats are close to the stage.

Although I’ve been to many Il Volo concerts, I’ve never been to a Meet and Greet, so I finally bought a VIP ticket that included Meet and Greet, along with the pre-show soundcheck.  Soundcheck was cancelled, and like the cancellation in New York, I got different reasons from different people. The fan page standard text message always says cancellation was due to the venue.  The Meet and Greet photographer/director, John shown here, said the guys were still working out this season’s new program and wanted rehearsal time without interruptions.  That made sense.

John (more about him later)

On to the Boettcher Hall

It’s amazing how far people come to hear Il Volo live. Even though the Boettcher Hall (sadly) was not full, some people had come as much as 1,000 miles to this concert.  The first person waiting at the entrance was Mary Ann Weaver, shown here, who had driven all the way from Shelby, Montana, had gone through major difficulties getting the right ticket, and ended up attending alone.  She had photo gifts for the guys and a special one for Gianluca.

The next one I walked up to, Candice Wood, came all the way from Portland, Oregon.  I thought she might have come the farthest.  David and Sigifredo came from Albuquerque, NM.  Like me, they had tried to attend the concert in Las Vegas at the start of COVID in 2020. Unlike me, they found out the concert was cancelled before they travelled. They’ve been waiting for a show in the mountain states ever since.  I was hoping Il Volo would do some songs in Español for them.

Joice Dougherty, a long-time fan shown here, flew from Phoenix and drove with her daughter from Colorado Springs.  Joice, a paesana Siciliana née Venuti, had one daughter with her and another daughter riding horses on the beach at Taormina, Sicily as we spoke.  I’m so jealous and homesick for that place!

Molte Surprese (Many Surprises)

I waited to see Giampiero Grani seat himself at the piano just before the guys came out.  However, there was a new young pianist on the bench.  To my surprise, Giampiero walked across the stage and stood in the maestro/conductor spot.  It was wonderful to see him with the baton in hand.  Il Volo started by describing their respect and trust for him in that new role.

As always, an Il Volo concert has splendidly powerful young men’s voices, and uplifting, polished instrumental musicianship.  Yet this one was different – more mature, more classical, more themed.  This time it was also much more serious: not much scherzi e buffonate (joking and horseplay). Piero explained they have changed because they are always pushing themselves to improve.  As Ignazio explained, you should “Never finish to study.”  Some changes:

• No appliquéd suit jackets or sparkle shoes.

• It was the first time I’ve heard them perform Granada, the Great Caruso, or Funiculi, Funicula live, although many of you have. Since we were in the Spanish-speaking downtown of Denver I was happy they sang Granada but I had hoped for Cielito Lindo, too.  Someone else was yelling for El Triste.

• In honor of being in the American west, they added an aria from Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West (that one is sort of a spaghetti western opera style).

• They added a medley of American classical/show melodies and no pop songs.

• They did many more of my favorites, Mattinata, Libiamo ne’ Liete Calici from La Traviata, Nessun Dorma, along with some they’ve done for two or three seasons now, La Donna è Mobile from Rigoletto and Ennio Morricone’s Se from Cinema Paradiso.

• When they did an old stand-by like “My Way”, Ignazio wanted it to be a sing-along.

• Although Igna and Piero each did Puccini solos, Gianluca didn’t do a full solo. People more observant than me commented that it looked like he wasn’t feeling well and hurried off the stage at least once.

• Many of the arrangements were shortened, but that may have been in deference to Gianluca. These guys pour out everything they have, and give a high energy performance every show, so it’s not surprising if any one of them wears themselves out or gets sick on occasion.  I forgot what song it was on, but I did notice that Gian took his breath for his last high note, couldn’t do it, quickly rephrased, and skipped the sustain.  It sounded fine (not flat) but, clearly, he was struggling with something, poverino (poor thing). When he spoke to me later, he seemed to be doing better.

As always, Ignazio introduced Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah as a prayer in honor of the many loved ones who over the recent years no longer stand alive next to them (Barbara Vitali, Igna’s father, and some Il Volo grandparents), reminding the audience we could share in the prayer to honor our own lost loved ones.  I always like it when he introduces it that way.

They do have at least one new battuta (joke).  Piero reminds the audience that Ignazio is now a father. Then he adds, “The best things about his son, is that he has the best uncles.”  Ignazio cracks back, “Yes, because they’re rich.”  I don’t know if that means Uncle Piero and Uncle Gianluca have been spoiling baby Gabriele with expensive giocattoli e regali (toys and gifts).  Maybe or maybe not.  This isn’t the first time I’ve heard Igna tease Piero for being rich.

Dopo (Afterwards)

I had been forewarned by Flight Crew staff and other fans what a Meet and Greet is like.  John, the photographer and Meet and Greet director, explained that the guys had just performed for 2 hours, they had to travel early the next morning, they don’t want to get infected with anything, etc.  Predictably, he planned to run a brief waiting line followed by a rush through.  The rules were: no hugging or kissing (germs), no grabbing or handling, no long conversations, just a hello, a quick handshake, a picture, and move on. Well, it didn’t go exactly like that, but it wasn’t my fault.

To save time, as I walked up, I told the guys in Italian that despite writing for Flight Crew for some years, I had never met them, and this was my first Meet and Greet.  Ignazio asked in Italian where my family was from, and when he heard Regione di Palermo, he started telling me in Sicilian all about having some relatives there. (Didn’t he know there’s no chiacchiere (chitchat) allowed!)

Il mio paesano (my paesano)

Piero reached over to tap me politely, also acknowledging that we were paesani (countrymen). (Didn’t he know there’s no touching allowed!)

Il mio altro paesano (my other paesano)

I was going to kid Gianluca, but he beat me to it.  I was going to tell him (in Italian) “Don’t make fun of me for being so short. It makes everybody who stands next to me look tall, except Ignazio, who is already tall enough.”   I never said it.  Instead, Gian still had my hand and arm while he shook his head and started telling me how he notices that conversations with Igna and Piero always seem to switch from the guest being Italian to being Sicilian and always default to Sicilian dialect.  He told me, “I’m amazed how all of you [Sicilians] slide automatically from Italian to ‘Siciliana sugno,’ like you just did. It happens every time.”  (Didn’t Gianluca know he was making more chiacchiere that’s not allowed!)

Apparently, there are not that many Abruzzezi-Americani who switch the conversation to Gianluca’s dialect for him.  If you are an Abruzzeso-Americano at a Meet and Greet at one of their American shows, please speak in your dialect to Gianluca. He’d appreciate it. (Even though there’s no chiacchiere allowed!)

I was facing the guys while they were still talking to me. At some point Ignazio spun me around to face the camera and get the pictures done.  He could see over my shoulder that John, the photographer, was losing patience with the chiacchiere and was about to complain. But it was Igna’s fault.  He started it.

So, if at another Il Volo concert you get to attend a “Meet and Greet”, and the photographer gets even stricter with the rules, don’t blame me.

Credit to owners of all photos.