Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater
A lot has happened in our Il Volo world in one year. March 26 and 27, 2014 marked one year since Il Volo filmed “We Are Love” and “Buon Natale” Live at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. I can’t remember how many times they have been to Miami since, but for me and I know for a theater full of other fans, the two nights were exciting beyond words. I had never been to a live filming of anything much less an Il Volo concert! The cameras, the lights, the re-takes – Ignazio, Gainluca and Piero – intoxicating!
During a “We Are Love” re-take – I followed the bad example of others and took this little clip
It’s funny when people come together who share a passion for music it’s a magical experience. I met a friend while waiting impatiently at a light across the street from the theater, it would not change, it was between me and the experience I was so eager to begin. I picked a hotel within walking distance and it turned out to be a good thing, as Jeannie from New Mexico walked up to the same light. While we waited we learned we had both been commenting on IlVoloMusic and she recognized my name. By the time we finally crossed the street we were exchanging email addresses. To make a long story short, we did email each other and – yes, you guessed it, last September we attended two “We Are Love” concerts together, Philadelphia and Boston, where we stayed in the same hotel as Il Volo!
We never saw the guys, except we recognized the gym in a tweet from Ignazio. However, we did see Piero’s father, Gianluca and Ignazio’s mothers and Barbara, as well as many band members in the hotel lobby. You can’t imagine how unreal it felt when the Il Volo bus pulled right up to the front of the hotel and the parents, Barbara and the band began loading their bags. We were eating in an open restaurant in the middle of the lobby, the front of the hotel was all glass – what an interesting lunch that was! I rode the elevator with the moms and Barbara but I did not say a word – not wanting to intrude – but later I thought I should have at least said “Can’t wait for the concert tonight” or something! Oh well, maybe next time! That was a digression – what I meant to say was, now Jeannie and I are planning to attend yes, you guessed again, the June 2014 concert in Philadelphia and maybe – a lot of things have to come together – like me getting off work – but maybe, just maybe we will go to Taormina too!
Then there is my Il Volo Flight Crew Board friend, Elaine, who, like I did, moved heaven and earth to get to the concerts in Miami. It was Elaine’s busy season at work, we only learned about tickets at the last minute, but she managed to get she and her daughter to Miami for both concerts. I managed to “work remotely” and we were there, under the same roof for both concerts – seats not far apart – but we did not know each other yet!
Little did we know then, we’d write of our “magical” time in Miami on IlVolomusic and in less than four months, we’d undertake our “Il Volo Flight Crew ~ Share The Love” blog with a few other devoted fans; Kelly, Linda and Marie. Elaine now thinks we were sitting right across from each other, I was on the side and she in the middle. She thinks this because before the shows began some lucky people got to move down to fill up the front rows. The first night, an usher took me and 3 others to the front but the seats were filled when we got there, so Elaine remembers us coming back to our seats. What a disappointment, but it did not last once the concert started! At Buon Natale, I was lucky, 4 of us got moved to the front left. When you see the guys coming out in the beginning of the DVD, I was right there, I could have reached out and touched them! I was just behind the lucky lady that Ignazio sang to in the aisle! It was a fabulous seat! I could see Ignazio’s dimples.
Elaine says March 26 and 27, 2013, were two of the best days of her life! I agree, they were two pretty great experiences, I am going to say it again, I think for the third time, they were two really magical nights.
Elaine, with Piero and Ignazio’s help, took the photos above after the concerts!
I was afraid to take a picture, but I took this during BN !
Many Santa’s celebrated Christmas in March!
It was all over… walking back to the hotel – I stayed in the Raleigh, the hotel with a famous pool – I took the following shots of the night to keep the magic going, I didn’t want it to end!
The moon at 6 AM, March 28, 2013, and a dark Fillmore – the day the music died!
The following are just a few pictures I took between the Fillmore and my hotel – just two blocks apart.
Across the street from the Fillmore
From my room with a view in the Raleigh!
Il Volo Flight Crew was born about four months after PBS filmed “We Are Love” and “Buon Natale” in Miami Beach, and continues to grow. We have participants around the world and we now know each other as FRIENDS! This June 2014, many of us are going to concerts together. I am going to at least four concerts, and I am happy to say with friends I met because of Il Volo’s music, Il Volo’s magic! Four of our five board members will be in Chicago! We can’t wait! We can’t wait to hear about all of your concert adventures too! I hear a huge contingent of Il Volo Flight Crew ~ Share the Love – friends are meeting in Nashville, I am sorry to say that is one concert I can’t make, but I can’t wait to hear from you, Helen! Every single little detail!
Resources:
Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater
http://fillmoremb.com/venue-information
Delano Hotel Miami Beach http://delano-hotel-miami.net411.com/
The Raleigh http://raleighhotel.com/?gclid=CIzYtb-f770CFcg7Ogod0x8AuQ
Photos credits – Elaine, Jeannie and Michele