I attended 2 concerts his year—Newark on June 15 and Philadelphia on June 26.
Newark
As we were waiting in the lobby of NJPAC for the doors to open, I mingled in the crowd and met some Flight Crew members whose names escape me (forgive me). I also met some of my facebook friends as well, and was happy to meet people from both groups and put faces to the names.
We finally got to our seats and the show started with everyone so excited when the boys came out on stage and starting singing! There were many, many standing ovations, and their voices could have blown the roof off of the place. I, for one, cried a great deal during the show.
Ignazio came down into the audience while singing “Maria” and knelt down to a woman who was sitting across the aisle from me. When he was ready to go back on the stage I asked him for a kiss on the cheek and he obliged! The show was nothing less than perfect! Our guys always outdo themselves and that night was no exception!
Philadelphia
The Philadelphia concert at The Mann Center was a little different for me. We were sitting in the first row of the orchestra section, behind the pit. However, our seats were to the far right of the stage and there were no seats in front of us. The pit is sort of a semicircle shape, and between the pit and orchestra sections at this venue there was a platform that went completely around the back of the pit section that is the same height as the stage. This platform allowed entertainers to walk between the pit and orchestra sections. As each of the guys walked around on the platform at different times while singing, I was able to touch hands with them as they went around and greeted their excited fans.
I brought a sign that read: “Ignazio, un bacio per te” and when he was on our side of the stage and saw my sign, he blew me a kiss, and of course I blew one back! I was on Cloud 9.
The Mann is an outdoor venue (our seats were under cover though). Knowing it was going to be hot and humid, I brought a hand held folding fan, like the Spanish and Japanese women use. While I was fanning myself, toward the end of the show, Ignazio was on our side of the stage again and was fanning himself with his hand because it was so hot. I offered him my fan and he took it from me and was fanning himself during the number.
I was so excited that he was using my fan! Then, lo and behold, he brought it back to me! I told him to keep it (what was I thinking) but he gave it back, and I am so glad he did. That fan will NEVER be used again by me or anyone else (except of course, Ignazio if the need and opportunity arise again).
The girls who were sitting in the pit, some of them “Flight Crew” members, took pictures of Ignazio using the fan, and have posted them on Facebook, and tagged me as well. There are also professional photographer pictures from the concert that show Ignazio returning my fan with a big smile on his face. He is such a beautiful young man.
After the concert, I went to the Meet & Greet, and for the life of me I can’t remember a word or what went on when I came face to face with the guys! I do remember handing them letters that I had written, but they were immediately collected by the “guard” and placed on a table with everything else that was given to the boys, and then the woman who was taking pictures with my friend’s camera said I had to get my picture and leave. Last year’s M&G was much nicer, and even though it was also a blur to me, I didn’t feel like I was part of a herd of cattle as I did this year.
As much as I listen to the Il Volo CDs and watch their DVDs and Youtube videos, there is nothing like their presence on stage, with their voices lifting the roof off of buildings! And, of course, all their other attributes, which are too numerous to mention here.
All in all, the two concerts I attended this year were spectacular, and the interaction with Ignazio that I experienced at The Mann will be etched in my mind forever!
Madeline
maddiev1123
Maddie,
Very cool story. Frame that fan!
Thank you for telling.
~Marie
Flight Crew,
Bing thinks “Ignazio, un bacio per te”
means “Ignazio, a kiss for you”.
Humm, don’t know how I feel about that.