Monthly Archives: September 2022

Through the Fields of My Mind

The Calm & Peaceful One by Susan

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Sorry my story is late this week! Blame it on jet lag and going to the concert at Radio City Music Hall last night! And what an amazing concert it was! But that is a story for another day! All this within 28 hours of stepping on a plane in Rome. Guys how do you do those tours?
Anyway, let’s get to Gianluca’s story!
Gianluca is very different from Piero and Ignazio. He had a calm and peaceful childhood. He didn’t have the challenges that Ignazio had or the intense classical education that Piero had. No, Gianluca lived a very simple life. Perhaps that explains why Gianluca is a romantic. With him, everything is about passion! Like his passion for Abruzzo which he takes around the world. On tour he always speaks about Abruzzo. He loves his country and, he wants others to love it too!
Because he never had the challenges of Ignazio or the intense musical education Piero had, we can honestly say he is The Calm & Peaceful One!

Gianluca’s life began in the small town of Montepagano where he lived a simple life but, when he emerged, he began a journey that would take him around the world and through his amazing voice would leave his mark in every corner of that world.
Let’s listen to how Gianluca describes the town he grew up in:
To be precise, I grew up, in Montepagano, on a hill two hundred meters as the crow flies and ten minutes by road from the sea, and Roseto degli Abruzzi.
The accents are beautiful, the dialects are beautiful, but I can say that what I prefer is the Abruzzese? I am, very, proud to be from Abruzzo. I love everything about this region. And I like to bring Abruzzo around the world and keep it high.
I am right at the sea. I’m relaxing, I’m calm! There is a sea breeze and nothing else. It’s Thursday and I am practically alone on the beach. I’m fine, from God! I’m fine because I’m home.

In Gianluca’s description of his town, we can envision the magnificence of a crow in flight passing over the hill where his home rests and following the road that leads to the sea and landing on the seashore at the beautiful beach of Roseto degli Abruzzi ~ only two hundred meters away! It’s a flight in words that leads us to envision a crow soaring across an endless sky in search of a place to rests its feet. But Gianluca tells us in essence it is only a ten-minute flight! Remarkable!  It’s a beautiful description!   
This is how Gianluca describes his life from the beginning. From his very first words we can hear and feel the passion that he feels for Abruzzo and we can see the peaceful calm that surrounded him from childhood.

In Abruzzo they have an expression. Molto gentile (very gentle). What they are saying is there are people who are kind peaceful people. Who are always calm. Are they like this because they live simple lives?. They spend time walking in the mountains and immersing themselves in the beauty around them. There certainly is a lot of beauty around these people from the grandeur of the Gran Sasso to the beautiful beaches along the Adriatic, all that you can see, touch or feel has a beauty and calmness to it!  
I understand these people and how they live because they’re my people too so, it seems for Gianluca, from his very early years there was no pressure, no concern for anything other than living a calm and peaceful life.
I believe this allowed Gianluca to spend all his days singing and listening to the music he loved. This beautiful peaceful life would explain why, when Gianluca goes home, he feels like he is on vacation. Montepagano is a very beautiful town. It sits at the top of a hill facing the Adriatic Sea. It is like a picture-perfect postcard!  It’s no wonder Gianluca is at peace here. Montepagano is Gianluca’s paradise.
If you ask Gianluca about this paradise and how he spent his childhood he will tell you, “My life as a child seems so far away. I remember, very, little of my childhood! It’s like twenty years have passed but, only five have passed. I’m not like Ignazio I was born and raised in Montepagano. I was traveling only with dreams. What made me dream? Music naturally.”
Within this peaceful environment, Gianluca developed his great passion for music. And from this came our great passion, which is the embodiment of Gianluca, his music!

As you know, Gianluca’s mother worked, so, he went to after-school session with the nuns. He had a teacher named Gabriella. One afternoon, while Gianluca was doing homework, he suddenly got up and started singing “Time to Say Goodbye.” The teacher was speechless. “What a voice you have, what a wonderful voice,” she told Gianluca. “But do you know Andrea Bocelli?” She could not believe how it was possible for such a small child to have such a voice and to know a singer of that kind. “Of course, I know him,” Gianluca said, “he’s my idol, my favorite singer,” Gianluca said this with a certain pride. “Only I do not have his CD yet.” “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, I’ll gift it to you” was the teacher’s answer. “I was seven, maybe eight years old and thanks to Gabriella I was able to start listening to Andrea Bocelli as often as I wanted.”
Yes, this was Gianluca’s passion as a young boy to sing Bocelli songs. And he sang them all the time. But it was music itself that motived Gianluca.  In an interview with the “Rosetana Star” Gianluca said: “Music for me is the oxygen of my life.”

And it wasn’t just Bocelli as Gianluca will tell you. “As I grew older, I became more passionate about singing, including the great American classics, first of all Frank Sinatra.”
So, let’s turn to Sinatra ~ the Voice. But I think Sinatra would be in awe of Gianluca. Love you Frank but Gianluca’s got this one!
Gianluca is known as the Velvet Voice!
I don’t who coined the phrase but, that is right on. Let’s use our senses to understand what that means. Take a piece of velvet and hold it in your hand. Now take your other hand and gently pass your hand across the velvet. What do you feel? You feel a smooth even surface that is crisp with no breaks in it. The sensation is so good that you automatically go back and do it again. And every time it’s the same. It’s pleasing!
Now take Gianluca’s voice, let the notes pass into your ears, what do you hear? A crisp, smooth, even voice with no breaks in it. The note barely passes into your ear and, you are going back for the next note. It’s always pleasing!
Gianluca is a lyrical baritone. He is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the baritone range. Most baritones are limited in range. Gianluca’s voice is huge. He has a very rich chest resonance which creates a feeling of depth and drama in his voice.

A baritone’s voice is very romantic, very pleasing to listen to and is always inviting. Most songs are written for baritones. Gianluca starts, almost, every song. Why? In order for a song to be received well you must draw your audience into it. Gianluca’s voice draws you in in a romantic way and you hang on to every note. He can mesmerize you with songs like “Mi Mancherai” where he reaches into the depth of his being and yours. His interpretation of “Surrender” is electrifying. But, when Gianluca sings, “She’s Always a Woman”, he takes your breath away. The highs, the lows, the emotion, the expression. His voice expands like nothing I ever heard before. He has total command of the song. You walk away with your senses lifted to another level.

So, how did Gianluca get to where he is today!

We know Gianluca never took a singing lesson or entered a competition before Ti Lascio Una Canzone but he was a member of the Piccolo Choir of Roses. And if it wasn’t for this choir, Gianluca may not have been discovered.
Piccolo Choir of Roses is one of the local branches of the Zecchino d’oro. The Mago Zurlì, who was the presenter of the event when Gianluca was in the Choir, was Gianluca’s father, Ercole Ginoble.
But, let me let Gianluca tell you how this all came to be….
When I sing, I don’t forget instinct.  What does that mean? As I said, I have never studied singing. I learned to “use” my voice only thanks to my musical ear. I listened to the music and, it transmits everything I know. And I especially thank the Little Choir of Roses.
When I was about eight or nine, all those who knew my voice gave me the same advice: go sing in a choir. In Roseto there was the Piccolo Choir of Roses directed by the master Susy Paola Rizzo. They sang the songs of the “Zecchino d’oro” or other famous songs with arrangements in that style, with music for children. The Mago Zurlì, that was the presenter of the event, was my father. He had been for a couple of seasons.
This is where I started. It was nice because we studied the songs throughout the winter season, not the technique of singing, the songs. It was different, because we did not study the notes and how to do them, rather we studied instinctively, following what the teacher said and what our ear heard.
Then, in the summer, we demonstrated our work in the Municipality of Roseto. We sang in the squares during the local festivals, in the lidos, in the bathing establishments, around the whole of Abruzzo, all these tiny villages.

During the performances with the choir, besides the repertoire of the Zecchino d’oro, we sang the songs of Bocelli: Misere, Il Mare Calmo Della Sera, La Voce Del SilenzIo.

Of course, we know, the greatest and proudest achievement for Gianluca and the guys was winning Sanremo! We know that it was Gianluca who convinced the guys to go to Sanremo! Or rather Gianluca convinced Piero who convinced Ignazio. And, in the end, Gianluca sums up Sanremo and the events that follow in this way!

The truth is that I was right from the beginning and, no one has ever listened to me, ever. I believed it so much that, if you notice, maybe I’m the one with the least surprised look when Carlo Conti announces the winner. Then, of those moments, one remembers little, there is great confusion, emotion. It was a dream to be able to shout, “Thank you, Italy!” from that stage. I looked at Sanremo as a child, when there was Pippo Baudo, and I was there and have won because people were on our side and it was a dream, I repeat even if I have already said. The emotion was only when my grandfather told me almost in tears: ‘Who would have told me that in my life I would see Modugno win at the Festival and then I see you win.’
On Sunday evening, when I returned to Montepagano, I found the whole village in a party, not just my grandfather: my countrymen were waiting for me from the morning to celebrate. There really was everyone, including the mayor. And then, the journalists, the local TV and a crowd of people who we could not count.

In short, Sanremo was just a dream that brought us many different emotions.

Gianluca has a heart of gold! It’s always about helping others whether through his generosity or his love of his country! That’s just how Gianluca is. He has his hand in everything and reaches it out to those who need it!

I would like to add here part of an article written by Maura (Nonna) Pucci for Flight Crew in June 2020. Maura wrote about Gianluca, and this is some of what she had to say….
…. Gianluca sings with all of himself, with his eyes, with his facial expression, with his hand movements, even with his body posture. He sings a song, he does not perform part of his work, but “brings out” the passion for music that he has in himself, to transfer it to those who listen to him: he is fulfilling a mission…. because he “feels” the music, to the maximum degree.
Maura recalls: I saw Gianluca with an entranced expression, listening with closed eyes, to the splendid voice of Piero, who sang beside him, “O Holy Night.” These are things that move me and are not forgotten.

Gianluca brings to the stage all the behavioral and character characteristics that distinguish him in his private life.
Always in search of perfection, he is PROFESSIONAL to the maximum degree, GENTLEMANLY attitudes, CHEERFUL and SMILING, sometimes even LIVELY, but never too EXUBERANT. WITTY, but with measure; RESERVED, but no longer shy as in the past; ROMANTIC, TENDER, helpful, full of affection for fans, just as he is towards family members, friends, children, the disabled.
I want to add a quality, which with the presence on stage, perhaps not involved, is also sincerely MODEST and not “arrogant” as many insinuate.
Some time ago, he said something that struck me, and now I try to summarize. I still find it hard to realize that I, who have had idols since I was a child and still have them today, may in turn have become an idol for many people.

Maura concludes: This is “my” Gianluca, as I see him, and, according to my personal tastes, I have found in him all the qualities that make him a son, a brother, an ideal nephew.
In fact, I consider him a virtual “grandchild” ……….

We are at the conclusion and until now, I never said, that he is also beautiful! Yes, because I wonder how much it costs for a show artist to be BEAUTIFUL too. 
It depends. Being beautiful counts a lot for a movie star, how many beautiful actors have been successful without being able to act!
But a singer is asked …… a beautiful voice, that he knows how to use and that enchants those who listen to him.
Like Gianluca’s voice, a healthy bearer of strong and contagious emotions.
If then, the lucky singer is also pleasant in appearance, that is just a plus that does not hurt.
Well Maura, I think you summed this up for us! All those beautiful traits come from the man who can certainly be called The Calm & Peaceful One!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email:  susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com

 

Concert Photos/Reviews

IL VOLO TOUR: ATLANTIC CITY and OXON HILL by Daniela

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We have posted about the Boston concert, but time runs fast and Il Volo is unstoppable.
On September 23rd there was a concert at ATLANTIC CITY, Borgata Casino Hotel but once again, someone who was present that evening, will talk to you soon in another post and in an exhaustive way about the concert, and so I’ll go ahead.

September 25: OXON HILL, MGM Theater

You know well that to write you these posts, I scan the various pages, taking here and there, where there are beautiful videos and photos and I try to put together the whole event.
This time I found few things, but then I saw what Joanna Asha Goclawska posted, whom I thank infinitely for her beautiful photos and her short but intense videos.

Thanks Joanna, great job !!

IF I CAN DREAM

SURRENDER

LIBIAM DE LIETI CALICI

GRANDE AMORE

 

What can I say, Joanna did a really good reportage, and I also really enjoyed reading the short comment that accompanied her photos and videos of the concert:
 “Il Volo, an Italian pop operatic trio. About 3 months ago, I heard a song on the internet that I liked very much, so I searched on Google for the singers and found out about Il Volo and the next concert. I liked the concert! 
Great trio with great vocals and a sense of humor!”
And here she is Joanna, on the night of the concert at the MGM Theater !!

Then I also found this short video of the beginning of the concert and I wanted to post it, to make you feel the excitement of the first moments of the concert, when Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca appear on stage ………. indescribable joy !!

ECSTASY OF GOLD

And what about these two beautiful photos posted by çmas2350?
In this beautiful shot there is sweetness, affection, tenderness, all in one photo !!
The comment was: “My mom almost had a heart attack.”

And in this photo, there is joy, hilarity, amazement !!

And since you enjoyed reading Ticketmaster’s comment, I am posting another one, which I really enjoyed.
“This for us is the second concert of IL VOLO, and we were blown away again. How can three young guys have so much talent?
They sing operatic, pop, rock and classic love songs with equal perfection and with no need for amps, synths or other gimmicks (harmony is so good, they wouldn’t even need an orchestra behind them, even if musicians with whom they travel are excellent themselves).
I’ve never been an opera fan because I felt like I was screaming at the top of my lungs. But their voices are like velvet, and their version of Nessun Dorma is incomparable (in fact, their version of any song is unmatched, Frank Sinatra has to think ‘I wish I could sing MY WAY so well’).
They are also so nice and really know how to put on a show. No one in the audience ever leaves an IL VOLO concert disappointed. Please let me know when they get back here.”
There is nothing to add, only that the next stop will be RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL !!
Daniela 🤗

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

Concert Photos/Reviews

IL VOLO TOUR: BOSTON by Daniela

43 Comments

September 20

A lovely evening in Boston’s magnificent Wang Theater.
Il Volo, dressed in blue suits right from the start, delighted everyone present.
At the concert there were Mary and Mark Minton, here’s what they wrote to me:
“Hi Daniela, the concert in Boston was great! We met John from Connecticut there. It was great to see him again. The guys were in black for the whole concert and they looked very handsome. I was in the third row in the lane and Piero gave me a ‘fist bump’ when he walked around singing HERE’S TO YOU.
They sang all the same Mohegan Sun songs on Saturday. (Mary and Mark were also at the Mohegan Sun) The meet and greet was very busy and we only had a few seconds with the guys to take a photo. I’m sorry the concerts are over for us for now.”
(Mary and Mark also saw two concerts in Taormina this year.)
“We will have to plan another trip to Italy next year to see them again!”
What about Mary, you and Mark were very lucky, you have seen two concerts in Italy and two in the U.S. you also did the M&G, and Piero fist bumped you as he passed and sang. All beautiful !!
Thanks Mary also for the beautiful photos !!
I’m also glad you saw John.
John, when you want, write us again about Il Volo !! 😃
And now let’s enjoy some videos, this time everything should work !!

NESSUN DORMA

MY WAY

SE

O SOLE MIO

SMILE

ALL BY MYSELF

GRANADA

IL MONDO

HERE’S TO YOU

GRANDE AMORE

A few more photos …… never enough !!

Another good concert has ended and from the reviews I read on Ticketmaster, everyone is happy to have attended a concert where the voices are unquestionably beautiful. Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are friendly and nice, as well as beautiful. The lineup of songs is excellent and everything takes place in a very familiar atmosphere.
Even the Italian press is realizing that the tour is continuing its run, grinding praise and successes.
I want to end with a comment taken from Ticketmaster.
“I have never been to such a WONDERFUL concert !!!!! All three of these artists are so talented it takes your breath away!! The venue was great and ‘they demolished the house’. I would see them again in a heartbeat!”
They are IL VOLO: Daniela 🤗

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

Birthday, Ignazio

Tanti Auguri, Ignazio! Happy 28th!

12 Comments

Ok folks, in all of this chaos with me, the concert, my job, and the aftermath of it all, I completely forgot about Igna’s birthday coming up until Carol wanted to know where to send her wishes!

So, we don’t have much time, but I think we can make it.  The request for songs will be very short, so Kelly has time to make a choice.

Today is September 23, less than 2 weeks until Oct 4! 

You have 2 days to send in your birthday video song choices.  Please send to ilvoloflightcrew@gmail.com by Sunday, September 26.  Please send in your wishes as well to ilvoloflightcrew@gmail.com.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE:  ONLY SEND SONG CHOICES & WISHES TO THE FLIGHT CREW EMAIL ADDRESS.  THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR ME TO GATHER THEM ALL AND NOT HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH AND LOOK FOR THEM IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE.  GRAZIE MILLE!

Guidelines for the songs:

  1. please choose a song NOT sung by the guys, or Ignazio

  2. we have no control over what songs they sing, this is not a quest for song suggestions for them to sing

  3. this song strictly goes with the video that Kelly makes

  4. deadline for wishes is Saturday, October 1.

Grazie mille, tutti!  Start those songs and wishes coming!

10 Year Anniversary, Concert Photos/Reviews, Ennio Morricone, Our Stories, Special Fan Stories

Fox Detroit September 10, 2022 (a.k.a. Jana and the Beast….)

41 Comments

 

 

It all started last November 8, 2021, when we were all scrambling for tickets for the front row, fingers ready to pounce on the keys, precisely at 10:00a EST!  In the waiting room we were, at tickemaster.com, impatiently waiting as the countdown when from 10 to 0!  Blast off, and there I was, adeptly moving around the site, page to page, frantically looking for the best front row seats, alas, I got 4 good ones, pretty much center, right in front of the stage, one more key and WHAT???  What do you mean it won’t go through???  After sweating many bullets, I was finally able to get in on my work computer and grab the last 2 tickets in the front row for Betty and I and two for Chris and her sister in the second row.  They actually had better seats.  Then Magdalena wanted 2 tickets and 2 tickets for Gin and Lorna. Ok, my 8 ticket limit was met.  Oops, we forgot about Barb!  We managed to snag her the last front row seat.  Ah, just waiting til March now.

 

It was Christmas, New Year’s, Gian’s birthday and Valentine’s Day.  Just 6 more weeks!  Wait, what??  The entire tour had now been postponed til September/October!  Oh no… Betty was coming from New Orleans and my new friend Gale was coming from Portland, Oregon.  I had to quickly call them and tell them so they could change their flights and hotel.  Gale was staying with me.  Of course, originally, mom was not here, so it was going to be a full house for a few nights in September!

 

Ok, a little more time to plan things and finish the condolences book for Ignazio’s father.  I had procrastinated way too long.  I replanned it several times, starting with Shutterfly and ending up just doing a PDF and having it printed locally for way cheaper!  It really did come out nice, almost too nice!  Then we found we couldn’t take bags into the Fox this time, nothing bigger than 4 x 6, or as big as your phone.  But wait, Jana had a plan…how was I going to sneak in his booklet???

 

I ended up getting this black fake fur wrap that had a black lining.  So, here’s the plan… I’ll cut a slit in the bottom of the lining, stick the book in between some foam and reseal it with Velcro.  Yeah, that will work. 😊  I also planned to give Ignazio 3 of them, one for him and one each for his mom and sister.  Well, the printer made it SO nice that they were printed on heavier paper and I did have them GBC bound and they were twice as heavy.  I also printed their birthday wishes from their last birthdays.  Could not get all of that in my little wrap, so I did the one book for Igna and the 3 packs of wishes.  I ended up getting a foam seat cushion that kind of had layers in it and I was able to push them apart and squeeze the books in there, then put the cushion back in the wrap and seal it up.  It was a little awkward, but no one even questioned it.  However, it did become a nuisance, as I had to ask people to keep holding it.  Betty nicknamed it “the Beast!”  lol!

 

In the midst of all this chaos, I got laid off from Ford the end of April.  Luckily, I had already been job hunting and was prepared, but now I had no choice.  I couldn’t be too picky.  Lucky or unlucky, I got hired and fired, in less than 2 weeks.  Ok, no more lawyers for me.  Then mom was here and I was so depressed!  I was fortunate to find a job at the Park West Art Gallery, in mid-July, just down the street.  But I was so stressed out!  I also reserved a mini-bus for our trans for our driver to get us to the Fox and back.  It was tough to find, but luckily Hertz had one.

 

 

The summer was quickly slipping away, plans were being made with Betty and Gale, and what we’d do and where we’d go, etc.  Who had what tickets.  It was a bit crazy.  Then August was gone and Labor Day was here!  One more week and it would be all over!

 

With the new job, I couldn’t take off the time I wanted, so had to work til noon on Friday and then work Monday as well.  I really could have used Monday off!  Luckily, Chris had vacation all week, so she generously volunteered to get BOTH Betty and Gale from the airport.  So, Chris got Betty in the morning.  Her flight was delayed, so she was about an hour or so late getting in.  But it all worked out, she got here and we chatted a bit, then went to lunch.  I went to get a haircut and Chris went home, waiting to pick up Gale at about 6:30p, as her flight was delayed as well.  We all met at our “other” favorite Italian restaurant and I took Gale and Betty back with me.  Betty stayed at a nearby Hilton.  And, just to add injury to an already chaotic weekend, I banged my shin pretty badly on the bathtub Friday morning, so it was swollen and sore with a nasty bruise, the whole weekend!

 

We slept in a bit; Saturday was finally here!  We got up and got ready and picked up Betty from the hotel and went to brunch.  After that, we just came back to the apartment and I tried to take a nap before we got ready.  I put on the Pompeii video to entertain the girls while I dozed for a bit.  Oh, forgot to tell you, before all this, a few girls cancelled (thankfully) and our driver kind of missed picking up the mini-bus, as he was late and they closed at noon.  He got there at five after and they were gone and locked!  So, we were scrambling, trying to figure out how we were going to find trans for 9 people!  Sharon, bless her heart, wanted to drive herself anyway, so that was one less, we were down to 8.  Lorna ended up cancelling at the last minute and Barb had cancelled out earlier.  Les had a Yukon, that seated 7 and himself.  It was truly a miracle, but it worked out perfectly.  We all met in Dearborn, although I hadn’t planned on driving all that way myself and back, but we had no choice.  Les picked us up in Dearborn about 5:30p and we were on our way downtown!  Just a few more hurdles to go!

Cruising down I-75 we went and arrived at the Fox around 6p or so.  Thankfully, they were letting folks in and there was not the chaos as there was the last time.  I saw Deb and Jeannette in the first lobby area by this table, along with Rose Marie and we all said hello.  It didn’t dawn on me that that was the OMGVIP table for the meet/greets.  This is the first time I didn’t buy MG tx ahead of time.  So we had gone in and they were usually in the interior lobby area.  I asked and they said, oh, that’s the table out there.  Ok, we need to go back out there.  So, we had to go to guest services so they could DEactivate our tickets, so they could REactivate them when we got back in.  So far, my plan was working, this was the last hurdle!  We got out there, got our MG tx and went back in.  We were through!  About a 10 or 15 min wait and the doors opened about 6:30p.  After playing musical chairs with the tickets, we were allowed into the magical realm of the theatre.  Down we went, at least 2 or 3 checkpoints to get to the front row, and an extra bracelet for orchestra pit.  We made it.  Me, Betty, and the Beast, found our seats and we sat.  I didn’t realize that Donna and Sharon were to the right of us.  It was nice to sit amongst a few friends.  Concert wasn’t to start until about 7:45p as we heard they had had some trouble with the sound check.  It was 7:35p and Sharon made it to the front row.  When they started to sing, you could tell there were some issues with the sound, but I got over it quickly!

 

It started just about on time.  Out came the orchestra and Giampiero.  The music started and our 2.5 year wait was over!  They appeared like ghosts in the smoky lights and then the mirage became real.  It was the usual song list, starting with Ecstasy of Gold, and on down the line.  They were awesome, incredible, warm, funny, joking around, like the guys we knew and missed.  I even forgot for a few hours that I had a bad bruise on my leg and all of the chaos that led up to those moments.  They always tell the Detroit audience it’s like coming home to Detroit, because this is where they started out.  Ok, it never gets old – lol!  They had some new jokes.  Poor Ignazio said he felt like a white salami.  It did look like he had put on a few pounds.  He was looking so very thin, but certainly far from being overweight.  Just so glad they finally found some tailors to fit Ignazio right.

 

Their solos were incredible and Gianluca really brought down the house with “If I can Dream.”  Of course the video Gestapo was in full force in the front row.  It’s so not fair.  People in the middle where they can’t get to, can tape all they want!  But at least you could take pictures.  I think I got a few good shots. 😊  Certainly loved Igna’s “All By Myself.”  His intro is that he wanted to sing songs recorded by women.  Has anyone had the heart to tell him that Eric Carmen recorded it before Celine Dion?  😉  Of course Eric’s version pales in comparison to Igna’s!  And Piero’s staple of E Lucevan le Stelle was superb as always.

 

The duets – incredible.  I loved “Hallelujah,” and “La Donna e Mobile.”  I still say Igna could blow away Piero if he wanted to. Good thing he doesn’t want to.  Haha.

 

My personal surprise favorite was “Funiculi, Funicula!”  Haven’t heard that since like the first concert back in 2014.  The music started playing and I whispered to Betty, “what song is that?”  Then they started singing and I started singing!

 

Somewhere near the end, I think it was the song “Here’s to You!” (but I can’t remember) the guys jumped from the stage and came into the audience.  Igna sang to Mama Rita (Ruggiero).  The lady in pink with a pink hat!

 

Somewhere in the speaking portion, Ignazio was talking about something and he was having a hard time saying the word “tastes” with the “es” on the end.  Donna, pretty sure that Igna could not hear her, started laughing.  Alas, Igna did hear her and strolled over to our side of the stage and went right to her and said, “come here…”  Here is Donna’s literal 15 seconds of fame…. (I added both Sharon’s and mine.  Mine is first and came out a bit sharper, Sharon’s caught a bit more in the beginning.)

She was just slightly embarrassed…. 😉  But it was all in fun.

 

A few more songs and they announced Libiamo would be their goodbye song.  But we all knew they had to sing Grande Amore.  I really thought they’d try to sing the English version they wrote.  Especially here, but Grande Amore in Italiano, it was!  We didn’t have the pleasure of hearing them sing our national anthem, but as usual, it was over before we knew it.  Standing ovations and a promise to come back next time!  It was sad though, the Fox had barely sold half the theatre and one of the ushers, who is a friend of mine, told me they were bringing folks down from the upper balconies to fill seats on the main floor.  They also didn’t have the screens like they usually do.

 

Ok, concert over.  One last hurdle to my plan.  Get the book to Igna!  Since just Betty, Gale, and I had the MG passes, the others waited for us down the street.  I wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible, as it was a long ride home for me from Dearborn.  They ushered us all over to the right of the theater to await the guys.  We figured we were going to be moved along to another area, but everyone stayed there.  Of course, at those prices, there were not too many folks doing MG.

 

While we waited, I decided to look at my pictures.  Betty and I walked up a ways near the back and sat down on the end.  As we looked at my pics, a nice gentleman sat behind us and seemed very interested and joined in the viewing.  As we got to chatting, he said he was part of the guys’ Ferrari ride downtown the night before.  His name was Tom and he worked for the Ferrari dealer, just a few miles from my apartment in West Bloomfield.  What a coincidence!  He loved my pictures and was very interested in the Flight Crew site.  He said the Italian Consulate contacted them and they drove the cars down for the guys to drive.  He had some other pictures that hadn’t circulated the net.  See below! Looks like our guys, Barbara, and Tom, had a great time! Before our MG, Barbara came out to gather him and another group for a special meeting and off he went.

 

After he left, I decided I needed to take the secret out of the beast.  The Velcro worked really well and it was kind of tough getting it out of there, but I managed.  I ended up leaving the seat cushion there, since it had served its purpose.  I showed it to Rose Marie.  Then the OMG guy said to get in line.  Gale was standing in the front of the line and we just walked up to her, but we didn’t realize it was the front of the line!  No one really minded, as most always want to be last anyway, so every part of my plan worked.  I’m a logistic genius!  Haha!  😉  Betty was first, I was next, and Gale after me.  I gathered my presents and handed each of the guys their birthday wishes.  They seemed to like them.  I then handed Igna my pride and joy, my months of planning and labor, and sleepless nights.  I presented him the book and said, “I made this for you for your dad.”  He looked at the first page and then I wanted to make sure he saw the last page with the Flight Crew.  I said, “and here is your Flight Crew!”  He got somewhat excited, quickly looked at the pictures and landed on Lisa Joy’s photo.  “Where is she?” he pointed frantically.  I looked at him and said, “I don’t know, she’s in Philadelphia!”  Like who am I, chopped liver??  Apparently!  The other two were looking over his shoulder at the pictures.  I’m hoping he appreciates it later, or when he gets older.  So, the deed was done.  My promise of getting all of your condolences to Ignazio was done.  The usual, turn around, say cheese, and it was all over.  The police were at it again, making Betty and I go to the way far left out of the doorway there, so we couldn’t even watch Gale interact with the guys.  I don’t get why they are so mean!  Like what do they think 2 little old ladies are going to do?  Hmmm…. sneak something into the Fox??  😊  But he was a lot bigger than us, so we had no choice. ☹  Alas, it was over – Betty, the Beast, and I, hobbled up the two short flights of stairs to the outside air.  Into the night, to meet up with the rest of the girls!  I have to say, it was the most gorgeous September evening ever.  We had perfect weather.  Was about 80 with clear skies and a beautiful moon.

Above and below are pages from the condolences book.  I took just the covers and key pages.  The first written page is what I wrote on behalf of the Flight Crew Staff.  Our dear friend, Jo Ann, translated it into Italian for me (the above is in  English).  I had several more pages of pictures and the book in total was 36 pages!

Was thinking, Il Volo concerts are like Lay’s Potato Chips – you can’t go to just one and not want for more!  I could only afford one this year, but fearless Sharon went on to Cleveland a few days later!

Until we meet again?

Jana