May 1st, Arena di Verona, the first of two Il Volo concerts – TUTTI PER UNO and I was there!!!
MAGNIFICENT! 💗💗💗
This single word encompasses everything and must make you understand in a moment my personal opinion on what I have seen, and even if we have seen a beautiful show under an incessant rain, it was wonderful, but now as usual I describe everything from the start.
Unfortunately the forecasts predicted rain and cold for the evening of the concert, but, as usual, we hoped it wasn’t like that.
Instead, all predictions have sadly came true.
The morning started with big clouds and some light rain but nothing special.
Some friends who were already in Verona wrote to me that it was cloudy but not raining and so I was very hopeful for the evening.
As the time to go to Verona approached, the clouds became more and more and it started to rain, a light but insistent drizzle.
We left for Verona, me, my husband, my son’s mother-in-law and Kirsten from Denmark, who came especially for the concert.
Shortly after the finish we entered the Arena and under the ancient vaults, sheltered, all the people put on rain ponchos, in short, we all seemed hooded but we all took our seats and waited for the beginning of the show, unfortunately the rain became more and more insistent.
I tell you right away that I took a few photos and a couple of short videos, because it was difficult under the rain and then I thought after that there would be a good TV shoot.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca entered the stage, and………. boy, what an entrance, what a fantastic scenography, all very well organised. They started right away with Granada, but not the usual song, or rather, the usual song but sung in three different ways, right away it was clear that Gianluca, Ignazio, and Piero wanted to demonstrate three different styles, three ways of singing the same song, in fact Piero interpreted in a classic way, then Gianluca in a more swing way and Ignazio in a more pop way, beautiful!! Their clothes were also different and respected these styles, Piero very elegant in a classic way. Gianluca with a full leather suit and Ignazio with a very baggy and soft suit that didn’t do him full justice.
I had prepared a pen and paper to write down the title of each song, and you will have understood that I could not do anything, but there were so many songs, three and a half hours of show without any interruptions and with our boys always present on the stage.
There were a lot of guests, but they didn’t take time away from our boys who duetted with each of them, Italian songs, many unknown to you, but it would be the same if they were new songs.
Some duets have been really fantastic, sweet and important and when there will be the television shooting I will explain better.
Knowing then that Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero believed a lot in this hard work, which was organized entirely by them, I felt particularly proud of the three of them.
Casual, beautiful, kind, and extremely good, they have shown so much talent, so much skill and to be able to range in different styles and not be relegated to performing pieces only for “mature people”, as the Italian audience often thinks, well done, well done !!!
Some parts touched the heart, for what was said and how some songs were sung, but, as promised I’ll explain better later, because some songs have really special lyrics and our boys especially felt this from the bottom of their hearts.
I am referring to Il Volo’s duet with IRAMA, a young Italian singer-songwriter. He presented his song dedicated to his missing grandmother in Sanremo, these words were also perfect for Ignazio and Piero, in fact all four performed the song.
“Wherever you are, wherever I am, in every gesture I will look for you. If you will not there, I will understand it and in silence I will listen to you”, these are the beautiful words of the refrain, which Ignazio sang placing his hand on his heart.❤
The choice of songs was varied, but also modern, all songs that have deep meanings and which I will explain well later.
Ignazio used his beautiful and very high voice to perform songs sung by women, women like Whitney Houston and in some moments he showed his rock side by performing songs by Loredana Bertè, accompanying himself on the guitar.
Piero duetted a splendid MISERERE with Mario Biondi, performed the Cavalleria Rusticana solo and the toast of Traviata in duet with the beautiful and talented Aida Garifullina.
Gianluca dedicated his voice to Elvis, but he also remembered the Beatles and amazed me with the duet with soprano Aida Garifullina singing a splendid Angels.
But these are just a few small examples, because the songs, the duets, the solos were very many and then Il Volo, united, also sang Grande Amore, A chi mi dice, Musica che resta, My way, Ancora, Il Mondo, Caruso, L’amore si muove, Ecstasy of Gold with the choir, in short, lots and lots of music quality.
It was a different concert, but let me tell you, a big step forward our young men have proven to be very good showmen, as well as excellent performers and their voices have always been in the foreground, even with the numerous guests. Even the presence of the Canale 5 presenter was not at all invasive of the time and the little monologue of the actor Edoardo Leo, well done.
As I told you I have made very few videos, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise, there are already many videos on Facebook or YouTube, but wait and you will have the whole show perfectly filmed and explained by me.
I also want to tell you that on this particular evening I was able to notice, and surely Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca also understood it, the great love that the fans of Il Volo have for their favorites, because they resist for a total of 4 hours under an incessant rain and even cold, means to love them very much. And il Volo understood this message, because the following day they wrote:
Thank you Verona, that was wonderful!🙏🏻
Despite the rain that stayed with us for the whole show, you welcomed us and supported us from start to finish with incredible warmth.🤩
We are three very lucky guys and we love you!💗
We’ll see you tomorrow, Wednesday May 3rd for the second “Tutti Per Uno” show, here at the Verona Arena!
The only complaint, the rain, incessant. ☔ This made me very sorry, not only for the discomfort, but for the fact that the audience was unable to fully demonstrate its approval through applause and standing ovations, impossible to get up and the applause was there but under the poncho, really too bad about that!
And now I want to remove a small pebble, because before the concert, when the names of the guests were published, there were many, very many boring and insistent comments protesting for a concert where Il Volo would not have given its best due of the numerous guests, even some offended fans said they wouldn’t come or they would to selling the ticket, and that they was sadness at feeling betrayed.
A good pull on the ears would be good for these people, because they didn’t believe in Il Volo, which has never betrayed us, which has never offered us bad things!!!!
Of course, as I said at the beginning, this is my personal opinion, and when there’s a television video, you’ll tell me yours too.
Another important aspect of the Il Volo concert is the possibility for me to meet Flight Crew friends who live far from Italy, but who have come to Italy for their concerts. The rain prevented some of these meetings, but some happened all the same.
Kirsten from Denmark
Jolanta from Poland
Susan from the U.S.
And then our beautiful nonna Maura, even she, 93 years old, held out until the end of the concert.
I also met Judith from Canada, then Laura and Ugo from Trieste, but I wasn’t able to take a picture with them.
I’m sorry I didn’t meet Maija and her daughter from Minnesota, and our Chinese friend Keisyuu who lives in Rome.
Il Volo is also this, it unites friends from all over the world.
I’m closing like this, concert at the top and now there will be the second part, with lots of other songs, because the program won’t be the same.
Thank you Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca for your beautiful voices and for always being so good!!! 💗💗💗
Before I get into my story, I would like to take a moment to mention the concert in Verona. Concerts at the Verona Arena are always spectacular, this one was no exception. With all that is going on behind the guys, it’s like watching two shows. Thanks to all the wonderful fans out there (especially you Alessandra) we were able to see some of this amazing concert. How many ways can you say fantastic? It certainly was different. We saw another side of our guys. True showmen, each and every one. Or as Alessandra said, “An immense talent!” Couldn’t have said it better my friend!
But guys I have to say there was one song you forgot to sing ~ Singing in the Rain.
Because I didn’t attend the concert, I’ll have to wait to watch both on Canale 5. I’ll be back in a few weeks to talk more about it!
Over the past few months, I have been sharing with you An Extraordinary Adventure as seen through my eyes. (I originally wrote about this adventure three years ago.) I hope you enjoyed the stories as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. I think I have written this story five times over the last three years. On this fifth rewrite, we have come to the end of our journey. Telling The Story Time And Again, I certainly will be writing it again. There are always new fans to tell our guys story too.
So how did I approach this story. I took the original book which consisted of mostly dialogues and short stories between the boys and changed it to a narrative so you could truly appreciate their stories.
And what extraordinary stories they were. I acted as the narrator and lead you from one story to another always allowing the boys to tell the story in their own words. After a while, the boys took over and carried me along on their journey. A very exciting adventure!
What did I find out about the boys in this book?
I found out that Piero is an excellent storyteller. When he tells you a story, he includes every little detail so when the story is over you know everything there is to know about that story.
I found out that Ignazio is an excellent writer. He is the only one who wrote his story. Ignazio is very articulate. His words just fly off the page. Because of this, his story was the easiest to edit.
As to Gianluca, I was surprised to find out he was such a romantic. Everything that is important to him is a passion. He invests himself in what he loves and believes in: Family, Music, Country and Soccer!
I have now read the book about 20 times. Going back and forth from Italian to English to be sure that the facts were correct. I have edited other books but this one was truly an adventure. Maybe because the characters meant something to me.
Before I go any further there are some people who I would like to thank for giving me the opportunity to share this story. First and foremost, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. They were aware that I was telling their story yet, never once did they ask me to stop telling it. It’s their story and they could have stopped me at any time. Next, I would like to thank Michele Torpedine for also giving me a free hand to share it!
As to the book Il Volo Un’avventura Straordinaria, La nostra storia, (An Extraordinary Adventure, our story) let me say, as I’ve said so many times, it is a wonderful book and anyone who can read Italian should read it. Many people have asked me why I don’t translate the book. It’s not my book to translate. All I can say is I would love to translate and edit the book for the English version.
Before I hand you over for the last time, let me leave you with this thought. This story truly was an extraordinary story about three young boys, child prodigies, who travelled the same path but started in different places: Naro, Bologna and Montepagano. I often think and I have just recently said in one of the stories, how is it possible that three amazing boys, with three extraordinary voices, that complement one another, wound up in the same place, at the same time, in history. My only answer is divine intervention. God had a plan and what a plan it was! He gave us three voices that would stay with us for a long time and certainly for me till the end of my days.
So, before we bid the boys farewell, I’ll let the guys tell their final story which is about the one disappointment they had. Or as Ignazio put it, “Eurovision… one of those things that I do not like to talk about, but we’re telling the truth, so let’s tell it all.” So, for the last time let’s join Piero as he tells us about what happened at Eurovision….
Piero:Vienna, the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, was a rather strange experience because we came as favorites. So, we were loaded, convinced! From February 14th to May 17th, the day we arrived in Vienna, we sang “Grande Amore” so many times that we convinced ourselves even more that we would make it. I mean, Gianluca and I convinced ourselves, while Ignazio was pessimistic as usual. However, Gian, your presentiment this time was really wrong.
Gianluca:But do you know what happened to Eurovision? Unlike Sanremo, the vote of the public was not as important as the Festival: fifty percent vote from home and fifty percent vote of the jury of journalists. And this put us at a disadvantage. But the public voted for us, we arrived first for the people at home.
I cried when it was over. Why did I cry? I knew we had lost not because people did not love us, but for other reasons. Mom, I cried….
Piero: What a blow that night …
Ignazio: Do we really have to talk about it? I’m not so happy to talk about Eurovision because I do not have a great memory.
Gianluca: I started crying, then I looked at Piero, he too cried …
Piero:Gianluca in the end had convinced me to say: ‘We win, we win.’ We had taken it in Sanremo, it could be that we would take it in Vienna, right?
Gianluca: Look, I guessed because we won the televoting, I repeat it.
Ignazio:And I always am the pessimistic one, with my feet on the ground, saying, “No, guys, it’s hard. It does not say that we succeed.” Even though I had believed it myself a bit.
But it happened that we got third, behind the Russian Polina Gagarina, second with A Million Voices, and the Swedish Mans Zelmerlow who won with Heroes.
Gianluca took it very badly, he cried. Piero as well. Everyone took it very bad. What could I say?
Come on, guys, we got third, not everyone does that, the last one was Modugno.
Piero:In the end, however, Gianluca and I looked at each other, looking as if to say: ‘Now what do we do? And the moment before we cried and the next moment we laughed. We had lost, what could we do? By now, it had happened.
Gianluca:We could not cry forever. And then, the public’s heart was ours.
Ignazio:Instead, the undersigned, after having done a little shoulder to others, the next morning I felt very bad, but very bad. For two or three days I was very bad, I threw it all out, later.
Piero:In life you cannot always win, that’s what we learned.
Where’s the beauty? Not all women can say yes to you. After that, how do you try to seduce one, if you already know that she will tell you yes?
So, when we came back from Vienna, many people in Italy asked: ‘Are you sad about the third place?’
Absolutely not, indeed we are very satisfied, but maybe even too satisfied, because our goal of Eurovision was to show us to two hundred and twenty million people. Even in Australia they saw us. But think how many are two hundred and twenty million people? A sea, is, a sea!
And can I tell you something? I have never loved the tricolor flag so much in my life.
Knowing we were there at the Wiener Stadthalle with the roar of sixteen thousand people to hear us sing live and another two hundred million to see us at home, to know that we at that moment represented Italy for all of Europe is a great responsibility, however it is also a great stimulus to do it in the best possible way.
We represent it around the world with singing, with bel canto, and we believe we have done it better in Vienna. We put it all, we worked hard, we really gave our heart for this occasion.
It was a completely different experience from the others because it was not a competition between artists, it was a competition between Countries, it was a competition between origins, and we were there to defend our nation.
It was really very strong!
It would be nice to come back there, but first we should win another Sanremo Festival!
So, at the end of the book, the guys said, “Goodbye for Now.” And this is how they summed it up! These final words in the book go to the heart of who these guys are and how they feel about the fans.
In which the true and only secret of the success of our three lives is told.
When they asked us to write this book, our first thought was, ‘Finally, finally we can tell the truth.’ In a three-minute interview you cannot tell a life, but in a book yes. And that’s what we tried to do in these pages: tell our true story.
Which is a normal story, of three guys like many who had a great passion and were lucky enough to be able to transform that passion into what today makes them live and makes them famous.
Being successful is beautiful, it would be stupid to say no after we have so dreamed and desired, but you need to quickly understand something, and that is, that it is not only our merit.
The people who follow us have a large part of that merit.
And knowing it is what gratifies us the most.
It is wonderful to know that we have shared our emotions with those who listen to us.
That’s why we work, and that’s why we try to give everything when we sing, we live in a concert or recording studio. And that’s why we do our work always with the maximum of passion, so that we can create what for us is magic, the magic of emotion that passes from our voices to people.
The Fans are the reason, the only real explanation of what happened to us from 2009 till today, the records, the tours around the world, the victory at Sanremo, what we are finally living in Italy.
During a concert we would like to embrace all the people before us, one by one, we would like to be able to say: ‘Thank you!’with our voices to all. And we want to thank them if we are in the studio to record, if we fill the halls in concerts, if we are in the charts, if we go around the world.
Our ‘fans’ are everything!
We do not know what we will decide to do after the new album and the winter tour. We do not know if we will return to Sanremo, if we will take a vacation, if we will immediately start thinking about another album, new songs to fill your emotions and our emotions.
But for sure, for all we have done so far, let’s say thanks to those who have followed us. And we will continue our great adventure together! Goodbye for now!
PIERO, IGNAZIO and GIANLUCA
I think that was a nice tribute to the Fans. I don’t think any other entertainers love their fans like our guys love us! So, I leave you at the end of the story for now, but rest assured I will be TellingThe Story Time And Again.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
For your listening pleasure the concert in Verona in 2016
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
What I have written here are excerpts from the book the guys wrote about their lives. “Il Volo, Un’avventura Straordinario, La Nostra Storia.” (An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story) This is just a small piece of each man’s story. The book is written in Italian. If you can read Italian, I would highly recommend that you read it. It’s wonderful! If not, I can only hope that someday it will be translated into English. Or you can use Google Translate to translate it.
I also recommend you read their second book “IL Volo: Quello Che Porto Nel Cuore” (What I Carry in My Heart).
And let’s not forget the new album. Available on Spotify, Amazon, and other music media!
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
Kirsten from Denmark
Jolanta from Poland
Susan from the U.S.
And then our beautiful nonna Maura, even she, 93 years old, held out until the end of the concert.
