As most of you know, I was stuck at Athens airport for 13 hours, so I wasn’t able to post my story. I thought about doing a review on the concert but I’m going to leave that to Daniela who does such sparkling reviews. Instead, I want to talk about what I observed being that this was the first live concert I’ve seen since the guys started their new concerts.

Let me start by saying Athens was Phenomenal! All of their concerts are phenomenal, but this had a different edge to it! This concert had a lot of energy on the part of the guys and the audience. The audience was amazingly responsive. For a new group (new to Athens that is) in a new town that’s unusual. But it does say something. It says these people are really Il Volo fans who have waited a long time for them to come to their town.

And they came to town so ready for this concert. The guys were so at ease, so at home here, you would never believe it was their first performance in Athens!  

To begin with, for me, it was the first performance of their new individually. I love how the concert is divided up. I love how we can have everything old that we love and everything new to love!

The performances have become more personal. The guys can each speak to the audience with an open heart and give them a feel for what they will present and represent. Every song has a story, and we are finally finding out what that story is!  Each story comes from the heart of each guy. We can relate to what he is feeling, why he chose his song, and above all he can present it in his own way with his own style.

Their styles stand out.

Gianluca is flamboyant!

Ignazio is soulful!

And Piero is reserved!  

What’s new is each one has become an absolute presence on stage. Of course, Ignazio, Mr. Personality, is in charge as always holding it all together but they have broken out. Ignazio’s humor as always is an asset on stage. But they are all reaching new dimensions.  

I will say, I am so used to Gianluca being the romantic who leads us into a beautiful song that I find myself amazed at his new look and totally new performance. He has a new creativity that expresses a vision of Elvis from the fifties! He shines like a rock star. He’s really loosened up and this has added volume to his performance. Gianluca truly loves this music! It suits his beautiful voice. And of course, there’s his love for Sinatra. Gianluca will tell you Sinatra was his idol. I’ve said this so many times, Gianluca, Sinatra would be in awe of you. Sinatra was amazing but he didn’t have Gianlucas range. No other baritone has ever had Gianlucas unique voice.   

I find Gianluca more expressive than before. And he has all the moves down pat to complement the Elvis songs. If you’re singing Elvis, you’ve got to act like Elvis. But Gianluca does it in a different way. There’s a certain finesse in the way he delivers an Elvis song! He romances the microphone!

Above all we can now feel Gianlucas love for his music. Before he used his amazing voice just to deliver a song, now he uses it to encompass a song; to become completely a part of it.

What can I say about Ignazio? He always was the presence on the stage and now that presence has turned into a whole production.  His voice comes from every direction. And it is even clearer and more crisp than in the past. His presentation of female artists is rich, and these songs bring out the magnificence of his voice.

Ignazio’s delivery of every song makes you beg for more. He has such feeling when he sings, and he shares that feeling with us. You can truly feel every note. A note that comes from deep within his soul and gives us the most amazing sensations! You can feel the depth of that feeling as he reaches into his soul and gives us a performance to last a lifetime.

Everything about Ignazio shines. He is the consummate performer. He has exceptional knowledge of all that happens on the stage. He gives the audience what they want, and he does it in an exceptional way that only he can do. His shines even brighter than before!

And then there was Piero!

I think I’ve written more about Piero this year than the other two. Why? Because I watched Piero truly become an opera star this year!

His voice has exceptional power. He is always a showstopper. His voice has become very dramatic.  It’s always warm, graceful and bright and now it is reaching higher notes that extend to new boundaries. There is intensity in every note. His voice reaches out to you and demands your attention. Each note pierces your soul! His passion comes through in his music. His Arias have become very dramatic, and he shares that drama in his performance. He performs like an opera singer. Even his repertoire is that of an opera singer. He sings his opera and he sings his Neapolitan songs. Piero you are so ready for an opera stage. And I will be there for the first performance!

Sticking with Piero for a moment, I want to add Ignazio to the picture. 

Their performance of Miserere is like experiencing a phenomenal moment in time. I’ve said this before, I heard others sing this duet, but no one can sing it like Piero and Ignazio. Two beautiful voices that span time and eternity and deliver a magical moment! Hearing it live was amazing. One of the moments I cried during the concert.

Piero took the opportunity to thank Michele Torpedine for making this moment possible. Piero said “because Michele went to Philadelphia it made it possible for them to sing this song.”

This was something I wrote about not long ago. Zucchero wanted to sing this song with Pavarotti, so Michele had a young man who was blind record the song and he brought it to Philadelphia to have Pavarotti listen to it. When Pavarotti heard the song he refused to sing it with Zucchero (they eventually did sing it together). But Pavarotti commented, whoever that singer is you should sign him. And that’s how Andrea Boccelli was discovered. Michele was also Boccelli’s manager.

And that’s how the song was handed down and now is being sung by to amazing singers, Piero and Ignazio.

The guys presentation of Hallelujah is phenomenal! It’s like it’s one continual note. Absolutely harmonious. Listen to how smooth and clean their voices are. The purity of their voices. One continuous voice. There is no break, it is complete harmony, absolute energy. A very serene delivery. Angelic from three angel voices.

About the Odeon Herodes Atticus Theater. It is a beautiful Amphitheater. In Taormina we look out at the stage, and we see Mount Etna and the beautiful Ionian Sea. But in Athens the views are reversed.

We see the stage….

While the guys see the magnificent view!

This had to be one of the most beautiful views the guys ever had during a concert. I’m sure it took their breath away. What beautiful thoughts will remain in their memories!

They gave their all and as a result Athens was Phenomenal!

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

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Credit to owners of all photos and videos.