As Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and company sang in the old movie, On the Town:
New York New York, It’s a Wonderful Town The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down Il Volo’s back and there’s no better sound. New York New York, It’s a Wonderful Town
Sorry, I changed the lyrics a little.
Although I live in Denver, I had the opportunity to go to the Il Volo Radio City Concert in New York City on March 21. I grew up in New Jersey, and as a young person, New York was my old hangout, so I took a quick round-trip flight and treated myself to a few days in Manhattan. I had not been to an Il Volo concert since Atlantic City in 2022, so it’s been nearly three years. As the title of this post says, three years was too long to go without seeing and hearing the guys. Besides, Radio City’s spectacular period architecture makes it a great setting to catch up with them.
I also had a soundcheck access. For days on end I watched for email instructions where and when to meet for the “Il Volo soundcheck experience.” I finally got my answer. It was cancelled, and there was no information why. If anybody knows what happened, please write a comment and let me know.
I was disappointed, but not for long. The show itself is always exciting and gets better every season, in my opinion.
Qualcosa di Carino: Something Nice
Every time I travel to hear an Il Volo concert, something nice happens to me even before I get there, and often afterwards. The morning of the show, I was doing errands near Grand Central Terminal and got frustrated when I couldn’t find the entrance to the market. I grabbed the first uniformed worker I could find to ask directions, and his answer came back in the most delicious Italian-accented broken English. I switched to Italian and found out he and his wife were both from Reggio Palermo in Sicily, like my mother’s family. I’m sure the desk security people in that lobby were wondering why this strange tourist lady ended up hugging and kissing the janitor. It’s an Italian thing. We speak the same dialect; we even talk with the same hand gestures.
You may have seen Ignazio or Piero do this gesture with one hand, to ask “what in the world is wrong with you,” or “what do you want from me.”
Ignazio also been known to do this one with both hands, but the accompanying words he says when he does that are often not printable.
Not just us Sicilians, but all Italians speak with their hands, as you can see. Gianluca here is not singing, he’s answering Ignazio’s complaint that after learning English in Sicily, Igna still can’t pronounce “contemporary” or “Massachusetts,” among other things. Gian was telling Igna, “If you can’t, then don’t.”
This next gesture is my favorite one, because if you see it, you know you’re in the middle of an Il Volo concert.
I was staying in the Hilton right across the street from Radio City on the 51st Street side. To put in a plug, a top-class Italian restaurant, Il Duomo 51, was right in my hotel. It’s called duomo (cathedral), because St. Patrick’s Cathedral is right on the other corner of 51st. Very talented chef, all the young wait staff speak English with heavy Italian accents, and a lot of them look alike. They are probably all relatives of the manager or the sous-chef or somebody. When they realized I could actually pronounce the menu choices, they started plying me with free glasses of Italian pistachio liquor. Yes, it’s green.
So, on to the Show.
There is almost no need to tell you Radio City sold out. I think Il Volo have sold this place out almost every time they’ve been here. According to Gianluca, this is their fourth visit to this venue. Igna later said he hoped next time they’d be in Madison Square Garden. I hope so too. Then we’ll hear jokes about how Ignazio can’t pronounce “Knickerbockers.” Most New Yorkers don’t bother to pronounce it, either. That’s why they call the home team the “Knicks.”
On the concert evening, I started writing this piece, then went downstairs early to see how fast the line was forming. I could tell the whole Il Volo crew was already in the theater because an equipment van was blocking me from crossing the narrow street, and what Gianluca used to refer to as the “sleepy buses” were already there with a line of blacked out Mercedes SUVs behind them, extending right up to my hotel lobby. I can even see my room in these pictures. I left my desk light on.
I went into the theater early and checked out the sound control gear and mix boards, since I had time. I was wearing a “Flight Crew” badge, so for some reason, the theater staff didn’t care where I walked around or what I looked at. I keep finding that badge thing is quite useful.
I Tempi Cambiano: The Times They Are a Changin’
So, what has changed in three years since I last heard Il Volo live? All of you know most of this list. Obviously, their young adult lives changed. Ignazio is a married man. Piero finished the NY Marathon. Gianluca has another different girlfriend (who seems lovely.)
The show and their “stage look” have also changed. Their new wardrobe for the opening set has those shiny appliques on their jackets. The set list changed to provide a journey through the history of bel canto. They wrote or rehearsed new jokes.
Piero gets more elegant as he matures; and he has different eyeglasses yet again. Gianluca is clean-shaven and no longer styles the curls out of his hair. His new boots are more sparkly. This picture doesn’t really capture how sparkly.
But there were very important things that did not change. The guys are clearly all adults now, yet they have maintained their youthful charm and energy. They still don’t take themselves too seriously. And as hard as they work, it still looks like they are playing. They still create warmth and joy, even though there is a more mature elegance about their act now.
Il Volo Fans Are the Best
I had the most wonderful seatmates in my row. Clara and her daughter Angela were to my right. Clara was born near Roma and has been in the US 60 years. She and her adult daughter my age spoke primarily Italian to each other, so I also switched to Italian. These ladies were “veterans,” having been to several Il Volo concerts in Radio City before this one. I loved hearing their Roman Italian, which is clean without any heavy regional accent.
To my left were Paul and Toni Conti (nee “Licalzi”). Toni joked that her maiden name means “socks.” That was pleasing to me because my son had a friend in Boy Scouts whose cognome (surname) name was “Scarpa”, which means “shoe.” Now, I’ve met a full set. The Contis are likewise veterans of at least four Il Volo shows. Toni also told me about their trip to their home region in Sicily. Her beautiful epilogue to the story was that after their visit, she and Paul finally understood “who they are” and “why they are the way they are.” That warmed my heart, because I had the same experience in the same place. The Il Volo Flight Crew were the first people to let me share those feelings when I wrote my first post for this web page a few years ago.
OK. One more set of neighbors. The couple sitting diagonally in front of me bore a remarkable resemblance to Ercole and Eleonora Ginoble, Gianluca’s parents. Take a look. What do you think?
If you said yes, you were right. Halfway through the show, Gianluca asked the orchestra to pause so he could say hello to his aunt and uncle, and his parents. Ercole eventually got up to take a stretch, but Gian’s proud Mamma kept recording one of his solos, as you can see. Piero later said Michele Torpedine was around somewhere too, but I didn’t spot him or the white hair. In concerts in Italy, I’ve heard Piero sometimes refer to Michele as Quello dai capelli bianchi, “He of the White Hair.”
Early in the show, Piero decided to tease some fans who came in late and were getting into their seats toward his left. He announced he was pleased that he, at least, was on time, and for the first time an Italian had to wait for the Americans. Gianluca also thought that was clever, as you can see.
I thought Piero was funnier later, when he said how honored Il Volo was to perform in the place where the “rockets” were. He didn’t mean the old Saturn V or the Titan missile or the SpaceX Starship. He meant the “Rockettes”, which became obvious when Ignazio started dancing an imitation of the Rockette strut kick.
On to the Music
I filled in a lot of gaps in my Il Volo concert experience. Because I had missed several years of performances, I never heard Il Volo’s version of the Sound of Silence or Gian’s version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, both written by native New Yorker Paul Simon, or Zucchero Fornacieri’s Miserere. I have recordings of Phantom of the Opera, but Gian’s delivery of Music of the Night has greater heart and romance to it. Because I didn’t have time to travel during Il Volo’s first years of performing as teenagers, I never heard them do Funiculi, Funicula live, although I have their early recoding of it. On stage, they managed to turn this old Neapolitan folksong into a near “popera” masterpiece.
The guys introduced their guest, Cecile, who is helping to expand the repertoire of pop music sung as bel canto. She did an impressive interpretation of “Natural Woman,” made famous by Aretha Franklin, of course. What a voice, and I swear that Italian young lady got some soul. It was also sweet to hear her join the guys for E Piu Ti Penso. It’s a mark of Il Volo’s maturity as performers that they are comfortable sharing the stage with both newbies and old-timers. I knew they have been doing that regularly on Italian stages and on their albums (with Placido Domingo, Pia Toscano, Eros Ramazzotti, and any number of others), but I didn’t know they were doing it on US stages. It was fitting for them to feature a relative “newbie.” On the Radio City stage this night, they dedicated Charlie Chaplin’s Smile to honor Barbara Streisand, who once shared the stage with them in Las Vegas, when they were newbies themselves.
I did remember some antics in the show that came from previous concerts. Ignazio did his usual ticking off on his fingers the three counts as he extended the note in “Ma na’a’a’tu sole” in O Sole Mio. Piero, as you can see below, has his fist up to count the famous five (or more) he can do. As usual, they did this in pantomime without missing a beat.
The best way to explain the entire show in one sentence was that I was thunderstruck. There is no other word.
If you enjoy quality music, you know that “power” is not simply volume or clarity of sound. It is sincere emotion and love of the subject translated into intensity and throbbing virtuoso delivery. In their own way in this show, the guys musically narrated the story of bel canto, their professional passion, holding back nothing. Every song they performed, from the Ennio Morricone movie pieces, like Se, to Verdi’s La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto, to the Neapolitan standby Torna a Sorriento, to Il Volo’s San Remo winner Grande Amore, was as energetic as always, but more elegant at the same time.
The repeated standing ovations throughout the evening said it better than I can. To put it another way, as I was leaving the theater, I looked around and had to smile as I noticed many people were showing each other how their hands were still shaking. It ended up being one of those nights when it’s hard to go to sleep.
Full Circle
I told you nice things always happen to me coming and going from hearing Il Volo. I stopped by a Messianic synagogue to attend services Saturday morning, before I went to LaGuardia Airport to catch il volo (the flight) home. I assumed Beth El (86th Street and Park Avenue) would be typical New York with American English-speaking people and maybe a few Yiddish-speaking or Sephardic Spanish-speaking people thrown in or maybe an Israeli or two. To my delight, the first two people I met who welcomed me in spoke Italian. (Half the articles in their congregation web site are in Italian, too). Go figure! So once again I reverted to my comfort zone and spent much of the morning jabbering in Italian (except of course when we were supposed to be praying or singing or dancing). Remarkably, when I told several folks I had flown across the country for an Il Volo concert, nobody looked at me like “You’re crazy.” or “Who are they?” They understood. It made a nice bookend to a “start-in-Italian, finish-in-Italian, speak Italian every day” kind of trip, and I never set foot outside the US.
Thank you for your lovely description of seeing Il Volo and all the lovely things that you did.
As I have never seen Il Volo in Concert only on YouTube and various videos it’s made me very envious.
But nice that I can imagine as you are describing.
And I hope that one day soon I will be able to see them live as I know it’s the real deal.
I only recently got to know who Il Volo were. And really appreciate the harmonies and amazing singing that they do. I find at times the songs and the way they sing are very moving and emotional. Several reasons why but that’s a long story.
Anyway thank you again for letting me and others read your story.
Thank you so much for sharing your adventures. I will get to see them this Friday (28Mar) in Bethlehem, PA. I have followed them since late 2011 when I live in Chicago and saw them on the local PBS station. This will be my first live performance and I can hardly wait.
You have given me so much to look forward to. Having grown up in central NY, I spent many weekends in the CITY, even before I moved to Long Island for work.
Brava for a job well done, especially one that you enjoy.
I forgot to say below, that in a live performance, the guys involve you in the show. At Radio City, they were honoring two Barbara’s, Barbara Streisand and the late Barbara Vitale who died last year. Ignazio asked everyone to flash their cell phone lights, and wave their hands in greeting or prayer, like he often does. So they may ask your Bethlehem audience to do that, too. Enjoy.
Enjoyed your description of the Il Volo concert you attended, Jo Ann. I’ve seen them twice on stage in person and have loved every minute. Don’t imagine I’ll see them again, as I turn 93 years old on May 1st this year. Would love to see them again, but the travel and crowds would be just too much now. Anyone who is going to see them live, please enjoy them for me, too! Hugs, Dolores
Thanks for the early birthday wishes, Jo Ann! Hugs, Dol.
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Hi Jo Ann, I saw the guys in Clearwater, Fl. on the 10th and the way you talked about your visit to RCMH gave me goosebumps! It’s just how I felt after this years concert and you are so right 3 years is too long!! The last time for me was December 2024 in RCMH, so much has changed in those inbetween years….they matured, Igna got married, etc. but the one thing that will never change is their music and personalities! They will always be timeless and I loved your lyrics to that great old song “Its a wondeful town”…how fitting!! I think my next show will will be at Radio City as I’m moving back up north.
Thank you for sharing your magical night with all of us.
Love from one fan to another, Carol❤️💖💖💖🎼🎤🎵🎶🙏🏻☮️
Thank you Jo Ann for sharing your experience with us. It’s always fun to hear about the concerts from someone who was there. I’ll be seeing them Friday and Saturday this weekend. I can’t wait.
Thank you very much for sharing your feelings and additional information from the boys’ concert! We have already read the general summary here and your story really complemented it beautifully. It is very nice to read the impressions of a direct participant of the concert, especially if it is someone like you. Who is one of the creators of this site! I was really looking forward to your announced article.
You have an innate gift for writing engagingly, not just providing information. Your words radiate warmth, admiration and love. I read your notes with a smile, which so nicely document your relationship with the boys. And also with Italy, their people, culture and language. Until now, I had no idea what those strange gestures that the boys make with their hands actually mean. Now, thanks to you, I know 🙂
I believe that you carefully arranged the accommodation to be as close to them as possible, right? I can imagine your expectations after three years of not seeing them live! And I am glad that you succeeded.
I heard the guys for the first time last spring and saw them for the first time in the fall. And I only regret that I didn’t come across them earlier. I have to say that for the first time in my life I became a passionate fan of a musical group. Maybe because only now have I found one that is worth the effort. Because Il Volo is not only about their wonderful music, about three guys who have grown from talented little children into three world-class young men. It is also about the warm atmosphere that surrounds them and the solidarity among those who support them from the bottom of their hearts and love them not only for their amazing singing, but also for their human values.
What can I say, I am proud to be an IlVolover and I am happy to have discovered these pages. I don’t write comments on every article, but I certainly read them all. And I would like to thank everyone who, through these pages, brings us closer to the world of three extraordinary people whom we admire and respect.
Mir geht es genauso. Ich stimme dir in allem zu. Auch ich bedauere, sie erst vor 1 1/2 Jahren und nicht früher entdeckt zu haben . Ich bin auch ein großer Fan geworden und war bei 3 Konzerten dabei. Ich freue mich sehr in Mantua bei 2 Konzerten und in München dabei zu sein.
Yes, Ina. Once you hear them live… I bought tickets for three of their concerts this year, in three different countries. You know, I have to make up for the time I didn’t know them :-). So I’m looking forward to comparing how different the performances and setlists the guys will perform! I have to say that I’m most looking forward to the Spanish version in Fuengirola. I wanted to go to Italy too, but unfortunately I can’t in May. So next year…
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Jo Ann, how beautiful this report of yours on a beautiful evening truly memorable.
Beautiful descriptions of “us Italians” and our way of being and speaking “with our hands”.
Remarkable photos, you were certainly in an excellent position and also in excellent company.
Thank you for this beautiful contribution, I hope you will write here again.
A hug from Italy!! 🥰
Wonderful article, grazie!!! I saw them in Radio City twice, but in Atlantic City this time.
You put beautiful words to the feelings my friend and I had.
The youthful energy is still there, and contagious, and combined with a new maturity. Their presence is grounded as they become our sturdy guides through an evening of joyful perfection.
Oh those voices, and their music.
It is over too soon, and yet they stay with you for a long time. 4 days later I still feel the power.
Yes, let’s all encourage Madison Square Garden!!!
A big Italian style “arena” concert with even more “contemproary” (LOL) songs, lights and that wonderful Il Volo energy!!!!!!!
Thank you again for another great story.
Ps- re: Soundcheck, I understood the cancellation to be an operational issue with the venue, not Il Volo or their team.
Karen
Thank you so very much for this lovely article sharing your experiences at the guys’ recent concert in New York. I do always enjoy learning of the thoughts and adventures of fellow fans including your recent encounter. It does most certainly seem like you had a wonderful time and enjoyed your fling – making it all worth the while and costs to fly in all the way from Denver, Colorado. I can easily follow you there as for me getting the opportunity to enjoy “Il Volo” live does likewise mean always having to travel far to do so. In similarity with you I have likewise grabbed a flight from Denmark to Verona and Rome just for the sake of seeing/hearing the guys – and I am ready to do it again any time .
And the venue of especially “Radio City Music Hall” is indeed a value added experience too! It is a most awesome place and a stage taken in by just the finest artists from all over the world, so a great choice of yours. My job has allowed me to spend quite some time in New York when I was really young – and no matter how short a stay it was an absolute “must” for me was to attend a show in the “Radio City Music Hall”. Back in the 70th-80th RCMH had afternoon martinees consisting of a movie followed by a show including the famous “Rockettes” – fantastic! And the Easter & Christmas Shows were unique with live animals on the stage! I loved it! But I would likewise have thoroughly loved to experience “Il Volo” in this fantastic setting, so I envy you . But you were my eyes and ears here, so I could follow you all the way – thank you so much!
OK I shouldn’t complaint – as while all you Americans enjoy the guys these days – well, the countdown for me has now started as I hold tickets for one of the upcoming Canale 5 “Tutti per Uno” concerts in Mantua, Italy, in May – so in some 6 weeks it shall be my turn. I look thoroughly forward to it all while I anticipate a very different show to the ones that are presented in the US. The last two years, I have been attending these special TV-shows in the making, so I do understand that the focus is not exactly on the guys but rather on their invited guests with whom they duet. Not understanding/speaking Italian, I do miss out of a lot of the fun and words of exchange while likewise generally being totally unfamiliar with the guest performers being all Italian – but still it is an awesome experience and the shows are normally prolonged with 1-2 hrs. so that there is sufficient time for the guys to perform a range of their soli and basic repertoire for us as well. Anyhow, I am excited and look very much forward to seeing/hearing them again as well as meeting up with fellow fans from around the world.
Thanks again a lot for sharing your lovely story with us – warmest greetings, Kirsten, Denmark
I loved reading your post. It makes me wish all the more that I could be in the audience Sunday for their concert in Boston. Social Security made even thinking about it too painful. I have been catching recent posts with audio from American cities where the guys have already played. I have a question based on something I read from a translated interview with the guys. Ignacio commented something about Michelle; are they expecting? It would be wonderful but the way the translation read it wasn’t clear. I think you touched on the thing that makes Il Volo different. Where they come from and their respect for family take them to a different level. Thank tou for your beautiful prose. Molta Bello! I think that’s right?
Thank you so much. I read that interview. Ignazio said he and Michelle are trying to have a baby, which he called a “Boschettino”, a “little Boschetto”. They are not expecting yet.
Barbara, on the right side of the main Flight Crew page or on any post there is a spot that says:
Follow Us By Email
Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.
You can type in your email address, then click the green Receive Emails button and you’ll be all set! 😊
When Il Volo’s passion flared, they just wanted my gut instinct to join their love. When I heard your versions of so many covers, I had goosebumps from head to toe, and by the time it got to the end, I had tears in my eyes. Il Volo has brought a great deal of justice to great song hits, and it will carry its legacy for many, many years. Out of thousands of views of their videos, five hundred are mine. I always cherish your guy’s versions, and I am obsessed would be a gross understatement, love you, and God Bless! I am the biggest fan in Hawaii.
Oh Joann! Absolutely loved it!!! You had such fun!!
I look forward to reading about the Detroit show, too.
Thank you for your lovely description of seeing Il Volo and all the lovely things that you did.
As I have never seen Il Volo in Concert only on YouTube and various videos it’s made me very envious.
But nice that I can imagine as you are describing.
And I hope that one day soon I will be able to see them live as I know it’s the real deal.
I only recently got to know who Il Volo were. And really appreciate the harmonies and amazing singing that they do. I find at times the songs and the way they sing are very moving and emotional. Several reasons why but that’s a long story.
Anyway thank you again for letting me and others read your story.
You’re very welcome. Il Volo were already together 5 years before* I saw them for the first time. I hope you get to experience them live, also!
Thank you so much for sharing your adventures. I will get to see them this Friday (28Mar) in Bethlehem, PA. I have followed them since late 2011 when I live in Chicago and saw them on the local PBS station. This will be my first live performance and I can hardly wait.
You have given me so much to look forward to. Having grown up in central NY, I spent many weekends in the CITY, even before I moved to Long Island for work.
Brava for a job well done, especially one that you enjoy.
Enjoy the live performance. You’ll feel a great deal of energy you can’t get from watching on TV. The guys know it, too.
I forgot to say below, that in a live performance, the guys involve you in the show. At Radio City, they were honoring two Barbara’s, Barbara Streisand and the late Barbara Vitale who died last year. Ignazio asked everyone to flash their cell phone lights, and wave their hands in greeting or prayer, like he often does. So they may ask your Bethlehem audience to do that, too. Enjoy.
beautifully written and heart warming so very touching thank you for sharing!!!!
You’re welcome. It’s always a pleasure to communicate with all of you.
Thank you very much for your wonderful Impressions. It was so nice to read them.🙂👋
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Enjoyed your description of the Il Volo concert you attended, Jo Ann. I’ve seen them twice on stage in person and have loved every minute. Don’t imagine I’ll see them again, as I turn 93 years old on May 1st this year. Would love to see them again, but the travel and crowds would be just too much now. Anyone who is going to see them live, please enjoy them for me, too! Hugs, Dolores
I’m glad you’ve been able to see them twice. Seven blessings on your head and happy 93d birthday a little early!
Thanks for the early birthday wishes, Jo Ann! Hugs, Dol.
Hi Jo Ann, I saw the guys in Clearwater, Fl. on the 10th and the way you talked about your visit to RCMH gave me goosebumps! It’s just how I felt after this years concert and you are so right 3 years is too long!! The last time for me was December 2024 in RCMH, so much has changed in those inbetween years….they matured, Igna got married, etc. but the one thing that will never change is their music and personalities! They will always be timeless and I loved your lyrics to that great old song “Its a wondeful town”…how fitting!! I think my next show will will be at Radio City as I’m moving back up north.
Thank you for sharing your magical night with all of us.
Love from one fan to another, Carol❤️💖💖💖🎼🎤🎵🎶🙏🏻☮️
Oops that was 2023…no 2024! 🫤
Carol
Love from another fan back to you, Carol.
Great report. Thank you.
You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
A great read,thanks a lot.These young men are amazing and a love them wish I could attend all their concerts.❤️
You’re welcome. I understand. As soon as one show is over, you’re ready for the next one!
Thank you Jo Ann for sharing your experience with us. It’s always fun to hear about the concerts from someone who was there. I’ll be seeing them Friday and Saturday this weekend. I can’t wait.
Friday and Saturday! Wonderful. Those must be the Bethlehem and Connecticut shows. Have a great time!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us ! I’m looking forward to actually attending an Il Volo concert in the future !
I hope you get attend a concert soon!
I loved your account of the RCMH concert, Jo Ann! It was my pleasure to help you get it published here. 😊😘
Thanks for all your help. I look forward to reading your story, too.
Thank you very much for sharing your feelings and additional information from the boys’ concert! We have already read the general summary here and your story really complemented it beautifully. It is very nice to read the impressions of a direct participant of the concert, especially if it is someone like you. Who is one of the creators of this site! I was really looking forward to your announced article.
You have an innate gift for writing engagingly, not just providing information. Your words radiate warmth, admiration and love. I read your notes with a smile, which so nicely document your relationship with the boys. And also with Italy, their people, culture and language. Until now, I had no idea what those strange gestures that the boys make with their hands actually mean. Now, thanks to you, I know 🙂
I believe that you carefully arranged the accommodation to be as close to them as possible, right? I can imagine your expectations after three years of not seeing them live! And I am glad that you succeeded.
I heard the guys for the first time last spring and saw them for the first time in the fall. And I only regret that I didn’t come across them earlier. I have to say that for the first time in my life I became a passionate fan of a musical group. Maybe because only now have I found one that is worth the effort. Because Il Volo is not only about their wonderful music, about three guys who have grown from talented little children into three world-class young men. It is also about the warm atmosphere that surrounds them and the solidarity among those who support them from the bottom of their hearts and love them not only for their amazing singing, but also for their human values.
What can I say, I am proud to be an IlVolover and I am happy to have discovered these pages. I don’t write comments on every article, but I certainly read them all. And I would like to thank everyone who, through these pages, brings us closer to the world of three extraordinary people whom we admire and respect.
Mir geht es genauso. Ich stimme dir in allem zu. Auch ich bedauere, sie erst vor 1 1/2 Jahren und nicht früher entdeckt zu haben . Ich bin auch ein großer Fan geworden und war bei 3 Konzerten dabei. Ich freue mich sehr in Mantua bei 2 Konzerten und in München dabei zu sein.
Yes, Ina. Once you hear them live… I bought tickets for three of their concerts this year, in three different countries. You know, I have to make up for the time I didn’t know them :-). So I’m looking forward to comparing how different the performances and setlists the guys will perform! I have to say that I’m most looking forward to the Spanish version in Fuengirola. I wanted to go to Italy too, but unfortunately I can’t in May. So next year…
Jo Ann, how beautiful this report of yours on a beautiful evening truly memorable.
Beautiful descriptions of “us Italians” and our way of being and speaking “with our hands”.
Remarkable photos, you were certainly in an excellent position and also in excellent company.
Thank you for this beautiful contribution, I hope you will write here again.
A hug from Italy!! 🥰
Wonderful article, grazie!!! I saw them in Radio City twice, but in Atlantic City this time.
You put beautiful words to the feelings my friend and I had.
The youthful energy is still there, and contagious, and combined with a new maturity. Their presence is grounded as they become our sturdy guides through an evening of joyful perfection.
Oh those voices, and their music.
It is over too soon, and yet they stay with you for a long time. 4 days later I still feel the power.
Yes, let’s all encourage Madison Square Garden!!!
A big Italian style “arena” concert with even more “contemproary” (LOL) songs, lights and that wonderful Il Volo energy!!!!!!!
Thank you again for another great story.
Ps- re: Soundcheck, I understood the cancellation to be an operational issue with the venue, not Il Volo or their team.
Karen
Thank you so very much for this lovely article sharing your experiences at the guys’ recent concert in New York. I do always enjoy learning of the thoughts and adventures of fellow fans including your recent encounter. It does most certainly seem like you had a wonderful time and enjoyed your fling – making it all worth the while and costs to fly in all the way from Denver, Colorado. I can easily follow you there as for me getting the opportunity to enjoy “Il Volo” live does likewise mean always having to travel far to do so. In similarity with you I have likewise grabbed a flight from Denmark to Verona and Rome just for the sake of seeing/hearing the guys – and I am ready to do it again any time .
And the venue of especially “Radio City Music Hall” is indeed a value added experience too! It is a most awesome place and a stage taken in by just the finest artists from all over the world, so a great choice of yours. My job has allowed me to spend quite some time in New York when I was really young – and no matter how short a stay it was an absolute “must” for me was to attend a show in the “Radio City Music Hall”. Back in the 70th-80th RCMH had afternoon martinees consisting of a movie followed by a show including the famous “Rockettes” – fantastic! And the Easter & Christmas Shows were unique with live animals on the stage! I loved it! But I would likewise have thoroughly loved to experience “Il Volo” in this fantastic setting, so I envy you . But you were my eyes and ears here, so I could follow you all the way – thank you so much!
OK I shouldn’t complaint – as while all you Americans enjoy the guys these days – well, the countdown for me has now started as I hold tickets for one of the upcoming Canale 5 “Tutti per Uno” concerts in Mantua, Italy, in May – so in some 6 weeks it shall be my turn. I look thoroughly forward to it all while I anticipate a very different show to the ones that are presented in the US. The last two years, I have been attending these special TV-shows in the making, so I do understand that the focus is not exactly on the guys but rather on their invited guests with whom they duet. Not understanding/speaking Italian, I do miss out of a lot of the fun and words of exchange while likewise generally being totally unfamiliar with the guest performers being all Italian – but still it is an awesome experience and the shows are normally prolonged with 1-2 hrs. so that there is sufficient time for the guys to perform a range of their soli and basic repertoire for us as well. Anyhow, I am excited and look very much forward to seeing/hearing them again as well as meeting up with fellow fans from around the world.
Thanks again a lot for sharing your lovely story with us – warmest greetings, Kirsten, Denmark
I loved reading your post. It makes me wish all the more that I could be in the audience Sunday for their concert in Boston. Social Security made even thinking about it too painful. I have been catching recent posts with audio from American cities where the guys have already played. I have a question based on something I read from a translated interview with the guys. Ignacio commented something about Michelle; are they expecting? It would be wonderful but the way the translation read it wasn’t clear. I think you touched on the thing that makes Il Volo different. Where they come from and their respect for family take them to a different level. Thank tou for your beautiful prose. Molta Bello! I think that’s right?
Thank you so much. I read that interview. Ignazio said he and Michelle are trying to have a baby, which he called a “Boschettino”, a “little Boschetto”. They are not expecting yet.
Please add me to your email list Grazie.
Barbara, on the right side of the main Flight Crew page or on any post there is a spot that says:
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When Il Volo’s passion flared, they just wanted my gut instinct to join their love. When I heard your versions of so many covers, I had goosebumps from head to toe, and by the time it got to the end, I had tears in my eyes. Il Volo has brought a great deal of justice to great song hits, and it will carry its legacy for many, many years. Out of thousands of views of their videos, five hundred are mine. I always cherish your guy’s versions, and I am obsessed would be a gross understatement, love you, and God Bless! I am the biggest fan in Hawaii.
Thank You for your article, I really enjoy reading them ! I have not gotten to see the guys in person …..yet, but hope some day to .
Thank you for another beautiful and articulate account of your journey, enjoying being Italian and also of the great concert given by Our Boys. 🎶🥰🎶🥰🎶