All posts by Jana

Administrative Assistant to the Chief

Concert Photos/Reviews, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Our Stories, Piero

Fantasies and Dreams do come true…Part 1

April 23, 2016 Jana 38 Comments

Ok, sorry guys… you know what they say,

“what happens in Vegas; stays in Vegas!”

Ok, now you knew SOMEONE was going to have to do that, didn’t you? Lol!

palms sign word

Nestled between the softly painted mountains of Red Rock Canyon and the Mojave Desert, lies Las Vegas, where our long-awaited fantasy is about to come true – literally in the Fantasy Tower of the Palms Casino and Resort! Chris G. was my faithful companion and guide in this adventure, so let our story begin…

palms sign

There is a reason it is known as the city of lights! We arrived about 9:30p to a bustling airport and managed, somehow, to make it outside and to where we would pick up our Uber ride. We made it to the hotel, only to find out we had to walk clear to the other tower! Finally, our room at last! We were able to doze a bit on the plane, and we weren’t tired, so we decided to explore the Palms. Our room was in the Fantasy Tower – where all the festivities would take place on Friday night! But, we realized our elevator towers only went as far as the 34th floor? Ok, must be another elevator somewhere? With a little snooping, we found the “hidden” elevator behind some walls and twists and turns! Jana Super Sleuth followed her nose and we went up to the 52 floor! Voila! There was the room and oh, what a view at night! It was gorgeous! There was no one around and the room was filled with several pool tables and a craps table in the middle. Hmmm….we were thinking, there’s no way they are going to get 16 tables in here unless they move something? Well, we were glad to see that they did – of course!

guys marquee

We came down and kept on walking….I knew there was supposed to be a McDonald’s in the casino. At one point, I said, “I swear I smell McDonald’s French fries!?” Sure enough, Chris says “uh, yeah, the guy ahead of you and to your left” – yep, my nose once again rang true, as McDonald’s was literally on my left!” Lol! We found out where the Pearl Theatre was and passed the box office. Saw their adorable faces plastered on many marquees, over the registration desk, above the slot machines, and even on a blackjack table! It was real – the fantasy was coming true, minute by minute – could Friday come any sooner? Well, found all the important spots… so we went back to our room to try and get some rest as the next day was our only free day.

Despite the best intentions of relaxing a bit and sleeping in, I had forgotten to turn off my alarm and off it went at 6:30am! So sorry gals!! (Sharon B. also shared the room with us for a few days) We ended up getting up by 7a and facing the new world below us, and outside. It was a beautiful day! So, after a nice breakfast at McDonald’s and a slight run-in with a door, we were off to Caesar’s Palace on the hotel shuttle. We had to take care of a little business after breakfast and when we were done there we saw Marie arrive and I ran to her to give her a big hug, and said, “Hi, mom!” While waiting for the shuttle we saw the MN 4 gals arrive and reunited with them for a few minutes! We arrived Caesar’s and made our way to the strip. We decided to head to the Venetian. I had never been there and Chris had never been to Vegas. Like everything in Vegas, things are, unfortunately, much further than they appear! But we finally made it to the Venetian. It was quite beautiful inside and 3 girls we saw the gondola ride. I did a little shopping and we took a break to have some gelato – we felt like we were in Italy! We were going to take the monorail back to the Bellagio, but by the time we got to the station, we realized we were pretty much there already! So, back to the strip we went, over the bridge and to the Bellagio. We had some very expensive drinks in one of the bars at the hotel. By then it was nearly 5p and we were exhausted. My phone said I had walked over 13000 steps!

Sharon went back to the room to rest and Chris and I checked out the buffet. Free wine with dinner! Yea! We were there! Food was ok, but the desserts were fabulous! Went back to our rooms – it was like 8:30p. Ok, we were in a buzzing town, with hundreds of Ilvolovers around and we were in bed by 9:00pm?? Something is really wrong here. Ok, in our pj’s we went. Just lying in bed watching bad TV. Just after 11p or so, I was saved by a text from Donna. Come down and meet us for a drink! Yea – finally!! Crazy me, got up, got dressed, and flew down to the lobby! Met a few of the other gals, had a drink and some chit-chat. By 1am, it was back to the room – tomorrow was the big day. We heard the guys had been stuck in Denver on Wed, but made it to Mesa and were on their way to Vegas. We were hoping they were going to stay at the Palms, but did not know for sure…

Friday – it was finally here. The day some of us had been waiting for, for almost 2 years. The event of events, in the planning over for 2 years, thanks to Myron and Jeannette! And, sure enough, the guys and crew were in our hotel! Proof was given by Eleonora on Instagram that they had arrived in the wee hours of the morning and from her picture, looked like they were in the Fantasy Tower, as well – she had the same view we did, just a little higher!! Ok, a lot higher…

By the time we all got it together that morning, we were ready in time for lunch and met with Marie and a few others down in the 24/7 Café for lunch. After a brief visit with Marie back in her room, it was time to get ready. Check-in was supposed to start at 3p – 3:30p, with everyone ready by 4p, guys were supposed to be there between 4:30p – 5:30p. We got ready and were downstairs at promptly 3:15p. Although I was not lucky enough to have Il Volo monitor fan faire lunch with any of the guys or gamble with any of the mothers, I did seem to keep running into Gaetano! I ran past him briefly as I was going back to the elevator to my room. I looked up and thought, hey he looks familiar…? Uh, duh, that’s Papa Barone! I had really already passed him but turned around and said, “Ciao!” anyway and when he turned around I just waved! He just kind of looked at me and I think grinned a little, but it was hard to tell… After a bit of confusion, we were all finally in the “room” for the event. Our fantasy was coming true – in less than a few hours, our guys would be walking through those elevator doors! When I got to the room, the table right near the entryway was still vacant. I quickly grabbed it as I figured I’d have a prime shot of getting the guys as they walked in. Surprised no one else had grabbed it yet? I guess they thought the outside view from 52 IV FF gift table floors up was better than the guys walking in? Not me. I claimed my seat and I wasn’t moving! I quickly saved a few seats for Marie and Kelly, Chris and Sharon. We were able to mingle a bit, and then we waited. And waited. And waited! Myron kept us up to date with texts from the guys and where their progress was, they were running late, but they’d be there. I tried to keep a close eye on the elevators – security was running up and down. It was nearly 6p, where were they? Finally, Myron seemed to have disappeared around the back and suddenly there was a tre regazzi hush and then a roar! The guys were coming around the corner and I had the best seat! They stopped and stood for a few moments on the steps, looking fearfully at the crowd, but with big smiles on their faces. OMG! All these screaming women in one room! Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t turn around and run the other way! Barbara came down next to follow the guys. Pictures were being snapped left and right, along with videos, smiles, and screams! Myron had to hush everyone down. The guys were to go to everyone’s table for a group picture. It was time for our table and the group photo. igna dimple Everyone just rushed up there, the guys were standing still. By the time I got there, they were surrounded, so Mary and I went behind the guys. I was standing behind Ignazio’s shoulder! Poor Mary was right behind him. Ah, what to do? Oh yes, smell his cologne! So, that is what I did! I got close enough to him and took a big whiff! Yes, it was very nice! A quick click, and then it was over. It was a madhouse and before you knew it, the guys were making their way out again. I really don’t think it was even 30 minutes; it sure didn’t seem that long. The guys were gracious as always, putting up with all of us crazy women, and smiling as they left our presence. As they were leaving, I was able to snap a few pictures and I thought I had gotten Gianluca, but ended up with a blurry picture of Barbara, instead! But, as I turned around, Gianluca came up right behind me and gave me a little pat/back rub on my upper back as he was leaving. It was so sweet! I looked up and was just smiling into his grinning eyes…was a nice surprise! I guess that was way better than the picture? What do you think, Kelly? Maybe it was because I was one of the few that were just sitting down?

Was a little anti-climactic after that, but at least we still had the concert and meet/greet to look forward to. We ate our dinner, went back to our room quickly, then down again. It was ciao bambino about 7p or so by then and the concert started at 8p. We got to the Pearl and kept walking – we then saw that the line snaked half way around the casino! Fortunately we saw Madeline, who was saving our spots and got in line. They hadn’t opened the doors yet, it was incredibly nutty! Finally, I think they opened the doors shortly after 7p and the line started to move. I saw mom heading toward me and I grabbed her in line! Good thing for long arms!! We got inside, got our VIP stuff and went to the souvenir area. They had a few things and they had the mugs. For some crazy reason, they would not sell us the mugs til after the show – they said we had to wait until after the show? Reason? They thought us crazy people would THROW them at the guys? Really?? Who would spend $25 on a mug to throw it on stage? Ok, fine, then! We made it to our seats. I was in the fourth row and seats were pretty tight! I was dead center though and it was awesome!

Part II to come…

Concert Photos/Reviews, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Piero

We saw our loves… Part II from Detroit!

March 10, 2016 Jana 89 Comments

…And on with the show!

Piero did his requisite “go stand on a chair in the audience routine” for O Sole Mio, so missed part of that. Lol! But somehow he got back to the stage, which I missed and brought the little girl up?

During “Piove” they brought a “little” girl up on stage, but she was not so little! Lol! She was taller than Gianluca and almost as tall as Piero. Her name? Maria! Gian starts singing “I just met a girl named Maria….” Piero asked her how old she was and she said 14. Piero says, “I am 22 and you are 14 and you are almost as tall as I am!” Then they look at her feet to see if she had on heels or something and I think she was in her socks or booties of some kind, so no heels there! Lol!

During one of the earlier songs, I’m sorry, can’t remember which one, Ignazio comes over to the Maestro and they chit chat for a few seconds. Then I kind of hear “are you ready?” Next thing I know, Ignazio is facing the crowd, Maestro is conducting, and suddenly Ignazio gives Maestro a little “hip bump!” Then, in perfect unison, they are moving back and forth hip to hip to the beat of the music! Literally perfectly orchestrated! 🙂 Yeah, wish I would have gotten that one! Several missed photo ops, unfortunately!

I think it was right before Beautiful That Way, when they all sit on the stage, poor Gianluca is trying to gracefully get down to sit on the stage. He tries one way, then another, and finally says “sorry, my pants are too tight!” They really didn’t look tight though – he was wearing jeans, but they must have been a bit stiff? He eventually plops down on the stage. Then during another song, he managed to get down from the stage, but then could not get up again. They did not put any steps up to the stage and it was pretty high. So the security guard had to get a chair for him to stand on, so he could get back up there! The perils of being short!?

The Godfather routine…even though some say it was a bit drawn out, I have to say it was cute and I liked it. Again, I think Igna had too much bread in his mouth and you could see he kept swallowing and he was coughing here and there. He did though, get Gianluca to kiss his ring! Sorry, Nashville, happened in Detroit first! Was funny, Gianluca asked the audience if he should kiss the “Godfather’s” ring and we all said yes. Apparently, someone said no and Igna says “why you say no?” Igna was saying because now he is 21, he should kiss his ring…

After they were done singing Eternally, Piero and Gian were introducing Ignazio to sing his next solo and Piero was saying how when they were on tour with Barbra, Ignazio fell in love with her, then he tried to correct himself saying Igna fell in love with the song. He relates this to Igna and says “what’s the difference?” Igna said something I did not catch and then says he didn’t have enough money for the lawyers! Lol! Of course, they joke around and Igna does not want him to tell the audience the name of the song, but of course, as Piero is leaving to go up the steps, he shouts out “Memory!”

Igna was also certainly due for a haircut, as he kept doing the hand/hair slide throughout the whole concert. Looks like he got it cut for Nashville? Hmmm… he should be just about due for one in Vegas? Won’t we be lucky? 🙂

But, I am sorry to say, and as fantastic as they were, I still felt a bit disappointed, because they did not sing a few of the songs we really wanted to hear. For those that said they will be happy with whatever they sing – well, I’m sorry, I cannot totally agree. You still hoped that they might just make one little change to the song list, but no, they did not.

(I just want to add a little disclaimer…Please don’t beat me up here for what you are about to read. But this is how I truly felt at the time, and I wanted to be honest. I was also speaking to a few other Detroit gals, and they felt the same way – but I will keep their names secret to protect the guilty… I have the utmost love and respect for these guys and would defend them to the end, as if they were my own!)

It’s like this….

Think back to a time, whether it be a birthday, Christmas, or other occasion, when you got LOTS of presents, more than you could have ever imagined! You laughed and smiled and said many thank yous. But with each present you opened, you kept expecting it to be that one, special gift, you just had your heart set on. You had cake and ice cream and your favorite dinner and friends and family all around. It was the best birthday/Christmas ever! (or was it?) You made everyone think you were happy, and why shouldn’t you be? Here is why… there was this one gift that you wanted, ever so badly. It didn’t even cost very much, at least in your eyes, and there was one person you really thought was going to get it for you. But, it didn’t happen… and, unfortunately, as you lay down to sleep that night, thinking of all the wonderful gifts, food, family, and friends; you still felt a little cheated and disappointed, because you didn’t get that one little gift. It was really all that you wanted and you thought you gave everyone really big hints on what it was, even told someone directly! You’d take everything back, if you could get that one little gift. Before you go to sleep, you thank God for a wonderful day and feel very blessed to have your friends and family around you. You remind yourself, that others aren’t that lucky. They don’t get the presents we do, or maybe no celebration at all? So, you will go to sleep, convincing yourself that you are happy and thankful. The feeling of disappointment will fade – eventually; and your life will go on.

With each song they sang, it meant our gifts were quickly disappearing one by one, until the final, big gift we were all waiting for – Grande Amore! It was certainly grand and was incredible to actually see and hear them sing it live! Then, all too soon, it was over. I didn’t think I was going to be bold enough to stick my hand out there at the end, but it’s the one little perk of being in the front row! Sure enough, here they came, giving all the front-rowers a “low” five… here comes Gian – smack! Here comes Piero – smack! Here comes Ignazio – smack! Oh, yes, that was pretty fun. Oddly, both Gian’s and Piero’s hands were cold, however, Ignazio’s was very warm! And then, it was really over! piero

I will tell you about my meet/greet experience – it was quick! When we signed in to the VIP table, the OMGVIP guy was actually very nice and I asked him about taking pictures, etc. He said they discouraged selfies with the guys, but we could take pictures if we wanted to give someone else our cameras, etc. He also said to wait and someone would come and get us. Well, the Fox and OMG must not have been communicating very well, because when the concert was over, security made us move to the back and other side of the theatre and we just followed the crowd. They told us later they needed to clear the stage and our seats, blah, blah. So we moved and sat down again. After about 10 minutes or so, they told us to move again, so we did. Then the security guy at the end of our row says “ok, you 2 rows need to move into the aisle now and get in line.” We were a bit confused, because just before that the OMG person said we would be taken in groups of 15-20 and could get extra pictures if we wanted? Not the case – so we got in line, not knowing where we were going yet, except we were heading toward the exit doors. As we moved up in the line, we started seeing flashing, so we figured it was up ahead. Where they had the meet/greet was really bad. It was a small area off the main lobby, with very low lighting – just a few ornamental chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and maybe a few sconces on the walls. Barbara passed us twice as we were waiting in line. She is really quite pretty! Yes, we were herded along like the proverbial cattle. They kept pushing you ahead even before the person ahead of you was done! Right before it was my turn, they kept trying to push us up there and Piero is like “wait, wait, I need a moment…” He then went over to his dad to say something, then he went back in his “place.” When it came to my time with the guys, anything I had planned to say or do, went totally out of my mind. I felt very rushed. All I could manage to sputter out was “you were wonderful tonight!” to each one of them, speaking in this kind of dazed monotone voice, while I shook their hands. Yes, I said “shook” their hands! No hugs. My shyness, once again, taking over. I guess I was still pretty overwhelmed by the concert and still in the hypnotic state as soon as I saw them. My dad was with me and I remember going to Gian first, as he was on the left, Piero, in the middle and Ignazio on the right. I said hello to Piero next and said “this is my dad.” Piero did something I thought was so sweet, he says, “hi, dad!” to my dad, and then my dad shakes his hand and gives him a hug! I’m standing there thinking, gee, missed Piero again, but my Dad gives him a hug! (I talked to my dad later, and even he said it was all a blur to him also!) Lol! I then walked over to Ignazio and shook his hand as well. Ok, no hugs, but there is something special about skin to skin contact! Next thing I knew they were tapping you on the shoulder to turn around and smile! Next! As I turned around to leave, I looked at Ignazio. He had his phone in his hand, but was staring into my eyes, like he was trying to recognize me me and the guys maybe, from PBS? It was only the 2^nd time I’d seen him, although he saw me in the front row for an hour!? He just stared, but didn’t say anything. It seemed an eternity, but I’m sure it was only for a few seconds. As I looked back into those piercing, brown eyes, I said, “see you in Vegas!” He just looked at me and had this funny look on his face?” and kind of grunted – didn’t really say anything. And that was it…but my last memory will be those beautiful, brown eyes, shining at me through the darkness…

I did see Caterina, and Giampiero and the guitar guy, but did not talk to any of them. Piero’s father was off to our left in the small area we were in, keeping a close eye on everyone. Also, the Maestro must have been pretty impressed with the Fox Theatre, as I caught him snapping pictures all over the place!!

wing This was, after all, just a dress rehearsal? I will be ready in Vegas to tell them what I want to tell them, shy or not, because it might be the last time – we never know…so again, my heart is full, but I still have some room left for Vegas! But seriously, I have to ask Ignazio what he said to me in Italian! I may never get another chance! See you all soon!

Our Stories

We saw our loves…tonight! (Detroit Fox 2/27)

March 7, 2016 Jana 14 Comments

“My heart is full until the next time….,” I said, when I wrote about our night on July 6, 2015 at PBS! Yes, it was time for a refill!

Just about 6 weeks after that momentous night, the tickets for the February 27 concert went on sale. We had already gotten our tickets from PBS, but did not know what kind of seats they were, just that they were main floor and included the meet/greet. Just for a lark, I went on Ticketmaster and looked at the tickets. They were for sale to the public that Friday, August 21^st, I believe. It was after 4p and I couldn’t believe my eyes! What do I see? The very last two seats in the front row, orchestra pit! Talk about OMG! I looked again and they had disappeared! What? No! Suddenly, they reappeared again. Ok, this is fate, they are mine and I hesitated not a second longer. “I felt the credit card in my hand, and they were no more!” (Delilah? Lol) Luckily, PBS took my tickets back, as they were just about the same price as the front row with meet/greet VIP package, so only a difference of about $50!

Then, we wait…Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Gianluca’s birthday, Valentine’s day, wow, it was coming soon! Five, four, three, two, one, blast off – down to Detroit we went! It was IV-Day!

fox marquee

We arrived just before 7p at the fabulous Detroit Fox Theatre. If you’ve never been, it is pretty incredible. We got our tickets from will call and go into the doors, held open by the doorman. We find our VIP table, get our little gifts of a small tote bag with their picture on it, along with an actual hand-signed/autographed badge with their picture on it, so we could get into the meet/greet. You could barely make out their signatures, if they hadn’t been signed over their pictures on the badge, it would have been nearly impossible to tell whose was whose!

They opened the doors about 7:10p, so we were able to mingle a bit, find some other fans we knew and then make our way to our seats. Yes, we walked, and walked, and the stage kept getting closer and closer! Holy Toledo – someone was in our seats! That was quickly resolved and we sat down. We were directly in front of the speakers – I thought this would be a bad thing, but I must be going deaf, because it was perfect and I heard every word and it wasn’t overly loud at all. I could almost literally touch the stage and was certainly less than 3 feet from it! Pretty amazing! We were kind of half way, in the middle of the row to the right of the stage – right in front of where Maestro conducted the orchestra.

song list

We did some more mingling, found where others were sitting and took some pictures. I did get a picture of the songlist – apparently it’s taped to the stage. Ok, I’m a real novice when it comes to concerts, never been that close to the stage! I looked at the time and it was about 5 to 8 and the orchestra was not even out there yet? However, an eagle-eyed person spied the guys looking from the wings of the stage and could see Ignazio and Piero. I’m like “where, where?” Then I saw them, too. I did a girlish wave and said “hi-i…” I have no idea if they saw me. Lol!

Finally, about 8p or so, the orchestra started coming on stage. That night in Detroit, there was something going on at about every major venue downtown and traffic and parking were a nightmare! So, there were many people that were late. That is probably what the guys were looking at – many empty seats! So, to give people a chance to get to their seats, the concert didn’t really start until about 8:20p or so. But that was not a big deal. I turned around and waved to my 2 friends from work in the balcony and she texted that they saw me! Said they could not miss that periwinkle blue!

Then the orchestra started and the overture to Grande Amore. That was pretty awesome…that ended and the intro to Volare was starting and out came the guys, first Gianluca, then Piero, then Ignazio! I stood up and was clapping and dancing (the only one) and when Gianluca came out he saw me and pointed to me and smiled! Then the blasted security made me sit down! Hrmph! Ok, I was not happy. Oh, well…. I was not fond of the Fox personnel…

As I’d mentioned, it started late, so people were still streaming in, a half hour into the concert. Piero, in his cute little Sicilian accent, started making jokes…..after they had sung the 2^nd song, he says, “so, should we start over so the new people can hear what they missed?” After the 3^rd song he says, “don’t worry, you didn’t miss a thing, that was our first song!” Then after a few more songs he says, “we will come to your house and sing for another 30 minutes after the show!” Of course, the people that were there thought it was pretty funny and we were laughing, but as I think about it now, those people coming in late, probably didn’t think it was too funny?

Ok, I have to say something about the lights – they were awful at times! I was in the front row, so I thought we were the only ones affected, but my dad, about 10 rows back, and my friends in the balcony, all said the same thing! They were really blinding when the bright, white strobing light was in your eyes. While singing L’Immensita, Ignazio was on my side of the stage, almost right in front of me. The light also was right in my eyes. I literally had to shade my eyes to watch him sing. I didn’t take any pictures at that point because I thought he’d come back to my side, but he never did – at least not standing still! igna tonight

Yes, they, or I should say Ignazio, got crazy with Delilah! Ignazio goes over to the Maestro (and yes, it’s all planned – I could see them talking right before), takes the baton away from him and does his crazy thing of conducting the orchestra. He’s all over the place and then Piero comes to the right of the Maestro and then takes his microphone and puts it under Ignazio’s chin – don’t think that one was too planned, if so, it went awry! He ended up hitting Ignazio pretty hard under the chin with the butt end of the mic. Ignazio’s reaction? He kept conducting the orchestra and when it came to the part where he sings “he felt the knife in his hand and she laughed no more…” Ignazio replaced the “she” with “he laughed no more” meaning Piero! Lol! But all in good fun? Later on Ignazio kept feeling under his chin and we couldn’t figure out why – we think it really hurt and he was checking for blood or something?

Every song they sang was magnificent! How did they sound? Well, if I said they were anything less than the perfection we expected, I would be very wrong! They and their voices were positively awesome! They added a special nuance here and there to various songs – new notes to crave for the next time we hear them. What can I say, Ignazio was perfection personified. His rendition of Tonight was flawless. You could hear every “t” in every tonight, what, bright, and light! We saw our loves last night and Ignazio certainly sang with his heart on his sleeve in Tonight for Alessandra! Ignazio even got teary-eyed in 3 songs – not even Alleria! Lol! Igna and Gian were doing the intro to Unchained Melody and doing a little back and forth, not even banter, so to speak and Igna was saying how great love was and everyone should be in love, he asked the audience “how many here tonight are with someone they love?” He looks then says “can you do it again, because I could not see a thing!” Then they brought up the house lights! He says “good luck!”…then he asked Gian if he was ready, Gian said yes, and started singing. Then I watched Igna as he gently took his finger and carefully wiped a tear from his left eye. Although, don’t you usually cry from both eyes?? Hmm…. No, pretty sure it was a tear! Lol! I think he teared up on Tonight and Memory, as well. He sang Memory with a different passion this time, like a longing, almost – probably for his love… Caruso was so moving; the ending, so passionate! I really wanted to stand up after that one (funny, the guys were kind of standing there expecting someone to stand up, but I don’t think anyone did), but most of the audience was a dud and they pretty much only stood after the solos or duets, which was pretty sad. I also kind of felt like a Mexican jumping bean standing up after so many and after Gian’s last solo, I just stayed in my seat.

Cool picture of their water bottles flanked by the guitars

Part II to come!

Jana

Editorials, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Piero

The Color of Their Wings…

February 10, 2016 Jana 64 Comments

We all know change is difficult to accept. Yes, Il Volo started out as the 3 Tenorini, these 3 little tenors dressed up like adults because they sang music only old people knew and liked. The beautiful bel canto music of Italy. But we forget that they were boys dressed up like men. We wanted them to stay the cute, innocent, and cherubic-faced lads we grew to love – for some, love at first sight (or sound!) But time moves on and things change. The world is constantly moving, the universe in perpetual motion, if everything just stopped, we would all die.

The air we breathe, our own heartbeat, our very being is in constant flux. To quote the ancient philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, “The only thing constant is change!” Our three young guys were just caterpillars feeding and feeding off of the fans, growing and growing fatter each day, nourished by our encouragement and constant praise, their very essence being shaped by our devotion to them until finally they were ready to make and form their own chrysalis, where they’ve been for the last several years, constantly growing and changing right before our eyes. In front of everyone, we watched them change from inside the ever protective watch of their parents and families. Many things we saw and yet some things changed without our realizing it. When Sanremo came around, that was when they started to emerge from their metamorphosis, their wings getting more color each day, each week, and month, that went by, on their way to Eurovision – then it really happened. Their wings burst forth and they flew for the very first time. I can still hear the crescendo of their wings on the last chorus of Grande Amore! Their wings were still a bit wet, but they learned to fly stronger and stronger each day. During their flight they ran into enemies and feared for those that wanted to eat them. They fed on the nectar of the crowds from their sold out concerts. Their wings getting a bit battered along the way; yet still staying strong and floating on the wind, as they traversed over the world with their successes.

We hope their flight will be long and never changing, but their flight paths will change with the wind, their fans may come and go, but still they will fly on, always seeking the energy from their fans that keep them going – young, old; tried and true. They will be who they are, their colors will not change. A little battered and bruised along the way, but they will find their destination, landing briefly on our hearts; staying forever in our souls, as they migrate the world in search of their needed and constant approval of themselves and from those that they love.

There are two quotes I found on the Internet, simply entitled “butterfly quotes and proverbs” and I think they depict our guys quite well…

“How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

“Butterflies can’t see their wings. They can’t see how beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that.”

They certainly gave up being caterpillars. With their first notes of “O Sole Mio,” they started changing into butterflies; giving up many things…in order to soar to unbelievable heights.

Beautiful? Our guys are so beautiful inside, as well as outside; and sometimes I really don’t think they know…?

♦ Il Volo – Sempre, per sempre,♦

Jana ♥

p.s. thank you to Marie, for the beautifully suggested title of this post…

Editorials, Ignazio, Il Volo

Not reserved for Gianluca anymore… by Jana

January 19, 2016 Jana 91 Comments

Ah, what surprises we will be in for when they reach North America! What songs will they sing? Will we hear the new duets? The old duets? The new solos? The old solos? Unfortunately they cannnot sing them all! We will love whatever they sing, but some will be disappointed in what they don’t have time to sing. We can only hope they sing our favorites.

These last several concerts have produced countless uploads to You Tube and FaceBook and are being enjoyed by all. The guys are up to their usual antics (ok, mostly Ignazio!), but they are still showing their serious side.

I heard Ignazio’s first version of “Tonight” from Jan 6. The power of his voice was incredible. His depth in range is truly magnificent, and it literally gave me goosebumps upon listening to it. However, I felt it still needed a little work…. Well, he must have been listening because just 2 days later, I could see much improvement, although he still needs a little work on his diction, but the notes were certainly there. I know I will get some heat for saying this, but in my mostly unprofessional, personal opinion, I think Ignazio could rival both Gianluca and Piero if he wanted to! He may have come in third in the original song contest, but he is proving to be the most versatile of the group, and certainly the winner in my eyes and ears!

igna tears — Photo credit to person who uploaded the Alleria video on You Tube

Let’s talk about emotion…. We always knew that Ignazio sang with his heart on his sleeve, but Gianluca is always getting the praise for letting his emotions show as he sheds tears of joy. However, at the Ancona concert, Ignazio also shed a few tears. At the end of the Pino Daniele song, “Alleria,” Ignazio is overcome with emotion, lets loose his tears, and we even see him wipe his eyes, as he bends his head, trying to compose himself.

Thanks to Lady A on “allthelyrics.com,” her translation is below…

Time passes by and what does it do, everything grows and goes away, time passes and you don’t love anymore. I want a sun to dry me, I want an hour to remember. Happiness, for a moment you want to forget that you need happiness, how much you suffered only God knows. And rises the desire to shout that you have nothing to do with it, you wanted only to give and happiness goes away… Time passes and what do I do if my voice will change, time passes and you don’t trust yourself anymore, and you are left only with the things you do not want, you don’t expect for anything because you know that time passes and you never grow up… And it (the sun?) rises…

But why is our Ignazio so overcome with emotion? Is he already afraid of what the future holds for him, for Il Volo? Is he afraid one day they will wake up and this will all be over? Is he fearful of a love he has not yet found, will go away and be forgotten? Is he afraid that all that he gives, his love, will be lost? Is he afraid he will never grow up? That his life will be this song?

Yes, many might say that Ignazio acts like a child and fools around too much; makes too many jokes. But maybe he just wants to share his joy of life with us!? He wants to make us happy and make us laugh! Maybe he has found out already that life is too short to be grumpy? I’d like to think that Ignazio possesses the cherished and often lost “child-like” quality of youth. Someone that is not afraid to laugh, be funny, turn around too many times on Volare, do a twist and jump from the stairs in Surrender, and jump off pianos (although I’m glad he seems to have stopped that one!).

Our dear Ignazio, please do not be afraid. Please continue to be the person you are. Always be true to yourself and your feelings. These will be your strengths. Do not fear the others that will judge you; for they do not understand. Continue to keep your feet on the ground, but your seatbelt fastened, as there will be some turbulence along the way on your flight to success!

Per sempre,