This is a spoiler alert for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet!  Close your eyes and look away…..

On Wednesday, June 21, 2017, a group of the Detroit Il Volo gals ventured to Bloomfield Twp. Michigan to the Maple Theatre to see the Notte Magica movie.  I had heard a few reviews/comments from Victoria and Jane, so I kind of knew what to expect.  They both told me there were a few clips that we hadn’t seen before of them playing around, a short bit from the Home and Family show and a quick excerpt from the LA concert at the Dolby.  They also showed a quick pic of them with Priscilla Presley.  Yep, that was all true – I think I had seen a few of the clips before, as well on some form of social media.

Then, as they both said, it went into the Florence concert with a few subtitles here and there, but basically it was similar to both DVDs of the Italian and PBS versions and in English.

However, as I recall, there was a constant camera going back and forth in front of us when we were there.  I have to tell you, with all the camera work going on, it was clear that this movie was part of their master plan of the future.  The footage that was shown in the movie was far superior to either of the DVDs.  Many shots and scenes were the same, but there were others that were not shown before here and there.

It was almost like being there, right in the front row.  Third row for me again.  Unfortunately, Lorna was not able to make it.  Every so often Gin would say, “there you are, I see you!”  Well, I must have blinked at that moment, because I didn’t see me!  lol!  However, nearer to the end, after the last orchestra solo, I saw Lorna and I sitting in the audience.  They flashed the same shot twice, just for us, to be sure we saw it.  🙂

Of course the guys were amazing.  I thought it was going to be too loud, but once it got started, it was just fine.  There were about 35 tickets sold, not too bad.  Not sure how many persons actually showed up, but I’d say there were at least over 25 in the theatre.  We had the 6th row all to ourselves…. no one was in front of us.  We clapped during the Libiamo song and clapped and cheered at the end of most of them – just like we were at the real concert.  Every once in a while, we heard those behind us clapping.  I sang along to Tonight and Maria.  It was so loud, I’m sure no one heard me…

I have to say, seeing them on the big screen, so much larger than life, was incredible.  The close-up shots were fantastic and so close and clear, that you could count the hairs on their chins!  It was almost the entire concert, but no songs other than what was shown on the other DVDs.  They did not show Adeste Fidelis, which I can’t figure out why they sang it and then just cut it out of the final cuttings.  O Come Let us Adore Him – yes, O Come Let us Adore Them!!  Any time, any place, we will be there!

I even brought along a new fan with me that evening.  I had converted her over at work.  She is a busy person and had not really heard them sing much, although she did say she looked them up on You Tube.  She is a “younger” fan and she thoroughly enjoyed herself, the movie and meeting us more “mature” fans.  When it was all over, I asked her if she had a favorite and she said it was too soon to tell and that each one is so unique, unto himself, that it was hard to choose.  She sent me an email a few days later and said she was still deciding!!  🙂

Before the show, we enjoyed a meal at the little café, right inside the theatre lobby area.  A little pricey, but nice and convenient.

We also met another Il Volo fan group from the area – Lynn Delaney and friends.  This was her second time of seeing the movie.  She said she enjoyed it the 2nd time, just as much!

The only comments I have about this is that I did wish they had included the Adeste Fidelis and I thought a really nice touch would have been to add the Grande Amore from the LA concert, to really tie in the 2 concerts.  Not sure why they seemed to emphasize both concerts and only about 5 minutes or less was spent on LA.  But, of course, they didn’t consult with me on this – if only they had, it would have been better!  🙂

So, for those of you who have not seen it yet and it comes anywhere near you, I would highly recommend it.  It is just about 2 hours long – they tag it as 110 minutes.

If they decide to release it on DVD, it is definitely going to be part of my collection!

This is the write-up from the IL VOLO website…

A concert-event that brings to life magical moments from Il Volo’s World Tour 2017 – from the backstage of their March performance in Los Angeles to the birth of their tour with Plácido Domingo in the magnificent setting of Florence’s Piazza Santa Croce. The event features the concert along with never before seen, cinema-exclusive footage.

This trio of young Italian tenors, today’s operatic pop phenomenon, have delighted audiences in prestigious venues worldwide.

Il Volo started their US tour with a sold-out show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and then performing in 15 concerts. The cinema program highlights a recent concert at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, where Maestro Placido Domingo joined the trio on stage.

Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca are now touring Europe and Italy.

This film-concert is distributed worldwide by Rising Alternative beginning from June 2017.

Images including stage and media appearances, rehearsals with Plácido Domingo, backstage moments and audience reactions during the US tour will precede this first concert exhibition, mastered for 2k Digital Cinema presentation in surround sound.

This title has already been booked into cinemas in about 20 countries: in Finland where it opens on June 7, in Spain June 13, in the USA beginning from June 13, in Italy June 15, in Switzerland June 15, in Ecuador June 19, in Slovakia  June 20,  in Mexico July 9 and 13, in Austria September 14 and in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands and Ireland on dates to be determined very shortly.

Updated cinema show times by country are posted on http://www.ilvoloincinema.com

This project is a tribute to the Three Tenors. In 1990, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti performed their legendary concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, and now, 27 years later, Il Volo’s Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble honor the legend of The Three Tenors by bringing this iconic classical music to new and familiar audiences. Il Volo grew up listening to them, being fascinated and inspired by their voices and legendary achievements.

NOTTE MAGICA Tour 2017 kicked off with the concert in Florence – Piazza Santa Croce with the great orchestra of the famous Teatro Massimo di Palermo conducted by Maestro Ramón Tebar. As a special guest, Maestro Plácido Domingo also participated in the concert, conducting some of the operatic arias and popular songs.

Il Volo “Notte Magica” in Cinemas will show the group on tour and then singing some of the most famous Neapolitan songs and arias from the Italian and international opera repertoire – all of which were sung by the original Three Tenors.

NOTTE MAGICA – a magical night tribute to The Three Tenors’ is a project conceived by Michele Torpedine, Il Volo’s creator, manager and producer and is distributed in cinemas worldwide by Rising Alternative, in collaboration with Sony Music Masterworks, Sony Music Italy, C Major Entertainment and SpectiCast.

“A tribute to such artists and to such an event could be considered presumptuous, but in fact it is not, as we have not the slightest thought of comparing ourselves to our idols, our artistic inspirations,” say Il Volo.

“I am very happy to be with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca conducting them in this magic night under the stars in such a beautiful city: Florence! I really love these guys. They are performing such a great repertoire around the world – some of the music my colleagues and I performed in our own concerts”, says Plácido Domingo

For those of you in Canada, it looks like the closest for you would be Vashon, Washington, which is between Seattle and Tacoma on the map.  It doesn’t look like they have added any additional locations since a month ago, but you never know – keep looking!