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Concert Photos/Reviews, Our Stories

TWO CONCERTS IN THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES by Daniela

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As you all know, on 31 August and 1 September the two Il Volo television concerts were held in Agrigento and will be broadcast, the first at Christmas on Canale 5 and the second broadcast by the PBS television network.
As I had already announced to you, a friend had sent the request to participate via fan club and obtained the confirmation letter, so she left Canada for Sicily.
Thus began Judith’s journey (not without problems), and when I asked her to write her impressions of the two evening and this was her response:
“I’ll do my best to take some photos and make notes on anything that might interest you. I tend to get lost in my own musical world, but at least one is a show in English. I’ll be able to understand.”
“I take a flight from Chicago to Munich and then to Palermo, then a train or car as close as possible to my hotel in San Leone (near Agrigento) and then I try to get to the concerts. I have a friend who will take me to the concerts from my hotel.”
Already on the plane Judith wrote me beautiful words that are the story of many of us, words that come from the heart and that you absolutely must read. ❤️
“I have no idea what time it is. Outside the plane window it is dark and inside most are asleep and the lights are low.  Thinking about it, it’s incredible what some of us, actually many of us, do for an Il Volo concert or to support what we have come to know and love in these few years of Il Volo. Many of us fly all night through strange airports and cities, strange towns and train stations, strange streets and trust strange taxi drivers to take us to strange hotels, whose language we don’t speak, all to enjoy those two hours of music, fun, passion and friends. Some can afford it and some can’t, but those moments of joy listening to the voices of the “kids” make us dream listening to their beautiful voices that take us elsewhere, somewhere deep in our hearts and dreams. My eyes are closed, lost in those moments of beauty. For me, all the frustrations and uncertainty of unknown long-distance destinations absolutely fill my heart when the lights go down, the music starts and Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio take the stage!”
It wasn’t easy for Judith, who arrived in San Leone (a hamlet of Agrigento on the sea) in the evening, in the dark and immediately realized that her accommodation was far from everything, not only from the Valley of the Temples where the concerts were held, but also from the beautiful walk by the sea of San Leone, and from all the shops and restaurants and she hadn’t eaten anything yet and the hunger was making itself felt.
After eating a couple of Sicilian cannoli which Judith found really good, she managed to sleep at night and wait for the first concert on August 31st, the Christmas-themed one which will be broadcast by Canale 5 at Christmas.
“Judith with her friends, ready for the concert, so much elegance.”

August 31st Christmas concert for Canale 5 

Last night was very strange. It was a difficult location, but the stage was set up beautifully. What a fantastic location. I can’t tell you much about the show, we and the fan club group were sitting on the far right. Where we couldn’t see the stage, we couldn’t see the orchestra. All were tall, built on a high platform, here are a couple of photos so you can understand better.
There were guards patrolling everywhere to make sure we didn’t take out our cell phones or cameras, and they were diligent every time I took out my phone to take a photo.
The people in the fan clubs weren’t sitting in a good position and the stage sets were built so high with the barrier around it and from where we were sitting, there wasn’t a good view of the whole thing.
We couldn’t see the orchestra or the two big Christmas trees.
A very confusing night for everyone, there weren’t many people, maybe 800. I don’t know and since there was such a small entrance when they finally opened the small door to let us in (it was closed until 7:45 and it was very hot), for getting 800 people in took a long time. To get to the stage the road was really narrow. There was a shuttle that you could pay for to travel a little distance, if you wore high heels you were straight away in trouble. The road (plus a wide path) was made up of rocks of all sizes, nothing asphalted and it was very, very difficult and, of course, holding each other’s arms to be able to walk, and, after a long walk up the hill, when we arrived, there were so many barriers of cameras and lighting crews that it was not possible to see a lot around. We managed to move in the rows more up, but from the photos you can see that we were under the stage and under everyone. But we were in the corner of the stage where the boys were performing, thank goodness!
The boys weren’t wearing Christmas clothes, they were dressed in dark suits, perhaps black, with some sequins on the jackets, very elegant. No one person had winter clothes, there was a lot of elegance, but no winter clothes, one lady had a fur hat. There were two large trees, as you can see from the photos, and  may have had other decorations too, but we couldn’t see them. And it was a Christmas show in theory it was filmed outdoors.  It was an interesting location for the Christmas show because you could see it was a hot, warm night and the wind was blowing, but people were still in sleeves and how they would rig that Christmas show is beyond me, some people still wore sleeveless t-shirts and tops.
The concert started on time and the guys, as always, were at the top. They were professional as always, they were friendly, they communicated, they told jokes, they sang their songs better than anyone ever could. Of course the songs were mostly Christmas themed. The orchestra was good, the little known songs were great and the first half or more of the show was very good. There were a lot of standing ovations, a lot of applause and a lot of appreciation for their music.
At a certain point between one song and another there began to be huge gaps and the boys were waiting, walking back and forth, then Ignazio said something that I didn’t understand, and he went to the back of the stage, Gianluca told him I went behind to talk to him. Finally they returned to the front and said to the master: Master, as if we were ready, let’s go.
Everything after that was calmer, the music was wonderful as always.
Come to think of it, some of these gaps in the music may have been due to the TV show’s film crew blocking everything.
I learned a little lesson and I don’t think I’ll ever go to a TV-produced concert again. Too many things can go wrong and it’s not about the music. It’s about the show. I think Morricone’s concert in Verona was the best production I have ever seen. It was very well produced, organized, very well planned, excellent music, singing dancers, everything. It was the best on every level.
The guys were fantastic and their voices were exceptional: Gianluca singing “Music of the Night” was a spectacle!
I think as I watch Gianluca more and more, he’s a passionate old soul. He is so kind he is so empathetic and supportive. I actually watched him a lot last night because I could only see them and nothing else in the corner of the stage, and he constantly watches Piero and Ignazio for their reactions when things aren’t going well, he seems to protect them and care about their mood. He supports them.
I remember that at the beginning of the meeting and greetings with them, Gianluca held my hand because I was nervous and he smiled. He listens, watches and cares deeply.  I know that every time I approach him in the meet and greet he looks me in the eyes calmly as if he sees me and he does this with everyone. He’s a good man. ❤️

 

September 1 concert for PBS

I’m sorry for my limited photos, but both PBS and the Italian TV crew were relentless and aggressive in preventing us from filming. I’m sorry I couldn’t capture more.
I wanted to tell you that I think tonight’s concert was fantastic, exceptional. For me there wasn’t enough English, only when filming the PBS parts. However, their voices, their arrangements, their passion,  the delivery and their energy were amazing.
Ignazio sang “Memories”, the favorite representation of his vocal range, and  everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Gianluca showed his, again a powerful, rich voice, singing “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera, as well as an Elvis Presley favorite that I can’t remember right now.
I would like to have the titles of the songs or their program to help you understand better, but I don’t have this information, sorry.
In truth, the musical choices were a combination of a little bit of pop, but a little bit of opera, a little bit of their Belcanto. In every song they sang, they gave everything. For the Italian press to belittle them is simply unfathomable. They did an English version of their latest song and I’d say overall the night was … unlike the highly organised, highly successful and musically stunning first night.  They also introduced new songs that I had never heard before, but they were very positive and definitely a crowd pleaser. I definitely want to listen to the new songs again, definitely! 🥰
Piero Ignazio and Gianluca wore dark suits, but the jackets had no glitter.
People were still elegant but with more colors and less formal and women had abandoned their heels, given the early evening. 😣 The Christmas trees and Christmas decorations were obviously no longer there. 😉
The concert started on time and the energy and anticipation was palpable throughout the audience. Once again the songs were a mix of bel canto, pop opera and classical, with songs from their previous concerts.
However, the introduction of the new songs was electric. Their choices were exceptional and for many moments during the show there was not a cough or a sound except for each magnificent voice that filled the sky and the stars.  That night was magical. After every song the audience went crazy, but no one got up and I don’t know why. During the concert, the songs were projected onto a screen at the end of each row of seats and during some English-language presentations for PBS, the words were written on the screen (like the teleprompter).
A funny moment, Gianluca was reading the script on screen for the PBS audience and came across an English word that he couldn’t pronounce.  He kept trying to say it.
The word was “transcend.”  Nobody helped him and in the end I shouted the word and Gianluca repeated it correctly.
After I gave Gianluca the correct pronunciation, Piero shouted: “Who are you?”
Ignazio said: “But it’s her!” (he didn’t remember my name).
Piero replied: “But who are you? I can’t see anything with this light.”
Ignazio: “Canada” (they know me as the redhead from Canada), and my friend shouted: “Giuditta!”
The kids recognized me because the lights were now on me!!
It was a very fun time.
Another strange thing, later, towards the end of the show, one of the PBS film crew members came to my row and seemed to be pointing the camera at me and recording, I don’t know why. That remains to be seen, I guess. Maybe I’ll be at the cinema soon!
The first evening I had two women next to me, two women from Sweden, the second evening two women from Japan.
When the three guys weren’t announcing their songs or speaking to the PBS audience, they were constantly interacting with the audience, in Italian, of course, which was great. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of applause, a lot of feeling part of the Il Volo family.
All three boys were kind and playful that night, and it was one of their best concerts. It didn’t last long. The concert ended at 11.00 pm, it surprised me.
Just when we thought it was all over, the boys came back on stage and sang Masterpiece in English, a first for me and their fans!!!  ❤️
The staff let us out around 11, although it wasn’t over for PBS or the film crew who may have had to repeat some songs because they called back the guys and the orchestra that remained after we all left.
Thank you, Judith, for the nice review of your participation in the two concerts. You were very thorough and your photos are beautiful, considering that you were certainly not in a good position and that the security was inflexible.
I’ve been to the Valley of the Temples and reading your words made me feel like I was there with you.
The setting was certainly unique and fantastic and I hope that the television representation lives up to this Christmas event.
I also think that the crews were different for the two events and perhaps for this reason the second concert went better. We will see the final results on TV.
Thanks again for your writing, Judith!!🥰
Now you of Flight Crew must know that these two concerts had a lot of problems from the usual Italian press. Many articles have reported misrepresented or exaggerated news, but I will talk about this in detail in the next post.🤬
Meanwhile, I conclude this nice review with some beautiful photos taken by some people present at the concerts. 

Credit to owners of all photos.

Our Stories

AND SO IT BEGAN by Kate Spencer

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It all began on Wednesday the 10th June at 19:27 to be precise.
I received a message from Gina Corbett, a fan friend from Ireland, notifying me that Il Volo had announced their upcoming concert on the 6th October 2024 this very year!! I could hardly believe what I was reading as I had almost given up all hope of them ever coming back to the UK.
But, here it was, in black and white, and I was already getting very excited by the prospect of actually seeing the boys in the flesh (as it were). What also pleased me the most, was that they were to perform at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Had it been a larger venue like the O2 or somewhere in Manchester I wouldn’t have thought of going as they are just too big and too far for me to cope with, especially alone. I had already said this to my good friend Alice Belles from America who understood my trepidation at such a prospect. But I knew how much she wanted me to see them because she had been to one of their concerts and thoroughly enjoyed it! (especially Piero)
So, here I was, sat on my own deciding the best way to purchase a ticket. Of course I wanted a front row seat but wasn’t a member of the Official Fan Club so what chance did I stand. The pre-sale was happening the very next day, the 12th, and so I had to make up my mind quickly.
I started by looking at the Theatres own website to check what and when they would be selling their tickets. But I also knew that Ticketmaster was probably the main one to go for. So, my alarm set for the following morning for a reminder to call the theatre at dead on 10am the next day. And there I was, stuck in a queue! But I just had to be patient and see it through because, more than anything else, I wanted a ticket regardless.
While I was on hold I thought I would log on to Ticketmaster and see what there was.
This being the first time of ever buying a concert ticket, and in a hurry, I saw the seating plan and went for it, as I could always drop the call once I’d gotten my ticket.
I clicked on the word stalls, saw rows of seats and chose an end aisle seat on what I thought was the front row. In my haste to secure a ticket at all cost I had hit “Buy” before I had a chance to see the price of £30 and I’m sure you can guess the rest. You know the old saying, less haste more speed, well I took no notice!
At 10.38 on June 11th, Gina messaged me to say she had bought her ticket and had a front row seat. My heart sank. I asked how she had managed it and was told she clicked a link from an email direct from the Theatre as she had registered for pre-sale.
I had completely forgotten that I had done the same the day before but hadn’t seen an email from them. So, here I go, and in fact I do find one from them so clicked on the link not knowing what would be left to buy.
To my utter amazement, there was a lone ticket for the front row and almost centre stalls. I was starting to panic now as I needed to get that ticket before anyone else could have it, so, once again in my haste I clicked and bought. Phew! I made it. So now I am the proud owner of a front row seat to see the one and only Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca – Il Volo. Not only that, but Gina and I are just 1 seat apart, and so I am hoping that whoever has seat A29 would be very kind and swap with us.
If anyone could have seen the biggest grin my face, they would wonder what had just happened. 😁
During all of these events, I was in touch with another fan, Roz Walters, who was having trouble getting her tickets. What an ordeal to go through, but she managed. As did Renata who I am hoping to meet up with in late July. I want to go to London as it’s been so long since I was there, just to get my bearings, find the Theatre and my hotel and have some lunch and a drink with her. I’m sure everyone I have mentioned will meet up. If there are any other fans who would like to do the same, please contact me on Messenger. Its great to put faces to names as many others have done  in the past.
To say I was excited, ecstatic, over the moon, filled with joy etc, etc is an understatement and I am still smiling while I write this article. I just wanted to share my experience of the “befores” rather than the “afters” as we see plenty of pictures and videos from each time the boys sing. No doubt I will have a lot more to share though once the day has been and gone. I don’t want to wish the time away, but hurry up October 🙂
I hope you all find this interesting, especially if you are thinking about buying tickets for any of their concerts. But I know some of you are well experienced in this matter, having attended several. And if anyone would like a balcony seat, I have a spare ticket. 😊
Kate Spencer
Our Stories

ARENA 2024 WHAT A CONCERT by Daniela

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As I told you, I was in the Arena in Verona for the Il Volo concert “Tutti per uno” on the evening of May 11th.
To say that it was a MAGNIFICENT concert is truly an understatement, because everything was beautiful and well prepared.

What can we say about the stage and sets?

Stunning, an alternation of lights, colors, images appropriate to the songs!!!
What can we say about the excellent orchestra of 54 elements, the excellent members of the choir positioned on two sides and the fantastic conducting of the friendly Maestro Rota?
What can we say about the numerous but spectacular guests who took turns with our guys?
What about the choice of songs, all beautiful and representative?
What about the fantastic Arena, an enchanting place, packed with a participating, cheering and collaborative audience, who illuminated the Arena with thousands of lights and sang at the top of their lungs?
And finally what to say about our three musketeers, our fantastic ones
PIERO
IGNAZIO
GIANLUCA
from their wonderful voices, their mastery on stage, their sympathy, kindness, humility and strength, they force themselves to perform in concert on TV recording without “downtime”, with numerous guests, different songs, different rhythms…… ….Priceless. Attending one of their concerts is a wonderful event, and……….a small but important note, this year it didn’t rain!!!
I realize that the first three concerts in the Arena, which have also been recorded and will be broadcast as early as May 14th  by Canale 5, are designed for Italian TV, and therefore the dialogues are in Italian and the guests are known here in Italy, but the foreign audience present still appreciated it a lot and the Italian audience sang and rejoiced listening to beautiful Italian songs that are sometimes forgotten and which have triggered beautiful memories in each of us.
I didn’t make videos, because the three evenings will certainly be broadcast in excellent quality by Canale 5 and I will show them to you and translate the speeches so you too will be able to understand better, I only took some photos with my cell phone but the resolution is certainly not good, but we will have time to put better videos and photos and we will talk a lot about these concerts. This time I am attaching some videos made by my friend Francesca Brazzale who I thank very much.
Know that the emotion of our three boys was palpable.
The start of the evening was amazing, they started by singing the beautiful song from the film GLADIATOR, how exciting: “NELLE TUE MANI”.

I don’t know exactly how the three concerts will be edited by Canale 5, but I can tell you that during the one I attended, it was nice to see Piero and Gianluca join their mothers in the Arena and give them a kiss and it was sweet to listen to the beautiful words dedicated by Ignazio to his deceased father.
In the next video I propose the duet with Irama also contained in the new CD Ad Astra: SATURNO E VENERE.

My husband and I had seats in the fifth row on the far left looking at the stage and I must say that they were not bad seats at all. Near us on the first steps were Torpedine, Barbara, Michelle, Ernesto and his father Ercole who I was able to meet personally that evening.
At a certain point in Capolavoro, Gianluca came to sing right on the stage in front of where we were and we could all see that he was very emotional, to the point of tears.
The last video I propose for this little roundup is LA VITA (LIFE), a beautiful song with very important words.

And here is the roundup of my photos which, as I told you, are not very beautiful, but they are mine and we will certainly have time to see some beautiful ones.
It goes without saying that the Arena is also the ideal place for meetings between fans.
Even though my husband and I arrived at the last moment because we couldn’t find free parking for the car, I was able to say hello to Kirsten and her husband from Denmark, Laura and Ugo from Trieste, Judith from Canada, Susan and her brother from Chicago, too bad I didn’t see Jolanta from Poland then I have know Martina Gerlach-Bunz from Germany, and even if these brief hugs and greetings fill our hearts, this is yet another power of Il Volo, that of bringing together people of different cultures in the name of music.
In this photo: me, my husband Beppe, Kirsten Langer and her husband Steen.
And what about our amazing loving boys??
May 12th was the birthday of Michele Torpedine who was turning 72 years old and during the rehearsals, Ignazio conducted all the orchestral members and choristers and everyone wished Michele a happy birthday, these three were truly UNIQUE!!!
Surely Michele Torpedine will have been happy!

AUGURI TORPEDINE!! 🎂🍾🍾🥰

I don’t want to say anything else so as not to spoil the various surprises that you will be able to see during the three evenings of television.
Meanwhile, Canale 5 has broadcast this nice promo which anticipates the broadcast of the concerts.
I conclude with this beautiful comment published by my journalist friend Antonella Esposito who was present at the concert, never more beautiful words to express what an Il Volo concert is!!
Il Volo: “Tutti per uno” is not a simple concert, it is a multiplayer show in which all the pieces intersect creating the intermittent vision of a body in a periodic way. From the lighting system, to the stage scaffolding, through the graphic mood, up to the perfection of the fluidly diffused and never aggressive sound, everything is there and in the right place.
There is the setting of the Arena, there are guests, many of them.
There is charisma, the different color of voices and character, there is lightness, solemnity, memory.
There is the history of music of which it is a full part.

ARE YOU READY TO SEE THE FIRST ENTIRE CONCERT?
SEE YOU SOON!!

 

Credit to Daniela Perani and others for their photos and to Francesca Brazzale and others for their videos.
Concert Photos/Reviews, Our Stories

“TUTTI PER UNO” CONCERT – MILAN by Kirsten

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The time is 21:10… and the doors at Teatro Arcimboldi are still open but the light slightly dimmed. The audience starts clapping their hands and making noises for the third time. A certain tension has arisen.
At 21:15 sharp, however, the lights are turned off, the curtain slowly pulls aside and bathed in a spotlight, three young men appear.
Dressed in black suits and shirts, standing completely still in the silence. A roar arose from the audience. A single voice is heard. No music. No lightshow. A pitch black stage.
Gianluca’s honey-like voice has softly started up the first lines of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” but is soon joined by Ignazio’s emotional interpretation of the words and Piero’s warm and strong emphasizes of the highlights. IL VOLO has taken the stage! The audience is brought in an instant awe with this a cappella version of the legendary song.
We are spellbound and in their hands from the very first note! The audience goes crazy. Standing ovations.
What an opening – and so unexpected! Actually, I had just told my husband that I was ready for a bet that they would start up individually in each corner of the hall with their new version of “Granada” – in similarity with the openings of the TV-shows in Verona. So much for that! Those guys understand to surprise us, so what now to expect?

Coincidences happen and opportunities arise…

It wasn’t planned at all. I wasn’t going to attend yet an Il Volo concert this summer.
Having enjoyed the “rainy” concert in Verona with Daniela on May 1st , well, I figured that it would have to do for a while.
So I had tried to ignore and forget all about the upcoming Italian concerts. However… when with only a few weeks’ notice it was suddenly decided that my husband and I would do a European self-drive holiday at the end of August/primo September – and I sat down to plan the itinerary in detail – an unexpected “door” opened.
I needed an overnight stop somewhere between Austria and Umbria (mid Italy) as too far to drive in one day.
I looked at the date – Sunday, September the 3rd – uh wasn’t it one of the days of the IL VOLO concerts?
And Milan – uh wasn’t it just more or less right along the planned route? Yes! OMG it could work!
My husband needed a bit of persuasion but had to admit that it wasn’t too bad an idea 😊.
Only, what about concert tickets?
At first glance the concert was all sold out – oh NO – but yet again, if we were willing to sit not exactly next to each other, we could find acceptable seats – at least we thought.
And voila – we were going to enjoy one of the “Tutti per Uno” Concerts in Milan! 😁😉☺. And here we are!

Trees do not grow into the sky though…

and everything did not exactly turn out as we had hoped for with this concert arrangement.
Reaching the theatre and finding our seats we realized that the lack of understanding the Italian language had given us an incorrect impression of the location of the same. Not only were we not going to sit together, but apparently these seats were not in the back of the floor on an elevation nor on the front row of same, as we had understood – but actually on the first balcony! So absolutely not the same as being on the floor with the opportunity of having the guys pass by when mingling with the audience and furthermore, my seat was neither near the middle of the hall as thought but rather almost at the very end to the left with my husband even further away. Hence, we went to the ticket office trying to explain the situation hoping that they might have received some last minute cancellations that we could upgrade to. Nope. Absolutely no mercy here. We were told that we could purchase new tickets (at a totally sold out concert?) and then try to sell the original ones by the door (half an hour before the start of the concert?).
Disappointed, we walked back to our seats pondering about what a study of the word “service” could have done in this connection… In spite of a totally sold out concert we did, however, quickly noticed none the less than a section of some 15-20 empty seats in a rounding just in front of us… When the doors closed and the guys had finished their opening song these seats were still not occupied… We signalized each other: Let’s make a go for them.
So we did end up sitting next to each other – still on the balcony – but now kind of in the front row with better views, while the theatre lost out on the income of the difference in ticket prices and not the least happy clients!

Sound Check…

Another point of disappointment relates to the “Sound Check” – or rather the cancelled one. Actually, having heard nothing from the official FanClub as to the possibilities of a sound check arrangement before we left Denmark, I did not anticipate that there would be any at all and had come to terms with that. But a few days before the concert I received an email gladly announcing sound check invitations to all the European concerts. Jihaaa – and a few minutes later I held a confirmation on my iPhone. YES, we were accepted to attend the sound check prior to our concert. My heart did beat a little harder – being the very best chance of meeting the guys. But not for long as shortly after I received yet another mail now telling me that all the sound checks in Milan but the very first one would not be carried through… for some rather unclear reason. My heart stopped beating for a bit. Oh no – why? Even worse, the next day I got a new email telling me that there would be a sound check in connection with the very last concert on the 9th of September to which we were welcome to attend… But on the 9th we would be far away from Milan without the slightest chance of attending. It was like a kick in the belly and a much bigger disappointment than if no invitations had been offered at all. I don’t know about that official FanClub… sorry to say. When in Rome at X-mas the sound check ended up with us standing for more than 1 hr. outside in the cold being let in only for the very last 10 minutes or so and with no following special “Meet & Greet” about the new book as clearly stated in the invitation. That did simply not occur nor did we get any info or explanation. And now we get an invitation – a confirmation – then it gets all cancelled followed by a “but you can attend another day”… I lack to understand what could possibly be a difference in technical conditions that could lead to a cancellation some days but functioning on the 2nd and the 9th of September?
Well, apparently it is just not for me to succeed in experiencing a well-functioning sound check. And for once I had ample time to take part and staying in a convenient hotel, just at 3 min. walk from the concert hall. Alas, one cannot win all battles, but I must admit, I was truly disappointed and sad at the time.

Back to the concert

As you do all know by now the concert was in many ways built up in the very same way as the big ditto ones in Verona, however, without guest stars. Each guy did about 5 solos, I think, and then a nice amount of their original repertoire together. Having some 60 songs to choose among, apparently the repertoire has varied from evening to evening. Daniela has most kindly made up and previously posted a list with all the songs performed during these 6 concerts – you can look them up. I must admit that my concentration was more on the show and performances than what songs were actually performed on my night particularly… sorry, so I did not make notes. But I recall some of those that I enjoyed the most.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all songs by IL VOLO but, of course, I have my favorites. All guys had a good evening and did great – but I recall particularly Ignazio in the good old Aretha Franklin song: “A natural woman”. In Verona he did it as a duet with one of the guest stars, but this evening he did it all by himself while likewise playing the piano. That song suits him well and he performed it with a lot of soul, emotion and the right amount of Motown ambiance. I loved it – and so did the audience.
Gianluca gave us his new Beatles medley, which likewise fits his soft voice really well and brings back good memories to me and my husband being big Beatles fans. He did also perform the old Freddy Mercury rock-´n-roll song and Elvis tribute “This crazy little thing” that seems to be his own favorite for the time being. It worked better for him than I recall from Verona and he is visually happy singing and performing it. His very embodied and emotional interpretation of the love song “Cura” did, however, capture the audience the most.
As anticipated Piero had chosen a selection of opera arias the names of which I do, unfortunately, not know or recall. One was, however, “Mamma quel vino è generoso”. But he is happy as a lark performing these songs that are all concluded with big wall-to-wall smiles clearly indicating that he has succeeded to his own satisfaction. One of the highlights to me was an operatic duet between him and Ignazio: “Miserere”. That duet he did with a rock singer in Verona – but Ignazio did a fabulous job taking over here – kudos to him. Ignazio has an incredible span in his voice and seems to be able to embrace almost any kind of musical genre.
Personally, I love when the guys sing together the most though – creating those awesome and beautiful harmonies that define the IL VOLO sound – and we were blessed with their core songs such as “Il Mondo”, “My Way” and, of course, “Grande Amore”.

Mingling with the audience

Is no doubt something the guys enjoy themselves tremendously – hence their choice of the smaller Teatro Arcimboldi according to themselves – giving them the opportunity to get close to the audience and their fans.
Therefore, to the tunes of the traditional Bel Canto song “Volare” they climbed down from the stage, opened the gate to the hall and wandered singing out among the audience who were lucky to get handshakes, selfies and even hugs while they sang their hearts out. The audience on the floor went crazy and embraced them standing, while we could only watch the fun from our closed balcony seats (said the sour grape being truly jealous of those having been able to obtain orchestra seats on the floor).
But there can no longer be any doubt to anyone that these guys are highly loved by the audience and their fans!
There was an incredible atmosphere in the hall – a true party – and lots of fans must have returned home with great memories of close encounters with the guys.
Due to our seating I was generally not able to take any good photos or videos – too far a distance for my old iPhone camera to deal with – but in spite of same I did try anyway to capture these emotions.
On top the attached little video from the same clip shows – apart from roof, floor and other uninteresting objects – that in the very back of the hall you do actually find Michele Torpedine and Barbara Vitali standing, enjoying it all.
The easiest guy to follow was Gianluca due to his white suit at this stage – I caught a glimpse of him getting up to them to say hi, and back again into the mass of people – while at the very end of the clip a split second Piero among the fans at the first row appears. Sorry for the quality and mess in this clip, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it anyhow.

Piero takes it all – almost…

It has been interesting to follow Piero over the last 3 years or so as he seems to evolve technically and artistically from concert to concert – this time no difference. In Verona he proved that he was ready for the bigger opera scenes and this he repeated this evening. His arias seemed flawless and he delivered them with great confidence.
And this did not pass unnoticed! The audience loved him and gave him one big standing ovation following the next. Kind of interesting to note as no doubt only few in the audience are true opera fans, but Piero understands to capture everyone’s heart. I myself am neither much into opera – but I do most certainly appreciate the efforts and the perfection with which Piero performs his songs.
Hence, it is not incorrect to say that Piero did take most of the praises home this evening – in fact so much that my husband at a stage, after Gianluca had performed “La Cura” and earned a big standing ovation, commented: “Phew, I am glad that – finally – he did likewise get a huge recognition”.
My husband did actually feel a bit sorry for both Gianluca and Ignazio for not receiving the same overwhelming appreciations as Piero. Or in other words, he found all three equally worthy of standing ovations. 😊

and then it was all over…

All good things come to an end and in no time 2 hrs. and 10 min. had vanished and it was time for the guys to bid us good-bye which they did in their traditional way by singing “Grande Amore” while thanking the conductor, the orchestra, their own musicians etc. etc. and Ignazio doing his backwards countdown “3-2-1” and taking a big jump and away they were without the audience being able to bring them back to stage for “extras” in spite of long lasting standing ovations. I always find myself in an awesome vacuum following such an intense and much looked forward to experience and I need time to digest it all.
Luckily, we had a lovely little balcony to our hotel apartment so husband and I had the opportunity to sit down in the warm, mild Italian summer night and enjoy a glass of wine and take it all a bit better before calling it a day.
Teatro Arcimboldi, Milan
The guys have clearly expressed their excitement about Theatro Arcimboldi – based on the intimacy and possibility to get closer to their audience – and I can follow their thinking to a certain degree.
At the concert Ignazio did highlight another positive angle – no worries for rain 😁.
Having said this I do, however, find that there are pros and cons at all venues and in this case – apart from being stock if seated on one of the balconies and hence not able to join in the “fun” when they mingle with the audience (read, if you go be sure to purchase seats on the floor) well, then I missed thoroughly “big screens”. I didn’t realize until then how much they add to the experience. Seated high on my balcony I could hardly see who was whom – just 3 little “ants” moving about – and I had no idea as to whether Ignazio was having a big beard or a goatee only; what kind of glasses Piero was wearing nor if Gianluca did still have his signature curl or… Even worse, I could not see and enjoy their gorgeous smiles nor perceive their little sweet antics such as giving each other a high five, a caring hug or a kiss on the cheek… – these things that are so special for the IL VOLO guys.
I do now realize how much more I enjoy their music being able to watch their facial expressions and hence, admittedly, you get more out of watching a video or TV-transmission than being present at a live concert – unless you are seated in the very front rows and/or big screens are provided for. Add to that the difficulties of getting to/from Teatro Arcimboldi. It is located in a suburban area next to a University some 25 minutes by Metro from downtown Milan and with few hotels in the close vicinity only. Ignazio mentions in a video that you can easily access the theatre by train – that is true, but he forgets to mention that there are few or no trains leaving from this regional station after midnight, so no way of getting back home the same evening by this means of transportation. The Metro runs a little later but personally we do not feel comfortable using it late at night – after all Milan is a big city – and getting hold of a taxi could be difficult, so we ended up purchasing the most expensive accommodation on our entire trip just in order to be within close walking distance of this venue. And without the big screens… I am not sure that we will choose Milan for our next IL VOLO experience. Verona seems like a much more attractive venue in a lovely environment with many accommodation options and easy access – so in spite of the possibility of rain, well, I think – as a foreigner and tourist – that I will prefer to go there. (in Arena)

In the footsteps of IL VOLO.

Luckily, the concert in Milan was only the very beginning of our 2-weeks long holiday in Italy, so albeit having to leave Milan and IL VOLO behind the following morning, we were having some great and lovely experiences to look forward to. Having visited the major Italian tourist areas several times before we had decided to do something new – and inspired by the IL VOLO guys – I had planned an out of the ordinary Italian holiday itinerary including among others a visit to The Frasassi Caves (where they filmed the Storaro documentary singing Morricone),  we enjoyed refreshments at the town square in the lovely town of Ascoli di Piceno, (where they performed a fantastic al fresco concert this summer and Gianluca un-announced appeared on his own at a special event), enjoyed swimming and lounging at the inviting sandy beach of Roseto as well as explored the beautiful and awesome landscapes and hidden medieval towns in Abruzzo (Gianluca’s home base).
So IL VOLO was not out of mind in spite of out of sight, the following weeks and we learned a lot new about Italy. Next time we must explore Sicily – a region we have yet to visit too. The IL VOLO guys ought to receive a price of honor – namely the one of being fantastic ambassadors of their country!
Prior to the Milan concert my husband and I did likewise have the opportunity to meet up with Daniela for a very lovely evening in Brescia. Only sad that she could not join us at the concert the following evening, but it is always great to meet up with fellow fans. The IL VOLO guys most certainly connect us regardless of nationality, age or social backgrounds. This is exercising international understanding in the very best way. 😉
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my story – I hope you have enjoyed my comments and reflections. Warmest greetings – KIRSTEN ❤
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“UNO PER TUTTI” VERONA, MAY 1st, 2023 by Kirsten from Denmark

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In spite of “just” having been in Rome back in December to enjoy the guys’ last concert in 2022, I did immediately get very excited when reading the announcement that IL VOLO would come to Verona primo May. A new craving arose… My husband would be away working in Norway these dates, so should I try to fly down on my own… Well, albeit Verona isn’t exactly around the corner from Copenhagen, Denmark, where I live, it is still “just” some 2½ hrs. away by air, so… And with concert tickets running half of the prices in my country and budget airline Ryanair offering very reasonable tickets to Italy, it didn’t take me long to convince my husband, that it would be a perfect thing for me to do while he was gone 😉. Talking it over with my good Italian friend Daniela – as you all know so well here – it was soon decided that I should come and she would help me with the ticket and practical arrangements. So she was on her toes at 10:00am sharp when the pre-sale opened and succeeded in getting us good seats on second row. Top! Jihaa – once again I was to experience IL VOLO live. 😀 💓
That the weather wouldn’t be particular good in Verona didn’t come as a surprise… I had followed the forecast for more than a week before my departure – but yet again, last June when my husband and I were in Verona it did likewise rain on the very day of the concert but cleared totally up in due time, so why shouldn’t it do that again? I was optimistic. Having said so I did, however, pack my long, warm woolen winter coat – in spite of Daniela having told me that it would be way too much for a spring day in Italy – but to-day I am truly glad I did and thanks to same I believe I avoided catching a huge cold or pneumonia as indeed it came in handy! Both on my arrival day – and on the very day – the weather was, however, pretty acceptable with a mild temperature, slight overcast and a tiny bit of drizzling only, so things were looking quite promising for a while. Till the very moment we set out for Verona. The first bit of rain drummed on the windshield. Well, it would pass, no doubt. But having reached Verona, parked and walked the short distance to the lovely square in front of the Arena, it was no longer just drizzling, nor a little bit of summer rain – it started pouring seriously… One hour before the concert we were admitted to the Arena, but everyone crowded together in the dry shelter under the historical buildings as by now it was raining cats and dogs! The street sellers had a big night exchanging their toys and souvenirs with a range of small umbrellas and rain covers – and the demand was huge. Soon we were a group of hooded people in all colors letting no-one detect the fine clothing that we so carefully had chosen to wear at this event and now all hidden by rain gear! We couldn’t be standing there forever, however, and we were directed into the beautiful Arena and to our seats.
Last time here I did almost lose my breath from the lovely sight and the wings of history when entering these more than 2000 years old roman ruins, but focus this eve was on everything else – namely on all the people working on and around the stage trying to swipe off waters from same and re-organizing entrance areas and covering up cameras etc. The possibility of a cancellation was still rather open, so I followed each single move carefully. Fortunately, most of the stage is covered by a big roof, but it was obvious that several meters into the stage the floor was wet and would continue to be so…  And what about microphones? The lightening? And the instruments? Would they be able to work in the now more than heavily pouring rain? Daniela and I had planned to meet up with several fans from Italy and abroad, but it was simply not possible to move around under these conditions. Once seated I did actually not get up a single time as it would mean your seat getting all wet again and water from your rain cover would drip down and sneak in under same. So sadly we had to give up on that. Luckily we had met a few people while sheltered by the entrance and others made a round in front of us waving a big hello. But a great social get-together never occurred. All the while the rain got worse and worse…  Soon drops from my hood ran down my face and clouded my glasses only to flow further and down into my lap forming little pools that evidently flowed over and made little waterfalls down to my knees and legs and soon made me soaking wet where not sheltered by the cover. Trying to take photos/videos meant having to get your arms and hands out in the free and allowing waters to sneak in from the sides, so in general I gave up on doing it as it was likewise more or less impossible to press the buttons or zoom with the by now drenching wet hands. Unfortunately, it did likewise mean, that clapping my hands would not be an option unless it was under the rain cover where it could hardly be heard… Well, but few minutes before 21:00 hrs. the musicians did, however, start to enter the stage – and a voice announced that the concert would go on and carried through to the end. What a relief 😁!
The stage was already lit up in a bright blue setting but few minutes later a big “fanfare” sounded and Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero marched in on stage from the right – most likely not as planned as at the second show they had a separate entrance ceremony – but, finally, caught in the bright spotlight, were our 3 beloved guys immediately setting in with the first tones of “Granada”. That this concert had a very special purpose did quickly show, as following Piero’s usual classical interpretation of this song Gianluca did suddenly step aside dragging an oldfashioned microphone across the scene changing the mood of the song into a typical crooner-swing style version before in the end Ignazio took over and the mood once again changed – now into a more modern pop/rock song. Yes, they had a message! Add to that their appearances. Albeit all dressed in black they were so absolutely not on the same page. Piero wore a fine black tux with a bit of bling-bling and a white rose looking exactly as elegant as one can expect of an opera singer. Gianluca wore a suit of the finest soft leather from top to bottom including a pair of rather tight fitting trousers with that typical 70-style sway at the feet that most of us recall so well and looking stunningly sexy, while Ignazio had jumped on the bandwagon of the latest trend wearing an oversized jacket and way too long baggy trousers true 1930 style, that in all honesty didn’t do him any good but made him look pretty heavy. Knowing Ignazio though he doesn’t really care what he wears and the choice must have been the one of a stylist and not particularly one of his, I believe. The whole scenario did, however, immediately signalize that this show was all about the IL VOLO guys showing and introducing to us their individual characters and personal choices of music genres and to prove that IL VOLO is much more than just 3 guys singing “O Solo Mio” together. A grand opening!
Not knowing what to expect of the show having just a few weeks prior to same learned of the fact that the guys would have a load of local Italian guest-stars join them, I was curious as to how that was going to function – but shortly following the guys singing a couple of their traditional songs the very first guest was asked to the stage – and it would appear that these guests were not to perform on their own but rather in duets with one or more of the IL VOLO guys. Coming from Denmark – and hence being a foreigner – I must admit that I had never heard of any of the invited Italian artists before, so I am sorry to admit that I cannot tell you whom they were and what they were singing..  Sorry. But there were quite a number of artists and having no program at hand, I cannot remember who was who. I trust, however, that Daniela will fill you all in as to this issue in her article. These artists performed their own hit-songs joined by one or more of the IL VOLO guys – and according to the response from the audience they were well known by the locals who were happily singing along in the rain, so we are talking about rather popular artists loved by the Italian people. And all of absolute different characters as well as representing various musical genres. Some were great –  some gave the duets an synergy effect and raise the songs to a higher level – while yet others admittedly didn’t exactly sound too good due to the voices not truly suit each other. I tend to think that some of these guests most likely were invited out of a planned strategy.  Namely to show and prove how fantastic singers and performers the IL VOLO guys are no matter whom they are coupled with nor what kind of genre of music they are introduced to. The guys shined throughout the evening and did most certainly show that they master it all including showmanship and hosting.
A few of the duets did stand out though – and I should like to mention among others the tall singer Mario Biondi with whom i.e. Ignazio did a fabulous soul song: “You make me feel like a natural woman” by Aretha Franklin and the Russian opera singer Aida Garifullina who coupled with Guianluca in a beautiful duet: “Angels” by Robbie Williams and looking stunningly pretty in a pink dream of a dress. Gianluca looked almost star-struck at her and did obviously enjoy singing with her. But first and foremost when Aida joined Piero in a piece from “La Traviata” a major highlight was born!. A brilliant match for Piero who in her got a partner of his own caliber – or above – inspiring him to perform better than ever. And did they ever look good together! Like a prince and his princess. Piero’s fine tux was in place! And they were about the sweetest when in the end they did a bit of waltzing. Piero shone as the brightest star!
Ignazio Boschetto (Il Volo) ft. Mario Biondi – You make me feel like a natural woman

Aida Garifullina & Gianluca Ginoble (Il Volo) – Angel

PIERO BARONE & AIDA GARIFULLINA – LA TRAVIATA/ LIBIAMO NE’ LIETI CALICI

As indicated in the name of the show a larger number of songs by our guys were anticipated – and I believe we were pampered with some 4-5 songs from each of them. Some we have heard before but also totally new ones. Piero delighted us with several opera arias the names of which I do, unfortunately, not know. But he  delivered them brilliantly and did once again prove that his many hours of studying opera have so absolutely not been in vain. He is improving for each time I hear him. Very soon he is going to reach his next goal – to stand on the famous La Scala stage in Milan. He is ready! Bravo Piero!
Ignazio had chosen to show us various types of songs including one in which he accompanied himself by guitar – and then he did once again go down the lane of interpreting a mega hit song by a world famous female singer, and this time none the less than one of Whitney Houston’s, namely: “I will always love you”. Who would ever dare follow in the footsteps of Whitney Houston? Our dear Ignazio, of course. And boy did he ever nail it! I don’t know what it is with Ignazio and why he wants to sing songs by these famous female singers, but he is capable of making the songs “his” – taking ownerships of same. Fantastic! And I heard that he was singing Celine Dion’s immortal “My heart goes on” Wednesday night. Likewise with great success. He is awesome…. A rascal you do never know what to expect from, but you can always be sure that he delivers!
Gianluca had a ball on stage not letting us forget that he is a great admirer of Elvis Presley and that type of music and next to his beautiful version of “Can’t stop falling in love with you” (probably song to his girlfriend seated in the audience) he went down the same road singing the popular 60th rock tune “Crazy little thing called love” by Freddie Mercury/Queen dragging the microphone behind him and imitating moves and steps from Elvis/Travolta/Mercury’s 50th and 60th shows. I don’t think we have ever seen him so freely and loose on stage before – and he loved it. No doubt he has been working hard on these performances rehearsing steps and moves over and over and crossed some personal limits too doing so. Personally, I don’t know what to think… His voice is so beautiful and he sings fabulously – but dancing is not his force and these performances seems more like fantastic resemblances of his idols rather than Gianluca showing us the best of himself… I know I am a bit harsh here. In Denmark we have a saying: “Whom you love you chastise” – and I cannot hide that Gianluca is my favorite Il VOLO and I love him in all aspects. So out of love to him I wish he would have more confidence in himself and the courage to interpret the chosen songs in his very own way instead of resembling others. To me Gianluca has a much greater voice and a much larger potential than any of the singers he tries to imitate. He has been given a voice beyond compare – a unique gift – and he owes to himself and the world to make good use of it. Hence, if he feels more comfortable sitting on a chair with closed eyes fully emerging into a song – then let it be. I recall with great fondness his version of i.e. “Mi Mancherai” – standing totally still on the stage but having the audience fully in his hands and giving me the chills. He mesmerizes us when he becomes one with the song. He is capable of much more and ought to challenge himself further in songs like i.e. “New York, New York” (by Sinatra) or the main theme of “The Phantom of the Opera”. Sorry, Gianluca. I’m giving you assignments ;-). Having said this, he enchanted and surprised us all following with a Beatles medley – beautifully performed. I have always thought it would be interesting to have the guys sing Beatles as actually many of these songs have some extraordinary cords/harmonies that – at the time – you did not normally hear pop groups use or sing. And I bet IL VOLO would be able to do something awesome with these songs. Well, we didn’t get the harmonies but we got a lovely medley beautifully presented by Gianluca. Kudos!
In similarity with others I had a certain extended fear that the special concept of this concert might have given us less IL VOLO and more other Italian artists. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The extended length of the concert – 3½ hrs. – gave them ample time to not only sing duets with all the guest performers but likewise to sing more individual soli than normally while likewise pampering us with a large selection of their regular repertoire. So many that I cannot even recall them all, but among others: Il Mondo; The Ecstasy of Gold; Telefonado; Amore Così Grande; Volare; Grande Amore, A Chi mi dice, My Way and many others. So we were in no way let down – on the contrary. We got more than a “normal” IL VOLO Concert while all the guest performances were true VALUE ADDED BONUS! So we need to have full confidence in the guys knowing that they will always deliver! On top we got a full 24 piece symphony orchestra, an opera choir, a beautiful light-show, a lovely TV hostess who didn’t take over but filled in the gaps in a fine way and as such: A BRILLIANT SHOW! And in spite ending up soaking wet and cold – would I have done it again? You bet I would! It was worth all the trouble and each single rain drop. My only regret: I would have loved to clap my hands red in excitement and giving standing ovations over and over – but I didn’t due to the rain and the effect that would have followed. So sorry guys.
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.