Category Archives: Our Stories

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

“It Was Worth Every Cent” Isabel in Cleveland

28 Comments

 Isabel’s review for the the concert that was at the State Theatre on Playhouse Square on Wednesday, 02/24.

photo was taken from my seat as the orchestra was "tuning up."
photo was taken from my seat as the orchestra was “tuning up.”

Before I begin my narrative, I just have to say that I cannot believe how seriously I lucked out from the beginning of the evening to the end. I saved for months to buy the VIP package and it was worth every cent and more! The theater was gorgeous and all of the volunteers, event staff, and security were kind and helpful. I had a PERFECT seat, 15 rows from the stage and dead-center so I had a wonderful view of everything. I was so jittery as I sat and waited and I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster as time passed. The band and orchestra started to play and that was when I started the smiling that would last all night. When Gianluca first appeared, silhouetted in light and smoke, I gasped a little, I’ll admit it. Then he started to sing and I nearly burst into tears. I have been an ilvolover for almost exactly 4 years now, and after all of the hoping, dreaming, wishing, the endless loops of youtube videos, the whistful sighing to myself, all of the working and saving that I did, I was actually there! I was in the same room as them, and I was seeing them with my own eyes instead of through a screen. I was hearing those spectacular voices with my own ears, not through someone else’s recording. It was a literal dream come true for me to be there. Now, I will add a disclaimer here, I am a little bit of a fangirl, and yes, I am also a little extra bit fond of Piero. Don’t judge me for it! The opening number was “Volare” and it was nearly impossible to resist the urge to get up and dance. Then came “Il Mondo” and I just had so many memories of trying to memorize that song four years ago. The sound balance seemed a tiny bit off in the beginning but that was soon adjusted. They spoke for a little after that, mentioning that it had been a while since they had been to Ohio and wondering what we thought of the latest PBS Special. Then they sang “Io Che Non Vivo” and now you will understand my disclaimer. Being as close to the stage as I was, I knew that there was a chance I might be seen, so when he was looking my way, I smiled and raised a finger-heart to Piero, hoping but not really believing that he might see me in the crowd.

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 He did see me though! The reason I know that is because he smiled at me, pointed, and made one for me!! I cannot properly put into words how much that gesture meant to me and will mean to me forever. Someone who has been such an immeasurable inspiration to me and who I admire so much, noticed me and made me feel like I was special, that I meant something too. I cannot describe how happy I was……

Now, I will keep from repeating every single detail of the concert itself for fear of being boring and I also don’t want to spoil everything for everyone who is still waiting for their concert to come around. I will say that I cried several times, especially during Caruso. Gianluca and Ignazio sang “Unchained Melody” together as usual and at Gianluca’s prompting, Ignazio dedicated it to his love of exactly three months. The entire audience melted through that intro! I made another heart for Piero later on in the concert and he responded in kind again! Something else that was extremely special for me was “O Sole Mio.” That was the song that introduced me to Il Volo, watching them perform it on the Il Volo Takes Flight PBS Special. It also introduced me to Piero and that incomparable voice of his. I remember watching him stand on a seat in the middle of the audience and hold an impossible note and from that moment on I was done for. I couldn’t believe that four years later, I was watching as he jumped off the stage and asked a young girl to borrow her seat and he stood up in the middle of the crowd, about 6 or 7 rows away from me, and held out that impossible note once again! It was truly a dream come true for me to be there……

And then came the Meet & Greet. I am miserably broke college student and so I was not able to get them any gifts. I just stood in that line and my heart was racing, I couldn’t stand still, it felt like what was coming couldn’t even be real! Then it was very suddenly my turn and then my memory goes a little fuzzy because I was just so excited. I hugged each one of them, I know that for sure! Ignazio was first, and I had to stand on my tip-toes a little! Piero remembered me because when I stepped over he asked if I was the one in the center! After I hugged Gianluca, he was admiring my red coat and he told me that he really liked it! All three of them were so kind and so sweet and I couldn’t think clearly enough to say anything coherent! Piero did ask my name and how old I was at different points, and he even said my name, which sounds very silly and fangirl-y of me to say but I just felt so special! I tried to thank them for everything as I left. I told them, “Thank you for giving me so much hope, hope to keep trying.” I wanted to say so much more! They give me hope to keep trying, to keep dreaming, to keep believing in myself. I  had so much I wanted to tell them and thank them for but I felt like I had taken too much time already! Ignazio said that I was “so sweet,” and given that he is one of the sweetest people ever, few compliments could compare! Piero said, “We will see you again” to which Gianluca added “soon” and I almost started to cry again because the chances of me seeing them again anytime soon are basically 0 and I even after that, the chances are remote. I am not sad though by any means.

I had the most magical experience, a real dream come true. It was the best night of my life and I have the incredible members of Il Volo themselves, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble to thank for that! I am so grateful that I had such an incredible experience and the memories are something that I will treasure forever and ever!

Thank You for Reading! 

-Isabel 

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

Madeline Vitella in D.C. & Maria Leps in Easton, PA.

30 Comments

Madeline:

THE SHOW OF SHOWS! Tonight’s concert at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was another sold out event! Il Volo put on another fabulous show for us and the crowd went wild with standing ovation after standing ovation. The solos were nothing but perfect and the duets were amazing. The crowd enjoyed the banter among the boys. The Maestro was enjoying the concert as much as the fans did. Here are a couple of pictures you might enjoy!

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madeline dc 7

~Madeline

 

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Maria:

Easton State Theatre, 2/22/16
IL Volo Concert shared with my son Steven Leps

Maria 1A great evening shared with my son Steven, 40, who is a graduate musician with a major in classical guitar, and has had several small bands through college and even recorded 4 CDs. This is just the background so you will know how wonderful it was seeing IL Volo again through his eyes. Of course he has heard me go on and on about them for the past year and a half and lived through my tales of my trip to Italy with the Granny Groupies (Madeline Vitella, Joan Brenin and Deborah Georgini Beaupre.

We had seats 15 and 14 first row in the stage ‘pit’. We were so close our knees touched the stage! As we sat there and the excitement mounted he explained all that the orchestra and IL Volo’s personal band was doing to prepare and how all the technical equipment was set up. Gianpiero Grani waved to me and Giovanni Granaro, Lead Guitar, also waved to me and pointed to Steven saying hello to him. I had told him at the Kennedy M&G that I would be bringing my son to Easton and he remembered!

Then I received a tap on the shoulder from a lady who asked me if I was Maria Leps who had written for The Flight Crew! She reads The Flight Crew all the time and loves it and that morning had read my article that Marie Crider had posted regarding the Borgata concert. She said she loved reading it and knew all about the Granny Groupies and would I write more. My son said ‘Mom you are famous’. It made me feel so special.

Then the concert started with their famous intro by the orchestra and band. Throughout the show Steven said many times ‘Mom, they are fantastic, they have such powerful voices’. He loved their music and songs. He explained the lung power they must have for these high notes and hold them so long and the fact that they have perfect pitch. We, like the entire audience gave them tremendous applause and innumerable standing ovations. As a musician himself, he loved being close enough to see everything they were doing. It was so special sharing this with my son and the fact that Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio recognized me and gave me a smile and wave as they looked right at me while they passed by on stage.

So now, for sure, IL Volo have another ‘younger’ fan to their credit, my son Steven.

~Maria

 

 

Concert Photos/Reviews, Our Stories

On Cloud 9 in Orilla with Annie and Better Than Imagined in Boston with Julie

8 Comments

Annie in Orilla

Annie Hatfield center
Annie Hatfield center

I went to the Orillia concert on Sunday Feb.7th with my Daughter and Granddaughter and what a time we had, we had front row seats and as soon as Gianluca came to our end of the stage he spotted my Granddaughter and remembered her from the 2014 concert in Toronto, well later in the show when they were singing, he came over to our end and beckoned for her to come over to the stage and he sang to her, what a thrill that was, my heart was doing flip flops and I’m sure her Mother’s was too.

Annie's Granddaughter Stephanie
Annie’s Granddaughter Stephanie

The meet and greet event after was so much better than last time, it was much more informal and they had one photographer who took all the pictures and after that we had quite a lot of time to take our own individual pictures and could talk to the guys, I even got to meet Piero’s Father and Ignazio and Gianluca’s Mothers, also talked with Barbara Vitali. What a great night that was, I just wish I could see them more. I’m still on cloud 9 !!!

Hope you enjoy your time with them.

Annie Hatfield*:) happy*:) happy

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JULIE IN BOSTON

Julie on the left
Julie on the left

Here are some highlights of my first concert – yes, the lighting is very intrusive and quite annoying; but beyond that, the concert was just great.  Loved every rendition. Nice mix of Italian and English songs.  Each of them performed two solos, also 3 duets. Sang Happy Birthday to Gianluca, no trouble understanding Ignazio’s “English with a Sicilian accent”.  The Theater was very strict about not taking  pictures and videos during the performance. I had to use a walker to get around – 

During the M & G :

Piero called the walker my “zoomer” during the time when they allowed us to take pictures on our own phones.  Gave the Guys Valentine Fan Mail. I told Gianluca that there is extra mail for him because it is his Birthday, he leaned over and said “Grazie Senora” and gave me a kiss on the cheek!!!. Wow!! 

Didn’t get to talk with Ignazio as he was in the midst of a conversation with a couple girls about maintaining leg strength.  Sounded quite serious.  While we waited for all the group pictures to be taken, Piero’s Father walked by and shook my hand.  That was a surprise.  I am so happy I was able to get there.  It was better than I ever imagined.  

Julie (Kathryn Bernache)

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Also…

Il Volo will perform at the “TRIBUTE TO PLACIDO DOMINGO” in Santiago on June 29th.  (Thanks Mary Strickler)

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Mary Strickler

More ⇒ http://www.placidoenelalma.com/

Our Stories

As only John can tell it, with “Joy and Warmth”

69 Comments

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John From CT

The moment that I had been waiting for since last October had finally arrived. My first Il Volo concert!

My career as an ilvolover began exactly a year ago when a group of coworkers and I decided to learn Italian. I wanted our lesson plans to include topics of interest and all of us agreed that “traditional Italian music” should be a part of our studies. My first Google search produced a YouTube video of “O Sole Mio” by you-know-who. Before this moment, I had never even heard of Il Volo, and when I sat down with my fellow students to watch a couple of videos of the guys, everyone was floored. The rest as they say, is history.

The Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT is the perfect venue for this type of event, with a 4600 seat auditorium which is wider than it is deeper. Except for a few rear seats in the upper balcony, we had a full house. As the concert approached, those seats were discounted down to $33 by LiveNation so even someone with a limited budget would have been able to participate. Our seats were in the 7th row from the stage, nearly perfectly centered, and with an incredible view.

JOHN’S IL VOLO CONCERT RULE #1: BUY THE BEST TICKETS THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY AFFORD. Although not everyone has the means to buy a $225 ticket for a meet-&-greet, the difference between a $75 standard ticket and a $125 ticket in the tenth row center is not out of reach for most people. Don’t eat for a week, skip 10 visits to Dunkin Donuts, do anything you can to get yourself up front. Even though we are all there for their voices, the additional joy of seeing their faces, their expressions, their gestures etc. up close adds an incredible dimension to the whole experience which cannot be enjoyed as much when it is projected on a side-mounted video screen from several hundred feet away. If you are not going to attend an M&G, this is the closest you are going to get to the guys, and the incremental cost is worth it.

We were lucky to be at one of the few concerts with a full orchestra conducted by Il Maestro Diego Basso; I counted about 22 musicians and to their credit, they were incredible. I know that some of the concerts have had or will have a recorded soundtrack with a lesser amount of live musicians, but don’t let that disappoint you in any way. The opening number, “Ouverture”, appeared to be a recording accompanied by a handful of musicians, and it sounded great for what it was. If you are an audiophile who demands pure symphonic perfection, an Il Volo concert is not for you anyway; for the 99.99% of the rest of us, it will do just fine. The sound level and quality were perfect but of course this is also dependent on the acoustic qualities of the venue.

We have read several negative comments elsewhere about the laser / strobe / LED lighting effects. Honestly, I did not find these to be any trouble at all. Occasionally a beam of light would hit me in the face, but in general we had no problem with the more intense lighting and in any event it was only present during the more animated numbers and not during the quieter pieces.

JOHN’S IL VOLO CONCERT RULE #2: DO NOT WASTE PRECIOUS TIME TRYING TO RECORD THE CONCERT WITH A SMARTPHONE. Time after time, I saw many others holding up their phones for extended periods of time watching the concert on a 2-inch by 4-inch screen. For what? So you can have a collection of grainy, poorly-lit, jittery videoclips of the most incredible voices of our generation? If you can afford an iPhone and a monthly AT&T bill of $150, then you can afford to buy the beautifully recorded PBS concerts from Pompeii & Detroit. If you need to prove to someone that you were there, take a picture of your ticket and put it up on Facebook.

The songs included the following – “Il Mondo, Volare, L’immensita, Io che non vivo, Tonight, En Aranjuez con tu amor, E lucevan le stelle, Piove, Beautiful that way, Delilah, Caruso, My way, Quando l’amore diventa poesia, Unchained melody, Eternally, O paese do sole, Anema e core, No puede see, O sole mio, Grande amore” etc etc. Each piece featured the perfect combination of all three, of duets, or of solo performances. Piero’s two operatic pieces and Gianluca’s “Anema e core” had me shaking my head in astonishment; Ignazio’s solos and duets were truly world-class, and their soaring voices in ALL their numbers were as close to perfect as is humanly possible, especially for a group of 20-ish year olds. I was a bit disappointed that they did not perform some of my recent favorites including “La vita, L’amore si muove, and Canzone per te”, but since it was my first concert I was glad that I was able to hear some of their earlier works in this setting. The Connecticut audience was an older, more reserved crowd, with many ethnic Italians, many first-timer Americans, and a handful of younger 20-ish and 30-ish attendees who appeared to be having a great time as well. I expected everyone to stand up and sway to “Volare” but nobody did. They guys received about 15 standing ovations, which I had never experienced in any kind of live performance of any kind. The mix of English, Italian, and a couple of Spanish selections was appropriate for this audience as well; the in-between banter and comedy was mostly in English and was entertaining without being excessive; our resident clown Ignazio was hilarious while providing smooth transitions between the songs. The evening featured 1 hour & 55 minutes of musical and vocal bliss for anyone of any age.

JOHN’S IL VOLO CONCERT RULE #3: LEARN SOME ITALIAN. We all know that Italian is a beautiful language and that even a description of a root canal procedure can sound romantic, exotic, and heavenly simply because it is in Italian. Understanding the lyrics when Gianluca croons “Te voglio bene” (I love you) or when Piero cries “E muoio disperato” (I die in desperation) or when Ignazio proclaims “Quando vivo, vivo solo in te” (When I live, I live only in you) makes a huge difference – I cannot stress how knowing some of the language will add immensely to the concert experience, as well as when you are listening to their music at home. If you cannot take professional language classes, then get yourself a Berlitz Phrase Book for travelers, enroll in low-cost classes at a nearby school or community center, or if you can navigate online then download free language podcasts that you can play on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. And if you ever get the opportunity to travel in Italy you will have a more fulfilling experience if you can communicate to any extent in Italiano. All of my fellow students were so happy that we could get more of their message in their native tongue than if we simply had imagined what they were saying or were reading about it afterwards. In preparation for the concert, we took a bunch of their songs and dissected the lyrics line by line, using the website LyricsTranslate as a starting point. I went to the extreme of copying every one of their songs on to my Notes app on my iPhone, so I can constantly have all their lyrics in Italian, English and some in Spanish with me at all times; this proved to be a great tool for expanding my vocabulary as well.

Finally – the Meet & Greet. For most of us, $225 (and more in some venues) is a lot of money. $100 of that amount was for my M&G upcharge and the reality is that all you are going to get is about an hour of waiting around nervously in a semi-circular conga line with a bunch of other fans and about sixty seconds of “semi-quality” time with your idols. I will repeat this to who ever asks: It was the best $100 I ever spent in my life. For most of us with “regular” lives, sharing even one minute in person with someone who has brought you so much joy in life is truly a special time to be cherished forever. The thrill, the “special-ness”, the anticipation, the contact that you shared is even more meaningful when the next day you have to drive to work and punch a clock and get back to the real world. This is one of things that you have to do once in your life even if it defies logic (“I could buy a week’s worth of groceries” blah blah blah). If you can afford it, DO IT.

JOHN’S IL VOLO CONCERT RULE #4: PREPARE FULLY FOR YOUR M&G AND MAKE PRELIMINARY CONTACT. As you all know, a lot has been written on FlightCrew about this topic and the advice I received from all of you proved invaluable. While we were waiting in line, we got to observe many fans who got up to the guys and only managed to blurt out a weak “Thank You” or “You were great” or “Please, can I take a picture”. Many of the attendees were so star-struck or tired or unprepared that I imagine the whole thing must have been somewhat of an anti-climax for them. Not for me! While waiting, I made sure to make eye contact with the guys as much as I could. I had the supreme advantage of being 6’2” and sporting a military-style haircut so I stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. While others were texting away on their smartphones, I was aiming to grab their attention and smiling each time so that when it would be my turn I would just not be another in an endless stream of fans going through the motions. I decided that I was not going to bother with taking low-quality selfies with my phone especially as the event photographer was in place to take a burst of properly framed and lit digital photos.

My turn arrives. I firmly shake each of their hands. “Guys, I want to thank you not just for a wonderful experience tonight, but for introducing me to your “bel canto” style of music and for opening my eyes to the world of opera, and for bringing so much joy and a little bit of Italia into my home.” Their eyes and smiles could have illuminated the darkest of nights. Then I proceeded to tell them in perfectly practiced and accented Italian – “La tua musica mi ha ispirato per imparare l’italiano!” (Your music has inspired me to learn Italian!) Gianluca gave me a big “thumbs-up”, Piero just said “WOW”, and Ignazio put his arm around my shoulder and said something like “Thank you, that’s what we like to do.” Photo time went by quickly, and then the others in my group had their turns. After the official M&G was over, the guys mingled with the crowd for a bit, I got a quick chance to say hello to Barbara V, and that was it.

I made my way back to my car on a bitterly cold night, not sad that that it was all over, but with a sense of joy and warmth that yes, even for a short 3 hours, I had a wonderful visit with my three new “friends” from Italia.

~John

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

Penina and the Canadian Italians

35 Comments

Penina’s story is next, but first I have to add these photo’s of Loretta and Ignazio at the concert the other night.

Loretta and him

Loretta sent them to me 5 times, two were duplicates.  Then she sent them to Lynn and asked Lynn to send them to me in case her’s didn’t go through.   I’m afraid if I don’t post them she’ll send them again!  Guess what she wrote on my email subject line?  “Save these to your computer.”  

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OK Loretta, I got ’em.  Here they are and they’re absolutely wonderful!  Darn!

~M

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Now, Penina at the concert:

The audience in Orillia was about 90% Italians. And not just Italians, but Italian speaking Italians! Someone in the crowd early on shouted to the guys to speak Italian. Which they eventually did, to my regret, as I missed the best joke of the night–because Ignazio said it in Italian.

I have to concur with Jill about the lights and the music accompaniment.  The lights were a real problem, they glared, they washed out, and even worse, they moved.  Just as you framed a picture, a light would wash the whole thing out.  I really think where you sit will have a big determining factor on the quality of pictures you get–and there is no knowing ahead of time whether you are in a good seat for pictures or not.  All of my pictures save one was washed out by lights.  A fellow two seats over got great pictures. The quality of the photographers certainly had some part in this!  (lol) But I refuse to believe that is the sole reason my pictures were a flop.

My one good picture
My one good picture
Very little new was sung that wasn’t an English song. The new songs in Italian listed on the Buffalo playlist (Si Me Falta Tu Mirada, L’amore Si Muove, and La Vida) were not sung. Neither was Core N’Grato to my great disappointment. On the other hand they did do Beautiful that Way and Eternally. And instead of La Vida they did Surrender. So there was a lot of old stuff here, mixed in with some new, although the only new songs outside of the duets in Italian was L’immensita, Piove and Grande Amore.

 

Me & Ignazio
Someone gave the guys these little hats. Gian took his off after the picture with this lady–he was worried about his hair, if what he did after he took it off is any indication! He spent the next few minutes finger combing it and fiddling around with it. Piero took his off after a little while, but Ignazio kept his on.

There was a good deal of funny stuff, with Ignazio doing his Godfather routine, and demanding Piero kiss his hand with the ring coming at the introduction to My Way. Another funny interlude came with Piero trying to introduce Ignazio when he was about to sing Memory. However most of this dialogue was in Italian. I forgot to say, Ignazio’s mom, Caterina Boschetto was sitting directly across the aisle from me! She sneaked in after the show started and I didn’t see her come in. I noticed she was there somewhere during the program, and when Ignazio said whatever it was he said that convulsed everyone, she put her hands over her face, and shook with laughter. I wanted to say hello to her after the show, but she left the way she came–before the show was 100% over, and I didn’t see her leave.
Lousy picture of me and ignazio
Lousy picture of me and Gianluca

The meet and greet was very different! We were all herded into a space they set up in the end of the hallway outside the concert hall by blocking off a section with a big divider backdrop thing.  The photographer got us to make a big circle and he told us he would take pictures quickly, one after another, and once the pictures were done, the boys would be available to talk to us informally. The line went around, people gave quick hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc. lined up and took the pictures. What was nice about it was you saw everyone’s interactions with the guys.
Piero and me
Piero and me
There was one little old Italian grandmother with her granddaughter who had everyone in stiches.  After the group picture the granddaughter wanted a picture with them by herself and she tried to shoo her grandmother away.  But grandma was having too good of a time and wouldn’t leave.  Finally the photographer told her she should leave and she said she would leave if she could take Ignazio with her! After all the picture taking the boys just waded into the crowd, answering questions, getting hugged, taking selfies, etc. I managed to get selfies with all three of them! Piero was holding forth in a little circle of people when I came along he was telling someone about the rigors of the schedule and how happy he was his father was able to come along with him. “He brings me breakfast in bed! He makes me pasta! I would never be able to stand such a long schedule if he weren’t here with me.” Such a sweetie! And then he broke some very interesting news. He said they are doing a concert on July 1 (which I have already seen advertisements for) that will be a very special concert. Apparently July 1 is the anniversary (20th? don’t remember) of the 3 tenors first concert and Il Volo is doing a tribute concert to them, and Placido Domingo is going to be the conductor.
And he said, you are the first to know this–no one else knows! And he said it would be an international concert. Whatever that means! It sounds amazing.
And with that, time was up and all three left the area and we all went home.
Il Volo and me
~Penina