In Romania this year there are three concerts. Here too, great welcome and lots of affection.
September 30: CLUJ-NAPOCA
SE
MY WAY
MAMMA QUEL VINO GENEROSO – Piero
LIBIAM DE LIETI CALICI
And now a nice summary of the songs in Cluj-Napoca, as you will notice the boys vary the setlist and also the way of performing the songs, for example My Way is sung by Gianluca and Piero and not by all three. They also included songs like LA DONNA È MOBILE and others. In short, they try to give different interpretations and not always propose the same concert.
HERE’S TO YOU and SURRENDER
October 2 ORADEA
Even here in Oradea, a great and warm welcome from the public.
Soundcheck.
CARUSO
ANGEL – Gianluca
MY HEART WILL GO ON – Ignazio
HALLELUJAH
ALL BY MYSELF – Ignazio
IL MONDO
VOLARE
GRANDE AMORE
4 October Bucharest,
in the beautiful Sala Palatului (Palace Hall), which is located behind the Royal Palace.
Bucharest had been sold out for some time, much to the delight of our three men.
ECSTASY OF GOLD
A moment of dialogue during the concert and the usual Ignazio making mischief!! 😁😁😁
O SOLE MIO
MISERERE Piero and Ignazio
DELILAH
FUNICULÌ FUNICULÀ
NESSUN DORMA
SE TELEFONANDO
UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE
GRANADA
NO PUEDE SER
HERE’S TO YOU
NELLA FANTASIA
And here are some photos of the Bucharest concert!
Let’s not forget that October 4th was also Ignazio’s birthday and all the fans competed to give many gifts to Ignazio, but also flowers and little gifts to Piero and Gianluca too.
Ignazio celebrated by the whole crew.
The big hearts of the fans started already in the afternoon at the soundcheck….
…..and during the concert from Gianluca and Piero 😍😍
Still beautiful songs, still lots of love and happiness.
Ignazio’s face is priceless with joy for the affection and gifts received. 😍
That’s right, their concerts are popular for their undeniable skill, but also for their way of being. As we have always said, if you see and hear them you will fall in love!!❤️❤️❤️
If you are a reader who has followed me for almost four years, you will recall that I said, “I am not a person who goes on fan pages. I’m always too busy to stop and read all that people have to say.” But suddenly in March 2020, I wasn’t busy. In fact, I was completely shut down. No business, nothing! That’s what led me to start reading the fan pages.
When I realized the fans were making themselves crazy over the guys going home to be with their families, I decided to write an article about their departure. I posted the article on Facebook and some of the administrators of the Il Volo fan groups started to message me. Can we post your article? Then they followed up with can you write another article. Well, I had nothing to do so I said yes!
So let me stop for a moment to tell you about two of those administrators. Katerina Tsaousi and Fofi Saratsioti Administrators of Piero Barone, Il sogno mio d’amore.
This is Katerina!
After reading my first story Katerina wrote to me and asked if she could post my story on her site because she said this was the perfect description of the guys and their music.
This is Fofi!
After posting the story Fofi thanked me and invited me to write more stories and post them on their site.
They have carried every one of my stories for almost four years.
Katerina and Fofi live in Greece, and I had the great pleasure of meeting them while I was in Athens for the concert.
These two ladies treated me like family. For three days wherever I went one or both of them was with me.
Maria, Me, Katerina and Elena
And it didn’t stop at that, their friend Maria was in charge of driving me everywhere. We spent a beautiful afternoon by the sea!
When I left Greece, I left behind my new family!
So those are two ladies who have been with me from the beginning!
The third lady who has been with me from day one is someone you all know, Daniela Perani.
At one point I received a message from Daniela who asked if she could post my article on Il Volo Flight Crew! I said yes, and almost four years later, as you know, I have my own column, Through the Fields of My Mind, which is published every Wednesday. And the rest is history!
Daniela besides being our translator at Flight Crew, also writes the reviews of the concerts. And they certainly are sparkling reviews!
After reading my first article, Daniela wrote:
Reading, here and there on the various sites and fan pages, I found this beautiful article written by Susan De Bartoli. Several fan pages have recognized the goodness of this beautiful article by publishing it. Since maybe not all of you who follow Flight Crew may have read it, I thought I’d post it here too, and I asked Susan for her confirmation to do so. Here’s what she wrote.
I’m not going to repost the whole article. I’m only posting the part that represents the Yesterday, in The Day After Yesterday.
Yesterday!
Back then I wrote:
These three young men are extraordinary! They are remarkable, exceptional people. And, they have revolutionized the music industry.
Gianluca is known as the Velvet Voice!
Gianluca is a lyrical baritone. He is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the baritone range. Most baritones are limited in range. Gianluca’s voice is huge. He has a very rich chest resonance which creates a feeling of depth and drama in his voice.
A baritone voice is very romantic, very pleasing to listen to and is always inviting. Most songs are written for baritones. Gianluca starts, almost, every song. Why? In order for a song to be received well you must draw your audience into it. Gianluca’s voice draws you in in a romantic way and you hang on to every note. He can mesmerize you with songs like “Mi Mancherai” where he reaches into the depth of your being. His interpretation of “Surrender” is electrifying.
But, when Gianluca sings, “She’s Always a Woman”, he takes your breath away. The highs, the lows, the emotion, the expression. His voice expands like nothing I ever heard before. He has total command of the song. You walk away with your senses lifted to another level.
Let’s talk about Ignazio, who I call the bridge.
Ignazio is a lyrical tenor. He, like Gianluca, is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the tenor range. And God knows he can, easily, hit the high C. Waiting for it and knowing it’s going to happen is so exciting!
A lyrical tenor has a warm graceful voice which is bright and strong but not heavy and it can be heard over an orchestra. Ignazio’s voice is smooth, clean and clear, with an acute extension. His voice has the ability to increase the baritone voice of Gianluca while softening the spinto tenor voice of Piero.
Ignazio has many faces. He is very whimsical in his songs as in “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” from La Traviata. In the aria “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from L’elisir D’amore, Ignazio makes you feel the innocents of Nemorino’s love for Adina.
Ignazio’s voice is the one that brings it all together!
And finally, Piero.
Piero is a spinto (meaning pushed) tenor. A spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes with less strain than his lighter-voice counterparts. His voice is warm, graceful, bright, and can be heard over an orchestra.
Piero has a powerful voice that easily reaches the higher notes. Every note that comes out of his mouth reaches us with such intensity and remains with us for a long time. It’s the voice that reaches out to you and demands your attention.
Think of Piero singing “E Lucevan le Stele” from Tosca. Or singing the beautiful Spanish aria “No Puede Ser” from A Tabernera del Puerto. From the first note Piero pierces your soul! His passion comes through in his music. Arias are very dramatic and Piero brings all the drama of the aria into his performance. Always a showstopper!
Now let’s put the voices together. Gianluca starts most songs because he is a baritone, and most songs are written for baritones. As I mentioned he draws you into the song. Gianluca will sing (in most cases) to Ignazio and Ignazio to Piero. This is how the three voices become one.
Most groups sing and you hear just a song but with Il Volo you are surrounded by voices. And the individuality of their voices entices you and it stays with you. “Musica che Resta”. (Music that Remains) Think of what Piero says when he introduces one of the solos, “After we were together a while, we realized we had three different voices.”
Piero wasn’t saying that they suddenly found out they had different voices he was saying we are Tres Voces un Alma (three voices and one soul) and, we need to show you those voices individually.
And that’s where we find them today!
I wrote back then, to fulfill their dream they had to leave their family, friends and home and go to another country. And they had to share this journey with two people who they really knew nothing about except that they had the same dream as they did.
At first they were with family but then they were alone. They learned to survive without the people they loved. They learned to lean on one another. That dependence turned into a friendship and that friendship into a brotherhood. It enabled them to trust enough to collaborate and perfect something truly amazing. Something that revolutionized the music industry.
Let me go further by showing you a collaboration by these three amazing, very, very talented, young men that is so unreal that it boggles your mind. This is a collaboration of love. Stop and listen to this performance of “Por Una Cabeza”.
Look at how they smile at one another during the performance. A smile that says yes that’s it! Their faces are ablaze! Their expressions let one another know that it works. And, finally, when it’s over, they are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. Look at their smiles, their faces are lit up in joy and their embrace says it all! They are brothers who love one another!
At the end of my first story, Daniela commented….
Susan, I really have to thank you for your nice words, you hit the mark in the description of Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero.
Thanks also for allowing the publication.
We will be happy to have your other posts if you wish.
A hug from the whole Flight Crew family.
Well, obviously, I continued to write for Flight Crew!
After those first articles, people started asking me about the guy’s lives. Having never met the guys all I really knew was what I read, in their book, Un’avventura Straordinaria, La nostra Storia. Since the book was in Italian my stories gave everyone who couldn’t read Italian an opportunity to hear their story. Ironically, most people had the book, but they just couldn’t read it!
The months passed in isolation, and I continued to write my Il Volo stories. But there was a lot of restlessness on my part. At one point it seemed my world was about to collapse. I worried about what would happen with my business and where my life was headed. My concerns began to take over and I found myself becoming depressed. And that’s when something amazing happened.
I was writing an Il Volo story and I heard a ping on my iPad and looked to see what it was. It was a message on Facebook. It seemed someone wanted me to hear this song. The song was Il Mare Calmo della Sera and Ignazio was singing the song. So, I stopped to listen and I also watched very closely as he sang. There he was 13 years old, the sweetest most adorable thing you ever want to see. He closed his eyes and began to sing. And I’m smiling because I’m thinking about what I just read in their book….
After several lessons, Lilliana asked Ignazio (perhaps 12 years old at this time) to take part in a competition. He wasn’t completely convinced that he wanted to get on a stage. He said, Until that moment I had only thought about singing, but I had never seriously thought that all that singing one day could bring me into the spotlight.
In short, he was afraid. He feared that he would make mistakes. That he would forget the words. The whole idea of the stage frightened him. But with Lilliana’s urging he decided to do it. He said, “I was about to get on the stage. My legs were trembling, the butterflies in my stomach were no longer butterflies but crazy swallows.
In this video, Ignazio’s head is down! He never looks up until the middle of the song when he opens his eyes and smiles, those amazing dimples are so obvious, his whole face lights up and then he shuts his eyes and finishes his song.
I sat back in my chair and said this is a sign. If Ignazio at 13 could get over his fear, not of singing but of forgetting the words, then I could certainly get over my fear of what will happen when this pandemic is over. I needed to calm down. What was Ignazio singing Il Mare Calmo della Sera – The Calm Evening Sea. So, I put the song on my iPhone, iPad and computer and every night after that I listened to the song before going to bed. After this whenever I wrote I always had Ignazio right at my side. His voice had a calming effect on me.
As I continued to write my stories I began to understand the guys better, and I began to notice how kind and compassionate Ignazio was. He is a man who puts everyone before himself. Who always stands last and makes everyone more important than himself. Very selfless!
In the beginning of 2021 I was asked to write a book about Padre Pio. What did I know about writing a book. Nothing! So, what do I do. I said OKAY I’ll give it a try.
By now, every time I wrote I had Ignazio’s beautiful voice to calm me and his beautiful life to inspire me. He truly is my inspiration. I wrote two books with him at my side. The first book sold over 9,000 copies in the first edition and the new book will be out in the Spring of 2024.
It’s ironic that a person who I barely knew was able to get me through not just a pandemic but two books one of which one was a best seller and hopefully the second one will be too!
Ignazio continues to inspire me every day. No matter what happens in the world he has his hand out to help others. He truly is an amazing man and undoubtedly a phenomenal tenor. Perhaps the greatest tenor in the world today!
As most of you know, today is Ignazio’s birthday so I would like to say….
Happy Birthday Ignazio! I wish you a year full of Joy and Happiness! And I wish that all your dreams for the future come true! Always be happy!
Now that all the worries are gone, my business is back, and I no longer fear what will happen next, I have moved on in the world, and hopefully I/we will continue to move forward!
I will continue to write my stories each week and soon I will begin to retell the guy’s story from the beginning when they were children. I try to do this every so often because with each new round of concerts, they get new fans! But quite honestly, even the old fans enjoy rereading the stories.
And for as long as there is life in me I will continue to write about these three amazing men.
So, where are we today ~ The Day After Yesterday……
Over the last year I have seen a new Il Volo. Each man’s voice is totally phenomenal! Each voice is at its peak. Each man is living his moment!
As I wrote in my last story, their decision to sing individually was a decision that will bring them to a new realization in their lives and their careers.
Experiencing this new concept is amazing. When you attend a concert it’s like attending three concerts. You meet each man individually. You feel his love for music, music which is his alone and not shared by anyone else. It’s a new beginning. For us it’s experiencing each guy on his own turf. Each man gives a free hand to the next while complimenting and encouraging each other. But certainly, they don’t need any encouragement because they are just reaching down into their souls and presenting what was in there all along. The real Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
Piero lays out his operatic voice in an amazing way. He was always amazing but now he can reach higher notes and go deep into his soul and bring out all the drama of every aria. The songs he’s sung before are much more vibrant than they were. His voice is more fluid. He’s more at ease and more confident in his delivery! We always knew it was there, but he had to find his direction..
When he walks on the stage now, he is no longer Piero the spinto tenor. He is Piero stepping on a stage of an opera house and delivering the most beautiful arias you will ever hear. And he presents them as an opera singer. He delivers his opera and then sings his Neapolitan songs. Yes Piero you have arrived at the door of the opera house, and we will wait for you to walk out on that stage and show us who you are! I will be there for the event!
Ignazio always had soul but he recently began to share it in a most unique way. For so long Ignazio held back expressing who he was but now he has opened a new door. The delivery of female songs allows him to use the voice that was hidden for so long. Ignazio was made for the higher notes! His voice complements and delivers them in a unique way. The minute he opens up, he sends thrills throughout our bodies. His voice reaches our inner being and leaves a mark for all eternity. He is the endless voice. The one that stays with you and reawakens your senses long after leaving the concert hall. He is the voice that brings it all together.
Did you ever notice how Piero and Gianluca look at Ignazio when he sings? Or how Giampiero Grani looks at him when he sings. It is a look of total admiration. He brings every song home! He truly is the voice that extends Gianluca and lessens Piero. The bridge that brings it all together. Not to mention the fact that he is the entire production. His energy moves the guys and the stage. He electrifies you! No man has ever captured the whole concept of the stage like Ignazio. He doesn’t move around the production; the production moves around him. The biggest asset in Il Volo!
And then there is Gianluca! Where did this new Gianluca come from? For years I would scream at the screen, Gianluca move! Get with it! Gianluca has a phenomenal voice but with that voice you need to have movement. Finally, he’s found the moves. I think his love for Elvis and his new delivery of Elvis has given him what he was missing all these years. He has finally taken the phenomenal voice and given it meaning. Gianluca any baritone would die for your voice! You are one of a kind. Very unique! There has never been another baritone like you. And now you are finally giving it your all. The true sensation of delivering Elvis! Your interpretation of Elvis in itself is truly unique! You bring us his songs in a new and amazing way. You give us what even Elvis couldn’t give us, a voice that gives his songs meaning! Elvis would be in awe of you!
So, we find ourselves on The Day After Yesterday wondering where do the guys go from here? They will continue to present themselves in this new light but for now they are Il Volo, and they will continue to be Il Volo for as long as possible.
This new concept has given them a chance to give us everything that is new while preserving everything that is old! The concerts that we love so dearly will go on and we will enjoy their new interpretation of concerts. This is such a great opportunity for both us and them. We keep what makes us happy while allowing them to have what makes them happy! A win, win as I see it!
For your listening pleasure San Jose Concert 2020.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
Our Facebook fanpage was blocked for a few days, and some of you may have thought “but where has Flight Crew gone?” They told us that we don’t respect Facebook’s “standards” and for this reason they had blocked us, but now it’s Everything is OK.
So we are late with the articles on the various concerts, but we will try to catch up.
21 September PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, in the beautiful Ancient Theatre.
Lots of enthusiastic people. I will attach only one video for Plovdiv, but on YouTube I found the entire video of the whole concert, it is shot from the side and sometimes it makes you feel seasick watching it 😁, but the video does not have a moment’s pause, and the dialogue is in English, so you will be able to listen to an entire concert and understand what is being said, enjoy the audience’s reactions and I hope you will appreciate my choice even if the images make you a little nauseous. 😁😉.
And how wonderful it is to witness moments like this! ❤
What a great and emotional evening it was. Such a blessing. We, and especially Vaya, we’re so excited and happy for the opportunity to listen to these great and touching voices once again Thank you @ilvolomusic, @giampierograni , @gianginoble11 , @barone_piero and @ignazioboschetto – you are simply amazing and the best Thank you! ( from Vaya’s mom)
Soundcheck Plovdiv
But now the time has finally come for concerts in Greece. After such a long wait, Greek fans will finally be able to have two concerts:
September 23 Thessaloniki
Greece has waited a long time for this moment and the Greek fans have savored every moment of Il Volo’s presence.
MY WAY
IL MONDO
SE
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
GRANDE AMORE
Torpedine and Barbara to the right ☺
On the sign: Gianluca, Ignazio, Piero, you are my great loves. ❤
September 25, ATHENS
The magnificent ODEON HERODES ATTICUS will host the concert.
The public has a lot of love to give to Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio and the three of them are thrilled by this warm welcome from the Greek audience.
Our dear friend RoseMarie Paliobes was present, both in Thessaloniki and in Athens, she was in the front row there, she sent me this comment:
Ok, it happened! I was in Thessaloniki and Athens with some of my family and other Greek relatives from Larissa. My daughter, granddaughter and I had front row seats in Thessaloniki. They were not assigned seats so it was first come first seated. We were very fortunate to have gone to the sound check and get the best seats. The guys were talking to us except Gianluca who was on the phone, he seemed tired or maybe wasn’t feeling well. Between sound check and show Ignazio and Piero were walking around the theater. Ignazio as usual being followed by young girls. Piero stopped to talk to me, my daughter and granddaughter. I asked him when they would come back to the USA and he said 2025 (😥), but he will be in New York this November because he is training to run the NYC marathon. I told him my daughter and granddaughter both run and the conversation went on about running. He is very serious about that. Then we went and waited for the concert to begin.
When the guys came out on stage I thought my heart would burst. ❤❤❤
Greece has been waiting a very, very long time for this evening to happen. The guys knew it but were still a little surprised by the outpouring of love from the sold out. At the end of the concert the guys promised to come back to Greece soon. 😘😘😘
It was the same in Athens, we had 2nd row seats, first row for some Greek VIPs. The Herodus Atticus theater at the base of the Parthenon is heart stoppingly beautiful. With the guys on stage even more so. Gianluca seemed to be his old self, sweet, sexy and in a romantic mood. Ignazio, what can I say about him, funny, serious, in great form. Piero, my goodness what a voice, I’m waiting for him to sing at the Met or LaScala, I think he is ready. Only negative thing was, they cancelled the sound check and Meet and Greet. We were told “technical difficulties”. Very disappointing. So, now, here is the best for last. Piero knew from the Meet and Greet OMGVIP guy John that we did not have the Meet and Greet in Thessaloniki, so after that concert, John came out and said we were invited to come as Piero’s personal guests. I thought I died and went to heaven. It was one of the best evenings of my life. ❤
Wow, wow, Beautiful experience RoseMarie, and what about Piero? Truly a beautiful person, who knows how many would have liked to be in your place.
THE TWO EVENINGS WITH IL VOLO TO THESSALONIKI AND ATHENS WERE MAGICAL
Finally, the Italian trio Il Volo has many more friends in Greece than we imagined. On Saturday evening the Gis Theater in Thessaloniki was packed, sold out since the first days of ticket sales at the Herodion, where we met last night.
The ‘boys with the golden throat’ Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble showed themselves moved by the warm welcome from the world, but also by the grandeur of the Ancient Theater of Herodes Atticus. With great vocal form, they took us on a journey to our favorite songs in the best possible way. And what was missing from their program, from bel canto, to classical arias, Ennio Morricone, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, but also Leonard Cohen and Robbie Williams.
The moments we didn’t expect were the fun playing with the audience between one very challenging performance and another. The development of three very different personalities with quite different musical preferences. Ignazio has at least five mentions of how much he likes feta (Loreen, you’re not the only one). The…going up to the stands of the Herodion for hugs and selfies with the fans while at the same time singing ‘Here’s to you’ by Ennio Morricone.
Piero’s admission of how lucky we should all feel (putting himself first) to be where we are now. Gianluca’s confession that through Eurovision they realized how much the Greek fans love them.
The moment we were all waiting for – but once again its magic is indescribable – arrived at the end, with their only song of the setlist, ‘Grande amore’. Shortly before, they made us all stand up to sing and dance together to a rousing rendition of “Volare”.
The extraordinary ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra under the direction of George Aradis certainly added to the magic. In Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Municipality Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Anastasios Symeonidis, is equally enchanting.
Too many Il Volo fans who couldn’t find tickets were on the pavement right outside the Herodion last night. Many had their stools with them. As we learned, they enjoyed the sound part of the concert (the acoustics were fantastic even outside) and were just as moved as those “inside”.
The concert ended with a promise from the “boys”. They will definitely come back to us. We await them with the same anticipation.
A beautiful article was published by SOUNDART.GR, a music review website. (You may or may not need to view the link below by using a VPN -virtual private network – like Nord VPN.)
Reportage: ILVOLO triumphed in their sold-out concert at the Herodion.
Il Volo’s appearance in Athens made history with the packed Herodion trembling with music and applause!
After hearing the best things about Il Volo’s appearance in Thessaloniki, the anticipation of all of us to enjoy the Italian stars of the opera-pop scene has become stronger and stronger until we can enjoy them at Herodion on September 25th. Our expectations for one of the best shows of 2023 were far exceeded and Il Volo has written its own history at the historic Athens venue.
From the start the fans of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca lined up and everything went smoothly until they were placed in their seats. With the clock ticking just a few minutes past 8pm, the scheduled time for the trio and orchestra to appear on stage, loud applause was enough to welcome the energetic and cheerful troubadours. A warm greeting with the three performers who told us “Good morning”, “Good evening” and “Good night” showing us what they learned in Greece, was the beginning to appreciate the melodic “The ecstasy of gold” by Ennio Morricone and “Nessun dorma” by Giacomo Puccini.
“Il Mondo” by Jimmy Fontana, “Granada” by Agustín Lara, but also “Io che non vive (senza te)” by Pino Donaggio created the right atmosphere to enjoy the impressive solos of the three band members. Ignazio Boschetto performed Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” wonderfully and Gianluca impressed us with Elvis Presley’s “I can’t help fall in love”. The irresistible Piero, receiving continuous applause from the audience, “invited” his two friends and colleagues to share the stage again for “Un amore così grande” by Guido Maria, after having first given us a unique interpretation of his “E lucevan le stelle” by Giacomo Puccini.
“Love Theme” from “Cinema Paradiso” made the atmosphere more romantic and they handed over the baton to “Nella fantasia”. Songs like “Se Telefonando” (Mina), “My Way” (Claude François), but also a cover by an artist who had a great influence on the course of Il Volo, Luciano Pavarotti, in the song “Miserere”, brought us listening to the enchanting “Alleluia”, during the performance of which no one stopped singing.
With the atmosphere becoming more “warm” and a little “playful”, Herodion played “Delilah” (Les Reed), “Funiculì, funiculà” (Luigi Danza), but also “Here’s To You” (Ennio Morricone). Among the other iconic and classic songs that have left their mark over time, we appreciated “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion with the voice of Ignazio, “No puede ser” by Pablo Sorozábal by Piero, but also the more modern “Angels” by Robbie Williams by Gianluca.
An impressive finale could not be missing without the most timeless hits of Italian music, so “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla is followed by “Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici” from the opera “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi, but also the unmistakable “ ‘O sole mio” by Eduardo Di Capua. After the “uplifting” “Nel blu,painted blue”, for which Il Volo invited us to get up from our seats, the moment we were all waiting for has arrived. “Grande amore” resounded loudly under the Acropolis with the audience present in a pleasant delirium.
And if any of this will remain unforgettable, it is the energy of Il Volo, who, despite their young age, have made people of all ages adore them for their talent, their impeccable stage presence and their essential communication with the public. Il Volo did not hesitate to climb the stairs to reach the highest level of the stands to reach the highest levels of the Herodion and sing among their beloved fans, while Ignazio will make us think of him for the adoration he showed towards our … “feta cheese”.
With a warm “Goodnight” in broken Greek with an Italian accent, Il Volo promised us that they would be back to visit us soon and we will wait for them! We will see each other!
Ηλέκτρα Λήμνιου Reportage, Slider-home
In this photo, however, you see my three beautiful Greek friends, present at both concerts, RoseMarie, (wearing glasses) you know her well, then there is Katerina Tsaousi and Fofi Soratsioli, I met all three personally a few years ago in Verona .
Here’s what Katerina wrote:
One of the first and one of the last photos of the concert in Odeon Herodes Atticus in Athens.
Between the two photos there is a big difference . The mood of the boys changed. The warmth of the Greek people welcoming every song with long applauses and screams of excitement and pleasure made our idols become at first surprised and then more “open” and the chemistry between the spectators and the artists took fire. The audience didn’t stop singing with the boys and dancing to the last songs.
After the closing song “Grande Amore” the boys gave us a promise that they will return to Greece not only for one more time but for a series of concerts (something that made us very happy).
Gianluca remembered that Greece at the Eurovision song contest of 2015 gave to Italy the biggest award, the 12 points (because Il Volo was the best ). And ,even though there wasn’t any advertisement for Il Volo in the media in Greece, the Greeks made the concert in Athens to be sold out in only ten days and the concert of Thessaloniki to be sold out in the last few days. 5,000 people in Athens and 5,000 people in Thessaloniki enjoyed Il Volo for the first time in Greece . We are happy to have the boys here in our country, we love their music, their talent, their voices and their energy.
I’M TRYING TO FIND ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE WHAT I LIVED LAST NIGHT IN HERODION ANCIENT THEATRE BUT I CAN’T…I’M ALSO TRYING TO DEFINE THE THOUSANDS OF EMOTIONS I WAS OVERFLOWING WITH BUT I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE!!! WORDS JUST FAIL ME…MAYBE JUST ONE COULD GIVE YOU A SLIGHT IDEA: MAGIC…FOR OUR INCREDIBLE IL VOLO THERE IS NOTHING I COULD SAY THAT YOU DON’T ALREADY KNOW…THEIR PHOTOS SHOULD BE NEXT TO THE WORD “PERFECTION”…DIVINE VOICES, UNIQUE TALENT, AMAZING PERSONALITIES…AFTER NOT MORE THAN TWO MINUTES WATCHING THEM PERFORM, YOU FALL IN ETERNAL LOVE WITH THEM…PIERO, A REAL GENTLEMAN, MORE MATURE THAN EVER…IGNAZIO, A PERFECT SHOWMAN, HE INSTANTLY TAKES YOUR HEART…GIANLUCA, A TENDER SOUL, ROMANTIC AND SENSITIVE…IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE…A DREAM THAT WE, THE GREEK FANS, HAVE WAITED FOR ALMOST FIFTEEN YEARS TO SEE IT HAPPENING…I’VE ALWAYS PICTURED THE BOYS SINGING IN THIS BEAUTIFUL THEATRE, UNDER THE ACROPOLIS…NO OTHER PLACE COULD BE MORE PERFECT FOR THEM…AND IT WAS MAGIC…A NIGHT WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!! A “THANK YOU” TO THEM WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH FOR WHAT THEY ACTUALLY GAVE US…WE JUST HOPE THAT THEY FELT OUR LOVE, OUR ADMIRATION AND OUR GRATITUDE FOR THAT EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE THEY OFFERED US!!! BOTH PIERO AND IGNAZIO ENDED THE SHOW BY TELLING US THAT THEY DIDN’T EXPECT SUCH A WELCOME, THEY SINCERELY THANKED US FOR ALL OUR LOVE AND PROMISED THEY WILL COME AGAIN SOON…
WE JUST CAN’T WAIT…IT WAS A TWO-HOUR EXCHANGE OF FEELINGS…MUTUAL EMOTIONS THAT LEFT THEIR MARK ON OUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN A PLACE WHICH WAS THE ABSOLUTE MATCH FOR THEM…I’LL CLOSE WITH PIERO’S WORDS LAST NIGHT…AT SOME MOMENT BETWEEN TWO SONGS HE SAID : “ I WAS AT THE BACK LOOKING AROUND THIS PLACE AND THIS BEAUTIFUL MOON ABOVE AND I JUST THOUGHT HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO LIVE IN THIS BEAUTY “…I WOULD ADD “AND TO EXPERIENCE THESE WONDERFUL FEELINGS WE GET THROUGH MUSIC, LOVE AND RESPECT”…PIERO, IGNAZIO, GIANLUCA…FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS: THANK YOU!!!
My goodness, so many beautiful words from everyone and very deserved. Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca must have been truly moved by so much love.
In short, as usual I am speechless for everything I have seen, heard and read.
I am so proud of Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio and I am also so happy that the European fans are appreciating them with so much affection.
This is last call for wishes for Igna. Please send your wishes to ilvoloflightcrew@gmail.com, no later than October 2, 2023.
Hello All!
It’s that time again…. just about a year ago now, we were all getting ready for their US tour! Now, the folks in Milan are enjoying 6 concerts in a row! How I wish I could have been at all 6, I’d even take one! Oh well, maybe next time!
Our Ignazio is approaching that hill now and will be 29 soon!
So, it’s time to send in your wishes and SONG to go with the video. Advice to follow:
`1. please do not submit songs that they already sing
2. limit your songs to 3 choices
3. please do not suggest songs for them to sing – we have no direct contact with them
4. please send to: ilvoloflightcrew@gmail.com. I know it is easy to just reply to this posting, but it’s easier for me if everything is sent to the gmail account.
5. please do not post any wishes on FaceBook, I will not see them
6. please send your wishes and song choices separately. If together, I may accidentally delete it after the song choice. Please put song or wish in the subject line.
7. apologies in advance if I miss anyone’s wishes – I try my best and it’s purely by accident if anyone gets missed! Sometimes it is a cyber error, beyond my control…
A special thank you to Rose Marie P. for letting me use her photo above! 🙂
Thank you –
Jana and Kelly
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
