Is there really more to tell?
Haven’t you heard it all? Haven’t you seen hundreds of photos, viewed countless videos, learned all set-lists and read the many articles and interviews? And haven’t all the Italian summer concerts been thoroughly and well covered by Daniela, Pat and the Flight Crew team? Yes, indeed. So in all honesty what can I possibly add? Probably not much – however, having promised to give my two cents too, I’ll try to share with you the various emotions and reflections I have had in connection with the two beautiful concerts my husband and I enjoyed during our 3½ week long self-drive tour to Italy this summer – namely the ones in respectively Lanciano and Macerata.
And who am I?
By now most of you do know me well having been a member of this site for more than 5 years, frequently commenting and now and then writing a review. I am Danish, live in the outskirts of Copenhagen and was born in 1949 and hence belonging to the group of fine old ladies in this group. In similarity with most of you my IL VOLO-story is the same: I stumbled across a video in my FB-feed – caught by the sound – beautiful voices! A closer look revealing 3 teenage boys (in Germany singing “Il Mondo”) with the caption: “The sons of the 3 tenors”. Bullshit, I thought. Fake. A scam. But their voices had spellbound me and I had to re-play it numerous times. Who were these youngsters? I asked my FB-friends. None of my Danish friends had the slightest idea, but then one of my American friends replied: “That’s IL VOLO, the 3 young Italians – don’t you know them? – they are huge in the US”. No, never heard of them… I was now hooked and searched the internet further and within 24 hrs. they had grown 10 years older now sporting beards! That’s about 6 years ago, and ever since they have been in my heart. In Denmark they are still totally unknown – never performed here – so I have had to travel to Italy to experience them “live” – and by now I have been so fortunate as to have enjoyed 9 concerts as it has become a new “tradition” to my husband and I to combine our holiday trips with an Il Volo concert if at all possible. Likewise this summer.
CH for?
Choosing and purchasing tickets for an IL VOLO concert is true torture – at least that is what we feel. When the Tour dates are released Fan Club members are normally advised by e-mail – often just few hours before the opening of the pre-sale – meaning that within a split second or two you have to decide:
1) Are we going to Italy this year?
2) If so when and where?
3) Do we know any of the venues?
Being Danes we are more or less in a loss when it comes to Italian Palazzi and Roman sites not being Verona, Rome or Taormina, hence at this stage my husband and I are in the state of panic with one of us in front of a Google Map while the other is logging into the Fan Club to obtain booking codes and instructions – as in order to obtain the good front row seats you need to be ready at the very minute the ticket offices open. So having previously been to Macerata we were familiar with this venue. It fitted with our travel plans – so receiving the Tour dates end of January we rushed to the tabs and succeeded in getting hold of some good front row seats. Most of the other venues didn’t ring a bell with us or didn’t fit our itinerary. We settled with these tickets and one concert. But…
As to Lanciano we hadn’t planned to attend this concert at all. It was a last-minute decision – yes, I shall have to admit it – we hadn’t been bright enough to detect it in time. Only by co-incident – mid-summer – I stumbled across its name in another connection. And now a small bell rang with me – and I looked it up – yes, this is one of the unfamiliar concert venues! OMG – how could we have missed that? Let me tell you: Next to the name “Villa delle Rose*, Lanciano, it says: CH. CH aka Switzerland – right? That’s why we had passed by it so swiftly – only – CH doesn’t stand for Switzerland in this connection but rather CHIETI, the name of an area in Abruzzo! Hardly any Dane can point out Abruzzo on a map – but Chieti? Nobody! So that is how we ended up not realizing this concert would be right on our route. With a bit of mingling we managed to adjust the itinerary – however, too late to obtain good seats and appropriate accommodation – but we had yet another concert to look much forward to. 😊
Two concerts following each other – the same thing twice?
With exactly the same set-list, the same orchestra, the same comments, the same pranks and the same singers one should think so – but that was not the case. And it was a learning experience to us – and confirms – that the venue and place of seating do have a vital impact on the experience. While both concerts were great and the singing beautiful – IL VOLO never fails in that respect – well, then it was two very different experiences with the one in Lanciano never really reaching beyond the edge of the stage while the one in Macerata left you “flying high”.
Where the heck is the “Villa”?
Generally IL VOLO chooses beautiful cultural sites for the venues of their concerts – such as Arena di Verona – The Valley of the Temples, Sicily and The Royal Castle by Naples etc. etc. This is, however, not the case in the town of Lanciano, Abruzzo – in spite of the venue is launched as “Parco Villa delle Rose”. Park, maybe –but we never located any “Villa”. Instead, we found a huge modern stage construction at the end of a green that did more resemble a sports field! Well, “Villa” or no “Villa – IL VOLO are always great.
We had a tight schedule in Lanciano with a Sound Check admission at 18:15 hrs. but staying overnight a mere 6 min. walk from the venue, we took it easy and left in good time. We thought… The owner of our B&B and the Google Map told us how easy it is to stroll these few hundred meters – only, we are directed to an entrance that is closed off and with no “Villa delle Rose” or Ticket Office in sight! We get a bit desperate as nothing really indicates where to go then… We are to meet in front of the Ticket Office – but the ticket office for what? Apparently not to the tiny closed off park… We ask a few locals who direct us around a corner and points up a long tree-clad boulevard alongside something that looks like a sports green. Still no “Villa” in sight! But apparently the sports green IS “Villa delle Rose”! Finally, we catch sight of some uniformed people trying to form lines for queuing up to get into the park. Still no Ticket Office in sight – but it appears that a nearby tent is to serve as a random ticket office for “Ticket One” for the day. OK we are at the right spot and we understand that we are not in for the usual great surroundings of an IL VOLO concert – but rather a very local arrangement. We barely made it in time – and we are soaking wet in our finest as the temperature is still around some 30+ C – so we are a bit exhausted as we enter – but in a good spirit – knowing that in just a little bit our favorite singers will take the stage. 😊 My photo collage of this venue shows the big barren area at the end of the Green where a huge state of the art stage has been built for the occasion with inserts of snipets of “Parco Villa delle Rose”. At 21:00 hrs. the sun has set and with the lights from the surrounding town slowly appearing the setting becomes a bit more romantic. 😊
Unfortunately, this venue did neither offer the best sound experience while the lightshow constantly blinded me and even had me close the eyes at times. Due to the last-minute ticket purchase, the best seats available were in row 18 only, which ought to have been all OK, but with chairs placed on a flat piece of ground and with no big screens available – you do miss out of quite a bit when it comes to IL VOLO. They appeared as 3 little matchstick men with faceless white round heads due to the blur of the light from the spotlights. A vital part of experiencing IL VOLO is in my humble opinion observing their facial expressions as they seem to fully merge into the character or ambiance of the songs and as such add yet a further emotion to their performance. The guys do normally not use many stage props or decorations but entirely a light-show with changing colors and a bit of effects in order for you to be able to keep focus on the music – likewise in Lanciano, only something hadn’t been correctly adjusted when it came to the spotlights that were placed on a row of pillars – as their flashing and blinking and very strong volume totally blinded me at times and really were disruptive and had me wondering how people with a tendency for epileptic seizures would cope… And as to the sound something seemed different too – not that you couldn’t hear them – in the contrary – but their voices seemed more sharp and foreign at times. Having brought about all these negative things, the concert was still great, and I shall never tire of these 3 guys who are so truly gifted. So – of course – we had a lovely evening!
When everything comes together into a greater whole!
“Arena Sferisterio” is a much-acclaimed open air theatre in the heart of Macerata in the Marche region – and also the venue for our second concert. The theatre is a cultural pearl – some 200 years old – built in a neo classical architecture and is oddly shaped with a 90-meter-long stage directly integrated into the town wall with half an oval arena for seating. 3-4 stories tall! A much-sought venue for operas and concerts among others hosting the annual Opera Festival. Its shape and architecture is awesome and hence the perfect frame for an IL VOLO concert. Such surroundings add to the experience. We have previously visited this town so its layout and facilities were pretty familiar to us. This time we had booked room at a hotel located right in the charming historic center just two minutes from the venue – perfect.
We arrive early to take in the special ambiance of this theatre – and we have been lucky securing first row seats ensuring us a perfect view. It has been an extremely hot day but at 21:00 hrs. – the official time for the concert but for some unknown reason delayed by half an hour – the air is comfortably warm. Some 28-30 C with a clear bright sky. Then IL VOLO takes in the stage ready to conquer our hearts. And so they do… “Nelle tue mani/Now we are free” from The Gladiator is the pompous opening number setting the bar high for this evening’s concert – and what a concert! The sound is good, the spotlights are controlled and the audience attentive and engaged – perfect in all aspects and with the trio at the top of their game! Quite a difference to the concert in Lanciano the night before. Hence, I can only say that the location and ambiance of a venue do really matter. This lovely setting did no doubt inspire the guys and created a symbiosis resulting in a perfect outcome.
The blend of a very delicious musical cocktail!
As we have come to learn over the summer, a few new things have been altered in the guys’ concert concept differing it from previous years – namely the build-up and presentation of the show. Hence, the concert is now split into 3 sections and a Grand Finale covering respectively: The early days of their career inspired by their roots, the big Italian singers/composers and the Bel Canto – the period of recognition winning The San Remo Festival, representing Italy at the European Song Contest and honoring the big international artists of evergreens, film scores and musicals – and finally the future incl. songs from their Ad Astra album featuring more modern and futuristic music and terminating in a high flying Grande finale! Each section being separated by an instrumental piece by the orchestra and most professionally tied together by loving teasing, pranks, hugs, personalized introductions and a lively interaction with the audience. All in the typical IL VOLO manner with the guys respectively performing together, in duets and doing soli. The latter allowing each singer to present his personal musical preferences. An IL VOLO concert is just as much about the very best of 3 fantastic singers with unique individual voices but very different personalities and love for musical genres. The blend of a very delicious musical cocktail!
Taking place in Macerata the Grand Finale this evening was a tribute to the great Jimmy Fontana – a much-loved Italian singer, composer and actor and a native of the town and region. However, probably best known to you as the co-writer of “Il Mondo” with arrangement by Ennio Morricone that became a great hit back in 1965 but likewise is the first signature song by IL VOLO.
The concert is coming to an end – but during the Grande Finale we are, however, into a surprise – an extra treat! Namely the performance of a gifted couple of professional ballroom dancers – Matteo Conti & Michela Vagni – accompanying “Grande Amore” and the grand encore “Nessun Dorma” . Not exactly an easy task as these songs do not have any specific traditional dance rhythm. Hence the dancers had composed their dances by means of combining traditional basic steps from Tango, Slowfox and Waltz spiced with show details such as high lifts and beautiful postures. Being a former ballroom competition dancer myself this was, naturally, a lovely surprise which, however, took some of my attention from the guys’ singing ;-). But a perfect value-added bonus to the Grande Finale!
Highlights
As you are already aware of the set-lists for these concerts there is no reason for me to repeat them here. Hence, I’ll just highlight a few of the performances that to me stood out and went to heart, namely: “Almeno tu nell’universo”, solo by Ignazio. For years this song has been one of his favorites and I have enjoyed hearing him performing it several times – but this evening it gave me goosebumps. You could really see and sense that it means a lot to him and it comes from deep within.
Another solo that caught the full attention of the audience was “Mi sono inamorato te” by Gianluca. He immerses himself so strongly into this song that his emotions are felt by everyone and you could have heard a pin fall to the ground. I believe it is a local song one way or another but not speaking or understanding Italian I did, unfortunately, not gain anything from his long and heartfelt introduction to same.
By the way, a new thing is that the guys use quite some time for personal introductions of their soli in order for the audience to get to know and learn a bit more of their individual personalities. There were many lovely duets too – especially touching me was the old ballad “Unchained Melody” which Ignazio and Gianluca performed together. A song from my youth immortalized by among others Elvis Presley.
I’m not so much into classic music, but once again Piero gave us a spotless and beautiful aria (sorry cannot recall the title). He is constantly improving his skills – but what impresses me the most is his deep serious engagement in these soli. Watching his facials says it all. The little wrinkle between his eyes grow deeper and deeper in concentration as he immerses himself in the aria yet to loosen up and convert into the biggest and most beautiful smile the very moment he cuts off the last note. Relieved and a bit surprised as if he hadn’t expected to succeed which he, of course, always does. He is totally in his own world and so humble. As something new the orchestra is having a few performances on their own – as an intermezzo between the various sections – and I enjoyed thoroughly their interpretation of “Cavallaria Rusticana”. So beautiful.
No doubt that our guys are not just all matured but also still evolving in many aspects. They are totally professional in all aspects now and at times I did almost feel that everything went too smooth and perfect, if you know what I mean. They have lost a bit of their light spirited impulsive attitude – yet they do still try to keep a relaxed atmosphere with a close interaction with the audience. But first and foremost, I was happy to witness that they do still show their personal love, respect and affection for each other by constant small signs as high-fives, a light touch on the shoulder or a big hug. And even though the pranks must have been done over and over this summer they do still seem to react as if they come as a surprise and at times almost collapse from laughter. Removing the solemnity and allowing us to become part of their lives. Precisely what makes us love them! And that they all have hearts of gold was also proven this evening as suddenly they stopped in the middle of a song to head for the edge of the stage as apparently they had caught sight of a young boy familiar to them, who by the hand of his mother approached them. Mattia, who loves singing and loves them. They greeted him heartily, hugged him and let him sing a few phrases with them. So caring and loving. Being 3 “alpha-mates”, as they call themselves, decision making and leadership must often be quite a challenge one should think – but this evening I witnessed 3 guys equally involved in all activities sharing the task of presenting and taking charge. No boss here. Yet, I shall have to mention Piero as he appeared much more free and open as I have experienced previously. He has most surely evolved personally and now seems to enjoy being in front and interacting with the audience. In one of their pranks he selects a random person in the audience and uses him/her in various situations during the evening – and it brought quite a bit of laughter about while at times he seemed to crack up himself too. So good to see. And speaking of still evolving I believe that Ignazio may have been taking some lessons within the classical genre as his voice – to me – did sound somewhat different reaching his beloved high notes by means of a possibly new technique providing a less metallic/sharp tone and hopefully in a more healthy way. Has anyone else noticed this? Gianluca sounded as beautiful as always – everything seems to come so easily to him. At Sound-check I did, however, observe him being somewhat absent minded and less engaged. He hung around the piano with his nose deep down his mobile phone and only turning towards his microphone when he had a few lines to sing and then back to the phone immediately afterwards. At no time did he look at or acknowledge the fans smiling to him and as the only one he left the stage without waving or saying a couple of nice words to us. That’s pretty atypical for him, I should think – but maybe he had a couple of bad days or important matters have been on his mind.
Sometimes one strikes gold…
Speaking of fan connections there wasn’t much of same with no mingling with the audience while singing giving out handshakes and hugs, no roses being thrown from the stage nor any personal greetings of the fans at the two Sound-checks. Maybe those days are over due to security – or maybe they are just too famous now to do this any longer? However, at the Sound-check in Maserata I did strike luck! I happened to be in the right place exactly at the right time. We had been duly instructed not to talk to the guys or disturb them in any other way – fully understandable. However, as the Sound-check had come to an end with Ignazio already having waved his goodbye, and Gianluca sneaking away in a distant corner, Piero did suddenly catch sight of some familiar faces/friends down in the hall just behind us and hence crawled under the cordon to approach them. He didn’t get far though as a couple of fans immediately jumped at him as Jack in the box wishing to hand him some gifts. Exactly next to my aisle seat, so following their little chat I used the opportunity to catch his attention too showing him the book (their biography) I was holding in my hand hoping for his autograph. He grabbed it and signed it with a big smile. Jihaa. 😊 I do fully respect the privacy of the guys and their right not to be stalked and left in peace as well as the rules for attending the Sound-checks, but this was after the rehearsal and not pre-planned at all. I have brought the book along at several Sound-checks and concerts during the last years in the hope that an opportunity would arise. I purchased the biography in Rome few days after its launch and had it signed by Ignazio and Gianluca at their Christmas concert few days later. Piero had escaped me though – but now I am the lucky owner of a copy with all 3 autographs. 😊
Where good people meet…
As previously mentioned we were staying overnight at a hotel in the historic center few minutes from the theatre only, so our wonderful concert evening we wrapped up with a night-cap at the town square before hitting the sack. Next morning entering the breakfast room we noticed a man that seemed familiar to us but we couldn’t really place him until on our way back to our room and check out. Of course, it was none the less than Giampiero Grani! Well, too late – but no, when bringing our luggage down I stumbled across him again – this time in the lift. Now I was aware and used the opportunity to greet him and exchange a few words. What a co-incident! And no, I don’t think the guys had been staying overnight there too. It was a rather simple small three-star property so I believe they have been either staying at a more posh place or even driven back to their respective homes with Gianluca living just some 2 hrs. away and Piero and Ignazo a bit further away in Bologna. But it sure would have been a nice surprise. 😉
But I did – almost – meet another celebrity yet completely out of context. This was our second visit to Macerata and as enjoying authentic Italian food we had last time stumbled across a lovely little osteria in one of the alleys, hence this time we went straight to this place for a good lunch before the concert preparations. And here we were “greeted” by none the less than a famous American actor with Italian roots and a big love for Italy. You may have guessed it – namely Stanley Tucci. Please see the lovely picture I had taken with him. OK it might not have been him in the flesh – but it was him in carbon. 😂 Apparently his visit and presentation in his TV-series have meant a lot to the owners of the restaurant – but kind of fun anyhow.
With these words my story has come to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading it.
Warmest regards – Kirsten, Denmark
LANCIANO videos
Credit: Kirsten Langer
MACERATA videos
Credit: Steen and Kirsten Langer