Astrid also wrote us back in June and I’m just now getting to it! 

It’s a lovely story!  🙂 

So, I’m back! My very first Il Volo concert in Düsseldorf, Germany! We had tropical temperatures on concert day and thunder showers on the way to the concert! Hi, you all, here’s Astrid from Bavaria and here’s my Il Volo experience for you to read…

My tour was a three-day trip to Düsseldorf. Wednesday arrival, 2 hours shopping, then a sprint to the hotel, to skype with my Mom, who didn’t believe we could do it at all in my Il Volo week. She lives in North Carolina in a nursing home and we meet every week and chat a few hours, thanks to skype! She was tickled pink to see me sitting in my hotel room and is excited to hear my story come Thursday, when we skype again as usual, me in the kitchen, she in the library! After seeing Mom was all right, I called my family and showed them I was well taken care of, where I was. One duty left, call to an old friend of the family, I saw last time about 16 years ago, that lives in Wuppertal, near Düsseldorf; she was on the Agenda for Friday! Thursday, a beautiful hot day. I decided to go sight-seeing and go to the Rhein-water, perfect by those Italian temperatures outside. Boy was it hot! Also, it was a holiday and the whole of Düsseldorf seemed to be on the way to the water. I went for a cooling boatride and walked around a bit looking at the beautiful sites offered. Before I went back to the hotel to get ready for the concert and meet my new friends, of course Ilvolovers, I decided to find the location, so it would be easier when in a rush in the evening.

After a long ride to and from the Mitsubishi Hall, it was time to get ready. This evening, I not only met Il Volo, I also was going to finally see my new friends. Twins, about my age, that I got into contact over my search of fellow German Ilvolovers, going to this concert. They had made reservations at an Italian Restaurant for us all and we’d meet on the train – so the plan. Ready to go, I was braked down by a thunder shower. So back to the hotel room, snatch my umbrella and down and out it goes in my sandals, hopping from one puddle to the other. I was overdue to catch that train, we would meet in! Got there just in time and…the train was late due to whatever… Finally on it, I had no clue where my red-headed friends were, so I messaged, we’d meet when we get off the train-it was still pouring cats and dogs, by the way! Well, the end of it, they were on the next train and I was running around like a headless chicken, trying to find them in the rain. We fell in each others arms, when we finally got a hold of each other and couldn’t stop talking and laughing, and decided it was time to go search for that Italian Restaurant.

(My new family members, thanks to Il Volo-Sylvia and Iris, to lovely soulmates of mine that I met through our love to il volo and their wonderful Music!!!)

Sylvia was the guide and Iris and I followed giving helping (or not helping) hints to which could be the right way. Sylvia, officially now, the perfect Navigator, kept us on track and we got there in perfect time to have a lovely first dinner together. Did I mention, I brought us work while waiting for the best pizza I had ever eaten, but first a drink and a picture of our wonderful Notte Magica! You know, I was shopping on Wednesday evening. I got presents for the boys and Barbara, who had her birthday a few days before. I had bought shoes for all four of them-chocolate shoes. They were gorgeous! Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of them… Barbara’s shoe was a Pump, I think red, the guys had three different colored football (soccer) shoes, one red, one blue, one golden; each in a pretty gift box, with cards, high heel all made of chocolate and the boys the same, except theirs were football shoes. Sylvia wrote the cards and Iris and I dictated. We wrote in Italian and English as my new friends are learning Italian, guess why…?! Just in time for pizza, we got the gift bags finished and packed away! That’s Teamwork!!!

About 7:30 we and our bags got back to the location, talking, singing and giggling like teenagers. They were so sweet, happy to be with me at my very first concert with the boys. Thanks to the resolute Sylvia, we got the gift bags through security and I still admire how this red head always manages to make problems vanish like dust. They brought me to my seat and we wished each other a wonderful Notte Magica! I felt like I had ants in my pants, I was so excited-did I mention 1st ROW!!! What shall I say, they came and the first notes, I was all over with goose bumps!!! What power, energy, charisma and feeling in every word they sing. You just want to melt away… People, I tried my best to record most of the songs, for me, for you, but it was hard not just to sit, enjoy and go with the crowds roaring! It was amazing, strangers became friends, fellows, I just can’t describe it! As always, as they say, it was over much too soon.

I did catch Barbara on the sidelines and was allowed to give her her present at one part of the concert, personally, as I was sitting at the left end of the front row and saw her during the concert, as she watched the boys from there. I checked with the guard in front and he gave his OK; to give her her gift right then. I even got a hug from her, she was very sweet.  Well, as I said, Barbara got hers first and after the concert, I put the other three on stage and Gianluca took them off.

Got an unexpected hug from her and changed a few words, quietly congratulating her. Gianluca’s father was on the sides, too, making fotos for his posts of the concert. Then we were on our way out, my friends and I went back to my hotel and had a last drink and talk about it all. All three of us had noticed, how tired and worn out the boys seemed to be, when not directly singing. We are worried about their health-guys, they are touring 8 years, now. The fun and play of the teenie years is gone. Wait there’s more, now it gets personally even more exciting! Friday, day of the Hamburg concert, my day for a reunion with a very good friend, almost a sister for me. Drove to the train station and noticed, I’m again going to miss this train, because I have health problems. My feet were on the go the past days almost non-stop and they were reminding me painfully, I’m no spring chicken anymore, no, I’m 62!!! They were swollen every day more and I had every day changed shoes to relieve the painful rubbed open spots.

Today, I was really wearing comfy sandals, but it didn’t help, I needed to get some socks to get me through this last long day without getting knocked out. As I missed the train, I searched for an info station, to get me on the right track again. Guys, guess who I met there by chance–Piero and his Dad!!! They couldn’t find the right track to Hamburg for the last concert in Germany that evening, as you know. I was baffled, but took a quick pic, before they went off to track 17A. After my legs and my brain functioned again, I started following them to that track, in the hope of-what?! Yes, there they were, Piero, his Dad, Gianluca-on the phone, Ignazio, Barbara, the Maestro and somebody I didn’t know. And here I stood, swollen feet and all mixed up, upset, brainless, I just looked at them and saw our 3 wonderful young men, tired, worn out and all I could say is, when will you all finally get some rest and recreation-you need it so badly?

Lovely Barbara, sweet as ever, was gently stroking Igna over the cheek, wiping away his concerns… just have to love her for these small gestures!

Barbara recognized me from the evening before and told Igna I was the lady with the shoes for them all and half-heartedly asked if I’d like a selfie with them…of course I would have, who wouldn’t, but they didn’t react, maybe not heard her. So, at least I stole me a few pics of the boys, said farewell, wished them all the best for the concert and the future and left to go to my train…and I started to cry,,,it was just too much at one time, I guess!

After all of us were back home, I got a mail from Sylvia and Iris, they intended to send the Maestro flowers, because we had enjoyed the concert so much and realized that the boys always get a lot of gifts in some ways, but the Maestro and the orchestra deserved an honoration, too. Especially, since Maestro Diego also has his birthday in July.

So Sylvia contacted a flower shop in Vienna and ordered a box of roses-red, with three white ones in the middle. The florist wanted to be certain that these flowers would be taken over at 6 P.M. when they would be delivered. Sylvia called up at the location and found out, that they would not do it, because of security matters… The florist couldn’t believe this, because he also delivers UNO City and the Atomic Institut and he was known as secure enough to do this, just not for the Maestro’s flowers, evidently!

 Sylvia and I tried every single day to find someone that was responsible and would make this flower delivery happen. No answers back… This afternoon, Sylvia called someone in Italy and after a bit of a back and forth again, she got hold of someone called Alessandra from the Management with hotel name and a yes, for delivery of the flowers for the Maestro, tomorrow morning! Now, we three are relieved and curious if that really will happen, that these ‘dangerous’ flowers get to their recipient!!!

This is my story.  It took me the whole of my ‘Notte Magica’ CD to write it and now I feel sad again after writing the last experience down.

Oh Astrid, we all know how you feel!  But it will now be here forever and you can come back and read it any time! Thank you so  much for sharing your story and what a lovely thought to send the roses to the Maestro with the 3 white ones!!  Simply perfetto!  🙂