Hey!  This is a re-post from last year with a couple of changes for our new followers/concert goers.  If you haven’t read, “When It Comes To Tickets” please do; it is the sister to this piece.  🙂  ~~ Kelly

(oops! Kelly, I posted this wrong!  “When it comes to tickets” will be next.  I only had to push one button for her and, of course, I hit the wrong one! ~Marie)

Hey, Everyone!

Concert season is finally upon us—Yay!  I love seeing all the excitement and camaraderie as you make your plans to attend concerts in your areas.   It’s what this website is about: sharing the love of life, friends and Il Volo.  😀

But, this time has also brought up lots of questions for everyone, and going through e-mails and reading the comments here have brought out a few trends that we’ve decided to try to tackle for you—a “How To” of concert going if you will.  Hopefully, we can answer some of the most common questions in a way that is helpful for you.

I would like to meet up with other members of the crew and maybe share travel expenses.   Is there a way that you can help facilitate that?

Honestly, we’ve gotten this suggestion more than once, and we can see the appeal of that.  It is very appealing to be able to share the experience of an Il Volo concert with fellow Il Volo lovers who “get it” and not just people who are tolerating us good-naturedly, and if they can help off-set the expense, that’s even better.  Oh yeah; we get it.

But in this online age, we have to consider the safety of such a proposition.  In addition, we live in a very litigious society, so we have to consider the legal ramifications for us as a website if we actively endorsed and facilitated such ventures and things didn’t work out.  But again, we get it so often, people tell such good stories of how they felt meeting fellow Flight Crew at their event, that we have decided to help…after a fashion.  If you e-mail us with you contact information asking to be put in touch with people in your area, we will post that information on site.  Marie has been coordinating “Who’s Going Where,” so she will take care of your request and let you know.  🙂

If you feel like this is a situation that you would like to try, that is a decision that you should make carefully. We have a different group of readers here than the average website, I know, but there are a few things I would like to caution you regarding if you choose to meet up with an online friend.  This list is based solely on my personal experience and from hearing the experiences of friends who have met up with other online friends for trips, and is not meant to be exhaustive or to take the place of good sense and your own judgement regarding your safety.

1.) Get to know each other a little bit before meeting up.  I know it seems like we’re one big happy family while we’re here on the website, but we are functioning in an online capacity, and that person with whom you have good chats here might not make a good roommate.  Trust me; I found that out the hard way.   Whether it be email, phone calls or something like Skype, use the modality you feel most comfortable using  to take some time to get to know the other person outside of Il Volo.

Do they snore?  Do they like to get up early and turn on all the lights and disrupt your sleep early in the morning?  Maybe take 2 hours to get ready?  A 30 minute shower?  Do you have anything else in common?   I know some of those sound funny, but they were things it would’ve been good for me to know about my roommate ahead of time.   Basically, ask all the questions you need to ask of each other to feel safe and comfortable.

2.) Make all decisions together and get everything in writing.  Email is key for my friends and I when we make plans.  We discuss what the plan will be; who is responsible for which aspects of the trip; how it’s going to be paid for; when the deadlines for payments are;  if we all like the same hotel; if everyone is comfortable with the costs and prices being proposed—anything and everything related to making the needed arrangements.   Once all the plans are agreed upon, and the services are paid for and confirmed, everyone gets a copy of the confirmations as proof of the reservations and the final costs.  And we save all of those e-mails to protect ourselves and–in my case–for information for my mother as well.  It gives her great peace of mind to know where I’m going, who I’m going with, when I’m supposed to get there and how to get a hold of me if no one can get in touch with me on my cell phone.

3.) Be clear about money.  We all know how money can mess up a good thing, so as uncomfortable as it is too talk about, make sure there are no questions from anyone going in.  My friends and I like to pay for things up front versus waiting to exchange cash/checks/money orders later, but protecting banking information is very important online.  We like to use Paypal for monetary transactions, as they serve as a “middle man” so that no banking information has to be exchanged between parties.

4.) Listen to your gut.  Like I said, I know we have a very level-headed group of people here, so I’m sure this point is a given, but it bears saying anyway.  If at any point, something inside you says, “This isn’t safe,” or “I’m not comfortable with this,” run with it.

OK.  One more item…

We need a badge or a name tag so we know when we’re meeting another member of the crew.

Well, you guys are in luck!  We heard you, and Marie designed a badge that we are offering for free just in time for this year’s concerts.   Look for “Flight Crew Badge” on the left side of your screen.

That will always be available of course.  They are quick to obtain and are a nice thing to have The Guys sign if you happen to have that opportunity (mine from Elgin last summer is a treasured possession. )  But……

..in this area, a surprise might be coming up for this concert season.  Keep your fingers crossed…..

Has this been helpful?  Let us know in the comments below.  🙂