Maria at the gate. 2 hours! 90 degrees! what a fan!
Together with my daughter I attended my first Il Volo concert on June 26 at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA. I was in the isle seat and directly behind me is the ‘cat-walk’ where our marvelous guys sang. We were able to shake their hands several times as they sang behind us.
Looking at that handsome Ignazio!
I had this shirt made at a shop but I am wearing the black official Il Volo shirt. He was so close! It was the thrill of my life. I am so proud of them as I am from Sicily. The shirt I had made has their picture, the names of the 3 towns they come from and ‘Baci di Catania’ on it (my home town).
Gianluca replied to my daughter, Luisa, as he sang on the catwalk. She told him ‘you are magnificent‘ and he replied ‘ thank you‘ and shook her hand. He was being mobbed at the edge of the catwalk by female fans and he almost fell on my lap! I would have gladly caught him! Part of this is on another video of our boys. She is now an avid Il Volo fan, too. Piero passed right behind us and we got to shake his hand, too! You can see this video of us with our adorable and talented guys:
I have all their records and know each song. ALSO, because of them, in May 2015, I am returning to Sicilyfor the first time in 45 years to visit my family there and they promised to take me to Naro and Marsala. I am from Catania so it is very close to Naro. I plan to have pizza at Nina Boschetto’s Pizzeria, Pizzeria Dei Desideri. I would love to also go to Montepagano which is near my cousins, but it all depends on my brother and sister-in-law whom I am traveling with. All my young nieces and nephews adore Il Volo and went to Taormina to see their concert. I have a childhood friend there, a retired doctor, who said he knows Ignazio and Piero from when they were children!!! Am I lucky, or what!
Please keep up your wonderful site! I check it every day.
Love to all, Maria Leps
♦♦♦
Maria, I’m too jealous to even talk to you! ~Marie
I attended 2 concerts his year—Newark on June 15 and Philadelphia on June 26.
Newark As we were waiting in the lobby of NJPAC for the doors to open, I mingled in the crowd and met some Flight Crew members whose names escape me (forgive me). I also met some of my facebook friends as well, and was happy to meet people from both groups and put faces to the names.
We finally got to our seats and the show started with everyone so excited when the boys came out on stage and starting singing! There were many, many standing ovations, and their voices could have blown the roof off of the place. I, for one, cried a great deal during the show.
Ignazio came down into the audience while singing “Maria” and knelt down to a woman who was sitting across the aisle from me. When he was ready to go back on the stage I asked him for a kiss on the cheek and he obliged! The show was nothing less than perfect! Our guys always outdo themselves and that night was no exception!
Philadelphia The Philadelphia concert at The Mann Center was a little different for me. We were sitting in the first row of the orchestra section, behind the pit. However, our seats were to the far right of the stage and there were no seats in front of us. The pit is sort of a semicircle shape, and between the pit and orchestra sections at this venue there was a platform that went completely around the back of the pit section that is the same height as the stage. This platform allowed entertainers to walk between the pit and orchestra sections. As each of the guys walked around on the platform at different times while singing, I was able to touch hands with them as they went around and greeted their excited fans.
I brought a sign that read: “Ignazio, un bacio per te” and when he was on our side of the stage and saw my sign, he blew me a kiss, and of course I blew one back! I was on Cloud 9.
The Mann is an outdoor venue (our seats were under cover though). Knowing it was going to be hot and humid, I brought a hand held folding fan, like the Spanish and Japanese women use. While I was fanning myself, toward the end of the show, Ignazio was on our side of the stage again and was fanning himself with his hand because it was so hot. I offered him my fan and he took it from me and was fanning himself during the number.
I was so excited that he was using my fan! Then, lo and behold, he brought it back to me! I told him to keep it (what was I thinking) but he gave it back, and I am so glad he did. That fan will NEVER be used again by me or anyone else (except of course, Ignazio if the need and opportunity arise again).
The girls who were sitting in the pit, some of them “Flight Crew” members, took pictures of Ignazio using the fan, and have posted them on Facebook, and tagged me as well. There are also professional photographer pictures from the concert that show Ignazio returning my fan with a big smile on his face. He is such a beautiful young man.
After the concert, I went to the Meet & Greet, and for the life of me I can’t remember a word or what went on when I came face to face with the guys! I do remember handing them letters that I had written, but they were immediately collected by the “guard” and placed on a table with everything else that was given to the boys, and then the woman who was taking pictures with my friend’s camera said I had to get my picture and leave. Last year’s M&G was much nicer, and even though it was also a blur to me, I didn’t feel like I was part of a herd of cattle as I did this year.
As much as I listen to the Il Volo CDs and watch their DVDs and Youtube videos, there is nothing like their presence on stage, with their voices lifting the roof off of buildings! And, of course, all their other attributes, which are too numerous to mention here.
All in all, the two concerts I attended this year were spectacular, and the interaction with Ignazio that I experienced at The Mann will be etched in my mind forever!
Madeline maddiev1123
Maddie, Very cool story. Frame that fan! Thank you for telling. ~Marie
Flight Crew, Bing thinks “Ignazio, un bacio per te” means “Ignazio, a kiss for you”. Humm, don’t know how I feel about that.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
