The road trip to “Notte Magica” began by my online friend, Mary and I driving to Foxwoods CT where we had hoped to meet other Ilvolovers. We never found each other until the Grand Theater Foxwoods opened. I finally met Joan and Janis and many other fun ladies which made great start to a marvelous night. We were separated as our seats where in different parts of the orchestra section.
Il Volo finally arrived at Foxwood on March 11, 2017 with “Notte Magica” and their amazing repertoire which has cemented them in the opera scene. Their journey began with their latest material: Il Volo with Plácido Domingo – “A Tribute to The Three Tenors”. They opened up the night with an orchestra solo conducted by the Maestro, Joe Modica, and all throughout the night they delighted us with different arias, receiving a standing ovation each and every time.
Piero Barone mentioned that many others in the past had done tributes to them but they are so proud to say that they are the only ones to have the blessing from the pioneers who are the inspiration for “A Tribute to The Three Tenors” themselves: Pavarotti Foundation, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo. Even Plácido Domingo had share the stage and conducted in Florence, a concert that was recorded and shared with PBS. Then, PBS continue by sharing the special DVD of such an incredible event with people, like myself, who like to support public TV broadcasting, which provides entertainment for everyone.
Someone asked a few minutes before the show began which song I like the best, but he quickly reply for me, “All of them, right” and I replied, “Yes” but I still had my favorites; so, he asked me to choose one. It was tough to pick only one because I was in between “L’elisir d’Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima”, “Ave Maria Mater Misericordiae” and “My Way.” When Ignazio sang Una Furtiva Lagrima, he almost brought me to tears. Such passion and melancholic to die for, making a very delightful peace for the ages.
They surprised us with the magnificent song “Grande Amore”, with which they won the Sanremo festival, they proudly presented for the first time with the full orchestra. Everyone in the house began to sing along to the iconic song.
On “Ave Maria, Mater Misericordiae,” Gianluca mentioned that it was created especially for them and wow! The piece its extraordinary beautiful and is one of my favorite of Notte Magica CD.
Il Volo Foxwoods Elena FloresThere were a few funny moments worth mentioning. Ignazio, after singing the iconic Broadway musical “Maria” from “Westside Story,” began shouting where was his Maria while Piero and Gianluca were trying to tell him that it was their turn for their duet, “My way”. An eruption sounded through the house and Gianluca had to tell the ladies to calm down. Ignazio continued, oblivious to the chaos he was causing on the feminine population. The other two agreed with him when he said that his Maria was back stage and he went off running to find his Maria…
After this came the rendition of “My Way,” where Piero and Gianluca stunned us all. Piero’s powerful voice and Gianluca soothing, melodic voice brought “My Way” to a new level with orchestra completing their voices, making it an extraordinary package. Soon as the song was over, Ignazio came back with his hair tossed everywhere and said, “Maria was good,” with a Cheshire Cat smile to go along with it, making everyone laugh. Another funny moment was when Piero was talking about when they go back home after long periods of the guys being together and traveling, and he calls his brother and sister by the boys’ names. According to Piero, Ignazio is the worse of them because he calls his dog by the boys’ names; and once again the house erupted in laughter from the little insider in Il Volo’s daily life, away from the limelight.
All throughout the evening, the boys sported a proud smile on their faces while we didn’t disappoint them either as we gave them the respect and adoration they deserved for their spectacular job with standing ovations.
The only downside of the evening, Foxwoods was very tough on their regulation of no videos or camera nor cellphones. I was only able to record a song before I was stopped. From then on, I really got to enjoy the concert without worrying of capturing the perfect photos or videos.
The meet & greet began right after the show ended. All the CPTV member who bought their tickets by pledging needed to move to the left side of the stage where I finally got to meet Mrs Cristina C which we were communicating back and forth. Thank you, Mrs Cristina and CPTV for always giving us the best seats of the house. So, don’t forget to support your local public television.
We were brought into a room where CPTV thanked us for supporting them while giving us Il Volo official merchandise; then, they passed a laminated VIP badges signed by the boys in the front of it and with the USA tour dates in the back, some perfect memorabilia for any Ilvolover.
Piero was the first one to arrive; he began joking around by making poses while saying “Mr. February” making everybody laugh while snapping pictures. He began walking around the room. When he was in front me, sorry to say, I froze. He continued making small talk while waiting for everyone to get there. As the rest of the boys took a while to get there, he went out to see if they were there. When he came back, Ignazio was waltzing in behind him. Gianluca was the last one to arrive and as soon he walked in, he asked: “How was the show?” And the responses sere all “It was great” or “It was fantastic”. Meanwhile, Piero and Ignazio visited the food table where Piero said: “This is how PBS treats you” while staring at the various sweets delights, finally finding one.
Soon after it, the photo section began: the first row took their picture very fast and soon I was walking towards my boys, Piero, Gianluca and lastly but not the least Ignazio. I walked towards them and Ignazio extended his hand and I shook it while saying “Hi.” Whilst Gianluca, soon as he saw me, he said: “I remember you from last year.” I was stunned, to say the least and I barely say: “Wow, thank you.” However, the photographer interrupt us; so, Ignazio who still had my hand in his turned me around, while I was smiling like a Cheshire Cat, he helped me pose by lifting my hand up while Piero got really close to me taking my other hand, ultimately making a fun and sweet picture. After the picture was taken, I asked Gianluca for a hug, explaining to him he gave me one last year. He pulled me in towards his chest and gave me a nice squeeze. All three boys on their own way extended the beauty of the night making me feel my own “Notte Magica.” But I wish I could have talked to Gianluca more… However, determination makes all the difference and I’m a determine woman to say the least… Maybe next time we can have a few more words! Also present at the meet and greet were Gianluca’s mom and Piero’s dad but they didn’t interact with no one as far as I could see. Finally, when the photo section was over the evening came to a close and it was goodbye.
Ultimately, Il Volo has accomplished a phenomenal tribute to their idols here in Foxwoods CT while becoming the new generation of three tenors themselves. A truly Notte Magica for a true Ilvolover fan! Unfortunately, while writing this piece, I found out news about plans of next year; according to Piero Barone on a phone interview with Frank Beckman on March 13, 2017 they are not coming next year to the USA. This saddened me, as I was looking forward to new songs, with which they were teasing us like “A Mano a Mano” along with others, which they sang early this year on their radio stops. Apparently, it’s not going to be so, and I wish them good luck on whatever new endeavors they have in mind; while, I personally closed this chapter of my life. Thank you for a phenomenal “Notte Magica” here at Foxwoods CT.
Thank you so much Jacqueline Rivera for sending us this amazing review of your “Notte Magica” with Il Volo in Foxwoods, CT, last March 11th!
http://www.ilvolo.mus.br/2017/03/mus...e-di-foxwoods/