Andrea Bocelli tour 2017-2018

[Libby]

Andrea Bocelli is coming back to Seattle! This time it's a Sunday, June 24, 2018. It was June 1st in 2016. I'm only going to go if I can be near the front this time. The pre-sale doesn't start till next week, but on one less official ticket website, it actually showed the front floor seats cheaper than the first upper level at the sides... but still very expensive. I'll have to see, though. Since I already went, I wonder if I should save my money for if Sarah comes around town, because that's likely to be expensive, too. Because I'd definitely have to splurge on the expensive seats there, too. Also, next fall, Skate America is returning to Everett, and of course I have to go to that. If I do even 2 of those things, it'll probably be almost $1,000 total! So imagine if I do all of them! I have to wait and see if Sarah's actually coming anyway. We still don't even have an album announcement.

[Libby]

I think I am going to splurge and go to this concert. He is performing with the Seattle Symphony, and I decided I can't pass up this chance to see Andrea Bocelli sing live, and up close. The pre-sale starts tomorrow on ticketmaster. I do hope that the prices are lower than the special pre-sale prices I saw today! Those ones were only for VIP, and certain card-holders, so I hope the regular pre-sale prices are cheaper! The ones I had seen on Vivid Seats (a company ranked just below ticketmaster) had the front row floor seats marked way over $400; ticketmaster showed them this evening at nearly $700!! So, I'm really hoping that was just for the VIP prices. The VIP package included a "multi-course Italian dinner!

[Joe]

Dec 6, 2017 4:51:04 GMT Libby said:

I think I am going to splurge and go to this concert. He is performing with the Seattle Symphony, and I decided I can't pass up this chance to see Andrea Bocelli sing live, and up close. The pre-sale starts tomorrow on ticketmaster. I do hope that the prices are lower than the special pre-sale prices I saw today! Those ones were only for VIP, and certain card-holders, so I hope the regular pre-sale prices are cheaper! The ones I had seen on Vivid Seats (a company ranked just below ticketmaster) had the front row floor seats marked way over $400; ticketmaster showed them this evening at nearly $700!! So, I'm really hoping that was just for the VIP prices. The VIP package included a "multi-course Italian dinner!

I was hoping you would attend.  You deserve this opportunity! 

[Libby]

I just ordered my ticket. I'm in row 2 of the first upper level, facing the side of the stage at an angle. This "upper level" seat is 2 steps off the floor. Not too bad! I was not able to even try for front row on the floor. Using my code, it was unavailable. I would have had to be using the "Official Platinum" presale code, which I'm sure was something I would never have access to. How rude! Anyway, those prices were even worse than the $700 I mentioned last night! The front row seat I hovered over was over $1000! I think it is very rude to essentially make the front rows be totally inaccessible to the general public!

The closest seat I initially found on the floor level was row 19. I was debating between that and the upper level seats, when suddenly while I was analyzing the seat map, row 19 disappeared. So I settled for the upper level. The front rows there were already unavailable, as well! Oh well, it'll be waaaaayyy better than the seat I had last time!

I just hope the Sarah Brightman concert has better seating options for me.

[Libby]

The concert was great. It was well worth spending more money to be a lot closer. I was not on the floor, but in the regular arena seating facing from the side, 2 sections back from the stage, in the 2nd row.

His first several songs were ones I didn't recognize, and it seemed as though he sang fewer opera tunes as he did last time. He still sang La Traviata, and also Rigoletto, both with the guest soprano. He also sang Maria from Westside Story. Most of the performances were duets.

The soprano was Larisa Martinez who performed mainly during the first half. As mentioned, she sang La Traviata and Rigoletto with Bocelli, as well as Time to Say Goodbye at the end. Her solo was (had to look this up) Quando M'en Vo (Musetta's Waltz) from La Boheme. Definitely recognized the tune, but had to search for a reminder of the opera it was from. As far as opera sopranos go, she was one of the more tolerable ones I've heard. Not too much warbling, not too forced or overdone. She was good enough that I think I'd be able to handle a whole concert with her singing.

Heather Headley was the other guest singer. She performed during the second half. Her solo was At Last. Very enjoyable rendition of that song. She has a very pleasant, joyful presence, and she was silly with Andrea Bocelli, making a show of straightening his tie, and did a little light finger/hand flick against his shoulder, seemingly to say how spiffy he looked in his shiny blue jacket. Their duets were Can't Help Falling in Love, Canto Della Terra, and The Prayer. I was a bit surprised that Larisa didn't sing CDT, since Sarah Brightman was the original one to sing it with him, since she's a soprano like Sarah. I still love the way Sarah sings it with Andrea the best, but Heather was able to perform it very beautifully, as well, so I appreciated being able to hear it. I decided last night it's one of my favorite songs. The chorus is powerful and soaring, and just has a peaceful effect on the listener. There are just certain songs where I just let myself absorb the joy of the music and let it radiate through me, particularly when you're there live, and it's one of the best feelings in the world, as far as I'm concerned. Hearing Hayley sing Amalia Por Amor live was another powerfully emotional musical experience for me. You just forget everything else but the beauty of the music for a short while.

There was a dancing couple during 2 of the songs (neither of which I recognized). They did Paso Doble and tango dancing styles, and in the 2nd song, the lady came out wearing ballet shoes. The guy was still wearing normal black dancing shoes that ballroom dancers do. I suppose it was a pas de deux of sorts, though I have no recollection of what the song was. I paid more attention to the dancing than the song, as I love to watch dancing/skating, and as mentioned, I didn't know the songs, anyway.

Next will be some videos showing which duets were performed (taken from different concerts)...

[Libby]

Here are the duets with Larisa Martinez; I'm fairly certain this song is from La Traviata (being an ice dance fan helps LOL):



Here's another song they sang; I didn't know it, and it's not the Rigoletto one, so I guess I forgot it in my initial review:



I think this might be the Rigoletto one, but it doesn't say, so I'm not sure:



Here is Canto Della Terra with Heather Headley:

[Jeff]

Libby, the second song (O soave fanciulla) is from Puccini's La Boheme. I know it well, it was my mother's favourite opera, although it has a very sad ending (the leading lady dies).

[Libby]

Thanks for the info, Jeff.

I forgot to mention that there was a lady violinist, Caroline Campbell, and I'm almost sure she was the same violinist who played during the show the last time, as she was blonde, as well. She played with Andrea while he sang The Godfather theme, and her solo was something from West Side Story, again something I think I heard at the last concert. Something about America.

One thing that was funny, I think most of the camera shots shown on the big screen were pre-recorded. There was only one camera crew guy that I ever saw on the stage, but he only stuck to one side of the stage. However, there were multiple camera angles shown on the big screen, but for the life of me, I could not locate any other camera crew up on the stage. This included close-ups of the conductor's face, and even close-ups of the performers' faces. However, there were no cameras visible anywhere near the performers. It wasn't in their microphones, because you could see the microphone in the shot. There was nothing hanging in front of them, and there was no possibility of any camera crew down below the stage, as the front row of the audience was right up to the stage. I considered that there may be tiny cameras on the equipment somewhere, but that doesn't explain the close shots of the performers. I finally started taking note of Caroline Campbell's movements while she was playing on the stage, compared with the movements on the screen. Unless it was out-of-sync, I became convinced her movements were off just enough that it was not a live recording. That's not a big deal, but it was just a "mystery" that I was trying to figure out. LOL

[Libby]

Here are the photos from Seattle:

http://www.instagram.com/p/BkfVeDQF3Fl

[Joe]

Hello Libby 

Thank you so much for posting about the concert!!!   I did not see your personal FB posts from the weekend about the concert until today (typical on my FB...grrr) and would have wished you all the best at the concert.