Andrea Bocelli Kicks Off His US Tour at Talking Stick Arena

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Last night, I got to attend the kick-off concert of Andrea Bocelli’s 2015-16 United States tour, “Cinema World Tour”.  Andrea Bocelli was my dad’s favorite singer.  He enjoyed his voice immensely and one of his favorite performances was when he sang “Con Te Partiró” with Sarah Brightman, which of course was the first song we thought of when my dad passed away over a year ago. He always wanted to take my mom, but somehow they never made it to see him in concert.  I got the chance to finally take my mom to see him perform last night!  

The performance was at Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix. Our seats were next to a little girl and her mom, two generations of moms and daughters enjoying the concert.  So cute!  The concert opened with The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony Chorus playing Aida by Verdi.  He continued to perform several other traditional opera pieces during Part 1, including Romeo et Juliette by Gounod, and Carmen by Bizet.  After the intermission, he performed several Broadway pieces and Hollywood showstoppers.  One of my granddad’s favorites, “Moon River”, he performed with award-winning flutist Andrea Griminelli.  He had other guests as well, including an amazing violinist Caroline Campbell, and singer Heather Headley, who played Nala in the Broadway musical The Lion King.  

The backdrop for the concert was simple with several buildings that had an overlay that changed according to the theme of the songs.  For “Maria” and “America” from West Side Story, the buildings included fire escapes to replicate the streets of New York City, but when he performed “The Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera, it looked like the theater.  Simple but stunning!  Bocelli performed over 13 songs and had 3 standing ovations.  The crowd was thrilled!  This was one of the best performances I have had the privilege of seeing.  I am so glad to have had this experience with my mom!