Andrea Bocelli is returning to Charlotte with love in his heart — and 2 of his kids
There’s something about Charlotte that Andrea Bocelli really likes — or, at the very least, something that has him convinced it’s a great place to visit during February.
But we may never know exactly what that something is.
“Charlotte is a stop on my tour that I hold close to my heart and feel that I just can’t miss,” Bocelli explained to the Observer via email this week, ahead of his “In Concert for Valentine’s” tour stop at Spectrum Center on Friday night.
It’ll be the fourth time the world’s most famous pop-opera singer has brought a Valentine’s Day show to Charlotte since he made the romantic-holiday-themed tour an annual thing in 2018 (and it would have been the fifth if not for a COVID-related cancellation last year).
Prior to his show here in February 2018, he had never been to Charlotte before.
As for why he now holds the Queen City close to his heart, and why he feels he just can’t miss it ... alas, Bocelli didn’t elaborate. Instead, he offered:
“It’s true, it’s a city I’ve come to know fairly recently, but now I’d like to make up for lost time and not lose the opportunity to relive the joy of being together, of sharing the beauty of music and of spending an evening together filled with positivity, serenity and smiles. Smiles that I hope will once again light up the faces of members of the audience in Charlotte on Valentine’s Day.”
While his emailed answers to our questions didn’t reveal much that would explain his attraction to Charlotte, they were — appropriately, given the tie to Valentine’s Day — full of sweet, thoughtful sentiments. Full of love.
Here’s what else the 63-year-old Italian tenor told us, with the help of a translator:
On his forced break from live shows due to COVID
“I suffered a great deal from not being able to be with my public live, with the disruption, for such a long time (actually for the first time in my 25-year career), of that strong, direct relationship you establish with a live audience. I think we all need to create culture and frequent art, to regain faith and start anew with values that matter.
“In many parts of the world — Italy included — the health emergency penalized music and sacrificed culture in general… It was a time when we lost a great many opportunities, given that when we talk about art (and thus also about music) we are referring to a gift from the heavens, designed to enrich the spirit…
“When we stop promoting spirituality, we risk its regression. I can only be full of joy for this gradual return to normalcy, and I was indeed able to feel, at the concerts I held in recent weeks, even greater enthusiasm, if that’s possible. As if the audience wanted to exalt the pleasure and need for sharing an experience.”
Bocelli performed 21 times between October and December as part of a delayed tour in support of his latest album, “Believe,” which was released smack in the middle of the pandemic (in November 2020). Prior to that recent run of shows, he hadn’t played for a live audience since ...
... Feb. 16, 2020, when he did his last Valentine’s show here in Charlotte.
On turning his tours into family affairs
Back in 2018, Bocelli released a duet — titled “Fall On Me” — with the younger of his two sons, Matteo Bocelli. Last year, Matteo released his first solo single, and last month, he released his second. A debut album is due from the 24-year-old classical crossover artist later this year.
Matteo joined his father on the “Believe” tour, and he’ll make an appearance in Charlotte, too.
“I am happy to confirm that — together with other guests, of course — Matteo will also be joining me on stage during certain moments of the concert. Being able to share the stage with my son is always a source of great emotion, both for me and for him. It’s yet another gift that life has given me that I did not expect to receive.
“I think it’s safe to say that my son is showing, more and more every day, his own personality and a musical sensitivity that is all his own, and rightfully so. He is embarking on his own path, in complete autonomy. We, however, are taking advantage of this beautiful opportunity to be on tour and, at the same time, be with family!”
And Matteo isn’t the only one of Bocelli’s kids who will be in Charlotte.
So will his young daughter, Virginia Bocelli, who also has dipped her toe into live-performing: She made her musical debut at age 8 in December 2020, when she sang “Hallelujah” with her dad for a Christmas special that was live-streamed from Italy. Virginia has since done similar in-concert duets with her father multiple times.
But will fans see her at Spectrum Center? Teased Andrea: “I truly hope that she will also come on stage and give me a hand!”
As for whether she’ll follow in Matteo’s (and her father’s) footsteps, “It’s too soon to tell. ... She hasn’t turned 10 yet and for now, singing, playing the piano, studying dance or theater, are a little more than pastimes. My hope is that she manages to identify and realize her aspirations, putting her talents to good use…
“Whether this will happen in music or in another field is too soon to tell. No doubt, just as her older brothers, she was raised fully immersed in artistic experiences…
“I believe that music studies are for every child and in every case, an important building block of one’s educational foundation, an invaluable support for the development of the human spirit.”
On tapping local talent for his show
In 2018, the Opera Carolina Orchestra was invited to back Bocelli’s Charlotte debut because the Charlotte Symphony — the organization that normally would have been tapped — had another obligation.
Ever since, Opera Carolina’s musicians and several dozen members of its diverse and excellent chorus have gotten the call outright.
Bocelli now refers to Opera Carolina as “an important ensemble whose performances I remember very well. I greatly appreciated the versatility and brilliance of this orchestra. Its presence, I believe, is a guarantee of quality.”
On his favorite love songs to perform live
“I have heard and sung truly a great many love songs…
“I can think of timeless scores, such as the Mexican masterpiece, ‘Besame mucho,’ or ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love,’ a song that has a long history behind it, being — as it is — a modern take on a 1700s romanza song, ‘Plaisir d’amour.’ There is also the beautiful Italian popular song, ‘Non ti scordar di me.’ The list goes on and on.
“It’s hard to explain what, in particular, makes a love song a good song. It must, for sure, trigger emotions; it must be an accomplice; become the voice of many people; be a reflection of their own sentiments. For me, when I choose a song to sing at a concert or to record in an album, I choose it because it moves me. This is the only way I, in turn, can move those who are listening.
“As I always say, to interpret a song, I must first, inevitably, fall in love with it!”
And on Valentine’s Day in general
“I am deeply fond of this festivity that celebrates love. I never tire of saying that it is up to us to give it the importance and meaning it deserves, cherishing this recurrence as an opportunity to thank those dear to us, to celebrate love, and thus celebrate the driving force of the world, it’s burning flame. Because, without love, life would have no meaning.”
Show info:
Andrea Bocelli will perform at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center (333 E. Trade St.) at 8 p.m. Friday night. Tickets can be purchased via www.ticketmaster.com. Individuals ages 5 and older will be required to wear masks (over their mouths and noses) except when actively eating or drinking at their designated seats.
Charlotte is one of just five shows on Bocelli’s Valentine’s tour. He will have been in Atlanta the night before Charlotte, and then is in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 14; Las Vegas, on Feb. 18; and Phoenix, on Feb. 19.
