BocelliOnline

[Melodie]

Opera fans of Andrea Bocelli feel his ‘magic’

Nearly 6,000 hear blind tenor sing at Tennis Garden

By Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun
November 15th, 2003

A crowd of almost 6,000 fans of opera singer Andrea Bocelli gave the Italian tenor Friday the kind of accolades critics have been giving him since he burst on the scene in the early 1990s.

Fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden complimented the power and warmth of his tenor in a program of sacred songs and operatic arias, plus the Frank Sinatra standard, "My Way."

"It was like magic," said Joey English, a local radio personality and popular singer. "It’s amazing to have that kind of gift. He can’t even see the kind of impact he has on us."

Greg Fisher, director of sponsorship sales at the Tennis Garden, said most of the fans seem to come from the Coachella Valley, but he heard that many of the local hotels were sold out, possibly with the help of Bocelli’s drawing power.

Sue Young said she drove in from Los Angeles for the concert, even though most of the promotion in Los Angeles was for Bocelli’s upcoming Las Vegas concert.

"I like Palm Springs more than Vegas," she said.

Other concert-goers agreed.

"It’s thrilling," said Elsie Shinkle of Palm Desert.

"Just outstanding," echoed Joe Clark of Indian Wells.

"I think he’s the greatest. If I came here and gave up a Friday night at work, he had to be good," said Mel Haber, owner of Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs.

Bocelli was accompanied by the World Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Mercurio. Soprano Ana Maria Martinez was featured on numbers such as "El Nino Judio" and "Bailero."

The orchestra played a warmly received overture from "William Tell" after opening the concert with overture from "Benvenuto Cellini."

Highlights of Bocelli’s performance included the sacred song "Panis Angelicus" and the Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria."

http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/entertainment/20031115022952.shtml

[Sy]

:D
I attended Andrea's concert in Palm Springs, my 4th concert (Hollywood Bowl, Staples and the Pond), and loved every moment. After meeting Steven Mercurio in New York at his Hard Rock induction, the concert was doubly enjoyable. What a fantastic conductor, so animated and full of life!!

It appeared to me that Andrea's lost a lot of weight, but his voice, of course, was fabulous. I had my super-duper binoculars so I too was able to get my fill of HIM, actually, BOTH OF THEM!

I'm looking forward to my next concert experience.

[Melodie]

Hello Sy! I'm so happy to see you here...thanks for sharing with us.

Maybe we'll meet up again at a Bocelli concert sometime in the future. :wink: