By Michael P Coleman
Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center is not my favorite place to experience a concert, by any stretch. I’m always startled by the number of “fans” who rudely use mobile phones during shows, capturing and posting unauthorized pictures and video while obscuring the view of the stage for those around them. I’ve also enjoyed the comfort of far better seating, and the acoustics of the cacophonous arena sometimes leave a lot to be desired.
Saturday night, from the moment the lights dimmed and world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli took the stage, none of that mattered.
In fact, at one point during the show’s first half, Bocelli’s microphone gave out for a second or two. We could still hear him, half of an arena away from the stage. I briefly wondered whether his phenomenally powerful voice had overwhelmed the Golden 1 Center’s sound system.
If you are not acquainted with the wonder and majesty of Bocelli’s fluid, gorgeous, multi-octave instrument, rectify that right now before reading further. A myriad of streaming services can help you with that. I can’t, for words cannot adequately describe Bocelli’s God-given gift. Start with “Besame Mucho,” “Somos Novios,” or anything on his Passione, Cinema, or Amore albums.
If you’ve not experienced Bocelli live, you won’t have many more opportunities to do so during his current North American Tour. He chose only four cities for a five-stop run. Fans here only have Los Angeles and Denver to look forward to this time around. Sacramento was truly blessed.
The legendary Bocelli, along with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera orchestra and choir, kept it crisp Saturday night. The setlist included classical favorites from Bizet, Massenet, Verdi, Donizetti, Mascagni, Ponchielli, and Puccini, all during the first half. Some were more familiar to my Motown-bred ear than others, but honestly, I didn’t care what the man sang. His voice is, simply, the most stirring I have ever heard.
I say I didn’t care what he sang, but I did. I wanted to hear “Amapola.” And Bocelli gave it to me. I thought he was going to hold that final note all summer, almost moving me to tears.
And as if to cement my undying love for him and his incredible voice, he sang “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” For the most fleeting of moments, I felt Bocelli was singing that one directly to me, but then I glanced into the faces of fans sitting behind me. From the looks on their faces, they felt the same way.
Bocelli shared the Golden 1 Center stage with a few other greats, most notably soprano Larisa Martinez who shined with him during one of the concert’s three encores, “Time To Say Goodbye,” and American Idol alumna Pia Toscano, who wow’d the crowd standing in for Celine Dion on a stunning version of the duet “The Prayer.”
Yes, I said three encores. Sacramento simply couldn’t let Bocelli go. The third was the legend’s marvelous take on “Nessun Dorma.” But one of the highlights of the evening came at the very end of the show. After having performed for hours, without having spoken a solitary word to the audience, Bocelli addressed the crowd, visibly moved by our effusive applause.
“Your affection is incredible,” Bocelli said, smiling softly. “But I still have the voice to say ‘thank you.’ Thank you very much.”
It was a moment not to be forgotten. A man with the voice of an angel thanked us for our affection.
Thank YOU, very much, Mr. Bocelli. All of the best from Sacramento, until we see you again.
Click here for Information on Andrea Bocelli.
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