Bocelli musings...
A couple of weeks ago, my good friend, Becs, emailed me a picture of her and a few other friends standing around a cluster of empty theater seats upon which the back of one, Andrea Bocelli's casually clad bottom rested as he stood and conversed with them. They looked very happy. I wished I was there. I miss those days of close encounters of the Bocelli-kind, the excitement of travelling, of seeing old friends and acquaintances. I suddenly missed it all or at least missed the feeling. The feeling of being special, of doing something 'special.'
It has caused me to daydream recently about the 'good ole days' when I was globe trotting to concerts and operas. Becoming fiscally responsible caused me to stop my travels about 3 years ago. Remaining fiscally responsible is preventing me from doing it again. Gawd it was fun!!
I am however trying right now to get 'Invite Only' tickets for a special concert planned for Las Vegas, December 9 & 10. It is a long shot, but not impossible. I'll find out Monday if my one (so far) email gets me anywhere. I am accepting any and all wishes of Good Luck on this task :o)
So back to my travels….One of the most special events was the outdoor concert in Hyde Park. It was special even before it turned out me and Beckee ended up in Bocelli's, 'Tuscan Skies' dvd from footage of this concert.
It started out with me learning there were tickets available that included dinner and dessert, on-site tents, special reserved bathroom facilities AND something called Pims. There was a package deal for all this and what was supposed to be the best concert tickets available. I jumped at the opportunity, emailing the company that was in charge of the dinner/tickets experience. The gal at this company assured me that we had very good seats. It was like a leap of faith to go this route since we would not know exactly where we were sitting till the night of the concert.
This trip was my first trip to London and I fell in love with the city and Hyde Park. We stayed at the Hilton where a short walk through the underground tunnel connected us with the park. On the day of the concert we headed over there hours early to scope the place out and to finally see where our seats actually were. It was a warm, but overcast summer day. We meandered further and further toward the stage. We knew it was Front Row, but it could have been off to an extreme side for all we could tell from the ticket. We were as close to front row, center as you can get. Needless to say, we were very happy campers. It would make for some great photos. And of course the view just doesn't get any better than this.
It was still pretty early, even for the dinner, so we walked around, chatted with some of the guys who were Security. One of them did a killer Kermit the Frog impression. Then we found where the entrance for the 'backstage' and hung around there, lounging in the grass, waiting to see if we recognized anyone going in. After a while Steven Mercurio showed up. We first met him in Detroit a couple of years earlier. He is a frequent conductor for Andrea's operas and concerts and a down-to-earth friendly guy. Beckee had brought a gift for Andrea and Steven agreed to take it and pass it on for her.
It was time to eat and discover what these mysterious "Pims" were. In a word: Yum. It is a delicious champagney-fruity thing. Yum. The tent set-ups were pristine white things with table and chairs both inside and out and faux windows. The mostly all British crowd was a subdued hush of quiet voices that we had become accustomed the last few days that seemed to exaggerate our naturally loud American voices. It was lovely and quaint. And we had good seats. And it got better.
We were just a few feet from the stage. When Steven came out, he gave a wave to me and Becs, then on with the 'William Tell Overture' to warm the crowd and orchestra up! Then Bocelli, and the crowd goes wild…As the concert went on the sun started to go down. At the end, it was dark out with only the stage lit up and the first few rows of seats. When the women with the bouquets of flowers for Andrea, Ana Maria Martinez (the soprano) and for Steven came onto the stage, we were all on our feet clapping. To my great surprise, came one of the highlights of my life. Steven cupped a hand to his mouth and yelled, "Laurie!" to get my attention and threw me his bouquet. Camera in one hand, I did a one handed swoop and caught them and got a few chuckles from folks close enough to see what happened. It was just a sweet, simple gesture on his part. I was tickled beyond words. We were leaving the next day for Dublin for another outdoor concert the very next night, so I took some pictures back at the hotel of my bouquet, pressed a few into my book, and had to leave them. Such a sweet memory….
It has caused me to daydream recently about the 'good ole days' when I was globe trotting to concerts and operas. Becoming fiscally responsible caused me to stop my travels about 3 years ago. Remaining fiscally responsible is preventing me from doing it again. Gawd it was fun!!
I am however trying right now to get 'Invite Only' tickets for a special concert planned for Las Vegas, December 9 & 10. It is a long shot, but not impossible. I'll find out Monday if my one (so far) email gets me anywhere. I am accepting any and all wishes of Good Luck on this task :o)
So back to my travels….One of the most special events was the outdoor concert in Hyde Park. It was special even before it turned out me and Beckee ended up in Bocelli's, 'Tuscan Skies' dvd from footage of this concert.
It started out with me learning there were tickets available that included dinner and dessert, on-site tents, special reserved bathroom facilities AND something called Pims. There was a package deal for all this and what was supposed to be the best concert tickets available. I jumped at the opportunity, emailing the company that was in charge of the dinner/tickets experience. The gal at this company assured me that we had very good seats. It was like a leap of faith to go this route since we would not know exactly where we were sitting till the night of the concert.
This trip was my first trip to London and I fell in love with the city and Hyde Park. We stayed at the Hilton where a short walk through the underground tunnel connected us with the park. On the day of the concert we headed over there hours early to scope the place out and to finally see where our seats actually were. It was a warm, but overcast summer day. We meandered further and further toward the stage. We knew it was Front Row, but it could have been off to an extreme side for all we could tell from the ticket. We were as close to front row, center as you can get. Needless to say, we were very happy campers. It would make for some great photos. And of course the view just doesn't get any better than this.
It was still pretty early, even for the dinner, so we walked around, chatted with some of the guys who were Security. One of them did a killer Kermit the Frog impression. Then we found where the entrance for the 'backstage' and hung around there, lounging in the grass, waiting to see if we recognized anyone going in. After a while Steven Mercurio showed up. We first met him in Detroit a couple of years earlier. He is a frequent conductor for Andrea's operas and concerts and a down-to-earth friendly guy. Beckee had brought a gift for Andrea and Steven agreed to take it and pass it on for her.
It was time to eat and discover what these mysterious "Pims" were. In a word: Yum. It is a delicious champagney-fruity thing. Yum. The tent set-ups were pristine white things with table and chairs both inside and out and faux windows. The mostly all British crowd was a subdued hush of quiet voices that we had become accustomed the last few days that seemed to exaggerate our naturally loud American voices. It was lovely and quaint. And we had good seats. And it got better.
We were just a few feet from the stage. When Steven came out, he gave a wave to me and Becs, then on with the 'William Tell Overture' to warm the crowd and orchestra up! Then Bocelli, and the crowd goes wild…As the concert went on the sun started to go down. At the end, it was dark out with only the stage lit up and the first few rows of seats. When the women with the bouquets of flowers for Andrea, Ana Maria Martinez (the soprano) and for Steven came onto the stage, we were all on our feet clapping. To my great surprise, came one of the highlights of my life. Steven cupped a hand to his mouth and yelled, "Laurie!" to get my attention and threw me his bouquet. Camera in one hand, I did a one handed swoop and caught them and got a few chuckles from folks close enough to see what happened. It was just a sweet, simple gesture on his part. I was tickled beyond words. We were leaving the next day for Dublin for another outdoor concert the very next night, so I took some pictures back at the hotel of my bouquet, pressed a few into my book, and had to leave them. Such a sweet memory….
posted by Laurie at
12:44 AM
2 Comments:
A well known European investment banker stated this week that people who are materialists become unhappy, because they will never have enough. He said that it is much better to invest your money in travelling, adventure or other events that will last as a memory of a very lucky moment in your life. This story is the proof of his statement, which stunned his clients, as you will understand. I wish you luck obtaining these Vegas Cards and envy your luck.
By
Gerrit Bosman, at 9:35 PM
Thanks Gerrit. I think that investment banker is a wise soul. My 'things' can never enrich my life the way that new experiences do.
However, I have to temper my "no regrets" attitude with my pocket-book :o)
L
By
Laurie, at 2:16 PM
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