Andrea Bocelli admits he's 'nervous' ahead of US tour launch after being off the road for so long
Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor perhaps best known for “Time to Say Goodbye,” can’t wait to say hello. The award-winning singer, 63, kicked off a 21-city U.S. arena tour Wednesday following a year of pandemic-forced canceled performances.
“I’m grateful to the American audience, because since the very beginning they’ve shown me affection and gratitude,” Bocelli tells USA TODAY through a translator, although he at times also spoke English. “The only thing that I missed (about touring) was the affection of my audience.
“I have to say, I didn’t miss hotel rooms and flights!”
Bocelli plans to continue his annual “In Concert for Valentine’s” tour, with a five-show slate that runs from Feb. 10-19. His last scheduled Valentine’s concerts in 2020 were disrupted due to Bocelli suffering from laryngitis.
“Unfortunately, I was ill, and then I also tested positive for COVID,” Bocelli recalls. “I hope that next February, everything is going to be resolved and the situation is going to be ‘back to normal.’”
Do you need a COVID-19 vaccine to go to a concert this year? It depends
For this tour in support of last year’s album “Believe,” the situation is more normal than 2020 was, although Bocelli will be taking precautions. The tenor, who became completely blind at age 12, sometimes walks through the cities he visits with his wife, Veronica Berti. However, he says that to stay healthy, he’ll keep a low profile. This tour also marks a return to the stage after an extended period of not performing regularly. While Bocelli sounded as remarkable as ever this summer in Central Park during the “We Love NYC” concert, he cautioned that he performed only an abbreviated set.
“This time, I’m a little more nervous,” he admits of the tour, which began in Milwaukee. “It’s like a soccer player after many days outside the field: It’s difficult to begin again. But I’m confident... I’ll do my best.”
You can argue Bocelli is simply competing with himself when it comes to the standard for “best.” He has sold more than 90 million albums worldwide in addition to countless awards and honors. And certainly, audiences will clamor to hear his stirring live rendition of “Goodbye,” originally recorded in Italian as “Con te Partirò.” In the latest example of how the song continues to take on many shapes and forms, an instrumental cover of it was used to “wrap up” winners at last month’s Primetime Emmys.
“I think that ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ is a timeless song,” Bocelli says. “It’s an authentic and inspirational song which doesn’t follow any musical trend, and that’s why people love the song and keep it in their hearts.”
Released 26 years ago, the song is older than his son Matteo, 24, who recently premiered a single called “Solo” and will join his father on tour. It’s a full-circle moment for the elder Bocelli, as it was Andrea’s father, Alessandro, who encouraged him to travel to America in his pursuit of a musical career.
“(My father) had this opinion and he was right,” Bocelli says of his dad’s advice. “So now, I’ll be with my son and it will be emotional to share the stage with him. It’s a dream come true.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Andrea Bocelli says touring with 24-year-old son is 'dream come true'
