Current:Home > NewsAndrea Bocelli on working with Russell Crowe, meeting the Kardashians and new concert film -EquityExchange
Andrea Bocelli on working with Russell Crowe, meeting the Kardashians and new concert film
View
Date:2025-04-14 06:13:15
Pop quiz: What do Ed Sheeran, Russell Crowe, the Kardashians, Sofia Vergara, Johnny Depp and Will Smith have in common?
All of the aforementioned celebrities, and many more public figures, appear in a new concert film celebrating Andrea Bocelli's 30th anniversary in music. The three-day concert took place in July and was attended by over 30,000 people at an outdoor amphitheater in Tuscany. Bocelli teamed with director Sam Wrench, who directed Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" movie, for his film. "Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration" receives a theatrical release this weekend.
The tenor has three children, all of whom appear in the film. So of course he's aware of the global phenomenon that Swift and her "Eras Tour" became.
"Virginia and Matteo went to Taylor Swift's concert in Milan," Bocelli, 66, reveals to USA TODAY before adding with a laugh, "and they told me every detail, of course."
Both Virginia, 12, and Matteo, 27, accompanied their father to the Academy Awards earlier this year. Bocelli kicked off a year-long celebration of his anniversary in music with a performance of "Time to Say Goodbye" alongside his son during the Oscars' In Memoriam segment. For the performance, Bocelli reimagined the song with Matteo and two-time Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
For "Andrea Bocelli 30," the singer shared the stage with two Oscar-winning actors in Crowe and Smith. The "Gladiator" actor performed "Take This Waltz" with the tenor. Smith took the stage with a spoken-word rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone." Bocelli met both for the first time during the concert.
"Beautiful," Bocelli recalls of the performance with Crowe, "because he was very excited. Me too." And the tenor believes the audience in Tuscany also felt that same emotion.
Kim and Khloé Kardashian also appear in the film, receiving flowers from Bocelli at the stage. Then in a scene taped away from the amphitheater, the sisters reflect on Bocelli's accomplishments. A common theme throughout the piece is the idea that the tenor's career is defined not just by his nearly 90 million albums sold, but the way in which he's represented both Italy and classical music throughout his three-decades in the public spotlight.
"You shouldn't take anything for granted," Bocelli says of the compliments, before using an Italian expression with the help of a translator. "The reality of my life has superseded, has gone beyond every expectation of life."
Bocelli, who became completely blind at 12, was encouraged by his father to pursue music in the United States. Now in "Andrea Bocelli 30," he passes down that gift to his three children. In one scene his son Amos, 29, chats with Queen's Brian May. Amos studied piano but is now pursuing a career in spacial engineering. He and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer were able to strike common ground: in addition to his music, May is an astrophysicist.
May also joined Bocelli on stage, performing Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever." Bocelli is certainly not focused on the end: he just released a "Duets" album that featured both previously recorded songs and new collaborations. Bocelli will also play 10 shows across the U.S. this December, with additional dates across the country announced for February and June of next year.
But when asked about his music living on forever, he offers a succinct observation.
"I try to inspire peace and serenity. This is my goal."
veryGood! (244)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Brooklyn’s Self-Powered Solar Building: A Game-Changer for Green Construction?
- Air Pollution Particles Showing Up in Human Placentas, Next to the Fetus
- Netflix crew's whole boat exploded after back-to-back shark attacks in Hawaii: Like something out of 'Jaws'
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Angela Paxton, state senator and wife of impeached Texas AG Ken Paxton, says she will attend his trial
- Generic abortion pill manufacturer sues FDA in effort to preserve access
- Angela Paxton, state senator and wife of impeached Texas AG Ken Paxton, says she will attend his trial
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Idaho Murders Case: Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea for Bryan Kohberger
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- 13 years after bariatric surgery, a 27-year-old says it changed her life
- Deforestation Is Getting Worse, 5 Years After Countries and Companies Vowed to Stop It
- 6 teenagers injured in Milwaukee shooting following Juneteenth festivities
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Fear of pregnancy: One teen's story in post-Roe America
- Candace Cameron Bure Reacts to Claims That She Lied About Not Eating Fast Food for 20 Years
- Missing Titanic sub has less than 40 hours of breathable air left as U.S. Coast Guard search continues
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
With Odds Stacked, Tiny Solar Manufacturer Looks to Create ‘American Success Story’
Idaho Murders Case: Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea for Bryan Kohberger
Thor Actor Ray Stevenson Dead at 58
Trump's 'stop
From Antarctica to the Oceans, Climate Change Damage Is About to Get a Lot Worse, IPCC Warns
Jonathan Majors' domestic violence trial scheduled for August in New York City
Montana GOP doubles down after blocking trans lawmaker from speaking, citing decorum