Perhaps no current living singer has brought classical music to the masses quite as successfully as Andrea Bocelli, a once-in-a-generation talent whose instincts have served him well over the course of his 30-year career. With a career encompassing 15 solo albums, nine complete operas and multiple collaborations, he’s sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, making him the biggest-selling solo artist in the history of the genre.
What a 30-year journey it’s been for the tenor. He arrived in 1994 with a splash, getting highest marks in the Sanremo Music Festival and releasing his debut album that same year. The album was certified platinum within weeks, and soon Bocelli was earning worldwide praise. Celine Dion once famously said, “If God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli.”
He soon made a foray into opera, debuting in 1998 in La bohème. That opened the floodgates, as he would go on to perform in Jules Massenet’s Werther, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Carmen, Il Trovatore and many more. His opera albums, especially Aria: The Opera Album, have been enormously popular with fans.
Bocelli’s list of collaborative partners reads like a who’s who of musical icons: Celine Dion, Luciano Pavarotti, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, Ariana Grande, Nicole Scherzinger, Ed Sheeran and more. He was also famously a guest coach on American Idol in 2006. (The theme? What else? Greatest love songs.)
More recently, Bocelli has been touring with his 27-year-old son Matteo and 12-year-old daughter Virginia, who performed on his A Family Christmas album.
He celebrates his illustrious 30 years this week in Las Vegas as part of a worldwide tour. Expect to hear songs like “Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò),” the song that introduced him to millions of listeners, as well as “Fall on Me,” the song that introduced Matteo to the world in 2018 via the end credits of 2018 Disney film The Nutcracker and The Four Realms. It truly holds a special significance that assures it a place in a Bocelli concert.
MGM Grand, 8 p.m. Dec. 7, starting at $90 plus tax and fee. axs.com
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
