Editor's Note (Feb. 21, 2024, 1:28 p.m.): Andrea Bocelli's recent concerts in Orlando, Florida, and Baltimore, Maryland, have gone on as scheduled. The Philadelphia show at the Wells Fargo Center is still on for Feb. 21, 2024. Some tickets were on sale Wednesday afternoon.
The crowd was in its seats, prepared for the opera icon to take the Wells Fargo Center stage, but when he did, it wasn't to belt out beautiful words into a microphone.
Instead, a tuxedoed Andrea Bocelli took the South Philadelphia stage, but it was only to apologize to the crowd that he couldn't perform Thursday night, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Philly cancellation came a day after the 65-year-old Italian tenor also canceled his Boston concert due to "health challenges."
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Bocelli on social media told fans to hold onto their tickets as the concerts would be rescheduled.
Some people responded to the Philly cancellation on social media by expressing anger over having already paid for parking and having taken the time to get to the arena.
The Scene
Second time canceling show at last minute in as many days
After the Philly cancellation, Bocelli's Facebook page posted video that showed his wife Veronica Berti telling the Boston crowd why he couldn't perform there on Wednesday.
"This has not been an easy decision to make," Berti said, while noting that Bocelli couldn't perform due to advice from his medical team.
"The last thing Andrea would ever want is to disappoint his fans," she said.
Berti then led Bocelli onto the TD Bank Garden stage.
"It's a really, really sad moment for me," Bocelli told the crowd. "Believe me I did all my best to sing tonight, but I can't."
Bocelli's health also forced him to postpone shows in Baltimore, Maryland, and Hartford, Connecticut.
Andrea Bocelli is 'truly sorry' for postponing concerts
The Facebook post included this statement from Bocelli:
"The voice is a gift that I have received, it is an instrument that has been entrusted to me: I have always considered it my precise duty - and an honor, and a grace - to be able to share it with those who want to listen to it. For this reason, as long as I am given the strength, I will continue to travel and sing. For this reason, especially on tour, I preserve it with the rigor of an athlete, aware of the privilege and responsibility that I perceive, respecting the public first and foremost, but also the large quantity of people and professionalism that are involved, and thanks to which it takes life a concert.
"It happens that an unexpected problem forces you to stop. It rarely happens, and in thirty years of militant concert playing I can count them on one hand, and yet, this time, it happened and I had to accept it.
"I am truly sorry, first of all for each of those who have once again granted me their kindness, investing time and money to listen to me.
"Even in this case, everything is in the hands of the good God and what I can do, today as every day of my life, is raise my eyes to Heaven and thank, and pray, and whisper: 'Thy will be done'. Looking forward to seeing you again very soon my dear American friends.”
When will the reschedule Andrea Bocelli concert in Philly take place?
The concert is now set to take place on Feb. 21, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Center.
"The Andrea Bocelli show originally scheduled for December 7 at Wells Fargo Center has been rescheduled to February 21," the venue wrote on the ticket page for the rescheduled show.
It looks like not only will original tickets be honored, but so will parking that was paid for.
"Ticket holders should retain their tickets and parking receipts," Wells Fargo said.
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