Mattia Guolo
Matteo Bocelli performs his first solo concert in Las Vegas at the Smith Center this week.
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 | 2 a.m.
His famous father has notched many epic Las Vegas performances at some of the Strip’s biggest venues, including MGM Grand Garden Arena. Now it’s Matteo Bocelli’s turn to take a crack at Vegas, and the 26-year-old rising star singer is hoping the entertainment capital of the world will eventually become a big part of his musical career as well.
“I really hope so,” he said. “Las Vegas has always welcomed my father in a super warm way, and he’s been offered to spend more time there and do many more shows for months or more, but obviously he’s very close to his country and especially to the family, and he couldn’t think to be out of Rome for so much time.
“Still, he is very aware of this amazing opportunity Vegas always gave him, and the whole family truly enjoys the city every time we go there. We’re always happy to be there, and now we have a lot of friends there, and so I’m truly looking forward to this concert and I really hope people enjoy it.”
While Matteo Bocelli has taken the stage with his dad Andrea Bocelli in Las Vegas in the past, this is his first solo concert here, an important stop along his first major tour 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center. Remaining tickets start at $39 and can be found at thesmithcenter.com.
His smooth, natural style makes it seem like the younger Bocelli was always destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, and he certainly has been practicing and performing music for the majority of his life, but it wasn’t until the release of the father-son duet “Fall on Me” in 2018 that a true fire was lit and he knew he wanted to be onstage.
“That was the most clear moment for me. That was my first public release and that song took me for a couple years touring with my father all over the world,” Bocelli said. “And the opportunity to make a record with [producer] David Foster was special, but my father wasn’t sure about it at first. He wondered, is my son still too young, maybe not mature enough, and I was a little sad because I wanted to start and make music with the greats, the stars. He though I might have burned some of the steps, and who knows, maybe he was right. But we are satisfied and happy with the present.”
The experience of that song paved the way for Bocelli’s debut album, “Matteo,” released in September of this year on Capitol Records. Its 12 tracks are sung in both Italian and English and Bocelli received production and songwriting contributions from some serious pop hitmakers, including Ed Sheeran.
In his first complete set of recordings, Bocelli has already taken some major steps in establishing his own sound and musical identity, and he’s leaning heavily into accessible pop and ballads that have strong international appeal.
“People have a lot of expectations. Artistically speaking, they expect you to do a certain repertoire,” he said. “The truth is everyone has their own vision, their own way of seeing music. I’ve always enjoyed opera a lot and classical music, but at the same time, I grew up with pop. That’s the music I enjoy the most. It’s my safe place, where I feel the most like myself.”
