Ron Onesti: Mixing rock music with Italian pleasure

As I am writing this, I am in Rome looking at ancient church-top domes with the aroma of fresh brewed espresso finding its way to my open hotel room window. I am being serenaded by the melodic screeches of two cats arguing, the climactic crash of glass bottles being dumped into a three-wheeled recycling truck and the orchestral whirs of countless Vespa scooters gliding on uneven stone streets dodging pedestrian after pedestrian. It is 6 a.m. and these are the romantic sounds of early morning Italy.

Somehow, even the daily clamor of Italian traffic is sweet music. Being of Italian ancestry, I have been coming here for years. The mix of helmeted motorcyclists, “Matchbox”-sized autos and grocery carts being pulled by hurried ladies all seems to have a rehearsed choreography as they somehow coexist like bees exiting a hive without incident.

This is neither the time nor the place to bring up the food, for this column would reach deep into the newspaper, ending somewhere around the sports section by the time I got through all my favorite recipes.

I have been blessed to have traveled the country of my family’s origin from North to South, Genoa to Palermo, from my mother’s birthplace of Florence to my father’s family origin of Oliveto Citra near Naples, Venice to Milan and everything in between. And through all the kilometers of roads traveled, I have never heard a sour note of Italian music!

Sure, there have been a few late-night experiences with shots of grappa and jugs of vino that have transformed those who would normally not sing into Enrico Caruso “wannabes,” but the acoustic piazza vocalists, the random streetcorner mandolinists and strolling accordion wizards have never disappointed.

In true Da Vinci style, I witnessed classic Italian renaissance ingenuity as an entertainer with a sleeping dog and a crushed inverted fedora in front of him was playing a cello that had to be at least a century old. He was performing in front of the 2,000-year-old Pantheon in Rome, using a bow made of a tree branch with a string stretched from top to bottom. He also used a car battery to power his makeshift amplifier made from an old FM radio. Genius.

Although I thank God that my folks did not follow the tradition of naming the first son after the grandfather, I will be forever proud of my maternal granddad, Ubaldo Gabellini, who was a highly respected mandolin virtuoso in 1920s Florence. He wrote concertos, gave lessons and led his own 22-member mandolin orchestra. I believe my deep music appreciation (and hairline) came directly from him.

Over the years as I brought in rock ‘n’ rollers, country “twangers” and classic doo-woppers, I kept my Italian roots strong. Whenever I had the opportunity to bring in popular entertainers from Italy, I jumped at the chance.

One of the most popular pop stars over the past 25 years-plus is Eros Ramazzotti. With one of the most recognizable voices in international music, working with him was pure electricity. He was fun-loving yet serious. We got things done — contracts, marketing, rehearsals and shows.

Once after a performance in Florida, one of the countless national photographers that followed him every moment of every day shouted to him, “Eros, give something exciting to shoot!” I happened to be standing right next to him so in his theatrically creative way, he grabbed me by the back of my shirt collar, pulled my head backward and made it as if he was going to punch my lights out. It was both scary and funny at the same time! Of all the pictures they had from the show, the European photographer decided to use THAT one to tell about the show!

About 10 years ago, I received a call from a very close attorney friend of mine. He had quite the ties in Italy as he was the former director of the American Chamber of Commerce there. “There are three boys who were very successful at the Sanremo Music Festival, and they want to come to the states,” he said.

So I became involved with this amazing trio called, “Il Volo.” They were about 15 years old at the time, yet quite mature for their age. They did their first show at The Chicago Theatre and folks could not get enough of them!

The next time I brought them to Chicago, I put them “under the stars” outdoors at the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin. I added the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to back them, and it was nothing short of spectacular! But as professional as they were, they were still young guys growing up.

I really felt the presence of their innocent youth when after the sound check amid a huge string section, the boys seemed a bit down. I asked them if they were OK, and they responded, “We’re OK, just a bit homesick.”

After a few minutes I noticed a father playing soccer with his son at the other end of the park. I asked if I could use the ball for a bit, to which he responded, “Sorry, we’re playing with it.”

So $50 later, I had the ball. I brought it backstage, and me and the three Il Volo boys began kicking the ball around. Their eyes lit up, and for about 30 minutes, they were kids again just acting like their soccer superheroes. That’s all it took to get them back in the teen heartthrob ball game!

Going back several years before that, I was at an Italian American gala in Washington where the honoree was Luciano Pavarotti. It was his 70th birthday, and I was among about 3,000 of his closest friends! I really didn’t think I would even have the chance to get close enough to see him. But being at the right place at the right time has its benefits. As I was in a tuxedo and a young man at the time, I happened to be standing by a door to the kitchen. (Yep, I was at a GOOD table).

A guy in a chef’s coat came out of the kitchen with a huge birthday cake on a cart. “You need to help me with this,” he barked as he rolled the cart to me. So I accompanied him to the stage and held Luciano’s birthday cake as he blew out the candles! Apparently, in his state of hustle, the pastry chef mistakenly thought I was one of the servers. I didn’t mind! I was within 6 feet of the legend!

When one of my favorites came to town, I could not wait to get tickets, but I waited anyway! So much so that it was sold out before I could get them. I blew it! I wasn’t going to see Andrea Bocelli on his historic “Romanza” album tour.

One of my close friends who was quite a bit older than me called one day and asked if I knew any photographers. My wife had photography as a hobby and I had just purchased a great camera with a major lens for her birthday. “I am sure she could do it,” I said.

Apparently, this veteran promoter friend of his was putting on a show and his photographer called in sick. So I volunteered to help the guy out. I never really asked who we were supposed to photograph. He told me just to report to what was then called the “Rosemont Horizon” at 6 p.m. the next night. I was to ask for Frank at the box office.

So we packed up and got into the car. As we pulled up and I saw the marquee, I thought to myself, “This cannot be happening.” It said, “Andrea Bocelli — LIVE!”

We asked for Frank and he handed us two lanyards and two tickets. “Just get as many close-up shots that you can get,” he said.

We walked in and yes, we were not only at the Bocelli concert, but we also had front row center tickets! It was magical! I got to see him after all!

Zucchero “Sugar” Fornaciari is pretty much at the top of my list. Respected by so many international rock stars including Eric Clapton, he is credited with discovering Andrea Bocelli.

He wrote a song intended for Luciano Pavarotti titled, “Miserere.” As many songwriters do, Zucchero held auditions for a tenor to record the song to present to Pavarotti. He was told about this blind piano player in a local bar who had a great voice. So Andrea got the job and recorded the demo.

After hearing the song, Luciano was smitten. He loved the song, but told Zucchero, “The person who recorded this made it his own. He must record the song.” Andrea released the tune, and he became an instant superstar, making opera “cool” for the masses.

So many experiences with some of the biggest stars in Italy! Laura Pausini, I Pooh, Umberto Tozzi, even Sophia Loren! But those stories are for another day. It’s time for my cappuccino and croissant. I leave for the states tomorrow, so I have one more gelato to conquer. I also have just a few more hours to look to the sky and thank my parents and grandparents who are the reasons I am able to freely write my stories. It is also because of them that I have the ability to mix my rock ‘n’ roll with Puccini and Pavarotti!

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp., the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and the Des Plaines Theatre. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.