Passion: Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias confesses that he is privileged to have such wonderful fans that give him life

At a concert given Sunday night in southern Florida, the singer Julio Iglesias went out of his way to share some personal stories and to thank the fans, confessing that it is they who give him life and bestow so many privileges on his family. "How many privileges you all give to the Iglesias family! My son Enrique was singing the other day here... and now I am. What a great privilege you have granted us!", said the singer to the audience that had packed the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, north of Miami.

It was one of the many references he made during the concert to all of his family and to his wife, Miranda, whom he affectionately calls "Mama", and who was present together with their children and Chábeli, the singer's oldest daughter.

The most universal Spanish singer opened the night with the song "Quijote", later reeling off some twenty more songs. The audience were swept along by the performer's warm and moving voice and sang along with each chorus.

Few singers like Julio Iglesias know the secrets of lyrics, of a song sung whispered or in a husky voice, as he showed while performing "Nathalie", the tango "A media luz", "Crazy", the lovely ballad "El amor", "Mammy Blue" (in French) and "La carretera", among others.

Especially moving were his evocation and memory of the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1935 - 2007), with the song "Caruso" in Italian, a moment in which he took the opportunity to tell a beautiful but sad anecdote. The Spanish singer related that he'd lent his private plane to the tenor, so that he could fly to South Africa, where he had to attend a gala concert. Upon his return, the pilot gave Julio Iglesias a note written by Pavarotti, in which the Italian wrote “See you in heaven". Julio Iglesias confessed to the audience that, at that moment he wasn’t able to guess what Pavarotti meant. "Later I understood the meaning of those words" he said, referring to the pancreatic cancer which had been previously diagnosed, and of which the Madrid native was unaware at that moment.

Exuding warmth, a certain likable cynicism, and always charming, the 67 year-old singer joked with the fans, saying that whoever had to go to a party with his girlfriend had better not go if there was an Italian guy at the party.
"You will lose your girlfriend, because the Italians are dangerous", and while the audience was laughing, he jokingly added: “They are the best singers in the world. I'm Italian!”

After performing "Crazy", accompanied on stage by the extraordinary Tango dancing couple who tour with him, Julio Iglesias addressed the audience and said: "I've had them (the fans) with me for 43 years. One cannot have more privilege than they have given me during so much time." "And now that I'm 48, I'd like to give back to you so many stories", joked the singer about his age, later affectionately mentioning Miranda and his kids Enrique, Julio José and Chábeli, to whom he dedicated the song "De niña a mujer," which he noted he had written on her 12th birthday.

In these constant references to his family, Julio Iglesias praised Miranda for her excellent work as the mother of his young children and for her devotion so that the older and the first children always stay united. Paying tribute to his wife, he dedicated the song "Ne me quitte pas," from the Belgian singer Jacques Brel. "Mama, I'm going to declare my love for you in front of your kids. I never thought I'd have somebody like you in my life", he said.

The singer, with more than 300 million records sold and more than 2,600 gold & platinum albums, also wanted to remember his friend Willie Nelson with the song "To All the Girls I´ve Loved Before". He also praised the United States: "There is no other country like this one", he stated and he acknowledged himself to be half American and half Spanish.

Faithful to his trademark gestures, raising his fists in the air, the singer said goodbye with the song "Me va, me va" to the audience all on their feet and singing along together.

(Source: julioiglesias.com)