Andrea Bocelli was initially discovered by Pavarotti presumably when the late, great tenor from Modena was already losing his hearing. The listening public may have been losing its hearing, too. For it didn't matter that Bocelli sang without any beautiful tone to speak of, or that he sounded thin and wan from the bottom of his register to its tinny tippity-top, or that the vocal cords of a potato could evince more emotion than those of Andrea Bocelli. It didn't even matter that his voice was pint-sized puny unto the point of uselessness without serious electronic amplification. Bocelli had his endorsement, and his career took off like a (very quiet) rocket. Since 1994, he's recorded a bunch of operas (though he's rarely ever performed one, because he's blind) and a gazillion pop records, so far selling over 55 million of the things worldwide. That's more than the combined sales of, say, Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano. But for all the cantankerousness of the critics, all reasonable people should be able to agree on one thing: Andrea Bocelli is a better singer than Miley Cyrus, and tix for his concerts are one helluva lot easier to come by. So why not check it out? Anyway, all these gripes are mostly for the small percentage of the population with "taste" and "standards" and all that other outmoded hooey. And who needs that stuff? Go! Get thee to BankAtlantic Center on Valentine's Day! Allow the under-powered and over-amplified Bocelli to convince you you're in touch with high culture! You'll feel great!
Mon., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., 2011