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HE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID THE MOMENT HE ARRIVED IN TURIN. BUT GIANLUCA GINOBLE STILL SANG AT EUROVISION 2022. May 12, 2022. Eurovision’s second semifinal at the PalaOlimpico in Turin. Il Volo was invited back — 7 years after their 3rd place finish with “Grande Amore” in Vienna, where they topped the televote with 292 points. Everything was set. Then Gianluca got his test result. Positive. He had to leave the venue and isolate at home immediately. For the first time ever, Piero and Ignazio would stand on that stage without their third voice beside them. But nobody canceled. The production team projected Gianluca’s image on the LED wall behind his bandmates. His voice filled the arena from home, synced to every note. Alessandro Cattelan introduced them: “Piero and Ignazio… and Gianluca from home.” They sang a new version of “Grande Amore” in Italian and English. Three voices, two on stage, one through a screen. The PalaOlimpico gave them a standing ovation — and somehow, it still felt complete.

Gianluca Ginoble Tested Positive for COVID in Turin, Yet Il Volo Still Sang at Eurovision 2022

On May 12, 2022, the second semifinal of Eurovision at the PalaOlimpico in Turin was supposed to be a proud homecoming for Il Volo. Seven years earlier, the trio had made a major impact in Vienna with Grande Amore, finishing third and winning the televote. Their return to the Eurovision stage carried the weight of memory, expectation, and excitement.

Then everything changed in an instant.

As the group arrived in Turin, Gianluca Ginoble tested positive for COVID-19. The result forced him to leave the venue immediately and isolate at home. For the first time, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto would step onto that stage without their third voice beside them. The situation could have ended there, with disappointment and silence replacing the performance everyone had anticipated.

But Eurovision has always been a place where live television can turn uncertainty into something unforgettable.

A performance that refused to stop

Rather than cancel the moment, the production team found a way to keep Il Volo together in spirit. Gianluca Ginoble’s image appeared on the LED wall behind Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto, allowing his presence to remain part of the performance. His voice, recorded and synchronized, filled the arena from home while his bandmates sang on stage.

It was not the version anyone had planned, but it was powerful in a different way. The setup was simple and emotional: two singers under the lights, one singer visible on screen, all united by the same song and the same history.

“Piero and Ignazio… and Gianluca from home.”

That introduction from Alessandro Cattelan captured the unusual beauty of the moment. It was a reminder that live music is not only about perfect conditions. Sometimes it is about adaptation, trust, and the determination to keep going when circumstances become difficult.

Grande Amore returned in a new form

Il Volo performed a new version of Grande Amore, blending Italian and English as a tribute to the song that had already become part of Eurovision history. The arrangement honored the original while giving it a fresh setting for Turin. Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto carried the live energy in the arena, while Gianluca Ginoble’s voice connected the performance back to the trio’s identity.

The crowd responded with a standing ovation. In that moment, the absence felt less like a loss and more like a testament to how strong the group’s bond had become. Even separated by distance, Il Volo still sounded complete.

Why the moment stayed with fans

Eurovision often creates stories that last longer than the competition itself, and this was one of them. Gianluca Ginoble’s positive test could have erased the appearance entirely. Instead, it became a performance remembered for resilience, creativity, and genuine emotion.

For fans, it was a rare reminder that music can carry people through setbacks. For Il Volo, it was proof that their harmony was bigger than the stage they stood on. And for Eurovision 2022, it became one of the most human moments of the night.

In the end, the story was not just about a positive test in Turin. It was about a trio refusing to let distance break the song they had already made famous. Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble found a way to sing together again, even when they could not stand in the same place.

 

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“HEY MICK, WE’VE GOT THIS GREAT SONG” — AND JUST LIKE THAT, 2 GUYS IN A LONDON TAXI CHANGED ROCK HISTORY FOREVER. London, 1963. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were walking down Charing Cross Road when a taxi slowed down beside them. Inside — Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, leaning out the window, yelling for them to hop in. Four guys. One cab. And somewhere between small talk and laughter, Mick asked: “Got any songs?” Paul had one — a track they’d written for Ringo, not planned as a single. But what he didn’t tell Mick in that cab was how quickly things would move next. Back at the rehearsal room, Lennon sat in the corner and finished the song right there, scribbling away while Jagger and Richards just watched. The Stones recorded it on October 7th. By November 1st, “I Wanna Be Your Man” was their second single — and it hit No. 12 on the UK charts, becoming their first Top 20 hit. Years later, Mick put it simply: “It was great to get one of their songs, because we didn’t really write rock songs in that period.” And that’s the thing — watching Lennon and McCartney create so effortlessly that afternoon pushed Jagger and Richards to finally start writing their own material. One taxi ride on Charing Cross Road, and two bands walked away changed.

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“MAN, YOU CAN’T COME ON AFTER PUBLIC ENEMY. FORGET IT.” — BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SAID IT, THEN WALKED ONSTAGE ANYWAY. Last Friday at Monmouth University, Bruce Springsteen opened a $50 million music center — right on the campus where he used to wander at 19, never once going to class. The two-night concert “Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us” was unlike anything. Springsteen kicked things off with Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock.” Then Jon Bon Jovi walked out to sing Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” But here’s what most people didn’t realize — Bon Jovi hadn’t performed publicly in New Jersey since 2018. Eight years of silence, vocal cord surgery, no touring in his home state. And he chose this stage to come back. Public Enemy brought the heat. Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Gary Clark Jr., Darlene Love, Mavis Staples — all there. Then at the end, with every legend backstage, Springsteen walked out alone and closed the night with “Land of Hope and Dreams.” The 32,000-square-foot center opens to the public June 13.

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THE GLADIATOR SCORE IS 25 YEARS OLD — BUT THAT MORNING IN NEW YORK, IT CAME BACK TO LIFE IN ITALIAN. On April 9, 2026, Il Volo walked onto the TODAY Show stage in New York and performed “Nelle tue mani” — the Italian version of “Now We Are Free” from the Gladiator soundtrack. Three voices. No gimmicks. Just Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca standing in Studio 1A, turning Hans Zimmer’s masterpiece into something that felt completely their own. But what they did next surprised everyone watching — they didn’t pick a pop hit, didn’t play it safe. They had just announced 18 North American dates, including a night at Madison Square Garden. And yet, the song they chose for millions of morning viewers was a piece of cinema history, rewritten in Italian. The performance came from their album Live at the Valley of the Temples, recorded at the ancient Temple of Concordia in Sicily — a 2,000-year-old setting for a song about freedom. 17 years together, and they still choose the hardest path. That says everything.

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“HEY MICK, WE’VE GOT THIS GREAT SONG” — AND JUST LIKE THAT, 2 GUYS IN A LONDON TAXI CHANGED ROCK HISTORY FOREVER. London, 1963. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were walking down Charing Cross Road when a taxi slowed down beside them. Inside — Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, leaning out the window, yelling for them to hop in. Four guys. One cab. And somewhere between small talk and laughter, Mick asked: “Got any songs?” Paul had one — a track they’d written for Ringo, not planned as a single. But what he didn’t tell Mick in that cab was how quickly things would move next. Back at the rehearsal room, Lennon sat in the corner and finished the song right there, scribbling away while Jagger and Richards just watched. The Stones recorded it on October 7th. By November 1st, “I Wanna Be Your Man” was their second single — and it hit No. 12 on the UK charts, becoming their first Top 20 hit. Years later, Mick put it simply: “It was great to get one of their songs, because we didn’t really write rock songs in that period.” And that’s the thing — watching Lennon and McCartney create so effortlessly that afternoon pushed Jagger and Richards to finally start writing their own material. One taxi ride on Charing Cross Road, and two bands walked away changed.

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“MAN, YOU CAN’T COME ON AFTER PUBLIC ENEMY. FORGET IT.” — BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SAID IT, THEN WALKED ONSTAGE ANYWAY. Last Friday at Monmouth University, Bruce Springsteen opened a $50 million music center — right on the campus where he used to wander at 19, never once going to class. The two-night concert “Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us” was unlike anything. Springsteen kicked things off with Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock.” Then Jon Bon Jovi walked out to sing Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” But here’s what most people didn’t realize — Bon Jovi hadn’t performed publicly in New Jersey since 2018. Eight years of silence, vocal cord surgery, no touring in his home state. And he chose this stage to come back. Public Enemy brought the heat. Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Gary Clark Jr., Darlene Love, Mavis Staples — all there. Then at the end, with every legend backstage, Springsteen walked out alone and closed the night with “Land of Hope and Dreams.” The 32,000-square-foot center opens to the public June 13.

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SLASH CALLED IT “A JOKE.” AXL HEARD IT FROM HIS BEDROOM UPSTAIRS. IT BECAME GUNS N’ ROSES’ ONLY NO. 1 HIT — EVER. Somewhere around 1986, in a cramped house on Sunset Strip where the whole band lived together, Slash was sitting around messing with his guitar. No big plan. Just putting notes together — what he later called “a circus melody.” He was making faces at Steven Adler while playing it. Izzy Stradlin heard it and told him to keep going. Izzy added chords. Duff found a bassline. And then — what nobody in that room expected — Axl Rose came downstairs. He’d been listening from his bedroom the whole time. By the next afternoon, Axl had finished the lyrics. Every word was about his girlfriend Erin Everly — the daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers. On September 10, 1988, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stayed there for 2 weeks. To this day, it’s the only Guns N’ Roses song to ever reach that spot. Axl and Erin’s love didn’t last — their marriage ended less than a year after the wedding. But that riff Slash almost threw away? It’s still playing somewhere in the world right now.

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THE GLADIATOR SCORE IS 25 YEARS OLD — BUT THAT MORNING IN NEW YORK, IT CAME BACK TO LIFE IN ITALIAN. On April 9, 2026, Il Volo walked onto the TODAY Show stage in New York and performed “Nelle tue mani” — the Italian version of “Now We Are Free” from the Gladiator soundtrack. Three voices. No gimmicks. Just Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca standing in Studio 1A, turning Hans Zimmer’s masterpiece into something that felt completely their own. But what they did next surprised everyone watching — they didn’t pick a pop hit, didn’t play it safe. They had just announced 18 North American dates, including a night at Madison Square Garden. And yet, the song they chose for millions of morning viewers was a piece of cinema history, rewritten in Italian. The performance came from their album Live at the Valley of the Temples, recorded at the ancient Temple of Concordia in Sicily — a 2,000-year-old setting for a song about freedom. 17 years together, and they still choose the hardest path. That says everything.