For fans, it’s all about Pavarotti, not his pipes

Even with ticket prices ranging from $37.50 to $511, most members of the sold-out crowd that packed the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night for Luciano Pavarotti’s Farewell Tour concert appeared to consider a chance to see Pavarotti a bargain at any price.

“I don’t know if he’s the greatest tenor, but he’s the one I listened to back in my early 20s,” said Jesse Espinoza, 45, of West Covina, on a date with his wife, Sherry. “When anyone talks about an opera star, Pavarotti comes to mind.”

“This is huge -- momentous!” exclaimed Lucy Pecoraro of Fullerton in a pre-concert conversation. She was festively dressed in a jaunty beret and a red feather boa and accompanied by her son Charlie, 25 (“He’s an actor!”), garbed for the occasion in a black suit, white shirt, black gloves and cravat.

True, there were a handful who were disappointed in Pavarotti, almost 70, overweight and plagued with health problems that have caused cancellations during this tour. As excited audience members flooded toward concession stands and restrooms at intermission, several audience members headed for the exits.

“For a farewell concert, it was disappointing,” observed Rima Sater of San Diego, explaining why she and her three companions did not get their $50 tickets stamped in order to return to a performance they called weak, tired and lifeless. “He should have gone out with grace.”

By saying farewell at intermission, Sater and friends missed not only the concert’s second half but three encores -- including a sing-along of the famous drinking song from “La Traviata” that kept audience members testing their own operatic mettle all the way to their cars and buses and a surprise blast of fireworks worthy of the Fourth of July.

But these visitors from San Diego looked to be a tiny minority in a crowd that seemed to consider it a rare privilege to see Pavarotti in the twilight of his career, regardless of the toll the years may have taken on the Italian tenor’s world-renowned vocal cords.

Was Lucy Pecoraro worried that, at 69, the superstar tenor wouldn’t have what it takes? “Oh, he’s got it,” she asserted. “I just have to sit there mesmerized and weep when I see him.” Of the Three Tenors, she believes Pavarotti is Numero Uno. “The other two, we listen to them too, but Pavarotti has that timbre and that soul that is too passionate for words.”

Charlie, who grew up with Pavarotti recordings and PBS specials, agreed. “There is a quality and a heart to his voice,” he said. “I’ve been tearing up all day, listening to his music.”

The Pecoraros were, however, among the few who dressed up for Pavarotti (“We’re Italian,” she said, as if no further explanation should be needed.) Although some dedicated fans teetered up the hill in strappy sandals and strapless gowns, most visitors dressed to ward off chilly evening temperatures. In their flannels, plaids and face-obscuring hats, some looked less like opera fans than deer hunters in upper Michigan.

Still, there were glimpses of glitter, and chandelier earrings were occasionally paired with a sweatshirt and jeans. The apparent fashion trend: basic fleece with pearls.

Also pre-concert, opera aficionado Cassandra Campagna of the San Fernando Valley insisted that Pavarotti still has “a gorgeous voice, even if he’s not up to par.” She added that her Italian-born husband, Federico, “adores him -- that’s why we’re here.”

Campagna’s mother, Steffy Casum, was not quite so sure. “I hope his voice is good,” she chimed in. “I heard his voice is not so good.”

Constance Moss of Los Angeles, a personal assistant, flew her mother, Camille Moss, a Santa Fe, N.M., artist, into town for the concert. Last year, Constance brought Camille to L.A. for a Van Morrison show.

“Living in New Mexico, she doesn’t get to see some of the great bands that come through here, the great musical acts, and we both really love music, so it’s always my treat to get her out here once a year to see somebody really good,” Constance said as the pair sat chatting on a curb.

And if Pavarotti’s voice were not the same as it was, say, 20 years ago? “This is really special -- no matter what it will be, because we’re having a great time sitting here together,” she said.

A very pregnant Rachel Yang of Arcadia attended with her mother, Yanqun Yang, and daughters Angel, 5, and Joy, 2. Rachel, a former UCLA management professor, saw Pavarotti perform at UCLA when she was a doctoral student there. She had already taken the girls to opera performances in Europe and said they loved them.

“We are originally from China, and he was such a sensation in China, probably in the mid-1980s,” she said. “I think maybe his voice is not at its peak, but my husband used to be a professional ballet dancer, so I know that an artist has many dimensions. And this is his farewell concert, so it will be emotionally charged, I think.”

Newlyweds Kate Ladd Pearson and Scott Pearson of Newport Beach had bought their tickets, which had a face value of about $300, for $560 each on EBay. “What I did was, I sold my [San Francisco] 49er-[Dallas] Cowboy tickets and made the money to pay for these,” Scott said.

For this couple, the tab was worth it: The concert would precede a trip to Italy for what Kate called their “honeymoon do-over.”

Last December, the just-married couple were in Bangkok, Thailand, just about to travel to the island of Phuket, when the tsunami hit the region.

“He’s kind of old for an opera singer,” mused Kate. “But I think that’s what the appeal is: It’s now or never.”