From Japan to Italy to North America, violinist Andre Rieu has been selling out arenas and amphitheaters all over the world.  Rieu, along with his team of talented musicians and dancers, is renowned for his spectacular performances that get audience members moving and grooving—kind of. The type of tunes that Rieu and his accompaniment perform are usually reserved for a more subdued setting, such as a ballroom.  But when the docile sounds of classical ballroom music are combined with a large stadium crowd, a unique atmosphere of crowd interactivity results:

Rieu and his friends, the Johann Strauss Orchestra, will bring this type of atmosphere to the Queen City for a 7:30 p.m. show tonight at the First Niagara Center.  As the video above might indicate, people who attend the show can expect to be waltzing to their heart’s desire.  The waltz, a staple of ballroom dance, is the specialty of Rieu and company.  Rieu commented on the complexity of his preferred genre in a Buffalo news feature article, saying, “A waltz is a mirror of life.  It is full of joy but also full of melancholy.  The art is to play it the right way.”

Although Rieu’s violin performances are some of the most popular arena acts on the planet, he is not without his detractors.  For instance, this Facebook group does not pull any punches (pun intended) when expressing its beliefs toward the world-renowned performer. 

Tickets for “An Evening with Andre Rieu,” as the event is billed,  range from $47.50 to $141.50 and can be purchased at First Niagara Center’s website.