The last two shows of the fantastic UK/Ireland Tour in London and Dublin and their two absolutely beautiful theatre style venues would definitely deserve a summary of their own. However, I saw these two gigs together with my son and in my mind I connect them together. Also, I was seated and far away both nights and for that reason I don’t have any proper photo material from either of the shows. There are also two points of view that I haven’t yet much talked about and would like to mention. Firstly, during the tour I saw most of the gigs standing but also several seated and there are differences between these two experiences that I would like to go through. Secondly, in most cities we saw the full set on stage. In Dublin the lovely theatre being such  a tiny venue there was no possibility to bring in the full set so after seeing these two shows next to each other it’s easy to compare the two different show concepts.

The venue for the London show was Hammersmith Apollo that is a bit bigger yet still very lovely theatre venue where we already saw Mika twice in 2010. The venue in Dublin was also the same as during the Imaginarium Tour: the small and cozy Olympia Theatre. I was looking forward to the both venues and had originally planned to see these shows standing to fully experience the atmosphere. However, when my son agreed to join me my only thought was to spend time with him and I luckily managed to buy us seats last minute. I was particularly happy that these two gigs ended up representing two different concepts - with and without the big setting - so my son had a possibility to experience them both.

First a few words about seeing gigs standing vs. seated which are two very different experiences at least for me. When aiming for stalls it’s easy to buy a general admission standing ticket but necessary to make effort to get a good spot (which can matter for anyone as short as I am). That means waiting at the doors even if it happens to be hot or freezing cold or raining. The entrance can be an absolute mess and people push (if you are sensitive for crowds this is not your place). Buying a decent seat is more difficult than buying a general admission ticket but entering the venue is totally stress free. No matter the weather, it’s possible to dress up and arrive last minute. During the concert, the standing area is the place to feel the energy and all the emotions coming from stage. Also, in the front area it’s possible to catch even the smallest details in outfits and show elements. On the other hand, from the seated area it’s possible to see the full stage and the sound is better for sure (that’s a fact and there’s no question about it, in most cases the sound is definitely better a bit further away). 

When people want to enjoy the gig with their families or for example have dinner before the gig they often choose to be seated. People with children usually go either seated or on the side of stage and I strongly advise to do that and have always done that with my own family. Sending children alone in front and expecting strangers who have queued for their spots to give them space or even take care of them is simply wrong. My own children are now grown up but prefer being seated. When I’m alone, I definitely prefer standing and being in front. I’m all about seeing every possible detail and love documenting the show and taking gig photos so for me being closer is multiple times as enjoyable as being far away. 

Despite of that I had bought both a standing ticket and a seat for almost every gig of the tour. It was important that I would see the show from different perspectives even though I didn’t enjoy them in a similar way. I wanted to be sure I learn to know the show as fully as possible and have seen also the full stage, the light show and audience reactions in different parts of the crowd at least a few times. Also, I knew the tour can be hectic and it felt reassuring to have an extra plan in case something goes wrong with my transportations. That didn’t happen but when the entrance was a total chaos in Lyon I was happy to choose my seat instead of a chaotic spot in the standing area. 

In London our seats were in the third row and the view was still excellent especially as people in front of us were not particularly tall or blocking the view in other ways. As you can see from the first photo I could see also the audience below and it was incredible to see how energetic and loud it was. In the Dublin theatre our seats were in the 6th row and because of the structure of the theatre the view was almost non existing, I didn’t see the stage or the audience below us basically at all and even when Mika came to the crowd during Big Girl there was a screen between us. My son is quite tall and said he could see fine which was the most important. He also said that of these two gigs he definitely loved the small Dublin one more because the atmosphere was more intimate and his answer wasn’t a surprise to me. I choose an intimate atmosphere any day as well and it’s hard to find warmer, cosier vibes than Olympia can offer. Also, it wasn’t a surprise my son loved the setting without big show elements because I knew he generally likes small, music-focused performances like I usually do as well.

From my point of view London was small and intimate compared to numerous arenas I had seen during the tour but I admit there was something extra charming in the tiny Dublin venue and being able to experience the show in a simpler form. My son told his favourite song was Lollipop because it was “fierce” and his answer was somehow cute because he loved Lollipop already as a little boy. My own favourite in Dublin was definitely Happy Ending. I will always remember the Happy Ending from Dublin 2010 and Mika’s wild little jumping and gorgeous vocals during it and for that reason I looked forward to the song and the performance we got was absolutely beautiful and worth waiting. Even though the Dublin venue was smaller the crowd was even louder than the already loud crowd in London. It was lovely to end the UK/Ireland Tour this way and with these two shows.