MIKA GIGS

North America 5/2015

Verboten in Brooklyn 3/5/2015

The first North American spring show was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a small club called Verboten. The venue was wonderful and the security extremely friendly. Everything was relaxed, the club was really small and the stage was low and tiny and even without any setting left very little space for Mika and the band. 

The atmosphere was unusually intimate. I’ve seen several shows at tiny venues and from close distance but never felt being this close during a gig. Mika came on stage and I understood how close I was and it was amazing and a little bit awkward at the same time. When artists are on stage they are the most vulnerable and it’s hugely important they can feel safe while performing and that the audience remembers the boundaries and lets the artist keep their personal space. Usually I never think about that, I simply automatically give Mika space when he needs it. However, this time there really was no space to give. It felt unusually intimate and I just wished it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for him.

He started with Toy Boy and I very quickly got used to my position and being so close to him and figured out where to put my eyes and just enjoyed being there. Mika took a lot of contact with the audience during the show and just when I was wondering if he is aware how close we really are - I couldn't know how it is from his perspective - he suddenly messed my hair and after seeing me looking surprised did it again grabbing my glasses putting them on which was hilarious especially afterwards when I learnt that from further away it had looked Mika had to put on his reading glasses to be able to read the setlist! 

He took a selfie stick from a Korean girl filming himself (and his butt, he was in a joking mood) and recorded some special greetings, putting a mobile from the audience very close to his heart. He loved a chatty man called Michael a couple of rows behind us and came closer and closer to be able to communicate with him and his friend and I did my best to give him space to do that.

Toy Boy was absolutely beautiful, then Popular which always works in the US, Grace Kelly and Blue Eyes and finally a new song Talk about You and I loved the live version of it. I knew I would enjoy it but liked it even more than I had thought in advance. Then Big Girl and Underwater and then again a new song – Good Guys – also a success. I immediately loved all the new songs. Relax, Origin, Boum Boum Boum and Billy Brown and then finally Last Party which was phenomenal live. Then Happy Ending, Golden and Love Today, all familiar and loved, and surprisingly no Lollipop encore and no other new songs and the gig ended.

Mika seemed to love being back in the US and connecting with the local audience. I loved the vibe at the gig and was generally incredibly happy to see him back on stage and left the venue smiling and pleased with the new songs, still curious about the new setting as there really wasn’t space for it on that tiny stage. Very special gig, something to remember years later for sure. 

Webster Hall in New York 4/5/2015

The second North American venue was Webster Hall in New York. A legendary venue for Mika. The new setting looked even better than I had imagined in advance, it was brilliant. The setting was made of simple colourful cardboard houses and it came alive as soon as Mika and the band showed up on stage. It was cheerful and cartoon style and lights gave it different tones and moods from daylight city views to the dreamiest and gloomiest night-time scenes. Before the gig started the city was almost like sleeping in the moonlight, just waiting to wake up and to be his special place, full of exciting stories and characters.

It took me a couple of songs to get in the gig mood but after that all I could think was oh, wow, how good he is! There was no sign of the first gigs nervousness. Mika looked confident and took his place on stage. Every song from the new album was fantastic and then We Are Golden made the venue almost explode. The audience went wild, Mika looked happy and pleased and somehow surprised and after that the gig was full of energy in both directions between him and the audience. The funny, unique floor in Webster Hall gave the jumping and dancing crowd an extra bouncing effect. He did every song on the setlist, even Good Wife which I loved and the encore and even extra Elle Me Dit in the end taking off his jacket.

Everything was amazing to watch and I felt lucky to be there and to experience a gig and crowd like that. At the end of the show my imagination started to add cartoon-like effects everywhere. Pink and red hearts flew out from people’s eyes, little bouncing “sound effect bubbles” appeared above the jumping and dancing audience. Things that can only happen at Mika gigs.

Japan 5/2015

Studio Coast in Tokyo 26/5/2015 & Namba Hatch in Osaka 27/5/2015

My trip included two concerts in Japan: Studio Coast in Tokyo and Namba Hatch in Osaka. This was my first time visiting Japan and I fell in love with the country in an overwhelming way. Seeing concerts in Japan is very different from seeing concerts in Europe or the US, it’s not possible to influence your spot in the audience in any way, every ticket has a randomly given number and people are let in according to it. The Japanese audience can be exceptionally excited but at the same time it's extremely polite which I find wonderful.

I managed to locate myself in the second row in Tokyo. When Mika walked on stage the crowd immediately packed forward and threw me into the first row towards the barrier before I could realise what happened. In Osaka I decided to go to the back of the venue to a higher area to see the whole stage and I had a great view but was watching the show as an outsider compared to Tokyo. I was still happy to see both perspectives.

Mika obviously enjoyed the atmosphere and gave the audience his best energy and full attention and the gigs were fantastic measured by any standards. The crowd in the front area  in Tokyo was unusually enthusiastic and I had a great spot and naturally enjoyed the gig fully. On the other hand, in Osaka we heard three more songs (Good Wife, Any Other World, Drunk) and saw even chattier Mika so the both gigs ended up being wonderful experiences.

Maybe surprisingly, Talk About You was one of my favourites for its energy. The colourful ending party was a highlight both nights: confetti in Tokyo and long serpentines in Osaka. The colours looked beautiful against the cartoon setting.

Italy 6/2015

I was absolutely pleased I decided to go to the smallish gig at Milan Fabrique 10/6/2015. It had the same awesome, positive vibe we had already experienced at Caribana in Switzerland but this time at a proper music venue. The day was in many ways a very extreme experience: pouring rain, little thunderstorms, burning sun, humid heat, lack of sleep, crowded queueing and the most screaming and loudest audience I had seen or heard. Mika was in a fantastic stage mood. He was chatting, dancing and flirting with the audience, looking confident and sexy, making the Italian crowd scream at his flirty dancing. He has a great sense of humour and it’s always a pleasure, so entertaining and funny, to watch his stage presence and to follow his interaction with the audience. I enjoyed the show with all my heart and was happy to hear the Italian version of Stardust and Any Other World as extra songs.

Then after seeing gigs in Spain and Czech Republic I was back in Italy for two more gigs, for stunningly beautiful Teatro Antico Taormina 23/7/2015  and the already familiar Arena della Regina in Cattolica 25/5/2015, the latter one offering a particularly memorable gig atmosphere.

What a wonderful treat the Cattolica show was to everyone at the venue. A new set list, several new songs, several rare older songs, a huge level of energy, relaxed, happy and confident looking Mika and the Italian audience at its best. A fantastic concert that made me totally forget how hard the day and especially getting into the venue was. I had traveled 15 hours to be in Taormina and another 12 hours to be in Cattolica with very little sleep and the weather was hot and tiring and people coming at the last minute decided to push at the gates. Eventually I got in, was located on the left side and had a great view of the stage. 

The show was fantastic. Mika opened with We Are Golden and continued with Grace Kelly, both good in his usual way but a little bit of nervousness in the air. Then Talk About You with a lot of funny toys from the audience coming on stage and Mika teasing Max with them and posing with the toys. Then Blue Eyes and suddenly I was totally blown away by the show. It was everything I want concerts to be. I want everything else to disappear and I want to feel how the music fills my mind and that happened in a massive way once again. I remembered – once again - how much I love watching Mika on stage. When everything goes well he looks like he can rule the whole world and magically do whatever he wants and the huge crowd is totally under his spell and it’s brilliant to watch, almost as good as listening to his singing.

The show went on quickly and suddenly he was doing Staring At The Sun and it took me a while to realise it was probably the first time I heard it live. As the biggest surprise he started Promiseland and people in front went wild and screamed their excitement and I couldn’t believe he is finally doing it and loved the performance. In the middle of the Good Guys lyrics the crowd raised their little posters saying ”Thank You Mika” and he looked very shy and smiled and thanked people. I was happy to hear Over My Shoulder again and this time people couldn’t disturb my focus at all, I didn’t even hear them.The show was generous giving many special treats and eventually – too soon for us – it was time for an encore.

Mika went backstage and came back wearing his tight black jeans with a bit too small adorable black T-shirt with a lighted ”M” on it - a gift from the audience maybe - and did a wonderful relaxed version of Ordinary Man playing piano and suddenly everything was totally right.  I had loved his voice during Ordinary Man in Montreal but singing the song in his elegant suit with a massive symphony orchestra in the background was everything but ordinary. Now I was listening to his relaxed singing in Cattolica and watching him in a T-shirt that looked like a children’s shirt and suddenly realised and could even imagine that someone can make him feel ordinary for real and the whole song made sense and I loved this sad and incredibly beautiful version of it. 

I didn’t dance much during the gig, my muscles felt heavy and sore after the crowded entrance. Even waving my hand felt too much and I thought it’s okay just to listen and enjoy and I really did enjoy the show. I closed my eyes for a long time during Happy Ending and loved listening to the song that way. Lollipop with balloons in the end after Ordinary Man and the show ended. Mika looked so happy, the band looked cheerful and impressed and I loved how Tim slapped his shoulder like ”well done” just before they disappeared backstage. 

France 9/2015

Le Liberte in Rennes 18/9/2015

The official big European Heaven Tour started in Rennes, France in September 2015. I have no words to describe how impressed I was at Le Liberte while watching the new show for the first time. I loved every moment, it was definitely one of my very best Mika nights ever. Full of surprises one after another, a totally new setlist with an exciting beginning, a lot of songs from the latest album and a new, massive and colourful stage set built around the Heaven theme. Everything was magical. 

Mika started with No Place In Heaven. The stage was dark and first the audience could hear a small intro/medley containing several little references to different songs and themes. Then a huge lighted HEAVEN sign appeared above the stage and Mika started No Place In Heaven in front of the little caravan, hiding enigmatically behind his hat and coat. I almost couldn’t handle the anticipation so I couldn’t give the song the attention it deserves but loved how exciting and mysterious the moment was and so suitable for the theme of course. After that the caravan opened looking like a mechanical miniature theatre with a sign PARADISE and Big Girl was done in front of it.

Then the show continued being so rich and generous with new songs and details that it’s impossible to describe it all. The new setlist was long and at the end of the show the audience felt really satisfied and only a little bit melancholic. The stage looked fabulous. The signs (Heaven, Paradise) and the giant beautiful gate had an obvious connection to the theme. The colourful background described the end of the world situation and included smoking factories, a giant shark and a submarine. The whole stage looked phenomenal, especially with the amazing light show, and my favorite detail was the magical shiny globe in the middle of the stage. Mika wasn’t wearing a suit but his white outfit with different jackets and I especially loved the stunning embroidered Valentino jacket with beautiful animals in the back. 

We heard several songs from the new album and I loved them all. Everything went smoothly. Promiseland was the most thrilling part and everyone screamed as soon as they realised it’s coming. Last Party at the end was simply perfect. A lot of new details were added to old songs as well: an exciting guitar intro in the beginning of Love Today and Roger Rabbit intro before Elle Me Dit. Boum Boum Boum proved again to be one of my favourite live songs. It's enjoyable, and I love how it goes from gentle to another extreme. 

I was happy like a child in a toy store. As a cute detail we saw Mika leaving the Rennes venue with his family and the dogs raised their heads in the window when they passed the crowd. I mentioned the dogs to my husband as soon as I called him after the show and he laughed asking if it was the highlight of the show for me. Maybe not the highlight but it certainly warmed my heart. (Rennes snapshot gallery)

UK 10/2015

Adelphi Theatre 18/10/2015

The theatre was small and cozy. I had a seat close to the stage and was happy to see that my family at the dress circle also had a good view. After the opening act it was time for Mika and everything was absolutely perfect and special. I felt so much love during the whole night. Mika looked beautiful. He was wearing his firework Valentino with stunning shiny details and I noticed that after some dancing and jumping the outfit already looked a bit messy. Only Mika can make his gorgeous Valentino suit look messy that quickly and I loved him even more for that. I like messy. Tidy, polished looks are more suitable for formal occasions. I also thought he looked like an adult.  I love seeing people aging and men always get older so beautifully. I felt more love for that too and thought he is a lucky man. He can look messy and get older and people only love him even more. I had assumed he was nervous to perform in London but I couldn’t see many signs of that.

Every song was somehow special with new arrangements, tones and details. I was prepared that Mika might not do any French songs in London but he did Boum Boum Boum with a funny, memorable intro and it was exactly how I love it, playful but still focused on the song. Good Guys was incredibly lovely and sweet. Over My Shoulder was breathtaking, I love it every time, it’s such a beautiful classic. Promiseland was fantastic – a proper highlight – and got that fabulous response it deserves. I finally heard the dance version of Hurts, so happy to hear it live. Happy Ending with its a cappella ending was absolutely stunning and Last Party was once again my biggest personal favourite. The whole event was precious, so much love in the air in that little theatre.