Bercy, Paris 27/5/2016
The "Mika ❤️ Paris" show at Bercy was such a spectacle. Show elements were massive and included background films and animations inside enormous MIKA letters, a huge lighted construction on the smaller stage (Arc de Triomphe), a massive throne and a cake, a big Mika style heart with wings, confetti rains, red and white dressed dancers and similarly coloured heart flags. The show was beautifully grandiose -said in the most positive, loving way - and very Mika style. This is one of the reasons I love him so much. There’s still a child inside of him and this time he managed to make a massive arena show look not only hard work, pressure and schedules but also a thrilling challenge and an opportunity to use his wildest ideas.
Everything started with a dozen dancers dressed in red jackets like soldiers hanging out here and there around the stage for a while until Mika came on stage and started the show. The set list was surprisingly familiar with only a couple of French songs added. The special nature of the event came from show elements and they were impressive, to be honest much more impressive than I had expected. My biggest favourites were Les Baisers Perdus with an extremely beautiful, talented circus performance – the song is delicate and the performance could be seen as poetic shadows both sides of the stage – and Underwater with strings and 20 000 people in the audience singing the chorus and waving lights like thousands of stars on the sky. I loved the similar costumes on Mika and the young boy giving the idea of a king and young prince and I particularly enjoyed Last Party and Love Today.
In the end of the show Mika came on stage inside of a magical sparkling cake, the whole band played vividly and everything ended under the colourful confetti. I was located next to one of the confetti machines and literally had my eyes and mouth full of paper. What a fantastic, colourful ending for the spectacle. I felt so purely happy and grateful for being able to be there for the show. Mika was like a little boy playing with his costumes, having his whole family there to support him. The girls were there, even his little nephew was there. I know that creating a show like this means professional designing and planning, numerous hours of work and a lot of money but it was his childlike enthusiasm that melted my heart. (Bercy 2016 snapshot gallery)
