MIKA GIGS

UK

Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London 10/11/2019

Shepherd’s Bush Empire is my favourite style of a venue. It’s small and really pretty, and I looked forward to not only all my favourite songs but also Mika chatting in English between the songs. This first gig of the tour offered everything I could possibly hope for and more and the night was very special. 

The show was totally focused on Mika and the performance spoiled us on every level. The singing was absolutely beautiful and the setlist generous and included some lovely surprises like Platform Ballerinas as a totally new song and a special version of Tiny Love referring to the official music video. The atmosphere on the film is somehow so intimate, close and beautiful and I could sense all that on stage as well and really loved the moment and the whole Tiny Love performance.

Mika came on stage in an elegant, fitted suit and a super adorable dotted ruffle shirt and got a warm welcome. The venue was smallish so naturally the crowd was smallish but the show was sold out and the audience was as loving as it could be. He had his family, he had UK locals who had patiently waited for this gig for years and he had people from all over the world, everyone in London just for him. He looked happy, it was a heart-warming night.

Spain

Razzmatazz in Barcelona 12/11/2019

The venue in Barcelona was a nightclub and that way it was not stylish at all but the place was small and compact and everything at the doors and inside of the venue was well organised. I hadn’t expected a Spanish venue to be that organised and the day was in many ways a pleasant surprise. The stage was high. However, Mika was not only dancing but also on his knees or sitting on stage and I could see very well and wanted to use the opportunity to fully focus on my favourites. It was lovely to listen to so carefully and during energetic songs also to dance and I very much enjoyed the show. Of the dancing songs Platform Ballerinas and Stay High were the highlights of the night. So happy there was a possibility to experience a few simple and pure tiny style shows also in Europe, the tour couldn’t have had a better start. 

La Riviera in Madrid 13/11/2019

After seeing the special London gig and absolutely stunning versions of some of my favourite songs in Barcelona it was more difficult than it usually is to adjust my mind for the next show. I did my best to be ready to experience a new venue, new audience and new performance and while doing that used a moment to admire how well Mika can do all what he needs to do during tours, to give his everything on stage and then do it all again and again in different cities.

I loved his outfit in Madrid. I’ve been obsessed with dots since I was a little girl and it makes me smile to see Mika wearing different dotted shirts he’s wearing as a part of his stage outfits. His fitted suits like the pale blue one he was wearing in Madrid are hugely flattering on a tall person like him and during the first songs I had to use another moment to admire how good he looked on stage.

The setlist was a bit different compared to Barcelona. No Blue but it was lovely to hear Tomorrow again. Platform Ballerinas was cheerful and energetic. In Spain we heard Live Your Life during both gigs. Expected but nice, it’s a rare song. In Madrid Mika got the Spanish lyrics for Tomorrow from the audience and didn’t sing the song in Spanish but read them aloud. During his Lollipop introduction he remembered to mention his age and then mentioned the past ice creams and lollipops laughing afterwards. Stay High was a huge highlight, the best possible way to end the gig.

France

Zenith Pau 15/11/2019 & Zenith Toulouse 16/11/2019

The big new Revelation show was introduced in Pau and it was phenomenal! The best thing was to see how everyone around me in the audience loved it equally much. I loved seeing Mika in the center of everything. I loved seeing his face expressing it was amazing for him as well. I loved his confidence. I loved seeing his parents in the background images, I loved the piano. Three favourite moments in Pau: Paloma, Underwater on the top of the piano, Platform Ballerinas. Loved Happy Ending, Loved how well the new songs like Dear Jealousy and Tomorrow worked. Fantastic first night for the new big show. 

After seeing the first arena show in Pau from very close distance I decided to go seated in Toulouse. Big show elements look often more impressive from further away and that was true also this time, the huge background and especially the giant heart and colorful balloons looked absolutely beautiful. The venue was sold out and genuinely full, the standing area was packed and the huge seated area reserved as far up as I could see. During Happy Ending I was as usual fully focused on listening and loved it and literally felt the song in my whole body and along with Paloma it was the most important song of the night.

Switzerland

Arena Geneva  21/11/2019 

I had a two day break in Helsinki before travelling to Geneva so I had time to clear my thoughts about the new wonderful setting I saw in France. Whereas the Tiny Tour show was intimate, pure and focused on music, the new Revelation show offered a full one man circus. It was a huge, mind-blowing spectacle. The most beautiful rainbow celebration. Gorgeous, colourful outfits included beautiful white and dotted ruffle shirts. My favourite thing was the images of Mika’s parents in the background and I couldn't get enough of watching the visuals of the show. My favourite new live song was Paloma and I loved its beautiful Elton John style vibe: Mika playing his pink piano and singing fly Paloma the piano literally going high. In Geneva I particularly loved every song that was performed using the piano. What a gorgeous show element. I couldn’t stop smiling. You take me high on a tiny love. And the piano goes high. We gonna stay high - and again the piano goes high.

Komplex 457 in Zurich 22/11/2019 

After Geneva we went back to the Tiny Tour atmosphere one more time and the Swiss audience had a possibility to experience a wonderful and extremely special gig in Zurich. Not sure if people who saw Mika for the first time understood how unexpected and special the setlist really was but I certainly did and the people around me did and we tried our best to show how much we appreciated it. Mika can be spontaneous with his chatting or suddenly ask someone from the audience on stage but generally he’s not particularly spontaneous with his setlists. He changes the order or skips a song or two and can do small planned changes depending on the country and crowd but he also likes to keep his performances controlled and only rarely adds songs he hasn’t planned in advance at all.

In Zurich he performed Blue instead of Paloma. The venue was small so the show was "tiny style". I love Blue and had hoped he would do it and would have been happy with it alone but turned out it was only a start. After that Mika also performed Drunk and Good Guys and these both songs were total surprises and something I hadn’t heard in ages and something that made me extra happy. Not sure who in the crowd requested Drunk but it seemed an unplanned addition and wasn’t rehearsed and before starting Mika asked the lyrics from the audience.

He gave a quick look at my mobile so I googled the lyrics and handed my phone to him. We all were thrilled and did the dance moves we could still remember from the previous tours. During the performance the audience went wild and Mika continued being spontaneous and at this point moved on to Grace Kelly (naturally on the setlist but also requested by the audience) and after that did also Good Guys which felt a super special and rare treat.

The band looked genuinely confused and lost at times and Mika laughed and it was all a lot of fun to watch. The musicians were totally involved in the party from the beginning of the gig and I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the big Revelation show and this more intimate Tiny show. Max showed his signature dance moves jumping on his one foot across the stage, Tim was under the spotlight several times and even Mitch behind the keyboard was asked to do a small dance in the middle of the stage and generally Mika wanted to include them in numerous details. 

Everything was as energetic and relaxed as live music can be and the audience enjoyed the atmosphere and Mika genuinely seemed to enjoy the gig as well, the vibe was in a lovely way old-school during the whole night, everyone just enjoying the music and having fun. It’s important that the audience can see different sides of the artist they love and I enjoyed seeing how these two gigs in Switzerland were so different yet both amazing in their own way.

I particularly enjoyed the new songs. Dear Jealousy and Tomorrow are both great dance songs and I love the mood in them. It’s intriguing to hear Mika singing about jealousy, somehow hard to see someone as talented, successful and attractive as him being jealous of anyone at all. Tomorrow is one of the most enjoyable songs I know – we can enjoy now because when it comes we can worry then – and the version we heard in Zurich was, if possible even lovelier than it usually is. Back seat, light off. Window open, stereo on. I really enjoyed first Tiny Love and then later hearing my name is Michael Holbrook again during the Tiny Love reprise. The reprise continued as Stay High and the gig ended and we all left the venue feeling absolutely euphoric.

Italy

PalaGeorge in Montichiari 30/11/2019

In the middle of numerous Italian Revelation gigs, the one in Montichiari was one of my favourites. We saw Mika in his most elegant outfits and in my absolute favourite colors. His dark blue suit with a white and blue dotted shirt looked incredibly stylish and the strong aqua suit seen in the end fitted perfectly with the red giant heart. Stay High and Mika leaning on the heart and then raising his hands on the sides and dancing the heart in the background was definitely one of the most important moments of the show.

This time I gave a lot of attention to the visual side, everything is so impressive I couldn’t not do it. I’m not a fan of too smoky looks, I prefer it when everything can be seen clearly and I loved how magically the stage glowed in different bright tones during many of my favourite songs. Beautiful blue, green and turquoise for Underwater, lovely pink for Happy Ending and clear, strong orange for Lollipop. Popular song was back on the setlist and during it the stage had a multicoloured background.

The biggest surprise element was Sanremo, finally after a long wait, and adding it made the Italian setlist even more special. In Platform Ballerinas Mika added Shakira level new moves shaking his tiny butt in a very impressive way and my first reaction was oh how did you do that! The audience was really good. Arena venues are huge and the crowd can be challenging and hard to predict but when I looked at my sides at PalaGeorge I saw large areas of people joining the fun and the atmosphere was overall positive and energetic. After the gig everyone around me looked smiling and happy and people kept asking each other if the show was even particularly good. I think it was, it was absolutely fantastic.

France

Zenith de Lille 15/12/2019

What a beautiful gig in Lille, one of my favourites in France and one of my favourites during the whole tour for sure. The whole day everything went as smoothly as possible and when I was finally inside the venue and looked at the rainbow in front of me it looked more beautiful than ever and I couldn’t wait to see Mika appearing on stage in his light blue suit. I just had a feeling it would be light blue. My heart was full of love when I saw the stage background. The stage and the lights looked simply perfect.

The show started and I loved the beginning and I held my breath for a moment to see the color of Mika’s suit and was relieved to see it was light blue. No photographers or security guys blocking my view, it was like a fairy godmother was there making sure everything went perfectly. Ice Cream, Dear Jealousy and Relax. I selfishly loved it that for once there was a possibility to properly enjoy these songs without too many photographers. I loved seeing the Jealousy kick. The way Mika moved, jumped and danced on stage was unbelievable.

What a beautiful gig it was. The audience was wonderful. It took nothing for granted. People used the opportunity to have fun and even the back areas of the audience made noise and took part of Underwater and it was easy to see, just looking at Mika’s face, that he enjoyed it and it’s always deserved but with the performance like in Lille even more. Every song was like a beautiful special gift and the audience seemed to understand it. During Relax Mika took the bag of confetti thrown on stage and threw it on us and even though it was only a tiny moment it made me happy and nostalgic. During Platform Ballerinas the audience waved colorful pompoms and during Paloma it raised origami birds. That all was a lot of extra action but with the crowd like that it went well.

I was focused on listening, watching and enjoying and automatically paid extra attention to all the small details like the beautiful sound in the beginning of Love Today and the pretty ocean and peach colored lights and drums in Underwater and the way Mika and Max made synchronized movements with their knees during Tomorrow. I loved watching the scene during Happy Ending when the piano went down and could also so beautifully see how it went high during Tiny Love, Paloma and We Are Golden. I couldn't help but think that with his dotted shirt and flying pink piano Mika looked like the most elegant superhero in the world.

During Lollipop there was a young visitor on stage and after We Are Golden Mika ran off the stage and as always, it was time for the final climatic point of the show. Grace Kelly and the gorgeous colorful balloons dancing above the audience and when they slowly came down I could hear my favourite sentence and Mika introducing himself as Michael Holbrook. Then the music was repeating - almost promising - to stay high, the giant red heart came out from the piano and the final dance was done up in front of it. The whole night was pure magic. 

Zenith de Nantes, France 20/12/2019

Before the gig in Nantes started I was so tired I could hardly stay awake. I had seen 6 gigs in 9 days in different cities and a schedule like that can be tiring. It's those moments when I’m most tired and almost struggling when I respect Mika as an artist most - even more than I usually do - because I know he must be tired as well. He just can’t show it the way I can, he doesn’t have that option. He’s a professional and has obligations to his audience and despite his mood he goes on stage and does a high quality performance every single night that is scheduled for the tour.

This time it took me a while to absorb the energy but suddenly it happened and I just enjoyed the music like I always do. It’s amazing music can make us feel that way. I could see Mika gave his everything on stage, literally everything he could, and I admired him so much for that. In Nantes I particularly loved everything happening around the piano and the high energy songs, maybe because of my location and view close to it and because I needed the energy. I observed the piano. I observed the stage and the images of Mika’s parents as the main focus points of it. I observed the lights that had an important role creating different moods. It was a beautiful performance once again.

Bercy in Paris, France 22/12/2019

The gig at Bercy just before Christmas was as spectacular as every big Mika show in Paris always is. There was no way I would have skipped this one, I wanted to be there. I didn’t expect the show to be my personal favorite of the tour, it probably wouldn’t be as amazing as Switzerland or Montichiari in Italy or Lille earlier in France but I thought it would be something truly special we all could share in a collective way and it certainly was that.

The show started. The setlist was the regular one and I assumed that because of filming and extra light elements the show must have been planned well in advance and there was no possibility to add anything. The venue is huge and I could see some massive additional show elements.The whole stage was surrounded by a big lighted frame that kept changing for every song and for some songs there was a choir on both sides of the stage. It was big and the singers were dressed either yellow or red depending on the songs. During Happy Ending the light frame created a banner and suddenly the audience around the catwalk was covered by “snow”. For Grace Kelly an additional amount of balloons was released over the audience and that was definitely the right decision and I loved how many balloons they had! What a beautiful colourful scene.

My favourite part was the ending for sure. I loved the balloons during Grace Kelly and I loved Mika’s spotted outfit in the end. I loved the final Stay High and watching how Mika danced in front of the heart in his black and white suit and I loved the 70’s vibe related to his moves and style. Everything went so well, the show really was spectacular. I was happy to be there, I was happy to share the experience with everyone and I was happy to witness the amount of love Mika received from the audience.

The Netherlands

TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Netherlands 10 & 12 & 13/2/2020

I bought a ticket for the first announced Utrecht gig as soon as they came on sale. The venue looked smallish and it’s generally rare to see gigs in the Netherlands. However, announcing two more gigs for the same venue, for the same week made me particularly excited. It meant a wonderful opportunity to see several gigs in row at one venue and that way a possibility to follow how the vibe evolves during the week depending on Mika’s mood and the crowd there on different nights. 

TivoliVredenburg is one of the most practical venue complexes I’ve ever seen. It’s smallish but offers everything anyone can possibly hope for: a cafe/restaurant open the whole day and late night, toilets, wifi, warm space to spend time while waiting and an extremely polite and friendly staff. A very enjoyable experience and such a contrast after all the arenas. Even the biggest hall Ronda that was booked for Mika was small and cozy. 

Watching the audience before the first Utrecht gig was refreshing. I could see unusually many young people with different colorful styles. I anticipated that Mika would be happy to see that many fresh faces in the audience. Then Mika came on stage. He started well and everything was beautiful but also felt busy and when Mika shared a story of his scary stormy flight and last minute arrival, I could understand why. He was chatty and funny and the performance got better song by song but the vibe was still a little bit rushed. At some point Mika took his chair and started Blue. My location was lucky and I love Blue. It’s a beautiful, calm and meditative song. It can’t be done in a rushed way and suddenly the time stopped and everything else disappeared. I couldn’t hear or see or think anything else, just the performance, and it was perfect in every possible way. There was only that, very pure moment.

After Blue everything felt incredible. Just listening to Mika talking in English instead of French or Italian between the songs was incredible. His stories are either funny or touching and I had forgotten how amazing it can be to actually be able to understand what he says. He dedicated Paloma to a little girl who was also called Paloma and told a long story about the night when his sister had her accident and it all was extremely touching. He highlighted the beautiful side of the topic and made it also clear that dedicating the song to the girl was a beautiful thing to do and that the girl made him smile which was sweet and sensitive of him. The story itself was serious and the song after that exceptionally moving.

The whole mood for the gig had changed and Happy Ending was particularly pretty and somehow more fragile than it usually is. Mika wanted to be totally focused on the song so he guided Tim’s playing during the ending part by holding his hand and even though the moment was so breathtaking I couldn’t help but smile while watching that and seeing how Tim responded being totally still and after that quietly disappearing, making sure not to break the atmosphere.

Then different moods. The intro for Lollipop was almost looking for boundaries. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and Mika laughed while telling his story as well, it was crazy. The intro for Love Today was even funnier, I had never thought the fisherman’s weather could be seen in that sexy way and neither had the rest of the audience, the speech was clever and funny. Generally, every moment was either sweet or funny or genuinely touching and I enjoyed it all. I had really forgotten how it can be, to be able to have the whole experience, every part of it.

The setlist was fulfilling, I don’t know how else to describe it. After Blue there was Sanremo as an extra surprise. The final part was lovely and I enjoyed how even after the high energy songs and the short break Tiny Love reprise still continued the special mood of the gig.

The vibe for the second Utrecht gig on Wednesday was different than it was on Monday for the first gig. It was totally different. The atmosphere was clearly more cheerful and party style compared to the first night and instead of touching or serious songs the focus was on more energetic songs. Mika didn’t do Blue, he skipped Paloma and added Elle Me Dit. Even Happy Ending that was on Monday done in a smaller way was now fierce and powerful. I wouldn’t say one show was better than the other, they were just totally different styles. Personally I prefer the style we saw on Monday, simply because Blue and Paloma are my two favorite live songs. However, what I particularly loved was that these two shows were so different, that’s what I came for.

The biggest surprise of the second night came quite in the middle of the show when we heard the first notes of Last Party. I could hardly realise what was happening, it never came to mind to expect that song. It was a beautiful surprise to hear one of my all time favorite songs. The biggest highlight of the show was still to hear such a fierce version of Happy Ending and I immediately thought of Happy Ending I saw in Dublin 2010 that had the same fierce vibe. The a cappella part we heard on the second night was one of my favorites during the whole Revelation Tour. I almost couldn’t believe I was there and had a possibility to experience it and the whole Utrecht audience seemed to feel the same and rewarded the moment with giant applause.

Mika was less chatty than he was on the first night but after Origin we heard a lovely story about writing of the song. Mika has talked about this Montreal writing process earlier in some interviews but now he added more details and talked about working together with Nick Littlemore. The story felt a gift to the audience the same way as hearing a rare song like Last Party. The crowd on Wednesday was a bit different than on Monday, I think. Surprisingly many children in the audience.

I liked the idea that all of these three gigs were totally different and the setlist was different each night. On the third night Mika skipped Platform Ballerinas and Paloma and added Blue and Billy Brown. Both Blue and Underwater were particularly beautiful on the third night. Happy Ending got a lighter final part than it usually does when Mika and Tim had a small funny guitar playing session. The audience followed instructions to join during Relax and Underwater and sang along spontaneously during several songs like Popular or Happy Ending. The atmosphere on Thursday was different than on Monday or Wednesday as well. This time I wasn't sure if it was jokingly witty or just unexpectedly sharp.