Mika did a private concert at Salle Pleyel in Paris on September 18th. Several of my favourite gigs in the past have coincidentally happened on that same September date and this event wasn’t an exception, the evening was truly special. The concert was organised by American Express and I thought it was brilliant of them to find an artist who is capable of creating such particular, both an energetic and emotional, atmosphere. The event was generally well organised and everything was as it was supposed be. 

 Salle Pleyel is known for the acoustics and I was curious in advance about the nature and style of the night. After a small and quite nice supporting act everything was ready for Mika. The lights went off, the band came on stage and each musician, dressed in their white outfits, took places in the back of the stage. There was a black grand piano on the left side of the stage, otherwise it was empty and it was ideal that way. All I wanted was to focus on Mika and people around me felt probably the same way. Private gigs are also possibilities for artists to introduce their music to a new group of people and now it was time to let those people who didn’t know Mika yet to see what an amazing showman he is. It was time to win them over and he did that indeed. The audience was his since the beginning. 

 The start was incredible. During the very first notes of the very first song everyone jumped up and waved their big, colourful sticks that glowed beautifully in the dark. As an answer to that the stage started to bath in different colourful lights and I immediately thought it was like a conversation. Oh they talk to each other, people waving their colourful lights and the stage answering with changing colours. Then there was Mika standing on his piano finding carefully his most beautiful poses to look amazing seen from every part of the venue. 

 Starting the show with Lollipop was a fresh, a bit surprising decision and this time Lollipop was performed differently than it usually is. The simplicity of it reminded me of the slower version of Ice Cream but even though Mika didn’t go to his full energy mode at first he did everything in a very sharp way, it was a very considered performance. I could see Mika was extremely conscious of his posing to offer the best possible view to the audience and that is the Mika I can recognise. He is first and foremost a professional. He knows his world and he knows what he’s doing. He knows who to impress and how to do that and also when to leave space for interaction or some random gestures to find a suitable balance. It felt good to watch him on stage again, I had so missed that feeling. During the past months I couldn’t always remember how exactly it feels. 

 Suddenly just being there in the sweaty gig environment made my head full of flashbacks. This is how it feels to be in a concert, I’ve done this so many times. I could remember feelings I thought I had forgotten, feelings I thought I can’t feel ever again. During the first energetic songs it was chaotic inside of me, I was full of past moments and overwhelmed by the crowd. I waited for a song that would force me to focus on listening and that happened during Tiny Love. Exactly the mood I needed and what made me immediately present in that moment. I loved being able to listen to Mika’s voice and admired how beautifully he posed with the lights. One of the most beautiful highlights during the night. 

 After Tiny Love we heard two more energetic songs, Big Girl and Elle Me Dit, and after that my big personal gig favourite Underwater. I was totally and fully focused on the song. I purely listened and didn’t think anything else and I loved the performance and I loved the stunning blue and yellow outfit and felt I had missed the song in a very particular way. Stuck In The Middle and Popular Song after that were rare treats. During Popular Mika asked several people from the audience to join him on stage and it worked really well and looked relaxed and fun and everyone on stage seemed to enjoy dancing or singing or both. Weirdly even Grace Kelly after Popular was somehow fresh once again - magically it often is - and this time the ending of the song included entertaining interaction with the audience. 

 For Les Baisers Perdus Mika had lyrics waiting for him in case he needs them and yes he did need them which was lucky for me as the papers were exactly in front of me. He came down for the papers and it was incredibly lovely to listen to his singing when he was right there and it made up many moments of distance that had been there during the pandemic. It was a lovely close moment and I was totally focused on the song. I was totally focused on Happy Ending as well, I always am. I kept my mobile in my pocket and just listened.

 Love Today after that was a total opposite for silent focusing and the most energetic song of the night. Amazing energy and vibe! Now I paid attention also to Wouter and his drumming. My mobile was still in my pocket after the previous songs and I just jumped and danced until the end part and until seeing Mika taking off his shirt. I knew people would ask me a recording and took my mobile out and recorded a short clip. After that a new pink suit and We Are Golden and then the final song: Tiny Love Reprise. 

 When Tiny Love Reprise started I kept my mobile in my hand expecting the similar style Tiny Love Reprise / Stay High we heard during the Revelation Tour. What we actually heard was the full Tiny Love Reprise and when I understood that I put the mobile quickly back in my pocket, it didn’t feel right. I couldn’t control my emotions at all, I was shaking and couldn’t stop crying and felt embarrassed for that. 

 It was a collective reaction. When I looked around me I saw literally every single person near me filled with emotions, no one could control their feelings. It was the most intense moment I’ve ever seen at a gig. Tiny Love Reprise is a masterpiece, it moves people, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful act of love. In this context the moment was delicate, it was intimate and personal. Everyone who knows Mika as an artist could see the importance of the performance, even those who doesn’t sensed it in the atmosphere. It was precious. Precious and extremely beautiful.

 During the night Mika changed his clothes a few times. He looked smaller than I could remember. Tall of course, but otherwise small and extremely fit. Photos on the internet can give a wrong impression. He’s not huge, he’s just extremely fit. The blue, fringed jacket he was wearing when he appeared on stage in the beginning of the show gave the same Freddie style vibes we already got from the Soundtrack Of Empathy virtual concert. I sense a change in style happening as always before new music and new tours.

 The concert at Salle Pleyel was the first concert after the pandemic and as we are all in a sensitive state, everything in us multiplied. During the gig the atmosphere went from one extreme to another. Everything was touching and truly special. I added a photo of the lights and a few photos of the beautiful blue outfit Mika was wearing during the Underwater (also familiar from Soundtrack Of Empathy). The full setlist is below:

•  Lollipop 
• Origin Of Love 
•  Ice Cream 
•  Relax 
•  Tiny Love 
•  Big Girl 
•  Elle Me Dit 
•  Underwater 
•  Stuck In The Middle 
•  Popular Song 
•  Grace Kelly 
•  Les Baisers Perdus 
•  Happy Ending 
•  Love Today 
•  We Are Golden 
•  Tiny Love Reprise