Corona Theatre in Montreal 15&16/9/2019

Two lovely gigs in Montreal. The venue was called Corona Theatre and it was small and more intimate than the venue in Brooklyn, the capacity was hardly 1000 people, probably even less. The first night I had a seat in the first balcony row and saw a view over the whole stage, the second night I went near the stage to experience the gig from closer distance.

The set list was similar both nights and we saw also some similar style details. During Big Girl Mika came down and sang in the middle of the audience which was a nice touch and made people clearly happily surprised. On the second night he also asked a young girl on stage to join Elle Me Dit which was extremely sweet. I really enjoyed the both gigs but the energy was still different and on the second night the mood and the whole performance were particularly good.

The second Montreal night may be my favourite gig of the tour so far. It’s hard to measure. The first show of the tour, this time the first night at Brooklyn Steel, is always special and after such a long wait and with so many new songs it was even more special than it usually is. My own mood was clearly a bit over-excited and there was some first gig excitement in Mika’s performing as well which made the vibe generally quite emotional and memorable. The second Montreal night was good in a different way. Relaxed, full of positive energy.

Just going through the setlist and collecting some thoughts. In Montreal we didn’t hear Tomorrow or Sanremo which both were on the original set list in Brooklyn. The second gig in Brooklyn was recorded and made sense to have more new songs included. I was surprised Mika did that many new songs in the beginning of the tour and felt grateful and lucky to be there. Naturally, would have loved to hear especially Tomorrow also in Montreal but kind of knew to expect it might not happen.

Every Tiny Tour gig has started with an intro speech and continued with Ice Cream. Mika is wearing his Prince style outfits with beautiful, beautiful white ruffle shirts and on the second Montreal night he suddenly appeared on stage wearing black jeans, a white ruffle shirt and gorgeous long white jacket. I hadn’t expected a new outfit and repeated “wow” aloud. Very impressive, a very powerful start for Ice Cream. I’m surprised how much I like this song live, it’s better than I had imagined it ever could be. After Ice Cream he continues with Jealousy which is a wonderful song. I love also the melody but what’s important in this song is the lyrics that are quite deep. After Jealousy a few older songs. Relax is an important classic, Big Girl goes well to the NA crowd and was that way one of the big songs in Montreal. Origin in the middle has been one of the highlights of this tour for me. I can’t explain why exactly, a part of the energy probably comes from the band the same way as in Love Today.

After that Tiny Love and the live version is amazing. Simply amazing, I have no better word for it. There’s something pure genius in Tiny Love, it can be everything depending on how it’s performed. It can be tender, it can be smiling, even playful, it can be serious and melancholic and it can be intense, deep and intimate. The live version starts in a small, pretty way but is soon filled with energy. It’s powerful and uplifting and the band sounds amazing and I feel my body is filled with energy as well. When Mika sings “you get me high…” his voice is absolutely beautiful and suddenly I’m full of love, honestly there’s so much love I feel I’m bursting. Such a great live version, I wasn’t prepared it could be like that, I didn’t know this song could have so many faces.

After Tiny Love Blue which is the most poetic song on the album. It’s calm and the lyrics are exceptionally beautiful. After Blue Underwater and again, one of the highlights. Underwater is an important part of the show, like the strongest part of the building. Lollipop and Popular are big US favourites and for that reason expectedly on the set list. After them no Tomorrow or Sanremo but we got Elle Me Dit instead. A kind of a must in French speaking Montreal. A good, well and loudly appreciated performance. Happy Ending had a beautiful ending part on the both nights. The Montreal audience seemed to know the value of this special detail and that made me happy. Extremely energetic Love Today, and again, the band doing a great job. We Are Golden and after that a quick disappearing backstage before Grace Kelly. Then the Tiny Love reprise and Stay High before everything is over.

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