The last two gigs of the year were organised in Santa Cruz, Tenerife and Las Palmas, Gran Canaria as a part of Culture and Business Pride to advance equality in areas of education, science, arts, culture and sports. The events were only a small part of the bigger schedule and in this context pride meant more equality and less celebration, even though it’s always both, and maybe for that reason the theme was less visual around the venue and the gig audiences were more varied than usual pride audiences. Even without any particular stage setting and as typical for Mika the colours were still brought on stage and I absolutely loved the both gigs and was happy to end the gig year this way. 

The line-ups had two or three smaller acts and two big main acts, Mika and the British band Keane. The crowd included fans of the both artist/band, general LGBTQ+ audience, locals and also tourists visiting the islands from different countries. From the audience point of view the crowd and especially the crowd in Tenerife was particularly mixed and heterogeneous and that way even more challenging than usual festival audiences. In Gran Canaria the audience was generally more enthusiastic and eventually very much involved. 

The practical side of these two events was in Spanish style extremely relaxed. I had bought a more expensive ticket with a separate entrance in case something goes wrong with my travelling and the line was created in that very moment when people asked where it is. In the end everything worked fine though and my travelling went also well and to be honest I truly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. The schedule was hectic of course and we had to take an early morning ferry after the gig in Tenerife to be in Las Palmas. 

The Tenerife gig was done next to a botanical garden which I visited properly the day before and quickly again while waiting for the gig. A stunning location! In Gran Canaria the original seaside venue was changed and the location was eventually quite uninspiring, empty outdoor space. However, in Gran Canaria the crowd was clearly more LGBTQ+ spirited and the energy level was definitely higher compared to the gig night before and as a result we saw a phenomenal last gig of the year. Mika was on fire and what came back to him from the audience fed the flames and vice versa. A totally unexpected but very welcome crazy, super energetic last gig of the year. Personally I still loved the Tenerife gig equally much, just for different reasons.

The best and definitely my very favourite moment in Tenerife was Happy Ending which was impressive and got a beautiful, calm and very special ending. Even though we were in the middle of outdoor circumstances the song was so stunningly beautiful I was holding my breath while listening. We have heard different variations of Happy Ending during years, sometimes fierce, sometimes purely focused. What I have loved in this year’s version is the calm gentleness. The guitar in the end is sensitive and as long as the audience stays calm the moment is one of the most important moments of the gig. The only thing that matters is the performance, like there’s nothing else in the world, and that’s how I like it.

During the Tenerife night the energy on stage was built step by step and it started to spread and when the show was approaching the end the crowd had a totally different level of excitement compared to the starting point and the process leading to it was once again something I’m never tired of watching. For me it’s like seeing a magician at work. The rise in the energy and the collective mood is literally in the air and can be felt in your body and it’s incredible, like magic. I loved following the beautiful, focused performance in Tenerife and seeing the change gradually happening. A beautiful, enjoyable experience. 

In Gran Canaria the whole mood was different since the beginning. Whereas in Tenerife Happy Ending was the most important moment in Gran Canaria every high energy song like Relax, Grace Kelly, Elle Me Dit, We Are Golden and Love Today became big highlights. In addition to those songs one of my personal favourites was definitely Billy Brown which I already loved at the Brighton Pride. The mood of the song was perfect for the occasion and I’m happy for the way the song is brought back, with fresh energy and not only for nostalgia. 

One of the most stunning parts of the second gig must have been the lights that looked particularly gorgeous. Basically without any stage setting the view was absolutely wonderful and I couldn’t stop admiring it and loved it how the bright pink and yellow in outfits stood out in the lights. I had loved watching the colour combinations and outfits already in Tenerife and seeing the bright yellow suit against the sparkling Club Apocalypso sign during Happy Ending was such a lovely moment.

We got the full festival setlist both nights and the show started with Ice Cream, Lollipop and Origin, all three suitable in the context. After months I’m still not tired of the new version of Origin and the jumping start that makes me thrilled about what’s coming next. Moments of not being able to wait what comes next create the perfect tension for the gig and the brilliant jumping little start for Origin works exactly that way. It makes me excited about the gig ahead of us, excited about life. Taking the Pride flag from the audience during Origin was appropriate and an important detail in Gran Canaria. 

During Underwater the mood was built since the first notes and the song became one of my biggest personal favourites on the second night. There’s nothing like Underwater. As always I put away my camera and mobile and was ready to purely listen and suddenly the stage was filled with beautiful, beautiful lights. In the end of the song different parts of the audience were asked to sing and the result was even better than it usually is which was clearly stated. Obviously, the singing is supposed to start with the bottom - that’s why the seated audience is always asked to stand up - and the fact was as well demonstrated in a literal and funny way.

This summer we have had several possibilities to see gigs in Spain and I’ve happily used them all and each time looked forward to hearing Live Your Life and this time the song was one of my favourites at both gigs and I realised I would have been disappointed not hearing it, so strongly I connect it to every Spanish speaking gig. In Tenerife Mika used a moment to introduce a little gift he got from the audience during Live Your Life and in Gran Canaria he asked a Scottish fan Corey on stage with him. Corey wearing the face themed T-shirt next to Mika who was in his pink rainbow trousers and white tank top was an excellent visual detail and I added a few photos of them and the matching outfits below. 

Generally the both nights included a lot of interaction with the audience. Mika was walking in the middle of the crowd during Big Girl as usual and also went closer to people several times asking them to sing or to take the Pride flag on stage. More photos in my Canary Islands photo gallery. Almost an unexpectedly fun ending for the gig year, extremely grateful for it.