Mika performed in Valladolid, Spain, at Fiestas de la Virgen de San Lorenzo on Tuesday September 3rd. My schedule allowed me to arrive on Sunday and to have one day rest before the gig. I arrived my hotel that was located in the corner of Plaza Mayor and saw a tiny little alley leading from the hotel door to the backside of the stage that was already there for a series of concerts and I immediately thought how practical for Mika and everyone else performing there. The small traditional hotel was absolutely wonderful and the older gentleman at the reception called Roberto gave me a warm welcome and a good introduction to the town and I learnt immediately that Columbus died in Valladolid and Cervantes used to live there, two facts I had no idea about in advance. The lovely and extremely helpful staff at the hotel did their best to be discreet but when I saw them early Tuesday morning their sharp expressions and particularly smart and elegant outfits made it clear they were expecting some very important guests that day. 

The stage at Plaza Mayor was actually quite small and the location and generally the circumstances seemed perfect to end the summer in a particularly beautiful way. The gig day was quiet and relaxed until 9 pm when we saw the first act of the night called Dulzaro who turned out be a fantastic discovery. I absolutely loved his performance and the style that gave folk music vibes with a unique, modern twist. Both his singing and stage performing were really good and the performance included two male dancers and some separate dance parts as well and I enjoyed the show and don’t think they could have found any better or more suitable local act to perform before Mika. During Dulzaro’s performance the pit had photographers during the whole performance and it came to my mind the same might happen during Mika’s performance as well. The event was free and no one had bought tickets, people simply gathered at the square instead. There were no formal security routines at all so it was possible the same “no usual rules” would go with photographers as well and that for promotional reasons they might be there during the full performance. 

That was not the case. On the contrary, the photographers were called away after only two songs and we actually saw Origin without any disturbance or anything blocking the view which was simply astonishing and felt like a huge gift. The whole season Origin has been one of the three first songs which means there’s usually some distraction in front of us and also that Mika is posing for the photographers during the performance. The location on the setlist in the beginning of the show with Ice Cream and Lollipop has still been very suitable, the song gives me a good gig mood and has become my new obsession. I have become thrilled about the song and can’t get enough of it. I’ve always loved the theme behind Origin and thought the title song is the best possible theme song for the album (The Origin Of Love 2012). The song has still never been my biggest favourite, simply because the singing or the power can’t compete with songs like Underwater or Heroes which are my absolute favourites on the album.

This summer something changed. Origin got a new, extremely interesting intro. Gig by gig I became more captivated by it, I started to particularly look forward to it and often after gigs listed it as a highlight and it genuinely has been that. In Valladolid I immensely enjoyed being able to fully focus on the song and paid attention to every gesture and thought once again that Mika looks amazing on stage. Absolutely amazing. How could he not, he’s beautiful and always very strict with his appearance. Still, the magic comes even more from his gestures than his looks or appearance. From the way he moves or takes off his jacket revealing the pretties top underneath or just from his postures and simply standing there. Surely those things can be planned or practiced but the personal charm or charisma - whatever we want to call it -  is either there or not. For him it’s so pure and natural. During Origin in Valladolid the effect was stunning. Without any distraction I could so easily pay attention to his every smallest gesture and the performance was absolutely amazing.

He started the performance in his white appliquéd suit like he often does. The blue suit in the photos above was used later during the night and is my favourite of all the outfits used this summer. Both the colour and the pattern are incredibly pretty and the style is truly elegant. Every time I look at my photos with this particular suit I wonder if I see a tiny hint of silvery tone in Mika’s hair and I’m not totally sure if it’s a real observation or my wishful thinking or if the shiny tone of the blue in the suit is reflecting on something Geraldine sprayed there just before the show. Mika might be a bit too young to have silvery tones in his hair but I love the thought. I love seeing natural aging in people and I only hope that one day we will see that in Mika even though it might not be typical in the industry at all.

Before Origin he started with Ice Cream and Lollipop speaking some Spanish during the latter one. He continued with long Spanish talks in the middle of the crowd during Big Girl explaining the Butterfly Lounge story fully in Spanish. After the show I saw many locals approvingly commenting on his language skills and indeed, he really did all the chatting in his now quite fluent sounding Spanish. Being able to speak the local language  creates a new dimension for concerts for sure. It brings him closer to the audience and offers people a full experience. I know better than well how it feels to miss the jokes in Italian or his emotional words about his mother before Elle Me Dit in French or just dedicating a song to someone in Spanish like he did in Valladolid. I saw videos of him meeting a local lady afterwards but during the concert I didn’t have any context so I couldn’t fully understand the speech before Underwater. The performance was still absolutely stunning of course.

In Valladolid we could obviously see the new, Spanish side of Mika. I see Mika everywhere in the world in front of the full variety of audiences and for me he is one person and one artist. Someone who is genuinely international, incredibly intelligent, talented in adapting to new environments and in every way sensitive and diplomatic with different cultures. What each country sees is a version of him. Maybe segmenting this way is a promotional strategy, maybe keeping different sides separated in his mind makes it easier for him because what he does is for sure extremely demanding. For me it’s magic to follow his adventures in different countries and languages. Charisma is not only in small gestures, it’s in bigger lines as well and it’s simply astonishing to see him appearing on stage and controlling the situation whatever the location, whatever the language that night. When a country like Spain is impressed by him I wish I could explain them that the big picture is even more impressive. What he does is admirable.

The French Mika speaks the French language and has lived his early childhood in France. He has a television career there and he recently released a French album and did a big arena tour in France. He could almost be French, in France he even speaks English with a French accent.  In Italy Mika of course speaks fluent Italian and has an impeccable knowledge of Italian culture and particularly Italian food. Actually he spent his school years and young adulthood in the UK. When back in the UK, Mika effortlessly skips the years in France and Italy like they never happened and speaks English that makes me weak. I absolutely adore his local English accent. One of the reasons I fell in love with him as an artist was the way he articulated English. These are of course only the main areas of his career at the moment. In reality Mika was born in Lebanon and during years has also spent time in the US and has roots and family there. Shortly, if you want to see someone genuinely international, follow Mika for a while. Now it was time for his Spanish side and I could see the local people loved him and the effort he made. Without a doubt they will love seeing him on television as well. 

I have seen Mika in Spain a few times during the past years but quite often in a bit formal, seated circumstances. This summer I have fully enjoyed seeing events like the one in Vilacarcia or this one in Valladolid. I was looking forward to hearing Live You Life because it has been a part of Spanish gigs more than ten years now. Maybe because Valladolid was the last gig of the tour I gave a lot of thought to different songs, the meanings behind them and particularly some background explanations we had heard in English during the summer. 

In Athens Mika talked about the relationship between his grandmother and mother who were a mother and a daughter and at the same time almost like sisters simply because the two of them were so close in age. The story of their relationship becoming a song was fascinating and even though Stuck In The Middle has always immediately brought me in the middle of the family drama it now gives more details for my imagination and I thought about the story in Valladolid when he performed the song. Depending on the melody and using the voice, some songs give an immediate feeling of the meaning of the song even without carefully thinking of it. Just the first notes of Relax bring me to the theme that is a collective caring and connection. His deep voice and the power in the music in Underwater creates an immediate atmosphere of love as a basic element in life. 

Popular song is an example of a song where I separate listening to the song and thinking of the deep meaning of it. I do both, just not at the same time. Mika often talks about the bullying he experienced at school and it’s incredibly brave of him and can help numerous young people who are in the same situation. Popular song refers to the topic yet I only rarely think about Mika’s personal experiences when I hear the song, I feel he’s distancing himself. In Valladolid, for some reason, the song made me think of him and everything he has gone through during his younger years and everything I’ve learnt about his school experiences and the whole heartbreaking topic. Suddenly this usually light pop song felt heavy and meaningful and I still think of it and that topic when I think of this gig. 

Before Elle Me Dit Mika did a long introduction talking about this mother and I understood the context but not the full speech and soon after that he appeared on stage wearing his gorgeous, light blue flowery suit. He looked absolutely beautiful and seeing Happy Ending performed in this pretty suit and in the middle of the pretty, colourful flowers was an equally big highlight as Origin in the beginning part of the show. Even his hair had that tiny, the most stunning silvery glow. The good thing in aging is realising what is important in life and being able to enjoy things that make us happy without caring what other people think or if they approve us or not. There are too many ugly, cruel things in the world. Being able to focus on music, dealing with even serious issues and themes in life through different songs and enjoying aesthetics around concerts - this absolutely elegant pale blue suit just as an example - gives life much needed balance. I genuinely believe that and it makes me happy to do that in my own life.

Tour after tour saying good bye in the end seems to be only harder and not easier at all. For Mika it means more time for new projects, for us who go to see his concerts it means we can’t know if we will ever see him again. That’s how I feel every time another tour ends. I was looking forward to and at the same time almost fearing Happy Ending which has been one of my favourites this summer. Looking forward to because the song is stunning of course and fearing because it’s a sad song and just thinking of it made me feel melancholic. The scenery looked gorgeous: the background, the beautiful lights, the prettiest ever shiny light blue outfit, the flower piano. Unexpectedly, to make the song less sad he suddenly changed the lyrics in the beginning and instead of singing “but not together” said “maybe together” which was the sweetest thing and made me almost tears of happiness. A tiny gesture that gave hope in the middle of the last gig of the tour. 

The ending of the gig was energetic, after Elle Me Dit and Grace Kelly the emotional Happy ending and then still an energy explosion with We Are Golden and Love Today. Valladolid was hit by an unexpected storm. So many people who walked at the square in the morning either didn’t know Mika at all or left singing Relax after us reminding them. After the gig they surely had a clear idea. Everyone around me seemed to be speechless after the show and we looked each other and kept repeating how beautiful everything was. I continued almost jumping a little bit because I felt so light after the show and I met some young French people who got their rainbow flag on stage and again, we all agreed the gig was beautiful. I said good bye to some really kind Spanish people I had already met at the earlier Spanish gigs and they immediately told me “we cried!” and then again “it was beautiful!”. I even rushed to the hotel to tell Roberto how beautiful the gig was because I knew he had responsibilities and probably couldn’t be at the square. 

After Valladolid and after the full summer tour I think of different countries and different languages and people of different ages and nationalities and how nothing makes me feel as united with other people and the world as Mika’s music does and how he removes the borders everywhere he goes. Feeling what he makes us feel is true freedom: the world is open and we are all equal. I want to remember numerous details from Valladolid but particularly the way he performed Origin raising the flag that was handed him from the audience and that said “you are the origin of love”. A beautiful ending for the European summer tour, really beautiful.