The gig in Manchester started in a more formal atmosphere than the previous gig in Wolverhampton and I wondered why but realised later Manchester as a city has a big importance in the UK right after London. Birmingham might be bigger in size but Manchester is definitely the second important one and simply for that reason and maybe for other reasons as well there was probably a tiny bit pressure compared to the smallish venue in Wolverhampton and I loved it how almost like to balance that Mika in the beginning of the gig during Lollipop consciously and literally asked for chaos to be our guide (“chaos, rain down on me”). 

The gig evolved a lot after that indeed and it became very moving, I felt extremely touched by different stories we heard between the songs and by the reactions coming from the audience. There was a loving vibe and the whole atmosphere of the UK part of the tour culminated and it was easy to understand how important and at the same time somehow complicated it was for Mika to be back in the UK and how much the local audience had actually missed him and how warmly they welcomed him and in the beginning of the night he started his talk to the audience “in my head you’re terrifying… but you’re not terrifying at all, you’re deliciously mad in every way”. 

The red suit and the black bowtie he’s wearing in the very beginning of the show is too formal  for me, I never really like the full suit and tie/bowtie combination but at the point of talking to the crowd he has already taken off the jacket and the bowtie, opened the shirt and rolled up his sleeves and he’s starting to look himself and at this point, the show can finally properly start. As always, I loved seeing the shirt and even the sleeves open because I literally breathe easier when I see Mika can breathe and move freely on stage. 

The gig in Manchester evolved in an emotional way and the little stories we heard about Mika’s youth and his mother were definitely a big part of it. Stories like his mother walking to his room unannounced when he was dancing on his bed in his underwear holding his Sony Walkman and imagining to be like Michael Hutchence from INXS and then as a result  “going to see Father David” on the following day. Some stories were familiar but it was the combination of everything that created the emotions. Being back in Manchester after 12 years, remembering his mother at the very same venue (I was there 12 years ago as well and can remember the details), picturing young Mika dancing like Michael Hutchence and seeing the similarity in that look and the current blue bird look without a shirt (pants, jacket, no shirt, gestures), remembering Mika in the beginning of his career at the UK gigs and seeing the amount of love the Manchester audience gave him, seeing the touched reaction at his face and eventually him almost not being able to control his voice… Yes we all had tears in our eyes. Extremely emotional atmosphere.

During the queuing I was next to Jaydon who lives in Birmingham and who was planning what to write to his sign so Mika would pay attention to it and maybe ask him on stage and I promised to think good thoughts about it so it would happen (because good thoughts matter) and then film him on stage and in the end of Elle Me Dit Mika did ask him to dance with him on stage and another dream had come true. During the gig and long after it I kept thinking of people and their dreams and also role models Mika had when he was young - he talked about them before Good Guys in Manchester as well - and I wondered and still wonder if Mika can understand that eventually he grew up to be much more amazing than any of his role models. He probably can’t see it and that’s often a part of people’s charm, not understanding how amazing they are, not seeing themselves like other people can see them. 

We heard Good Guys, we heard Popular (“you are singing, all the songs I don’t know, now you’re in the front row, cause my song is popular”), we obviously heard the most popular ever song Grace Kelly and saw the rainbow on stage. We heard stunning and very moving Happy Ending and saw the beautiful foggy scene and after that the audience didn’t give only a little bit of love, it gave an enormous amount of love and this was the most touching moment ever.

Then fierce Love Today with the gorgeous blue bird jacket without a shirt and after the Michael Hutchence reference it was quite impossible not to see the influences in his dance. And he screamed LOOOOVE moving his hand like a wing, letting it out like an amazing, colourful bird. After Love Today the show still generously continued with beautiful Any Other World and energetic We Are Golden and in the end as a lovely detail there was just Mika’s figure against the colourful flowers. Such stunning, fully satisfying show and at the same time a sweet and nostalgic trip in time. Mika likes to use the word delicious. The whole UK tour had a delicious vibe. Warm, cozy, sweet, delicious. Something you can feel with your body, almost taste. Thank you Manchester for the lovely experience.