Zenith de Lille in Lille, France 15/12/2019
What a beautiful gig in Lille, one of my favourites during the whole tour for sure. I had one of those days when everything seems to work out despite of the circumstances. Several of my trains were cancelled due to the strike but thanks to the French girls I could travel by car and that obviously made my life much easier. It was a cold day, sharply colder than in Brussels, and I didn’t much sleep or eat before the gig but felt still just fine. The security at the venue was really nice and relaxed and even though entering was messy with girls/boys queues and five different lines I could still just walk exactly where I wanted. I like my routines so having a spot I like has a huge, huge meaning to me and this time it wasn’t a challenge. Some days everything seems easy and effortless.
I got my spot and had the girls on my right and Naomi on my left and I looked at the rainbow in front of me and wow it looked so beautiful. I can’t explain why. I assume the rainbow floor itself is always the same but this time it opened up directly in front of me even more beautifully than it usually does and I couldn’t wait to see Mika appearing on stage in his light blue suit. It would be light blue, right? On a day like that it couldn’t be any other color, it was obviously a beautifully light blue day. The pre-gig music started and even though the venue seemed totally full I still magically had enough space for dancing and absolutely no one was pushing. There was even a funny Freddie imitation on stage during I Want To Break Free.
My heart was full of love as soon as I saw the background. I honestly can’t explain why but the stage and the lights looked simply perfect. I guess they are always the same but they certainly don’t always look the same. The colors look different at different venues and in Lille my view was even more stunning than it usually is. The show started and I loved the beginning even more than I usually do and I hold my breath for a moment to see the color of Mika’s suit and was relieved to see it was light blue. Of course it was. No photographers or security guys blocking my view, it felt like a fairy godmother was there making sure everything went smoothly.
Ice Cream, Dear Jealousy and Relax. I selfishly loved it that for once there was a possibility to properly enjoy these songs without too many photographers. I loved seeing the Jealousy kick. The way Mika moves, jumps and dances on stage is unbelievable, no wonder he was sweating so much he soon had to take off his jacket and pop star sweat – practically just water – was sprinkling all over the stage.
What a beautiful gig it was. Absolutely beautiful. The audience was wonderful. Mika gives his everything at every gig and it breaks my heart if the audience takes that for granted. This time it didn’t, people used the opportunity to have fun and even the back areas of the audience made noise and took part of Underwater and it was easy to see just looking at Mika’s face that he enjoyed it and it’s always deserved but with the performance like in Lille even more. Every song was like a beautiful special gift and the audience seemed to understand it.
People had organized several fan actions. During Relax some fans had confetti and Mika took the bag thrown on stage and threw the confetti on us and even though it was only a tiny moment it made me happy and nostalgic because I love confetti and miss having it all over my clothes and hair. During Platform Ballerinas the audience waved colorful pompoms and during Paloma raised origami birds and it was all a lot of extra action but with the crowd like that it luckily worked very well.
I was focused on listening, watching and enjoying and automatically paid extra attention to all the small details like the beautiful sound in the beginning of Love Today and the pretty ocean and peach colored lights and drums in Underwater and the way Mika and Max made synchronized movements with their knees during Tomorrow. I loved watching the scene during Happy Ending when the piano went down and could also so beautifully see how it went high during Tiny Love, Paloma and We Are Golden and couldn’t help but thinking that with his dotted shirt and flying pink piano Mika looks like the most elegant superhero in the world.
I didn’t take photos last night, I didn’t want to use this gig for that and was practically spelled to move my hands only according to the music. I took just a few pics of Mika and the young visitor he had on stage during Lollipop, see them below. I couldn’t understand the story behind but the girls explained later Mika wanted to invite the boy on stage because he couldn’t talk and have a chat when meeting his family earlier, during tours he doesn’t talk between gigs to rest his voice.
After We Are Golden Mika run off the stage and as always, it was time for the final climatic point of the show. Grace Kelly and the gorgeous colorful balloons dancing above the audience and when they slowly came down I could hear my favourite sentence and Mika introducing himself as Michael Holbrook.
Getting high and staying high. I’m absolutely addicted to this scene. No matter how many times I’ve seen it I want to see it again and again. The music repeating staying high, kind of promising it, the giant red heart going up from the piano and the final dance up there in front of it. After the ending scene it’s all over and I always feel like waking up after a beautiful dream and in Lille the waking up was exceptionally brutal. The venue lights went on, I had leftover confetti in my hair and I knew this is how Cinderella felt when the magic went off at midnight. And literally, I saw a huge rat running across the area next to the Zenith de Lille.
Everyone thought the gig was amazing and we shared our thoughts after the show when waved good bye to the Range Rover leaving the venue. Obviously, it can’t always be exactly like this even in the Mikaworld but in Lille it was. I wrote my report in the car on my way to Dijon and almost broke my ears when a black Range Rover passed us on the highway. You should have heard the cheering in the car. The magic continues.