2009 - MIKA@Passionkirche, Berlin! Gig reports, photos & vids!! June 1

Look I'm sorry for my random explosions here, I actually do think it kinda sucks that people couldn't see anything suddenly and I agree that the paps and such have no business up there.

I think my frustration is more with the general idea that it would be terribly rude and a mortal sin to stand up at these concerts. It's a pop concert, not a dude playing the cello. We are supposed to dance and I think it is extremely rude of people to intimidate others into staying in their seats. You are ruining my gig by doing that and that is just as bloody rude as me ruining yours by standing up

there wasn't even enough seats for all, so it's hard to stay in them. However annoying it might have been for people who would rather lie down and meditate, we were actually allowed to stand there and Mika was quite happy that people quit looking like they were bored to death. And yet again I'm gonna point out that Mika's mother was stood in front of me blocking my entire view, you might wanna have a word with her so she doesn't do that in London Not that I will stay in my seat either way though, life is too short to have concerts ruined by people who would rather be watching a dvd at home

Not saying people shouldn't get up and dance, god knows that's impossible at his shows, just that it would be nice just for once, to stay where they are and do it.

The amount of shows I've been to, even seated, where all I've seen is the back of someones head, I might as well wait for the concert dvd to come out!

kata!!!

you are ruining nothing to me, i enjoyed every moment of that gig!

i think that, as mika chose to play in small theatres with seated places, that would mean something.

i'm not saying we are watching a classical music pianist, but that we are supposed to sit in a seated place.

then, if we happen to stand up to the fastest songs, i cannot but join the mass! as i did! and enjoyed!

but the premises to these gigs are different from last tour ones, like it or not

But you do have the space between the barrier and the stage, and the exits at various points around.

This is an old church, which probably only has 2, maybe 3 exits. Not built for this type of gig.

Security should have stopped them, it was a seated gig, they should have stayed in their seats.

Well, only speaking for myself of course, I had the very strong feeling that the way things turned out after 'Over my Shoulder' were exactly what made Mika the happiest. It may not apply to all of the audience, and I don't except myself from that, but he certainly enjoyed it. More than the silence in the beginning. It must have freaked him out. It freaked me out, even though I found it nice.

kata!!!

you are ruining nothing to me, i enjoyed every moment of that gig!

 

i think that, as mika chose to play in small theatres with seated places, that would mean something.

i'm not saying we are watching a classical music pianist, but that we are supposed to sit in a seated place.

then, if we happen to stand up to the fastest songs, i cannot but join the mass! as i did! and enjoyed!

 

but the premises to these gigs are different from last tour ones, like it or not

I don't mind sitting down during the whiny ballads, in fact I did return to my seat during those, but I wouldn't have done that if I had a front row spot to be honest, cause the moment you take a step back from that someone else will be there And yeah that is a bit rude, but it's frankly as predictable as it is that people will jump the queue. I can't deal with the chaos of queue jumping, but I'm quite good at not moving - if this is my chance for a front row spot then I ain't giving it up just because people in the 15th row might want to enjoy their seats - they are probably among the 50 bulldozers who nicked my front row spot in Brixton anyway

eheheheheheheh right violet!

he thanked people for that!

problem is: he decided for this sort of gigs, he wrote songs for sorrow....then he needs to make up his mind on what to expect from us!

Well, only speaking for myself of course, I had the very strong feeling that the way things turned out after 'Over my Shoulder' were exactly what made Mika the happiest. It may not apply to all of the audience, and I don't except myself from that, but he certainly enjoyed it. More than the silence in the beginning. It must have freaked him out. It freaked me out, even though I found it nice.

Yeh was kinda one of my points too, he would prefer people to climb on stage ffs

eheheheheheheh right violet!

he thanked people for that!

 

problem is: he decided for this sort of gigs, he wrote songs for sorrow....then he needs to make up his mind on what to expect from us!

His idea of an acoustic gig is definitely different from what many would have expected, that's for sure. But then he has his own definition for a lot of terms.

i'm honest kata, i cannot understand your last post

i think i'd better give up, i'm not that smart

and welcome you in front row in london....next to me you said?

interesting!

i'm lucky, being front row seated, i can stay seated as long as i want, no one will prevent me from seeing!

To join the discussion (and delay my report a bit more ), I'd like to point out that I'm obviously not saying that people shouldn't stand, dance, and whatnot.

Do I need to repeat that I was STANDING when this happened, and I could not see Mika at all?

Short of standing on my seat (which I no doubt will do if the situation arises again, where I spend my day queuing for a second row central spot and some chancer decides that they will muscle their way to the front and rob me of the view that I was meant to have), there was nothing that I could do to improve my view. And that sucks.

I could literally not see Mika at all! At all.

Oh and before anyone asks, yes, we told these people on numerous occasions that we couldn't see, asked them to move back, or to the side, and of course they either suddenly didnt' speak english or totally ignored it.

The one girl even had the cheek to tell me that I should also move ahead and join the mob. She was the one waving her arm in the air with a sheet of paper with a message for Mika on it, and her camera, and just having a blast while she stood right there in front of us.

Another guy (pap) was next to me and pushed me into the bench a few times so I told him off and pushed back.

When the gig ended he came over to speak to me and told me in no uncertain terms that this would be the last time that I pushed him, that I had had a lucky escape and that next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He looked very dodgy, typical unsavoury character, so when he said this I asked him outright: 'oh, are you threatening me?' to which he replied (while looking me right in the eye putting his face very close to mine and getting generally very close, and gesturising too) : 'yes. Watch out because next time you won't be so lucky.'

This sort of thing should never be allowed to happen, and it wouldnt' have happened if security had done their job and stopped these freaks from being there abusing us in the first place.

What this man did is a very serious thing, which unfortunately I could not report on the night because, quite frankly, after seeing how these security guys react to issues, I just knew that they would do nothing and all that I would get was the guy angrier on my case and what not.

It really left me shaken, very shaken.

After the gig, this guy was one of a group of 3-4 paps following Mika whilst he spoke to the fans and constantly snapping him. He was not a proper photographer, he was a pap. And obviously, a very dodgy character.

So yes, I have nothing against people standing and dancing, heck, I enjoy the vibe and doing it. All I ask for is some respect, and that people behave with decency. And on this occasion it just wasn't there.

The problem was that the venue was not right for this type of Mika gig. There were too many open spaces (the aisle) and it was just not possible to control the crowd properly (unless the security people had positioned themselves there and actively stopped the ones who came out to the very front.

Let's bear in mind that these people were actually standing even further front than the front row people! They were actually closer to the stage. And a few of them I distinctly remembered having gotten to the venue around 5 or 6 pm, which was the reason why they were at the back in the first place.

A theatre with no central aisles is a lot better for this sort of thing, the church was just too open a space, unless they had found a way to control that central surge.

I try to upload my videos, but have some problems. Here is one

I think it was lovely to sit during these quiet songs, like OMS! But yes, it is/was nice to dance during faster ones. And you could see that he liked that. But it was wrong that people from back rows came to stand there, and people from second and third rows could not see. I was hoping that my favorite security guy would have said something

To join the discussion (and delay my report a bit more ), I'd like to point out that I'm obviously not saying that people shouldn't stand, dance, and whatnot.

Do I need to repeat that I was STANDING when this happened, and I could not see Mika at all?

Short of standing on my seat (which I no doubt will do if the situation arises again, where I spend my day queuing for a second row central spot and some chancer decides that they will muscle their way to the front and rob me of the view that I was meant to have), there was nothing that I could do to improve my view. And that sucks.

I could literally not see Mika at all! At all.

Oh and before anyone asks, yes, we told these people on numerous occasions that we couldn't see, asked them to move back, or to the side, and of course they either suddenly didnt' speak english or totally ignored it.

The one girl even had the cheek to tell me that I should also move ahead and join the mob. She was the one waving her arm in the air with a sheet of paper with a message for Mika on it, and her camera, and just having a blast while she stood right there in front of us.

Another guy (pap) was next to me and pushed me into the bench a few times so I told him off and pushed back.

When the gig ended he came over to speak to me and told me in no uncertain terms that this would be the last time that I pushed him, that I had had a lucky escape and that next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He looked very dodgy, typical unsavoury character, so when he said this I asked him outright: 'oh, are you threatening me?' to which he replied (while looking me right in the eye putting his face very close to mine and getting generally very close, and gesturising too) : 'yes. Watch out because next time you won't be so lucky.'

This sort of thing should never be allowed to happen, and it wouldnt' have happened if security had done their job and stopped these freaks from being there abusing us in the first place.

What this man did is a very serious thing, which unfortunately I could not report on the night because, quite frankly, after seeing how these security guys react to issues, I just knew that they would do nothing and all that I would get was the guy angrier on my case and what not.

It really left me shaken, very shaken.

After the gig, this guy was one of a group of 3-4 paps following Mika whilst he spoke to the fans and constantly snapping him. He was not a proper photographer, he was a pap. And obviously, a very dodgy character.

So yes, I have nothing against people standing and dancing, heck, I enjoy the vibe and doing it. All I ask for is some respect, and that people behave with decency. And on this occasion it just wasn't there.

The problem was that the venue was not right for this type of Mika gig. There were too many open spaces (the aisle) and it was just not possible to control the crowd properly (unless the security people had positioned themselves there and actively stopped the ones who came out to the very front.

Let's bear in mind that these people were actually standing even further front than the front row people! They were actually closer to the stage. And a few of them I distinctly remembered having gotten to the venue around 5 or 6 pm, which was the reason why they were at the back in the first place.

A theatre with no central aisles is a lot better for this sort of thing, the church was just too open a space, unless they had found a way to control that central surge.

I'm sorry about all that. I didn't know.

To join the discussion (and delay my report a bit more ), I'd like to point out that I'm obviously not saying that people shouldn't stand, dance, and whatnot.

Do I need to repeat that I was STANDING when this happened, and I could not see Mika at all?

Short of standing on my seat (which I no doubt will do if the situation arises again, where I spend my day queuing for a second row central spot and some chancer decides that they will muscle their way to the front and rob me of the view that I was meant to have), there was nothing that I could do to improve my view. And that sucks.

I could literally not see Mika at all! At all.

Oh and before anyone asks, yes, we told these people on numerous occasions that we couldn't see, asked them to move back, or to the side, and of course they either suddenly didnt' speak english or totally ignored it.

The one girl even had the cheek to tell me that I should also move ahead and join the mob. She was the one waving her arm in the air with a sheet of paper with a message for Mika on it, and her camera, and just having a blast while she stood right there in front of us.

Another guy (pap) was next to me and pushed me into the bench a few times so I told him off and pushed back.

When the gig ended he came over to speak to me and told me in no uncertain terms that this would be the last time that I pushed him, that I had had a lucky escape and that next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He looked very dodgy, typical unsavoury character, so when he said this I asked him outright: 'oh, are you threatening me?' to which he replied (while looking me right in the eye putting his face very close to mine and getting generally very close, and gesturising too) : 'yes. Watch out because next time you won't be so lucky.'

This sort of thing should never be allowed to happen, and it wouldnt' have happened if security had done their job and stopped these freaks from being there abusing us in the first place.

What this man did is a very serious thing, which unfortunately I could not report on the night because, quite frankly, after seeing how these security guys react to issues, I just knew that they would do nothing and all that I would get was the guy angrier on my case and what not.

It really left me shaken, very shaken.

After the gig, this guy was one of a group of 3-4 paps following Mika whilst he spoke to the fans and constantly snapping him. He was not a proper photographer, he was a pap. And obviously, a very dodgy character.

So yes, I have nothing against people standing and dancing, heck, I enjoy the vibe and doing it. All I ask for is some respect, and that people behave with decency. And on this occasion it just wasn't there.

The problem was that the venue was not right for this type of Mika gig. There were too many open spaces (the aisle) and it was just not possible to control the crowd properly (unless the security people had positioned themselves there and actively stopped the ones who came out to the very front.

Let's bear in mind that these people were actually standing even further front than the front row people! They were actually closer to the stage. And a few of them I distinctly remembered having gotten to the venue around 5 or 6 pm, which was the reason why they were at the back in the first place.

A theatre with no central aisles is a lot better for this sort of thing, the church was just too open a space, unless they had found a way to control that central surge.

Sariflor ... I'm so sorry that that happened to you .... What an arsehole ... I've been hit at gigs before .... and been threatened ... I know how shaky it can make you feel I don't know if their ever is an answer to those kind of people ... and I find that security most of the time never want to get involved .... Hope you have a better time on Monday

When the gig ended he came over to speak to me and told me in no uncertain terms that this would be the last time that I pushed him, that I had had a lucky escape and that next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He looked very dodgy, typical unsavoury character, so when he said this I asked him outright: 'oh, are you threatening me?' to which he replied (while looking me right in the eye putting his face very close to mine and getting generally very close, and gesturising too) : 'yes. Watch out because next time you won't be so lucky.'

That sounds so scary. And you are right, the venue was not good for sitting AND standing (without security working really hard), though it was such a beautiful place. I hope this won't happen in other venues.

I was a little bit annoyed because some people pretended not to understand English

To join the discussion (and delay my report a bit more ), I'd like to point out that I'm obviously not saying that people shouldn't stand, dance, and whatnot.

Do I need to repeat that I was STANDING when this happened, and I could not see Mika at all?

Short of standing on my seat (which I no doubt will do if the situation arises again, where I spend my day queuing for a second row central spot and some chancer decides that they will muscle their way to the front and rob me of the view that I was meant to have), there was nothing that I could do to improve my view. And that sucks.

I could literally not see Mika at all! At all.

 

Oh and before anyone asks, yes, we told these people on numerous occasions that we couldn't see, asked them to move back, or to the side, and of course they either suddenly didnt' speak english or totally ignored it.

The one girl even had the cheek to tell me that I should also move ahead and join the mob. She was the one waving her arm in the air with a sheet of paper with a message for Mika on it, and her camera, and just having a blast while she stood right there in front of us.

Another guy (pap) was next to me and pushed me into the bench a few times so I told him off and pushed back.

When the gig ended he came over to speak to me and told me in no uncertain terms that this would be the last time that I pushed him, that I had had a lucky escape and that next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He looked very dodgy, typical unsavoury character, so when he said this I asked him outright: 'oh, are you threatening me?' to which he replied (while looking me right in the eye putting his face very close to mine and getting generally very close, and gesturising too) : 'yes. Watch out because next time you won't be so lucky.'

 

This sort of thing should never be allowed to happen, and it wouldnt' have happened if security had done their job and stopped these freaks from being there abusing us in the first place.

What this man did is a very serious thing, which unfortunately I could not report on the night because, quite frankly, after seeing how these security guys react to issues, I just knew that they would do nothing and all that I would get was the guy angrier on my case and what not.

It really left me shaken, very shaken.

 

After the gig, this guy was one of a group of 3-4 paps following Mika whilst he spoke to the fans and constantly snapping him. He was not a proper photographer, he was a pap. And obviously, a very dodgy character.

 

So yes, I have nothing against people standing and dancing, heck, I enjoy the vibe and doing it. All I ask for is some respect, and that people behave with decency. And on this occasion it just wasn't there.

 

The problem was that the venue was not right for this type of Mika gig. There were too many open spaces (the aisle) and it was just not possible to control the crowd properly (unless the security people had positioned themselves there and actively stopped the ones who came out to the very front.

 

Let's bear in mind that these people were actually standing even further front than the front row people! They were actually closer to the stage. And a few of them I distinctly remembered having gotten to the venue around 5 or 6 pm, which was the reason why they were at the back in the first place.

 

A theatre with no central aisles is a lot better for this sort of thing, the church was just too open a space, unless they had found a way to control that central surge.

Wish I'd been with you, his camera would have needed to be surgically removed, and he wouldn't have been threatening anyone.

Seriously, I despise paps with a passion, and if any push me around, as this guy did with Sara, I won't hold back!

There was definitely not enough security for the second part of the show. I mean it didn't get out of hand the way it could have been. But I don't want to imagine that scenario either. What if people had decided that the 'stage' would be the nicest place indeed?

Thinking about it, I really wonder how much of it was planned. Again that change was a very abrupt one, it was really a matter of extremes.

I'm tempted to say that as long as Mika is not really 100% comfortable with acoustic as in acoustic, he should just stick with what lies within his comfort zone and maybe get back to the idea later. He's got plenty of time. I'll be waiting, though.

Wish I'd been with you, his camera would have needed to be surgically removed, and he wouldn't have been threatening anyone.

:roftl:

Wish I'd been with you, his camera would have needed to be surgically removed, and he wouldn't have been threatening anyone.

Seriously, I despise paps with a passion, and if any push me around, as this guy did with Sara, I won't hold back!

That would not have been a very good idea, Rose. Sara did the exact right thing to get out of the situation IMO.

i'm honest kata, i cannot understand your last post

i think i'd better give up, i'm not that smart

 

and welcome you in front row in london....next to me you said?

interesting!

 

i'm lucky, being front row seated, i can stay seated as long as i want, no one will prevent me from seeing!

Well I'm hardly gonna block your view unless you insist on looking at the wall And nope you're not stupid, the post didn't make much sense unless you can look inside my head I guess I know it's hard to believe if you read my posts in here, but I'm always very worried that i might be rude or annoy others and I always tend to step back rather than potentially being unfair, which is why I often end up being pushed the hell out of the spot I've been queueing for. When people say that it's gonna ruin their gig if people in front of them stand up then I get incredibly angry, cause I know I won't be able to enjoy the gig without constantly looking back to see if I'm blocking anyone's view and I think that's just unbelieveably unfair

There was definitely not enough security for the second part of the show. I mean it didn't get out of hand the way it could have been. But I don't want to imagine that scenario either. What if people had decided that the 'stage' would be the nicest place indeed?

 

Thinking about it, I really wonder how much of it was planned. Again that change was a very abrupt one, it was really a matter of extremes.

I'm tempted to say that as long as Mika is not really 100% comfortable with acoustic as in acoustic, he should just stick with what lies within his comfort zone and maybe get back to the idea later. He's got plenty of time. I'll be waiting, though.

i agree 100%, getting the crowd excited as if it was a normal gig could have turned into a real danger, for him and for the crowd, as sara's experience shows.

what happened in amsterdam? same?

he requires the audience to interact and to be responding to his rhythm...but this is not acoustic and does not suits small theatres and churches, or places made for classical concerts.

You know, Kata, I don't really think the whole standing vs sitting discussion will lead anywhere, just because in the end it will be what it will be. After Berlin I'm really having difficulty to believe that people in other venues will just stay in their seats all the time. You will probably sit in the beginning, stand in the end, and get from one to another at whichever point during the show it will get from extended acoustic to well-tried.

Well I'm hardly gonna block your view unless you insist on looking at the wall And nope you're not stupid, the post didn't make much sense unless you can look inside my head I guess I know it's hard to believe if you read my posts in here, but I'm always very worried that i might be rude or annoy others and I always tend to step back rather than potentially being unfair, which is why I often end up being pushed the hell out of the spot I've been queueing for. When people say that it's gonna ruin their gig if people in front of them stand up then I get incredibly angry, cause I know I won't be able to enjoy the gig without constantly looking back to see if I'm blocking anyone's view and I think that's just unbelieveably unfair

then i'm glad you are next to me and not in front of me in london!

no big deal kata, everything will be alright, i'm sure that, when you feel the need to stand up and dance, all the rest will do, and everyone will be dancing.

and i'll keep my seated place maybe...or maybe not!

I'm sorry about all that. I didn't know.

Sariflor ... I'm so sorry that that happened to you .... What an arsehole ... I've been hit at gigs before .... and been threatened ... I know how shaky it can make you feel I don't know if their ever is an answer to those kind of people ... and I find that security most of the time never want to get involved .... Hope you have a better time on Monday

Thanks girls

Wish I'd been with you, his camera would have needed to be surgically removed, and he wouldn't have been threatening anyone.

Seriously, I despise paps with a passion, and if any push me around, as this guy did with Sara, I won't hold back!

That would not have been a very good idea, Rose. Sara did the exact right thing to get out of the situation IMO.

Violet is right. She was sitting next to me when the man came back to threaten me and she saw what he looked like, and how he spoke. She knows why she's saying this.

Seriously Rose, I am not one to hold back as anyone who knows me a bit can vouch for. If people jump the queue in the tube, I confront them. Same at the train station. Same at gigs, I am always telling people to back off when they are trying to push through and queue jump, or hurting someone, etc, etc...

I have confronted many people in my life because they were treating someone else or myself badly, but sometimes you just KNOW that it's not safe to do so.

I wish that you had seen this guy. He was properly dodgy. And I mean VERY dodgy. He was one of 'those types' that are capable of anything, and also quite a strongly built guy.

It would have been utterly stupid of me to do anything differently about the situation, and that also makes me very angry. The fact that I know that he got away with something so horrible just because I was not protected is sheit but reality is what it is. Hence why Mika's people need to think their strategy for security and organisation at gigs, because this guy was criminal material.

Heck, what he did was a criminal offence - It was very clear that he was saying that harm would come to me if we had a similar situation again.

How many pages of review do you have prepared, Sara? You know your next gig is Saturday, so maybe before Berlin is water under the bridge...

Itotally agree with you: i consider this tour is not like the first ones: if Mika wants a reactive audience, a church is not appropriate.Anyway , i'll be happy to dance on BG ,above all sing on happy ending but i'll appreciate to listen some new songs quietly;

sara, i had the same problem at ARRAS last year: disgusting.