MIKA @ Le Poisson Rouge, NY - June 23 2009 - reports, photos and videos

Oh, he dedicated Lonely Alcoholic to Michael Musto, who I *believe* is a notorious reporter for Us Weekly. Look out for that I guess?

And don't ask me how I know. :-P

Wow, that's just perfect. I've actually stopped giving him things (as he is getting so many) until I will find something of which I'm sure he really wants it. That shirt certainly fits into that category. But now he's got one already... Hmmm...

And he also has got a back pack with lights on it...oh this will take some time of consideration to find the perfect gift!

Maybe flashing lights can be a clue...hmmm!?

Heather, he left the piano because of the feedback on the microphone. I've got a video! :/ But yeah, they were the ones yelling during Over My Shoulder too.

That's the shirt he wore for the paint photoshoot

I'm sure s.o. will have picked up on this, but it would be an amazing washing product that could clean that shirt. Mum working on a production line more likely

Sitting in our hotel room with Sunshine931 and Cassiopee, trying to gather our thoughts.

It's been ****IN AAAAMAAAAZING!! Seriously. The energy was incredible, we were like right on top of the tiny stage, it was very similar to the setup at The Roxy, and Mika was relishing it.

Queuing was fun, we spent tons of time doing the usual gossiping/chatting/moaning that we were tired , and the icecream van was just an incredible touch.

We worked very well with the security and Team Mika, enforcing the numbers/time of arrival system, and it paid off. Of course you always get a few asses who try their luck at cheating the system, but luckily karma worked its magic and we all got the positions that we deserved based on the arrival time. I still can't get my head around the fact that some people are that selfish and bad, but I guess that at this stage in my Mika gig queuing career I should know better.

On another order of things, I can't believe that Mika actually fleeted that icecream van for us. It was also high quality ice cream, not just any crappy old thing. It was also very cute that, as Kate was saying, Mika's family kept coming over to remind us that we had to have some free icrecream, on Mika. So sweet.

The gig:From the start it was so clear that the crowd was totally up for it, and of course he picked up on this and it magnified his own energy.

We were to the left of the stage, practically on top of the piano (it was tiiiny), and got tons of eye contact and lovely smiles from Mika while he sung.

At one point during Rain, he smirked and pointed his mike at Mana and I asking us to sing. It was hilarious.

A bit of a downer was the fact that some rude peeps were chatting away during Over My Shoulder, and Mika kept shushing the crowd, but of course some would just keep speaking and making noise throughoutthe song. Dan looked a bit bothered by that as well. It's just rude, and it upsets me.

We tried to make them stfu and of course these things don't really work, but hey, we tried.

Anyway, the gig was absolutely fantastic. Fantastic. He just gave his whole heart, and totally lost himself in the music. He did an especially heartfelt performance of Lonely Alcoholic, which was incredibly beautiful, and Happy Ending was also particularly amazing tonight.

Since we got into the venue, and saw that we were standing right next to the celesta (spelling??) where Mika does Toyboy, Christine, Deb and I were super excited thinking: OMG, he's going to be standing here while we lean onto the instrument (we were literally squashed against it!!), so we were gleefully looking forward to Toy Boy .

Little did we expect that, when he started, some over excited girls who were standing next to us started touching him whilst he was starting the song, and to be honest, I think that it was this and not the slight feedback problem that caused him to retreat back to the safety of the piano.

 

In any case, it was one of the best performances that I've seen of Toy Boy. In fact, I will say that, except for the one at The Roxy (which will always remain the best in my mind because it was the first time that he did it and you could tell how much it meant to him to see the audience's reaction), this was the best Toy Boy that he's done. IMO of course.

 

He was SO excited!! HE kept smiling and laughing and repeating that we were fooking amazing, etc, and you could just tell how thrilled he was. Obviously, so were we, so it was a great combination.

He told us that he had a cold/sore throat and he was losing his voice, but that we were the best crowd to lose it with, implying that we were helping him so much. It was really touching.

At one point I noticed that he kept doing this thing with his hand at us, towards the place where Mana and I were (really, the two of us are a TERRIBLE combination when it comes to front row fangurliness ) like saying 'come up!', but it was so subtle that I didn't quite know if he meant that he wanted us to go on stage or not...He kept doing it and then did it again for another song, at which point it actually looked like he was going to grab Mana's hand, so we just jumped on the stage because it was just really clear to me that he was asking us to do that.

I think that *cough* I may have been the first one to get up there *cough* , but in any case we had a full stage a few seconds later so hey, it was fun.

After the gig we were a bit worried that he wasn't actually asking for the stage invasion, so someone (I think Mana?) asked him if that was what he wanted, and he said that yes, that was what he was trying to do, to get us up there.

It was good to get the confirmation, as we've always had this conversation where some people think that he's clearly asking for it, and others think that he's not unless he specifically pulls people up. So, mistery solved .

Oh and when we thanked him for the gigs and the tour, he actually told us that it was great to have us follow him around, that he loves seeing our faces at the front all the time at the different places, and he actually told Mana and I that when he saw us there, "he knew that it would be a good one", hahaha! That must have been one of the sweetest things he's said, seriously. He's such a sweetheart, I mean, how can one not melt when he says things like that. Sigh.

Ok, this is all for just now. Cassiopee has dropped off to Mika dream land so Sunshine and I will now see if we missed anything and post again if we come up with some new stuff.

Super, lovely. Jealous as hell!

Finally, back -- don't know if I can actually write a report yet, but wanted to comment on those I've seen so far:

The show is one of the best shows I have EVER seen in my life, and definitely the best Mika show I've seen (London and 2 Paris).

I just want to echo that. It was incredible. There aren't enough

superlatives. Mika was fabulous.

Here's a link for some pictures I took on Flickr:

 

 

(I tried uploading them directly to the forum but it failed)

 

Hope everyone enjoy them

Thanks so much, Christiano (did I get that right?)! And thanks for

the fantastic photos. It was great to meet you yesterday!

(above looks like Jack Violet's hair...am I wrong??)

You are not wrong

Ice Cream Truck was THE BEST ice cream. So nice. Mika's mom and brother kept coming out, telling us to get more. It was free.

 

The orchestra was like "WTF?" I'm sure the looks on their faces will show up in pics.

LOL! to both, Kate, especially about the orchestra. We were getting

really annoyed at the one guy in the front who clearly did NOT get

the whole Mika thing at all!

Since we got into the venue, and saw that we were standing right next to the celesta (spelling??) where Mika does Toyboy, Christine, Deb and I were super excited thinking: OMG, he's going to be standing here while we lean onto the instrument (we were literally squashed against it!!), so we were gleefully looking forward to Toy Boy .

Little did we expect that, when he started, some over excited girls who were standing next to us started touching him whilst he was starting the song, and to be honest, I think that it was this and not the slight feedback problem that caused him to retreat back to the safety of the piano.

 

In any case, it was one of the best performances that I've seen of Toy Boy. In fact, I will say that, except for the one at The Roxy (which will always remain the best in my mind because it was the first time that he did it and you could tell how much it meant to him to see the audience's reaction), this was the best Toy Boy that he's done. IMO of course.

 

He was SO excited!! HE kept smiling and laughing and repeating that we were fooking amazing, etc, and you could just tell how thrilled he was. Obviously, so were we, so it was a great combination.

I agree with you about the girls, Sara -- it was a shame. I really

think it freaked him out a bit to see all those hands coming at him,

touching him.

Oh and when we thanked him for the gigs and the tour, he actually told us that it was great to have us follow him around, that he loves seeing our faces at the front all the time at the different places, and he actually told Mana and I that when he saw us there, "he knew that it would be a good one", hahaha! That must have been one of the sweetest things he's said, seriously. He's such a sweetheart, I mean, how can one not melt when he says things like that. Sigh.

I know

 

Deb decided that she was not hungry, so she went off to hotel before we went to find the restaurant.

 

I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye properly to everyone -- I just hit the wall.

I'd been up since 5 a.m., had been standing all day,

had just gotten over a virus, and I'm nearly 50... What can I say?

When it started to rain really hard, I just

knew I was too cranky to be around human beings, so I grabbed the

first cab I could. I have to tell you, that bed felt soooo good.

So who wrote to arjanwrites with the photos???

Arjan tweeted asking if anyone was going to the gig the other day. I

replied to him, and I guess a few other MFCers did too. I think Mana

updated him with texts from the MFC twitter account.

He didn't sing GGG last night?

Nope. Not sure why.

Did they check IDs?

Yes.

so did mika wear the wiz hat?

No. He very pointedly said, "No," with a smile, of course.

Hey guys. Just joined. Great to see you guys yesterday, you seem like a good bunch.

 

Here's a pic, I have about 50 more on this facebook page, just follow the link:

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2734496&id=2308083&l=28e22f7e3c

 

Hey, it was nice to meet you yesterday! Great photos! thank you!

did u meet dcdeb also?

Yes, she did.

My gig report:

 

Wow.

That's why I'm having trouble writing anything. How can I top Mana's

brilliant summation?

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

I love reading all of these reports. It's like living vicariously through all of the people who were there. Hopefully one day, I can go to a gig too and meet other MFCers.

PART 1

Sorry, you all can’t get away with just a “wow” and some from me….

Okay. This report is just about the gig itself. Later, after some sleep, I’ll post about New York City, the venue, the queue, what worked with the queue and what didn’t, how great my fellow MFCers are, the ice cream…oh and a special, sweet story about Andrew (standardtoaster) helping out a real VIP he didn’t even know was VIP.

------------------------------------

Even before Mika stepped on stage, we knew this show was going to be absolutely amazing. What can I say about this venue…it was tiny. The venues Mika played on the European acoustic tour were all very intimate, but for all intents and purposes Le Poisson Rouge is nothing more than a tiny club in a Manhattan basement. The stage was probably 15-20 feet long, at most, and barely knee height on me and I’m only 5’1” (155cm). There was what Mika has been known to call a “stick about “, a little extra bit that sticks out of the stage that was used for the keyboards for the opening act – and for Mika, used for his own private little dance party.

The orchestra came on first. There’s this ridiculously tiny stage, in a basement in New York City in front of 700 people, and Mika whips out a freakin’ string section (complete with the ridiculously amazing silver hats he’d had for the string players in London and Paris). Followed by Alexander, who sat down at the piano – to check the tuning? Then Martin, Dan, and Cherisse. And finally, our Mika. He crossed in front of the piano to get to the bench, and he was literally close enough that, were the front row so inclined, they could have reached out and grabbed him. I mean, being a GA gig we were right up next to the stage, and I actually had to move my hand when he came out to make sure Mika didn’t step on my fingers! Unbelievable.

*disclaimer*

For anyone who has never been to a gig, hasn’t been to a gig in a while, or lives in an untoured land – you might not want to read the next few paragraphs. I truly want everyone to know I’m not trying to brag or make anyone feel bad, but in order to describe how it felt to see Mika in such a venue I’m going to use a lot of superlatives. Oh, and it may get rather sappy.

From the first notes of Grace Kelly, I knew this venue would be magical in its own right. Each of the European shows I saw was special in its own way, and New York City would be no exception. It was like getting aboard some wonderful time machine bound for 2006, and seeing Mika in the kind of venue he would have played when he was very first starting out – only, with the sparkle, polish, and repertoire that nearly three years experience brings. And there he was, maybe six feet away from me; I could reach out and touch the piano, if I were so inclined, and he was right on the other side of it. It doesn’t get more intimate. He launched into Lady Jane after Grace Kelly, which was absolutely stunning. It’s one of those songs that’s just so much better live than on the album. When he sings slow songs like that, you can tell that this isn’t just what he does; it’s who he is. Mika is art, music, passion, and creativity and I really would believe those qualities permeate his day-to-day existence; even when he’s just vegging out in his flat eating snacks and watching soap operas. But on stage, he is truly, absolutely a treasure, and seeing him like that in such a tiny, intimate venue was such a gift.

Have you ever been walking home, looked up and noticed an absolutely stunning sunset? The kind where the sky is such a palette of reds, oranges, pinks and indigos you actually have to stop for a moment, take a breath, and look a second time to make sure the colours you’re seeing are really real. And then even for a second, you pause and take a moment to think of how great the timing was to be able to see such beauty, because sunsets are so fleeting? I feel that way about Mika’s music, the way he puts so much realness into his music – and that’s times a thousand for songs like Lady Jane and Over My Shoulder.

It’s what I said after my first gig, it’s what I said after the secret gig at the Roxy, and it’s what I’m saying again because I really, truly feel it, more and more strongly each time I see him perform. I mean, I hope and pray that Mika’s career spans decades, and if I have the chance I will be there to support him, getting on planes to cheer him on 20, 30 years from now. I hope to take my future children to his shows, even when said future children are college graduates. I am so “in” this, and I’m in it for the long haul, baby. But even if Mika makes music until he’s old and grey, in the grand scheme of things, that’s still a very short while for something so…what’s the word to use? Magical, precious, special, beautiful. None of those words seem quite right. Look at it this way. Fifty, 150, 300, 500 years ago – at no point in history prior to 2007 was there Mika music. And even if Mika makes music and performs until he’s 80 years old – a stretch, obviously – that’s still only a 50-some year period in the entirety of human history that this brilliant performer is active, creating new amazing things and taking his art around the world. And we get to be there, watching him, loving him, immersing ourselves in everything he has to offer. We are so, so fortunate.

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

 

If that shirt were green, he'd look like Kermit the Frog!!!:roftl:

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

 

I love his shirt!

PART 2

What I *can* say is that Mika does this because it’s something buried deep within him. I was talking to Alexander briefly, Mika’s friend and countertenor who has been providing backing vocals on this tour. I asked him, what does he make of where Mika is at today, having known him before it all “happened” – was he surprised by it? And he just looked at me…as though I’d asked him if he was surprised that the sun had risen another day, or that hey, there’s rain in the forecast for London. “No,” he told me, quite simply, a very matter-of-fact expression on his face. “I always knew this would happen.” He went on to explain that even in secondary school, he knew that Mika was destined for this sort of thing. Lucky, lucky us that it’s all happened just as it has. To have all that talent relegated to writing “stick you” songs in a basement flat while studying geography would have been one of art and music’s greatest travesties.

Mika was in quite a good mood for this gig, although he let the crowd know early on he wasn’t feeling 100%. “I’ve always wondered what would be the scenario to do a gig with a cold or a sore throat,” he told the crowd (as though he’s never performed ill before).“But if it had to happen, I’m glad it happened with you; thank you for helping carry me through.” You never would have guessed though, based on his vocal performance; he sounded absolutely amazing. That’s another thing about these tiny venues is that you just cannot possibly achieve such acoustics in an arena or a stadium. Again, for those who haven’t seen him live or haven’t seen him in ages, this sounds spoiled and bratty – but really, after seeing him in these venues, to see him in some massive arena with a huge stage, giant barrier and sub-par acoustics will be such a let-down. This acoustic tour really has spoiled each and every one of us who were lucky enough to see him on it.

He performed all the songs from the EP, with Blue Eyes and Lonely Alcoholic quickly ascending to positions within my top five favourite Mika songs. I really hope that when he does a “proper” tour, he at the very least keeps Blue Eyes on his set list. And with Lonely Alcoholic, he really needs to not hold back when he sings the line “Cause the dirt on which we’re stepping” the second time. On the studio version and in Paris the second night, he absolutely went all out, throwing the power of his voice behind that line; in London, the first Paris show and then in NYC, he sang that verse a second time like it’s sung the first time – much more restrained. A shame, but obviously still beautiful.

At one point Martin started playing the first notes of Blue Eyes; Mika shushed him, then a cheeky smile spread across his face as he said something like “one thing about it being acoustic…it means I can change things!” I think he then inserted Lonely Alcoholic before Blue Eyes.

Later, he was going to do Toy Boy at his little celeste/organ thing, whatever it is, but he played a couple notes and then went back to the piano saying “Every night of this tour, something goes wrong!” I’m not sure if there was something technically wrong with the instrument – it sounded like there may have been some feedback issues - or perhaps the fact that it was practically positioned *in* the audience made him uncomfortable. Where he would have stood, though, he was SO CLOSE to the audience that we could have, I don’t know, reached over and untied his shoes if we were so inclined (and I think some people further back may indeed have been trying to touch him, which was obviously a bit odd). To take pictures at that distance would have been of zooming-in –on-his-nose-hairs kind of close. So maybe that was just a little too close for comfort; maybe there was something wrong with things on a technical leve. Maybe a little of both. No big deal, though, ever the professional Mika played a great version at the piano. I was able to shift around and basically watch him while essentially sitting on the stage. That was utterly amazing. I mean, he was right there, in muted light except for a subdued blue stage light behind him, providing a sort of halo effect as he sang. It really was one of those “is this really happening?” moments. I cherished every second of it.

PART 3

I think it was before one of the new songs that Mika said to the audience “shhh….even if you’re from my record company…shhh!” I mean, seriously. If you’re there in some professional capacity I get that you’re there to drink and network first, and to hear the performance second. But seriously – shut the f*ck up when the performer is singing! The same goes for some fans further back, too, because unless there were some 50 or so record label people there, it wasn’t just them doing the yammering. Obviously the people in the first few rows were enraptured by Mika, but further back people were chattering. Anyone who chitchats throughout Over My Shoulder deserves to be clocked upside the head, I think. If you don’t care to listen, and to respect the performers and those who want to listen, then by all means – go out into the lobby/toilet/coat check area, yammer to your heart’s content, and feel free to take a spot at the back when Mika plays Love Today and you want to jump up and down. But shut up while the man is singing slower songs. At most of the European venues, especially the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, you could nearly hear a pin drop during these slow songs. This chattering thing is so not on. Grrr.

While I’m ranting, another thing that bugged me is a couple fans – not sure if they’re MFC – who insisted on SCREAMING the lyrics to every song. For his first encore he started with the acoustic version of Relax. But these fans weren’t singing the lyrics – from “Took a ride, to the end of the line where no one ever goes” they were absolutely screaming the lyrics. I’m the first to encourage singing – it creates a great vibe, and I know Mika loves it. And honestly, when you have a hundred or a thousand voices singing Mika’s lyrics back at him, it sounds absolutely beautiful. You can hear that on recordings of Any Other World and Happy Ending from the Dodgy Holiday tour. But there’s a distinct difference between singing along and screaming your face off, especially over an acoustic version of the song. So girls, if you’re indeed MFC, or if you happen by here – think twice before screaming your heads off at the next gig. *rant over*

For whatever reason Mika skipped Good Gone Girl and went right into Over My Shoulder. I was feeling almost upset during Over My Shoulder because it is just THAT good in these acoustic, intimate settings with Alexander singing with Mika. And the thought that I may never see that again is like being told that never again can you taste the most amazing Belgian chocolate truffles you’ve ever had the pleasure of savouring (again, insert “I know I sound spoiled” disclaimer here for anyone who hasn’t ever heard him perform that live). What I’m trying to say is that I loved the Dodgy Holiday Tour, and I’m the first to dance like a drunken, suicidal elk to songs like Big Girl and Love Today. But these performances of Over My Shoulder have been among the absolute highlights at each of these acoustic shows. That song is such a great showcase for Mika’s ethereal, spine tingling can-anything-that’s-real-actually-be-this-good level of vocal prowess, and also of the way he can communicate through the piano despite being a self-proclaimed “sh*t pianist.* That portion where he tones it down, plays slowly and quietly then comes back in forte is a stroke of genius. When I hear that song live, I feel as though I’m really bathed in everything that multi-faceted Mika has to offer musically.

The way the stage was laid out Mika was right in front of me at the piano, and Alexander was in the far corner of the stage, to the audience’s left. On the parts where they sing together, I was absolutely torn between watching Mika and watching Alexander – Alexander has a really, really beautiful voice himself, and obviously having been friends for so long, he and Mika have a certain special camaraderie as well. I spent the first verse they sing together watching Alexander, then the last verse watching Mika, wishing I had a second set of eyes, and perhaps a few more ears for good measure. The only word is stunning. Sappy, yes, but I was really doing my damndest to hold back the tears.

He did the storm effect again after Over My Shoulder, which is clearly intended to wake the audience up and get them back into a party mood after such a mellow song. Dan (the new bassist) is a star in that, getting right into the theatrics of the whole thing. Imagine being in this basement nightclub, the lights go down so it’s almost totally dark, and you hear thunder and rain sounds filtering through the speaker system. Mika and the band crawl around as though they’re caught in gale-force winds, then switch to beating on trash bins. For this one, Mika was on the “stick about” and Cherisse and Dan were right in front of me – again, a situation where they were all so close I had to be careful they weren’t stepping on my fingers! It’s really an incredible sensation to be pressed up so close to a stage that when Mika jumps, I can feel the stage bounce in response. Lucky, lucky, lucky.

I think Big Girl is one of the songs he’s most confident about, and really enjoys playing live – he really plays to the audience while performing that song. For this gig, he spent a lot of time on the “stick about” – I was really impressed, actually. Again, we were all so close, but despite being able to no one was really groping him or crossing any sort of line. I really think the man should be able to get that close to his audience, to be right up there feeling everyone’s energy, and yet not have people grabbing his legs or anything of the sort. Despite being literally close enough to clearly make out the “GAP” logo on his grey boxer-briefs. And that’s exactly how it went – people reaching up to him, but no one (that I saw) groping or mauling him. So, NYC front row – very classy. Thank you.

Mika introduced the band, and Dan got a moderate amount of cheering, bless him. The crowd cheered a lot louder for Martin, and Dan looked at him and went, “hey, they like *you!*” Aww. It’s okay, Dan, we like you too! I love his charisma, he’s a fabulous fit to the whole onstage family. Martin is fabulous, though – he’s great at catching the front row’s eyes, clapping, and getting everyone clapping along. Which is even more important when Mika’s on one side of a huge stage in the future, that the audience have something engaging to look at on the other side.

I love watching the musicians interact with Mika. He’s so fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants that they have to watch him continuously, waiting for his cues on how he’d like them to play. He’s got this whole little sign language with them, Cherisse especially. Like during Love Today, he wanted her to keep going with a thumping steady beat, so he made a fist and pumped it back and forth to indicate what he wanted. I can’t even remember what song it was or what he wanted them to do, but he made eye contact with Dan, Martin and Cherisse, held up the number two, then gestured back at them and at his own eyes to say “watch me, follow my lead.” I would love to have a conversation with them about how working with Mika compares with other artists. Are other artists as apt to change things? Do they have to be so ready to go with the flow, with other artists, or is Mika unique in that regard? I find it fascinating. The string section, on the other hand, aren’t quite as adapted, haha. There was one gal especially who spent the better part of the gig with a “WTF?” look on her face. I mean, they managed to roll with it and do what Mika wanted of them, but I think they were perplexed by the whole thing – especially since Mika mentioned he’d only met them that afternoon!

PART 4

Now, Happy Ending is one of my favourite Mika songs, and as usual, it was amazing. I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t begin by playing the melody on the piano like he did in Amsterdam, but it was still fabulous. I shifted forward, and was basically sitting on the side of the stage watching him play this song. Watching that was just this feeling of intensity from someplace I can’t identify, with all the different emotions involved in all of this all reaching fever pitch at once. He stood up for the latter portion of the song and went to the front of the “stick about” and hit some of the most amazing money notes I’ve ever heard him pull off. I’m telling you, sore throat? We truly had no idea. He sounded as though he was in perfect form, his voice sounding better than the second Paris show, even. Forget Grace Kelly, Happy Ending is one song he needs to make sure always stays in his set list.

Then came Lollipop, another trash bin fiesta of fabulousness. The room was filled with giant silver balloons, same as he had in London and Paris. The thing is, the ceilings were so low and the room so small that every ten seconds, I was getting smacked by one of these balloons! One would hit me in the back of the head, I’d go to bat one back toward the further rows, and another would come clock me in the forehead. It was awesome though, I wouldn’t have had it any other way! That one string player I mentioned before though – I thought she was about ready to bolt off that stage, trying to preserve any remaining dignity she might have left, she looked so gobsmacked at the whole thing. Heh.

Mika went off after Lollipop, then came back to do Relax. I was gutted, because on the setlist – which was basically right in front of me at the beginning of the gig – he had My Interpretation, Any Other World and Rain as the first encore, and Relax as the second. The idea of missing out on those three songs, plus Good Gone Girl, was quite a downer. But he did Relax, My Interpretation, Rain and a second rendition of Love Today on encore. This is going to sound awful, and I’m almost embarrassed to write it. You know how people joke about going to gigs and being so close the musicians can sweat on them? Well during one of the fast songs toward the end, Mika was right in front of me and when he turned, I felt something wet hit my forehead. I can’t be 100% sure of course, but it certainly looked like when he turned, he’d been sweating, and some of his sweat actually hit me (and possibly a couple people around me). God, that’s so freakin’ funny. Still can’t believe I wrote that, haha.

During Rain I could see him looking over at me a lot. I think it’s because for Rain (well, for all the songs, actually) I was singing along to every word and he was likely thinking, “how the hell does this chick know every word to these new songs?” Haha. I think it’s likely the same chunk of my brain that allows me to understand 20-30% of what I hear in Dutch conversations after 48 hours in the country, or to write these ridiculously verbose gig reports – my brain is programmed for language, and that goes for lyrics as well. I mean, I had Toy Boy memorized word for word less than a week after the Roxy show in LA; that’s just how my mind operates.

Anyhow I saw him looking at me, and then toward the end, on the verse that goes “More than this, whatever it is, baby, I hate days like this. Caught in a trap, can’t look back, baby, I hate days like this!” he actually came over and held his microphone out to Sara (sariflor), Christine and I. I shudder to think what that sounded like to his ears – singing is certainly not my strongest attribute, to say the least, but we certainly gave it a go.

During the encores – the fast part of Relax, Rain, and then during Love Today there were at least three occasions where he looked right at me, right in my eyes, and I could swear he was motioning to launch a stage invasion. It was subtle though – I think in some venues, he can’t be seen physically pulling fans on stage. But it was definitely there, and at one point he even reached for my hand. I really didn’t want to misread him, though, and knowing that it was a tiny stage covered in confetti, and that he wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t want to read too much into it and think he was giving me signals when he wasn’t. But after that last one – which was his third or fourth try to get me/us up there – Sara was like “seriously, he wants us, ****ing GO ALREADY!” and hopped up on stage. I waited about 0.0084 seconds and followed her, moving toward the back of the stage. This of course set off a fullscale stage invasion, and everyone had a dance party with Mika toward the front of the stage, in front of the piano.

He absolutely loves these stage invasions, no question there. I mean obviously there may be days where he’s not feeling up to it, and oftentimes the venue isn’t conducive to it, either. But when everything works, he has an absolute blast up there being worshipped by his passionate fans – and I think he’s really quite empathetic, and knows that it means the world to the people who have the chance to get up with him. By the time the venue security realized what was going on, though, I think they almost had a collective heart attack. The one security guard started to tell people to get off the stage, panicked look on his face, and one of Mika’s stage people ran over and told him no, that it was okay, let them stay. How freakin’ cool is that?

After the song ended Mika made his exit, and being that I was still toward the back he walked right past me on his way out. I then turned, high-fived Martin, and did the same to Cherisse. It was such an amazing way to end this gig, and this whole tour. Just wow.

After the gig he did come out and say goodnight to the people who had queued up, despite feeling under the weather. John was behind him, dutifully holding an umbrella over his head so that Mika could have both hands/arms free to interact with his fans. As Sara said, when he came over to us he was really sweet. He does have a great memory for people, and he is only human. So when some of the same people turn up in more than one city, he really feels embraced by the support he gets from such fans, and I think gravitates toward them out of a natural human desire toward familiarity. I thanked him for a great show, and he actually thanked me for following the tour! I asked him if he wanted to cringe when he saw Sara and I in the front row yet again – and, as Sara already mentioned, he said “No, when I saw you I knew it was going to be a good one.” How sweet is he? I asked him then if he had indeed been signaling for a stage invasion, if that’s what he’d wanted – and he said oh yeah, that was indeed what he was after. It’s good to know he did indeed want that, so we don’t have to wonder if we misread him and he was miserable for those 2 minutes, thirty seconds.

After that, he said goodnight, got in the waiting vehicle, and was off. Another sappy thought, but it’s a little hard to watch him leave. Again – goodnight sweet Mika, thank you for sharing your amazing, life changing magic with us.

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

 

nice picture... you are not kidding when you said "close"

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...3&l=28e22f7e3c

Number 27 is a candidate for babs!

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

 

laurita in wub mode :wub2:

If that shirt were green, he'd look like Kermit the Frog!!!

Oh, and one pic because I'm not the greatest photographer, even though

we were so close:

 

very nice the pic

PART 1

 

Sorry, you all can’t get away with just a “wow” and some from me….

 

Okay. This report is just about the gig itself. Later, after some sleep, I’ll post about New York City, the venue, the queue, what worked with the queue and what didn’t, how great my fellow MFCers are, the ice cream…oh and a special, sweet story about Andrew (standardtoaster) helping out a real VIP he didn’t even know was VIP.

 

------------------------------------

 

Even before Mika stepped on stage, we knew this show was going to be absolutely amazing. What can I say about this venue…it was tiny. The venues Mika played on the European acoustic tour were all very intimate, but for all intents and purposes Le Poisson Rouge is nothing more than a tiny club in a Manhattan basement. The stage was probably 15-20 feet long, at most, and barely knee height on me and I’m only 5’1” (155cm). There was what Mika has been known to call a “stick about “, a little extra bit that sticks out of the stage that was used for the keyboards for the opening act – and for Mika, used for his own private little dance party.

 

The orchestra came on first. There’s this ridiculously tiny stage, in a basement in New York City in front of 700 people, and Mika whips out a freakin’ string section (complete with the ridiculously amazing silver hats he’d had for the string players in London and Paris). Followed by Alexander, who sat down at the piano – to check the tuning? Then Martin, Dan, and Cherisse. And finally, our Mika. He crossed in front of the piano to get to the bench, and he was literally close enough that, were the front row so inclined, they could have reached out and grabbed him. I mean, being a GA gig we were right up next to the stage, and I actually had to move my hand when he came out to make sure Mika didn’t step on my fingers! Unbelievable.

 

*disclaimer*

 

For anyone who has never been to a gig, hasn’t been to a gig in a while, or lives in an untoured land – you might not want to read the next few paragraphs. I truly want everyone to know I’m not trying to brag or make anyone feel bad, but in order to describe how it felt to see Mika in such a venue I’m going to use a lot of superlatives. Oh, and it may get rather sappy.

 

From the first notes of Grace Kelly, I knew this venue would be magical in its own right. Each of the European shows I saw was special in its own way, and New York City would be no exception. It was like getting aboard some wonderful time machine bound for 2006, and seeing Mika in the kind of venue he would have played when he was very first starting out – only, with the sparkle, polish, and repertoire that nearly three years experience brings. And there he was, maybe six feet away from me; I could reach out and touch the piano, if I were so inclined, and he was right on the other side of it. It doesn’t get more intimate. He launched into Lady Jane after Grace Kelly, which was absolutely stunning. It’s one of those songs that’s just so much better live than on the album. When he sings slow songs like that, you can tell that this isn’t just what he does; it’s who he is. Mika is art, music, passion, and creativity and I really would believe those qualities permeate his day-to-day existence; even when he’s just vegging out in his flat eating snacks and watching soap operas. But on stage, he is truly, absolutely a treasure, and seeing him like that in such a tiny, intimate venue was such a gift.

 

Have you ever been walking home, looked up and noticed an absolutely stunning sunset? The kind where the sky is such a palette of reds, oranges, pinks and indigos you actually have to stop for a moment, take a breath, and look a second time to make sure the colours you’re seeing are really real. And then even for a second, you pause and take a moment to think of how great the timing was to be able to see such beauty, because sunsets are so fleeting? I feel that way about Mika’s music, the way he puts so much realness into his music – and that’s times a thousand for songs like Lady Jane and Over My Shoulder.

 

It’s what I said after my first gig, it’s what I said after the secret gig at the Roxy, and it’s what I’m saying again because I really, truly feel it, more and more strongly each time I see him perform. I mean, I hope and pray that Mika’s career spans decades, and if I have the chance I will be there to support him, getting on planes to cheer him on 20, 30 years from now. I hope to take my future children to his shows, even when said future children are college graduates. I am so “in” this, and I’m in it for the long haul, baby. But even if Mika makes music until he’s old and grey, in the grand scheme of things, that’s still a very short while for something so…what’s the word to use? Magical, precious, special, beautiful. None of those words seem quite right. Look at it this way. Fifty, 150, 300, 500 years ago – at no point in history prior to 2007 was there Mika music. And even if Mika makes music and performs until he’s 80 years old – a stretch, obviously – that’s still only a 50-some year period in the entirely of human history that this brilliant performer is active, creating new amazing things and taking his art around the world. And we get to be there, watching him, loving him, immersing ourselves in everything he has to offer. We are so, so fortunate.

The last paragraph is so true:wub2: *fangurl mode on* Mika is not just a singer...Mika..is a way of life hehe *fangurl mode off*

Don't want to quote everything Mana ... but just again ... you do it to me everytime girl ....

Mana, you're amazing.

Thanks for your ........lengthy.............. report.............

PART 1

 

 

 

When he sings slow songs like that, you can tell that this isn’t just what he does; it’s who he is. Mika is art, music, passion, and creativity and I really would believe those qualities permeate his day-to-day existence; even when he’s just vegging out in his flat eating snacks and watching soap operas. But on stage, he is truly, absolutely a treasure, and seeing him like that in such a tiny, intimate venue was such a gift.

 

 

It’s what I said after my first gig, it’s what I said after the secret gig at the Roxy, and it’s what I’m saying again because I really, truly feel it, more and more strongly each time I see him perform. I mean, I hope and pray that Mika’s career spans decades, and if I have the chance I will be there to support him, getting on planes to cheer him on 20, 30 years from now. I hope to take my future children to his shows, even when said future children are college graduates. I am so “in” this, and I’m in it for the long haul, baby. But even if Mika makes music until he’s old and grey, in the grand scheme of things, that’s still a very short while for something so…what’s the word to use? Magical, precious, special, beautiful. None of those words seem quite right. Look at it this way. Fifty, 150, 300, 500 years ago – at no point in history prior to 2007 was there Mika music. And even if Mika makes music and performs until he’s 80 years old – a stretch, obviously – that’s still only a 50-some year period in the entirely of human history that this brilliant performer is active, creating new amazing things and taking his art around the world. And we get to be there, watching him, loving him, immersing ourselves in everything he has to offer. We are so, so fortunate.

I too, am in it for the long haul and I knew from my first glimpse of Mika that he was especially special. But just think, when you're taking your growing up children to see Mika, I might not be around. What a weird thought ....

PART 2

 

Lucky, lucky us that it’s all happened just as it has. To have all that talent relegated to writing “stick you” songs in a basement flat while studying geography would have been one of art and music’s greatest travesties.

 

Mika was in quite a good mood for this gig, although he let the crowd know early on he wasn’t feeling 100%. “I’ve always wondered what would be the scenario to do a gig with a cold or a sore throat,” he told the crowd (as though he’s never performed ill before).“But if it had to happen, I’m glad it happened with you; thank you for helping carry me through.” You never would have guessed though, based on his vocal performance; he sounded absolutely amazing. That’s another thing about these tiny venues is that you just cannot possibly achieve such acoustics in an arena or a stadium. Again, for those who haven’t seen him live or haven’t seen him in ages, this sounds spoiled and bratty – but really, after seeing him in these venues, to see him in some massive arena with a huge stage, giant barrier and sub-par acoustics will be such a let-down. This acoustic tour really has spoiled each and every one of us who were lucky enough to see him on it.

 

We must hope that he will always precede his new albums with 'acoustic' and 'intimate' tours

Loved your report so far Mana:wub2:

It's true... He's much more than just an artist.

And at SW, I felt a bit like that beauty of the sunset part.. Like I had to close my eyes, open them again to check if I really WAS there. And if really there was such a great person standing in front of him...

*Fangurly*

I just dunno how to express it any further:blush-anim-cl:

Mana, may I enroll for your fanclub?

oh mana... what a report!

i just want to you

I know everyone has said this but, Mana, your report was amazing. You are so eloquent!