RAK1

With the amount of colds doing the rounds at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised to see more on there later in the week. I've just got over one myself.

Probably tickets from people who can't go now, usually happens about now.

To help make it easier on the night, some advice from security at the venue.

Money sent 👍 Getting quite excited for next weekend. If anyone is in London on Friday night, it would be great to meet up for drinks.

At one of the Glasgow shows once they had a priority queue, and we both went in at the same time. So it probably wouldn't make a difference.

We did something similar at one of the shows a while back, for a few songs, got about the 3 rows from the stage to join in, for Billy Brown, Happy Ending, and We Are Golden. I'd be happy to help explain what you need to do. 👍

I don't think it is an O2 priority gig. I'm with them, and it never came up on their listings.

I don't know where anyone is getting the idea the UK fans aren't up for doing this kind of stuff. We are totally up for it. I did a message last time that stretched along the front row, with glitter letters.

I need to take many pics of the interior, it's beautiful.

Good morning from sunny Montreal 😀

If anyone has a ticket for the second Montreal show on the 16th, I would be eternally grateful.

What was he saying about something being blacklisted?

The one with his name on is public.

Curious about the other winner, there doesn't seem to be an entry with his name on anywhere.

This news kind of hit me like a steam train, I knew he was ill, and that he was pretty bad, but always hoped that he would rally and pull out of it. Sadly, that was not to be. I first met this force of nature in Birmingham, 17th May 2007, at my first Mika gig. He was so bouncy all day in the queue, we got separated in the venue, but met afterwards outside, and he invited the very first MFC pic with Mika in (who told us the best way to pose for a photo was to say 'potato', cue 20 people shouting potato while the pic was taken ?) We met many times down the years, he led us astray at his 'local' gig in Newcastle, in Blackpool we had KFC at 1am after Mika played at the Radio 2 show (this was known that night as chicken on a bench, which reduced him to tears of laughter after a few pints?) We flew to Portugal together a few years back, which was just one long laugh the whole flight, walk through the airport and to the hotel. The last gig we saw together was in Madrid, which was an amazing weekend with many amazing people (you know who you are), we got front row and Mikas face had the biggest smile when he spotted him, I think that made David's trip. So many gigs hanging out, the boombox blasting out Mika songs at Brixton before the show, various costumes as pics here have shown (SO many costumes), Doncaster Christmas show, Eden Project sing along, which Mika heard from the stage while sound checking. All good times. We always missed each other when I had jobs that took me to Sunderland, always promising each other to make it next time, but never did. Chats on Twitter about the football, teasing each other when Sunderland met Liverpool, but never mad if either lost, always good natured banter about it. Good long chats about work and family on Wassup, he was always chatty. Always made me laugh and smile. He was very fond of his mum, a lovely lady, looked after her well, loved talking about her. It felt like I knew her, but first chatting to her a couple of months back, when we lost contact with David, I was nervous, worried she might find me a bit intrusive. But she was as lovely as David described her, and we have had quite a few chats recently, keeping up with his condition. This week the conversations more heartbreaking, as you can imagine. I now find myself on Twitter seeing things that I would retweet to David, and having to stop myself, and it's hard. And with Wimbledon on next week, knowing he would have been getting excited for it, makes it harder. I have lost my friend, one of my good friends, one of my best friends. It doesn't feel real. I keep thinking he will jump out and tweet 'Surprise, anyone want a coffee ☕ ' But I know it won't happen. And that hurts. So I want to raise a cup or glass, whichever you prefer, to my friend, and to quote Mika 'it was the best time I ever had' R.I.P. FREDDIESDOUBLE