Gatagordinha

I've been trying to write a little report all flipping day but Real Life keeps getting in the way!! Grrrr!! Well, what can I say? this was my fourth time seeing Mika and each time has been a totally different vibe, which is why I will always come back for more, even though I can't do as many gigs as I would like to in an ideal world.. SO....I queued with ewokwicket from 5pm knowing we wouldn't be front row but would still be fairly close to the front, and to be honest it was just too cold to queue any longer without contracting hypothermia!! We spoke to or at least said hello to various other MFCers, it was really nice to see familiar faces . As ever, I was struck by the diversity of the people queuing up: from squeeing fangirly nine-year-olds to teenagers of both sexes, to students, to middle aged people *ahem* and way beyond, Mika really does have a varied fanbase, which is great to see. As for the show, I was very impressed with the visuals..the giant notebook thing is a great backdrop and helps to tell the story of the songs without ever detracting or distracting too much from Mika himself. The band looked great, I loved David's bit at the beginning, somebody please give this poor guy more credit ..thanks! Mika himself looked relaxed, confident and so assured on stage, less frenetic than I have seen him in the past but still with that incredible energy that just radiates from him and fills the whole venue...I've said it before and I'll say it again, the man oozes star quality and magnetism and anyone who can't see that needs to go to Specsavers...IMHO His voice sounded great, and the show was well paced too. Loved his Dr John coat, thought the puppet was a bit creepy (but it kind of worked in a warped Tim Burtonish way!!) and I liked the twist on the Big Girl/Lollipop girl thing, though I am very glad I didn't volunteer to be one . The M&G afterwards was a very slipshod affair, it was a case of enny meeny miney mo as to which door he was going to come out of, in the end it was slightly comical! When he did come out, he was a little rushed but as pleasant as ever, I managed to get another autograph to replace the one I ruined ..it did descend into a bit of a scrum at the end, but I think most people left satisfied. It is a shame though that some fans can't control themselves a bit more when they are around him, but in a way I think it comes with the territory and will always be thus. Sad to say, but human nature! All in all a great night out, well worth the aching legs, cramped feet and back and frozen extremities. I had a lovely time with Karen (ewokwicket) who has become a really good friend, and it was fab to see some familiar faces from the MFC (you all know who you are, I won't name names as I will only miss someone out!). Can't wait for the next tour!

See you all later everyone. Not getting there till about half four, it's too damn cold to queue and I have a poorly knee so need to pace myself. Can't wait!!!!

Yes.... I am trying to decide what to wear! Layers, I think . I'm hoping the weather will put off a lot of the casual fans from queuing too early.

Not sure. I'll be getting there at 5 though. But, I'm not bothered about being front row or anything; reasonably near the front is ok for me. 4pm sounds very sensible to me but I don't know what the really hardcore people are doing .

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I am so excited!!!!

Sounds ok to me! I always think it's a shame the Apollo isn't nearer the city centre so there'd be more pubs etc to choose from nearby (not to mention carparks etc). It's a great venue but that's a big drawback really. It's not in the nicest part of town, is it .

I rest my case. It's a conspiracy .

I was thinking of getting there around 5pm. Like you say Ruth, if it's freezing then nobody wants to be hanging around any longer than that, surely! And I hear we are in for another cold snap Do you mean the pub down the side of the Apollo near the stage door? Is it ok in there? (I like spit and sawdust pubs, as long as they aren't rough )

I agree with what you say. However he really isn't going to win that Brit this year. If he wins, I will run naked down Gloucester Road. That's how confident I am he will not win. Even so, the nomination is good. It keeps his name in the public consciousness even if his achievements have passed many by this year. Because no doubt at all there will be a lot of people in this country who will see the nomination and say "Mika? What did HE do in 2009?" Bizarre but true. Yes, he was totally robbed in 2008. He really truly deserved that Brit and was the obvious candidate. I was very miffed they gave it to Ronson.

What time are you thinking of queuing from, Sarah? Karen and I don't want to queue for too long, perhaps a couple of hours at the most (like last time, in Nov 07) Great! I take it you have seats?

bump Tickets came this morning woohoo I'm getting excited now. Hope the weather isn't too bad on the 19th

Me too. Especially Latvia. I'm determined to go there one day.

Excellent. A Mika gig in the Baltic States is well overdue!!

Believe me it's a mystery to us here in the UK too .

Yes they are! And chips to us are what you call french fries. But you probably knew that .

Should we add Stephen Fry to the list somewhere, given that Mika says Stephen took him out to lunch to tell him he ought to be more appreciated, or words to that effect? (Q article).

I'm still not a big fan of the song, although having said that I find it is stuck in my head a lot of the time lately..but that's Mika for you However the response from Boyzone fans seems to be very positive indeed from what I have seen on Youtube and other forums. This is good news for Mika and whether you think GIAA is truly representative of Mika's songwriting strength or not, the fact is this exposure is going to be good publicity for him. As others have said in this thread, I too feel a little bit guilty for thinking of Mika when the single is all about Stephen Gately really , but I can't help it.

it's ga-ta-gord-EEN-ya the y is very important

Perhaps I am just feeling strangely formal tonight I think I shall address all MFCers by their full usernames preceded by a suitable title. At least people could pronounce your username, Sadler's Wells was a nightmare for me because hardly anybody could get their tongue round mine ooer missus!

I don't know why I added the girl on there; I always do call you Caz

Thanks, that's what I thought too. It's just there seems to be some confusion out there and I was starting to wonder.. edit: thanks to Cazgirl too.

Could somebody confirm for me that Mika wrote the lyrics AND music to this song, because I'm confused, as I keep seeing in various places on the net that Mika just wrote the lyrics. I'm pretty sure that's wrong but I don't want to go contradicting people on other forums etc without getting my facts 100% straight. thanks

I haven't even watched the video yet, I've just scrolled down and read a few of the comments people have put on Youtube, and it has made me feel so sad...I really feel for those fans, I just can't even imagine what it would be like if (God forbid) we lost Mika in that tragic way. I'm so pleased that the Boyzone fans generally seem to really like the song.

I think he just writes a lot of songs. Some of them he might just feel aren't really 'him', but might be okay for other artists. The song may have started off as potentially for him (as I would imagine they all do) but didn't sound right once it was finished. I dunno Who knows what goes on in the mind of a songwriting genius . ?? I wouldn't dare to speculate (oops, I just did! ) Oh, and Ronan Fan!

Yep that's right. In those days I was so much more on the ball Mika-wise than I am now.