Ruth

Ah, this is why I love gigs at the Roundhouse - already home with a nice hot cup of tea and some toast!

 

 

Loved most of the show though - if he could just dump Lola, EMD and Celebrate (and substitute them with Tah Dah and Step With Me), and change back to the old band, it would have been perfect!

Ah, the old band . . .

I feel mean by saying it, as the new guys were kind, friendly and helpful, but they aren't the old familiar faces

I hope you get your bag back. Have a great time everyone. Sing up!

I feel really sorry for the fans who were looking forward to this gig, especially the ones who have forked out for travel and accommodation and for those who can't travel to see him anywhere else.

However I really feel for Mika. I absolutely believe that he has laryngitis. When he sang with us before the Munich gig he hurt his throat and was holding it as we've seen him do before. I almost asked if he'd warmed his voice up properly as he seemed to bounce in to the room and start from cold. But it seemed to be his business, not mine and I didn't want to seem as if I was mothering him - his own mother was there after all!

If, running alongside his health problems, there are issues to do with the ticket sales, then I'm both sorry and amazed. These gigs have been at smaller venues anyway. Is it that he's been off the scene for so long? My son said he wouldn't have known he was back and with a new album if it hadn't been for me putting it on in the car. Plus, of course, the recession. It seems an obvious and easy cut back for people who are feeling the pinch.

What a mess.

Let's hope he recovers quickly

Mm? I don't think I did. Will check.

no sign or mention of any download other than the music.

but no snow? i mean, has it been snowing in the last days so there's still snow left on the ground? i just want to know because i guess if there's no snow i won't have to worry that much that my bus might be late.

It's only cold and frosty - no snow down here - and it will not be like you're having in Germany.

The forecast is for total grimness on Friday: very wet and very windy. Yuck yuck

Yeaaahhh!!

 

Ours are done and sent too.....oh let TM break with all traditions and let us know soon!!!!!

Public or unlisted?

Don't expect prompt from TM. We heard the day before we flew.

I imagine there will be a huge number for the UK dates. They let 10 of us do it in Munich even on a tiny stage, but there must be a limit, even if it's just the costumes.

Sure have, Lonely Alcoholic:thumb_yello:

Lovely voice, Rose

I'm so glad I did it for Munich and I'm so jealous that I won't be there to see you all in Manchester.

Somebody help me?? I guess I've written some of these wrong.

 

Sarah works in a large bank in the financial ______.

A. neighbourhood B.district C.outskirts

 

If you need a taxi there's a ____outside the department store.

A. stop B.rank C.lane

 

We sat at a pavement cafe in the____and watched the tourists.

A. square B. town hall C.bridge

 

The cathedral is a fantastic _____- you can see it from almost anywhere in the city.

A. building B. place of worship C.landmark

 

A healthy lifestyle can ____some illnesses.

A.prevent B.avoid C.expect

 

Would you ____ eat in or go to a restaurant?

A.rather B.better C.like

1. A: district

2. B: rank

3. A: square

4. C: landmark

5. A: prevent

6. A: rather

I think I'd struggle if these were in French

If I could go, I'd have bought them already. I hate it that I'll only be 5 miles or so away but I just can't go.

Oh gosh, that takes me back! I used to have a snatch of this as my text alert but my Samsung makes me use their rubbish sounds.

You should have received an electronic booklet with all the artwork with the download anyway.

 

I'm sure it counted towards sales.

Mm? I don't think I did. Will check.

Yes I heard Celebrate on Corrie. I started to recognise the tune, and then clearly heard.

"I want the whole world to celebrate!"

It made my night!

'like'

We're sad aren't we?

What he says about the French only understanding what he does with his stage show. That is not true at all, I get where he is coming from. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

This makes me feel like he is cutting himself off from the UK audience, and this makes me very sad indeed.

Is that the general consensus; that he's working France and the USA?

I bought TOOL as the deluxe download; I've no idea whether it counted towards sales; I don't see why it shouldn't. Anyway I realised I wanted the lyrics so I treated myself to an unnecessary real CD and was disappointed that there are only words to a some of the songs in the booklet.

And I was thinking about the tour - no support band, no confetti, smaller venues. Is it because people aren't going to gigs in the recession or that they aren't going to Mika gigs? My son says that he wouldn't have known there was a new album if I hadn't played it in the car, and 3 UK dates isn't really a tour. . .

So, maybe he isn't so popular here in the UK. We love him because we're used to him, but I guess he's not like the run-of-the-mill pop stars. He doesn't seem to be getting new fans.

Well I'm up for it. As long as they are no queues.

No queues - that can be his next kindness to us - and absolutely no festivals for me

Celebrate was playing on the 'juke box' at the Rovers in Corrie (Coronation street) just now. If I hadn't known it so well, I mightn't have recognised it.

Happy Ending was also behind something on an obscure channel at the weekend; those 3 piano notes are very distinctive.

Thanks for your great report and the nice videos, Ruth

Welcome

Ruth, it was lovely to meet you and share this choir experience together!

It was a blast wasn't it?

Awww I'm so glad you had a wonderful time Ruth ...

 

I didn't even realise you were going to any of the gigs alone let alone being in the Choir ... I still so want to do this ... fingers crossed - would be an amazing experience - are you going to any of the UK shows

Thanks

The official line was, 'it was nice while it lasted' as far as travelling to see Mika was concerned. And he'd been away for so long. . . . But my son and his family are over in Munich for a few years and it was a small venue, so I decided I'd go. And it really was absolutely brilliant

He's coming to Manchester in December on a night I'm already committed to something else, so I'll wait and hope for a date next year.

A friend of mine send me a pictures with Mika and me

That's brilliant

I promised to post the grouppics but they are blurry

 

 

Brilliant, Sabine. I don't even remember posing for these. Nice to meet you

Oh, I enjoyed it so much Just felt strange being surrounded by people that barely danced at all, when I was screaming, jumping and going crazy And thanks to Ruth I got in for free Thanks again!!

:

Ah! I didn't know you on MFC.

You're more than welcome

Part 3

He (Bob) also had a beer from the fridge but I was fine drinking bottles of water. Some friends of Mika’s arrived and we’d all had our time so we left and went to stand with the people waiting to see him at the stage door. It was cold; possibly -3 degrees according to the security lady. We waited around and watched the crew load the truck. Rob spotted a polka dot on the ground and picked it up for me Eventually Mika emerged, very amused by the fans who were singing, ‘We are frozen, we are frozen!’ He was lovely and friendly as he worked his way along the line. He talked about the hearts and said how much he appreciated the effort that had gone in to them.

He seemed to be taking requests for what he would sing at the next concerts. And then he was gone.

It was a totally brilliant experience, a wonderful evening and I’m terribly grateful to Mika for letting us share it like that. Bob is completely won over by such a ‘nice young man’ and could appreciate the fun and the music of the night.

Part 2

At 8pm we went back through to the stage door and flashed our sticky label passes to get in. Backstage was tiny and they had moved some of the boxes out of ‘our’ little area but we were told to sit in the dining area - we’d seen Mika eat the smallest plate of food st the table and leave. I then sat next to Mrs P and Bob was next to Yasmine as they ate. We learnt new German words from the other choir members.

Tim, Mika and Mrs P told us to move together for the best effect but the choir leader - if we had one - was at the back!

The show started at 9, we watched when we weren’t on stage from the back. I thought it sounded ropey, but that’s normal apparently. We were on for first for ‘Popular’ and Bob managed to fall off the stage! He stepped to the side into thin air between the stage and a speaker. No-one noticed so he had to haul himself back up. Looking at photos and videos, it wasn’t seen at all. I pulled my hair down for the first spot on stage but I was so sweaty I tied it up again! Mika was dripping wet and mentioned it; we were the same. The hearts in the crowd were unbelievably effective to see from the stage; it’s no wonder Mika talked about them.

We went on and off stage lots of times, nearly missing one because he didn’t do Elle Me Dit. But we sang the words to Toy Boy at the tops of our voices backstage. At one point Mika do the ‘more quietly’ sign to us but he actually wanted us to bounce down - the only time Bob appears on a photo!

He neglected to tell us to get up for our next singing but, do you know? I think it’s possible that they weren’t letting much of our singing through the speakers. . . I do know that suddenly it was all over, we’d done our encores, Mika had been carried off the piano and we’d taken a bow. Then he ran past us giving a high five along the line and that was it! I couldn’t believe it had finished. We followed him off stage and took our gowns off for the last time.

Mika got himself freshened up and changed and came out to the dining area where we were. I asked if we could take photos because our instructions had forbidden it, but he was fine and he posed with everyone and signed things. I usually give him a gold star but this time I’d made - crocheted - a poppy for Remembrance Day for him and one for his mother. I had changed back into my turquoise top and was wearing my Mika rosette from the very first time I saw him.

Because the band are new, I was showing off my long-standing fangurliness at least to myself, but he noticed and said he’d have to have more made. My husband thanked him ‘for making my wife a very happy woman.’