LaraMay

They must be sure there's no conflict? I mean everyone in production must be aware he is doing both?

Since it's in different countries I would guess there would be no conflict, but wow, why is he doing all of these judge works all at once??

But do you really think they pay him that much it's worth it just for the money? I mean just for being a judge? It's difficult to believe. If they do pay enough I hope he has a good plan behind it. That he is doing something for money to be able to do something else. I hope his plan will work out.

 

I must sound like a bad fan but I'm not really worried about his career. I'm fine with these othre projects, I just want him to also do music and perform and my only worry is that he is taking other projects one after another to avoid starting a new album (because he is nervous or something) and I would LOVE to hear him saying something about his new music to prove that thought wrong, lol.

You're not a bad fan Nina We all love and appreciate him I also think he has big plans for the money he's earning from all of these talent show judge work, clothing line, swatch, projects etc; At least that's the feeling I get so it's not all that bad really as long as he continues to release his music and has some creative plans for the future.

I'm just tired of listening to him speak Italian and French and not understanding a single word. Also, I'm just not a fan of these shows because the judges are really rude to many of the contestants at times for entertainment reasons and because it's really not about song writing. Why do covers when you can write something original and fresh for people to hear? Anyway, I'm complaining again, I'm sorry It is entertainment for television so it's an entirely different business from actual music creation business, etc, like Mika once said. Hope Mika enjoys his time at these shows then does something that's respectful to his amazing talents as an entertainer and song writer.

I'm not so sure he's listening to his PR manager's advice,or anyone else's

He's listening to the easy money...

No comments except for this; I wish I was Mika's PR manager and advicer who he would have to listen to. These career choices he's making are

Thanks for reading my report, Karin!

I didn't expect to be all that impressed from seeing the Faroe Islands compared to a tropical island at first either, but once we arrived there, you could feel a special and peaceful atmosphere there for some reason. It's not for everyone and I told my friend, who also loves to travel, that she probably wouldn't like it because there's not much to do there really, except for walking around and enjoying the scenery, so I can understand that not everybody would enjoy going there. Personally, everything captured my heart about the Faroe Islands except for the extreme cold weather there.

And yes, I also hope Mika brings his creativity back for his next tour.

Yes it was FREEZING cold there, Eriko I wore three dresses on top of eachother, one jacket, one leather jacket and a winter coat all at once lol And I'm from Sweden so I'm supposed to be used to cold weather.

Lots of photos here (sorry if posted already) So many kids lol (and us)

http://nordlysid.fo/mika+tok+ahhoyrarnar+vid+storm+tad+svingadi+a+vagsbo.html

And some meet n greet while me and the girls were freezing outside

http://nordlysid.fo/pol+eydfinn+og+rogvi+hittu+mika.html

Yeah that's Mel Mika looks really happy, that's nice to see.

Found out about the homophobia topic on wikipedia. You can also find it in the english wiki version but it doesn´t contain as many details as the german one. Anyway... I think there wasn´t any trouble backstage. At least we/I didn´t saw any aggressive behaviour

I wouldn't believe Mika would actually start a fight hehe That was just a bit of my odd sense of humor

I´m still not back in real life so why not to write a report?

 

I started my way to Daeni´s place on Friday after work and arrived 3 hours later. Karin, her hubby and Saskia were there already. We had some work out at the trampoline before Angela, Grazia, Valeria and Luisa arrived. Before we went to bed everybody worked on their cards/gifts for Mika. On Saturday we started our trip to Avenches around 7am and arrived shortly before 8am. Queue was about 14 people already. The area was very fan-friendly, which means a café, restaurant, supermarket and toilets were very close We checked out the area and Daeni found a parking spot directly at the backstage entrance where we had the presents. They opened the area at 4pm. It was quite a mess for me cause I had a 2-days ticket for Thursday and Saturday (couldn´t get days off for Thursday and Friday ). I asked at the ticket office before if I need any wristband or something and they said: “No you´ll fine with the ticket!”. Yeah obviously not. Never trust “I-do-this-****ing-job-only-because-of-the-money-so-what-the-****-do-you-want-from-me”-people behind the ticket office desk. OF COURSE I needed a wristband and a friendly guy from the security went to this office with me again and I got my wristband. Thankfully he was german and I told him about the chaos in the morning and that I couldn´t get days off at work and that it was the reason I´m only here today. He gave me his email address and said I´ll get half of the ticket price back. Isn´t that kind? After a really short “Awww”-moment it rapidly went to a “WTF-I-will-end-up-somewhere-in-the-back-without-my-mika-friends-FUUUUCK”-mood and was close to cry and then I decided to run! Thanks to Karin, Saskia and Daeni who saved a spot for me in the front row! Was so happy! It was sooo hot, I felt like I ended in hell. The first band of the evening was quite good. They mixed electronic music with kind of jazz music. The second band or whatever they call themselves really wasn´t my taste in music as I prefer techno or dance. It was french (I don´t speak french) Hip Hop. I asked myself in a 2-minutes-rhythm “WHY?!” Yesterday I found out that they are homophob and that they had very very bad lyrics in their songs about gay people. Years ago they said something like: “We´re 100% homophob!”. Everytime I think about it I get so angry about the festival management. How could they only think about getting both acts on stage on the same day?! Anyway….Mika was about to come on stage. Maybe it was just me, but when he entered I immediately saw that he was in a very good mood! Never seen him this powerful in quite a while. He loved it from the very first moment. In my opinion we had too much things planned. Needed so much time for everything like balloons, confetti, party hat, taking pics, dancing….I´m not that multi-tasking. I just wanted to enjoy the gig itself. I tried my best anyway

After the show we got wristbands for the aftershow party. We managed to get the gifts out of the car and backstage. Saskia and I prepared the self-made cake with 30 candles. Then someone said “He´s coming!” I only answered: “No.” Yeah and there he was throwing confetti all over us. That didn´t calm me down as we still needed to light all this candles. I learnt from Colmar that it´s good to have more lighters with you…just in case. Bla blab la, it didn´t work the way I planned it. So that was my silly sentence “Gleiche Scheiße wie in Colmar!” LOL which means “same **** like in Colmar”….brilliant. I should learn to shut my mouth when I see like a thousand cameras lenses. He thought the same when he heard “scheiße” LOL cause he looked a bit weird. The moment when he received the gift was soooo special. His reaction was priceless. I don’t lie when I say that I will never ever forget this moment for the rest of my life. In this moment I was so grateful for everything he gives us with his music and his awesome and kind personality. And I looked at the smiling MFC and thought “Thanks to this tall guy next to me I know all you crazy and lovely people!” I was smiling all the time and forgot that I was crying during WAG-confetti-rain cause it was so emotional and I didn´t want it to end. The last year was incredible!! I also had the chance to give my little silly gift and he laughed…so I guess he likes them. Not comparable to the ROH seat of course haha!

Anyway…I ended up with a bottle of champagne in my hand cause there weren´t any glasses left. I sat on the pool with champagne and a cigarette. I was happy LOL Craig was testing “my” champagne when he passed Nina, Saskia and me and was like “Ok, it´s good. Go for it!”. I had the chance to talk to Joy. She´s so lovely. Will miss her and the rest of the band! I really hope it wasn´t their last show with Mika! I also got the opportunity to thank Tim for all those amazing shows. He replied: “Well that´s our job, we should thank you!” and bowed. Awww it was an amazing experience and I´m really glad I had the chance to be in Avenches for Mika´s 30th birthday! After I came back home yesterday I slept the whole day..and guess what? I´m still tired

Thank you Deb, Christine and Karin (and anyone else I forgot) and thanks to all of you lovely people who made it such a great night! And Daeni , Thank you for everything, couldn´t have done this gig without you!

 

WTF? What a bunch of idiots. I hope Mika kicked their butts backstage; Maybe that's why he was in a good mood? lol

Thanks Miri and everyone for your reports!

Happy Birthday Mika!

Same here (:

Can someone please give him a warm "Happy birthday" from the Israeli fans pleeease??

Oh and will this show be streamed live?

There might be a live stream or some clips here tomorrow, they've streamed another artist's show there tonight it seems according to their FB

http://2013.rockozarenes.com/en/tv

Wow that Polka Dot book looks awesome!

here it is, the little overrated teaser of yesterday's show:

video is still processing so the quality should improve in a few minutes.

Thank you Karin! Very exciting to see, but yeah he should've performed at least one verse of it before giving up on the song

Louiza tweeted he did just a bit

I know but a bit is better than nothing

Did he really perform Overrated? MFCers; Please tell me one of you filmed it if he did

according to tweets, it's his last gig in France this year and he did a bit of Overrated =O

SAY WHAT????????? Omg

Aww thank you everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my review

It seems like MFCers are in luck!

 

We received an email telling us Mika's gig will be streaming live!

 

here's the link:

 

http://www.ustream.tv/simple-sziget2013

Oh yay! Coolness, will be looking for Nina in the front row.

Ok, I'm exhausted but it's time for a review before it's too late.

This was one of the most pleasant trips I've taken overseas and I enjoyed seeing the Faroe Islands with Nina even more than seeing Mika live again to be honest. This is my only Mika gig this year and it was enough until the next one (hopefully soon). Anyway, the Faroe Islands were absolutely stunning. It's a peaceful, spiritual, beautiful and enchanting place where all you can see are mountains, farm animals, waterfalls and an untouched beauty of nature.

I couldn't imagine how incredible it would be when I booked the flight with Nina earlier this year and I'm so happy we decided to see this show together.

Travelling with Nina was an absolute pleasure because as you all know she's very sweet and kindhearted and easy to get along with; So thank you for being my travel buddy, Nina; Lets do it again soon!

Before we got on the plane, I bought a coke bottle randomly and the name 'Jacob' was on it. By a strange twist of faith, we sat next to a man named 'Jakob' on the plane and he was going to Klaksvik! He was very helpful and helped us take the right buses to the town and was very friendly like most of the people on the Islands. Very down to earth, simple living people; Which I absolutely adored because it reminded me of my childhood and growing up in a small town with friendly neighbors. The only downside to the Faroe Islands is that it is absolutely FREEZING COLD there. I was naive and wore my sandals and leather jacket and it lead to me having to purchase a winter coat just to survive. Nina bought some shoes for her cold feet.

When we arrived in Klaksvik, the tourist information desk alarmed us that our previously booked room at a nearby the festival bed and breakfast was cancelled, so they had booked us an apartment in a house about fifteen minutes away from the festival area. Here's a photo of the (red) house that I took

It was actually much nicer than the B&B because it was located in the mountains with an absolutely breathtaking view of Klaksvik's mountains and rivers, so we didn't mind that it was a bit far away that much.

About our festival experience; Everybody who worked at the festival, from the security to the volonteers, seemed very confused and laid back about the information about opening hours and rules, etc; And we weren't sure when or even if the doors ever opened because people were inside the festival even before and no one bothered to check wristbands.

It was difficult to find a restaurant in Klaksvik as well so me and Nina starved until right before Mika got onstage and we felt very weak.

About the show: The only downside was the crowd because it was pretty much only children and teenagers watching the concert; Which made me, Nina and Yulia feel old and ridicilous in a way.

They all went beserk as soon as Mika got onstage and started to push and shove and act violent; And that made us feel not only uncomfortable but also concerned (as the grown women we are) about the little children's safety. A lot of kids had to be taken out of the crowd by security which reminded me of Michael Jackson's concerts (where girls and boys would faint just from seeing him), except these girls and boys were really really young people who were about to faint. It was all very discomforting and they shouldn't had been allowed to be there by their parents but let me just say that I saw a little girl smoke a cigarette carelessly and was shocked, after the show. I think these parents are okay with their kids having fun once a year or something at this festival but it still concerned us. It was also very difficult to enjoy Mika's show when you constantly had to fight for yours and others' safety because security at the show just didn't seem to care; Except for a few times when they carried the kids out of the audience and another (funny) time when a horrible, teenage boy, who had been drinking too much and was yelling for Mika to do 'RELAX!!! RELAX!!!' throughout the show, started to knock Nina from behind on her head; Which worried me. We called the security and they were just ignoring us, but then, all of the sudden, one came up to us, looking furious at the boy, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer in a threatening manner, between Nina, then simply pushed him back into the crowd: It was crazy! Funny but crazy. And sometimes, a group of ten of them would come to us in a big mob and point their flashlights into the front row but without doing anything else but distract us from Mika lol

It was almost impossible to actually watch the show like we normally would because there were constant distractions and discomforts going on in the front row. The kids would try anything to get to the front row, so they would all push and push and push throughout the show. Nina tried to distract herself by taking photos with the professional camera she managed to be able to use inside and I was too, but the photos didn't turn out as good as they usually would because of the white balance and light on the stage.

I only filmed two songs; Rain & She Tells Me / EMD and a bit of Lollipop, which was the last song he did. As for what I managed to see from Mika; He was in top form and full of energy. He was obviously in love with the Faroe Islands and kept telling the audience that it was the most beautiful place he has ever been to, which we agreed with of course. Everyone should visit the Faroe Islands because it is truly stunning. The stage was perfect for a Mika show I thought, because he had a giant ramp/cat walk to walk down and pose and dance on. As naive as I am I actually thought he would perform 'Overrated' because they played it during soundcheck, but Nina told me he had done that before many times and it didn't mean he would perform it.

I wish he would change his setlist because I'm actually growing weary of hearing the same songs live over and over again; Although I must say that 'Underwater' was amazing, echoing through the mountains. I also enjoyed 'LYWID' and 'Elle Me Dit'. I know he's supposed to please the mainstream crowds with his old classics but as a long term fan I wish he would trade in one or two songs at least every now and then for new songs like 'Overrated'; Yes I love that one; But it really would be amazing live; He could even open up a show with that song it's so powerful. I just don't understand why he's settling with the same stuff live over and over again. I would go mad if I had to perform the same songs month after month at gigs. Yes, the band did alter some of the songs and I did enjoy Mika's piano intros but I guess I'm just one of those demanding fans; I want a new concert set and new songs; Even if it's just one or two; Or I'll grow weary of seeing him perform I'm afraid.

But like I said; He's one of the greatest live acts I've ever seen so it's always worth it to see his shows. He's Mika after all and a very unique and free artist. I would just like him to shock us a little more; Suprise us long term fans; Which he does do sometimes but I want it more often.

Now it sounds like I'm putting Mika down but I'm not; I have faith in him that he will surprise us with his next album and future projects, I really do; That's why I'm still his fan; And because he's not full of himself and stays humble to his fans; Which he proved to us again after the show. We gave him some birthday presents as he was being driven out of the festival area with the always lovely Mrs Penniman, and he seemed happy to see us.

We also bumped into him by a coincidence at the airport just as me and Nina had checked in and he seemed happy to say goodbye and chat a bit to us, as he was swarmed by little children (again) asking for autographs, which was really cute to see actually The little girls were so adorable.

So, to end this review; It was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life travelling to the Faroe Islands with Nina and it felt really intimate to be one of the few long term Mika fans who were there amongst all of those teenagers and children. Don't worry; We were careful so they wouldn't harm themselves during the show.

I would love to go there again some day and go hiking for a week or something. Thank you to Nina & Yulia (and of course Mika) for contributing to this very special experience; 'Til next time

MY PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laramay/sets/72157635000916559/

MY VIDS (more soon):

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?feature=addto&list=PLtLnnppEMa7QHt8SpytBEJRKUUeEhIEnE

That's good to hear. I really wanted to get to this one - I have visited the island once before and thought it was lovely. I am glad you had a great time

Thank you, yes it was one of the most amazingly beautiful places I've ever visited! I'm depressed now that I'm back in Sweden because it was such a peaceful and spiritual enviorment in the Faroes. I definitely would want to visit the islands again and go hiking or something for days.

Oh dear:shocked: that doesn't sound good.

It was a wonderful trip and great show though anyway; A special experience considering the funny surprises from the festival, and 'Underwater' was amazing with the mountains around us and Mika pushing a lightbulb front and back

So I really didn't think it was a bad experience, it was fun and me and Nina had a wonderful time there.

Oh and why does Mika tease his fans by soundchecking' Overrated' yet not performing it?? Almost screamed when I heard it at Soundcheck XD it sounded SO Good!

Going home now so I'll write a review (it will be a funny one) tonight, but lets just say that the audience was REALLY annoying lol

The Faroe Islands was absolutely beautiful though and Mika was at his usual impressive self onstage and very polite when we met him.

Could hardly take any videos or photos because me, Nina and Yulia were pushed, crammed, tortured throughout the concert by little children! At the same time it felt like babysitting and watching out so no little children were hurt in the crowd. Security were hilariously amateurish too lol

I'm sure he'll perform in London again very soon, maybe not this year but perhaps next. Last year he performed four different gigs there (although one was a club one and the other a festival one) so don't lose hope.

Hm, by the way. Have anyone of you read Michael Jacksons books? I don't mean biographies I talk about Moonwalk and Dancing the dream. He wrote wonderful stories and poems. One of my fave title is called the thirsty fish, the other animals there don't understand how a fish can be thirsty because there is so many water around him. Or the poem dedicated to Ryan White( for whom is also written Gone too soon) the boy who died on AIDS. So sensitive and it always makes me cry:tears:

Yes I have those books and I absolutely love Dancing The Dream and reading his beautiful poems and stories. My favorites are the ones he wrote about animals being mistreated, they always make me cry. He was also great at drawing which some people don't know. Here's one of his drawings of himself as a lonely child:

And here's one of his stories from Dancing the Dream:

LOOK AGAIN, BABY SEAL

One of the most touching nature photographs is of a baby fur seal lying on the ice alone. I’m sure you have seen it — the picture seems to be all eyes, the trusting dark eyes of a small animal gazing up at the camera and into your heart. When I first looked at them, the eyes asked, “Are you going to hurt me?” I knew the answer was yes, because thousands of baby seals were being killed every year.

Many people were touched by one baby seal’s helplessness. They gave money to save the seals, and public awareness started to shift. As I returned to the picture, those two wide eyes began to say something different. Now they asked, “Do you know me?” This time I didn’t feel so much heartache as when I felt the violence man inflicts upon animals. But I realized that there was still a big gap. How much did I really know about life on earth? What responsibility did I feel for creatures outside my little space? How could I lead my life so that every cell of living matter was also benefited?

Everyone who began to wonder about these things found, I think, that their feelings were shifting away from fear toward more closeness with life as a whole. The beauty and wonder of life began to seem very personal; the possibility of making the planet a garden for all of us to grow in began to dawn. I looked into the eyes of the baby seal, and for the first time they smiled. “Thank you,” they said. “You have given me hope.”

Is that enough? Hope is such a beautiful word, but it often seems very fragile. Life is still being needlessly hurt and destroyed. The image of one baby seal alone on the ice or one baby girl orphaned in war is still frightening in its helplessness. I realized that nothing would finally save life on earth but trust in life itself, in its power to heal, in its ability to survive our mistakes and welcome us back when we learn to correct those mistakes.

With these thoughts in my heart, I looked at the picture again. The seal’s eyes seemed much deeper now, and I saw something in them that I had missed before: unconquerable strength. “You have not hurt me,” they said. “I am not one baby alone. I am life, and life can never be killed. It is the power that brought me forth from the emptiness of space; it cared for me and nourished my existence against all dangers. I am safe because I am that power. And so are you. Be with me, and let us feel the power of life together, as one creature here on earth.”

Baby seal, forgive us. Look at us again and again to see how we are doing. Those men who raise their clubs over you are also fathers and brothers and sons. They have loved and cared for others. One day they will extend that love to you. Be sure of it and trust.

Many of Michael's poems were about innocence, love and healing the world. I think he could relate to children and animals in distress because he was being treated similarly his entire life ever since he was a young boy. I know that all he ever wanted was to be loved. That's what he said many times. He wanted to be the greatest performer on the planet so people would love him but instead they raised their clubs like he wrote in that poem and tried to destroy him. I really believe that he was sent here for a reason; To show how cruel and judgemental mankind really are.