DaMango

Photos Part 1. THE BIG SHOW! Here is the mighty 5 o'clock queue! Party time! Excellent! Look at these lucky puppies, they're practically ON the stage! I think this pic is so cute. Newcomer Pandasnacks is keeping her ticket safe in her mouth, and I believe Andrew is admiring her hair. Canuckchick and moi! OK, now time for the Big Girl photos. Just a reminder, I am very self conscious, and this was a very difficult thing for me to do. So while I don't mind you enjoying the photos here, I would ask that you don't post them anywhere else. Thanks. Here are all of the Vancouver Big Girls! Yasmine gives me a fresh coat of paint. I don't know guys, I think that neon war paint is a good look for me. That's all the BG pics I'll post for now. If anyone has any performance pics or vids, let me know! They were strict about backstage photos, so I don't have anything else to show you. My concert pics did not turn out well, because I had trouble finding a good place to stand after BG. I got pretty close to the front on the right side, but there were a lot of tall people in the way. This is the best I could do. Love this jacket. Jimmy! Gosh, he is such a dream boat. I had a very nice chat with him backstage, and he just has a way of making you feel good. I hope Mika tours with him again, especially if it's in a city near me. Dreamy times 2. That's it for concert photos. Part 2 comin' up.

I knew I saw you in there, RT! I'm happy that I was able to get you into one of my photos. Especially since you were having such a good time.

I'm glad the merch is for sale online! At the concert, I bought a t shirt (the white one with "the face") and a pack of buttons. I paid for both, but I only grabbed the shirt off the counter, and left the buttons. Doh! I just consider it a donation to the Mika fund. Not that he needs any more of my money, but whatever.

Part 2. MEET AND GREET! This guy was the first to meet and greet Mika, and he also took the longest. You know, it's one thing to take pics of him when he's on stage, but I feel a bit stalkerish taking photos of him while sitting just a few feet away like this. Am I the only one who feels this way? Oh well, I couldn't resist. What a face. Alrighty, here are the group photos, which I am NOT in. *sigh* In the second one, you'll notice a bit of black sweatshirt next to Christine. Yeah, that's me. I noticed that some other people's faces were covered up, so I'm not alone. Such is the magic of group photos. Mika's so excited. We were told to make a silly face. Mika was the only one listening, apparently. Margsy, I do believe that's you and your friend, right? Sweet Mr. M, signing a few last second autographs before hopping (literally) onto the tour bus. At least he's still smiling! Ok, so right before he got up from the group photo, he asked lilmot if she wanted an autograph. He signed her CD, and I took the opportunity to shove my Dodgy Holiday EP at him. (Politely, of course. LOL!) When he took it from me, he looked at it for a moment, then said, "Oh, wow..." like he'd never seen it before. I made the mistake of not taking it out of the plastic cover, so he ended up signing the plastic. Oh well, my bad. It's still cool, and I have a good memory of it. Good friends, good show, good times. Thanks for tuning in.

Ok folks, here are my pictures. FINALLY! This is Part 1. Mika's come to town! What did we do to deserve this? Yay! Here's LA Fashionista and Christine standing in the, ahem, "front row." Lilmot and me! So, the fog machine (and unexpected heads in front of me) really cramped my style. My concert photos didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped. Some of you wanted to see his foot brace, so I shall exploit his injury for your viewing pleasure. One foot stud muffin... Steven Tyler, eat your heart out! Only Mika could make crutches look this fabulous. Lilmot and her pal Denise are thoroughly enjoying the show! (And a familiar lady is filming it behind them.) MFC in da house! It's a bit blurry, but I love this photo. That is the face of a man who is either satisfied with a show well done, or floating away on a pain pill-induced magic carpet ride. You choose. The look between Martin and Mika warms my heart.

Yes, watermarks are evil. Why can't they ever put them at the bottom of the photo in really tiny font, so they can be easily cropped out and forgotten?

His badge says "got mika?" I made it for him, and left it backstage after Big Girl. I'm glad that he found it, and that it didn't get kicked into a dark corner, or thrown away. Oh, I just realized that's my camera and the top of my head in the lower right-hand corner of the photo.

I got to see the belt in person, and let me tell you, it is really beautiful! Pictures do not do it justice. Oh My Mika, you did an amazing job. I'm actually glad that I didn't have an opportunity to give it to Mika backstage, because I so wanted you to give it to him yourself. And look, the dream came true! What a fantastic night.

Awesome! Welcome to the club.

OMG, I cannot believe I just missed all of that because I was doing the DISHES! Why??!! Why!!!!!!????? *screaming!* I bet it was glorious.

Oh my holy crap, he looks amazing! So professional and polished. Those airport pics are just brimming with joy! I am so excited for all of you. Take care of him please. Something tells me this will be a very memorable night.

I will tonight, I promise! Real life is getting in the way of my Mika-related activities. I hate it when that happens!

Yes, I am so happy that he wore it! I debated whether or not to leave it backstage, but then I thought, what's the worst that could happen? It could get thrown away, or tossed into a trunk with the costumes. It's not like I would have gotten in trouble or anything. So I was truly tickled to see it on his jacket. I actually gave him one of those badges at my first Mika gig in 2007, but I'm sure it disappeared at some point in the last 2.5 years. He definitely needed another one.

That is so awesome that you got to meet him! Isn't he such a sweetie?

Oh My Mika, I loved your report, and thank you for the photos! It was wonderful to meet you, and I'm so glad everything worked out. Pretty awesome first gig, eh? And thank you, thank you THANK YOU for posting this pic! I think it may possibly be the best photo evidence of me meeting Mika to date. Yes folks, that is the back of my head, my unruly black hair, my brown hand (whose finger tips appear to be brushing the back of Mika's hand ), and my Munny doll being handed over to him! My favorite part is that you can clearly see that he is wearing the badge I made, which is 50 kinds of awesome. Also, he has a pleasant look on his face, which tells me that I did not frighten him. Love it, thanks again! Pandasnacks, I'm so glad you've joined the club! I'm Rani, the crazy Indian chick who kept cracking stupid jokes while we were waiting outside. I was also one of the Big Girls. I have a cute photo of you, which I will post as soon as my pics finish loading. It's taking about 8 years to upload these! Argh...

Aww, thank you RT! I am glad that I met you too! Margsy, that was my camera. I will upload the photo when I get home. It may be a little later tonight, but I promise it's coming!

Rivers, I adore your report, and it makes my heart happy to see that you had an amazing experience! I may have been that mystery MFCer you were talking about. I was the Indian girl in the yellow and black dress. I totally know what you mean about not being able to say what you want to Mika. I mean, you can have a speech prepared and memorized, but when the moment arrives, it all flies out your ears, and you just have to say what's in your heart. Good for you, my dear! Hi Wildsong, congrats on being a Big Girl! I wore the pink corset in the BC show, so we're Big Girl soul sisters! I want to apologize if my comment about the meet'n'greet sounded b!tchy. I was just tired, and cranky about getting cut out of the group photo, LOL. I think it's great that you guys got some special time with Mika. It is quite the experience. I am sorry, but I don't have pics of you on stage. I was sitting on the other side of the stage, and my camera wasn't able to focus thru the fog. I only got one pic of the girls who were on my side, and you can barely see them. I hope someone comes forward really soon with some pics or video for you.

Thank you Sienna, that's very kind of you to say! To be honest, I'm surprised I could even speak proper English by the time the day was done, and it is my native language. LOL! I was pretty beat, but I couldn't sleep, so I figured I would use my time wisely, and update you kind folks. Seriously, I can't believe that I had the courage to be a Big Girl. I am terribly body conscious, and dress pretty modestly (aside from the occasional cleavage baring dress), so this was WAY out of my comfort zone. It didn't hit me until today just how odd the experience was. People like Gary Go, random crew members, and some of Mika's band were pushing past me while I was in various states of undress. Freaky! It's hard to look people in the eye while a strange pair of hands is unhooking your bra. Such is show biz, eh? I'm not home yet, so still no pics. I'm just taking a little lunch break before driving the last hour home. I look forward to seeing everyone else's concert pics, since I can guarantee they'll be a lot better than mine. Oh My Mika, I am so looking forward to seeing the photo you took of Mika wearing my button! (er, badge) I'm still giddy over it. I can't wait to get my Munny doll home, and display him with the rest of my toy collection. Unfortunately, when Mika handed the doll back to me, the ink was still wet, and I totally smeared his signature with my thumb! What a champ. I feel bad because I saw him take great care in signing the doll's tiny belly, and I had to go and ruin it. Oh well, at least I didn't smear it's face. (I won't tell you whether or not I gave the doll a kiss before going to sleep last night. )

Hey Blue Sky! I thought I'd answer your question real quick before (finally) going to bed. I actually didn't mind too much, because I had just seen the show the night before. If it was my first Mika gig, I may have felt differently. This was my 5th Mika gig overall, so I was excited to participate in the show. It was just too bad that I didn't have an assigned seat to return to, because it was a GA gig.

I just got back to my hotel, which is only about 2 feet away from venue, LOL! I'm on my phone using hotel wifi, so no pics yet. Sorry! So yeah, I got to be a Big Girl tonight. Hooray! It's definitely an interesting experience. I was in pink, so I wore the same corset as Wildsong. I've got a lot to say, so I'll start at the beginning. It was hard to go to sleep after the Seattle show, so I wasn't very rested today. I was happy that the drive only took 3 hours. Crossing the border is pretty easy on a Tuesday afternoon. My hotel is right across the street from the venue, which was handy. If you read my last review, I was supposed to meet John at 5pm in order to be a Big Girl. Well, I waited in the cold with the other MFCers, and a few other people. (the Pacific Northwest really isn't into all-day queing, apparently) I confessed more weirdness to Christine, and Mana shared her Burger King Poutine with me (Which I had originally thought sounded like a dessert. Um, it's not). John came outside closer to 6pm than 5, but that's ok. I ran up the 4 flights of stairs to the ballroom, and Mika was soundchecking. Very cool! He was singing Relax, and wearing some very cute casual clothes. (V neck sweater and khaki pants) I went backstage, and met his mom. I'd seen her a couple times before, but we'd never officially met. After receiving approval from Mrs P, I had to go back outside in the cold, because they didn't need me until 7:30pm. Drat! Andrew was busy gathering up more BGs, but it proved to be a difficult task, and he was shot down rather rudely by some girls. Not nice! So, 7:30 finally rolled around, and we were allowed backstage. The stage door opened once before we were allowed in, and I saw Mika standing there. The next time the door opened, he was gone. They must have whisked him upstairs to his dressing room so that us crazy fans wouldn't attack him. Just kidding! The dressing process was long, and a bit hectic. It was weird walking around in those stockings and ruffle pants, I felt so foolish and naked! I talked to Gary Go in the lounge after I was dressed, and it was awkward carrying on a whole conversation while dressed like a showgirl, lol! Yasmine kept having to reapply our neon body paint, because we kept smudging ourselves. I felt a bit stressed, because I didn't want to screw up my costume before I even set foot onstage. I didn't actually see Mika until right before he went on. He came down the stairs with the band, and I was afraid to talk to him. I heard that he never talks before a gig, so I just stood there, in the dark, trying not to be noticed. Well, he did notice me (as well as the other BG next to me), and said hello, so I figured it was ok to talk to him. I said hello back, waved like an idiot, then said the first thing that popped into my head, "Only for you, Mika, would I go onstage in underwear. Only for you." He gestured to his painted, naked torso and said, "Hey, I'm right there with you." Yeah, well, Mika, what you got goin' on is a lot more attractive than what I've got! I didn't say that, but I felt like it. He also told us that our dancing should be a little more outrageous (meaning raunchy) because this was a 19 and over nightclub gig. Yes sir. If you want ranchy, I will be raunchy. It was fun watching the band's backstage ritual, and Mika getting into his space suit. During the part where his rocket "explodes", the smoke machine blew the biggest burst of smoke into the audience! Mika laughed hysterically, and said that the smoke machine probably killed everyone in the front row. It was awesome watching the opening number from backstage. I felt like I was back in college, waiting to go onstage for an opera production. It really brought up a lot of old feelings. Oh how I miss performing! Sorry, getting sidetracked here... So, John was responsible for cueing us onstage. It was so sweet, he was dancing, and trying to get us pumped up and excited. When it was time to go on, I stopped feeling silly and self-conscious, and just had fun! I danced as, um, raunchily as I felt necessary, and focused on my MFC buddies in the front row. It was over so quickly, which was sad because it had taken so long to get ready. We were helped out of our costumes, then shooed out the door! LOL! I felt bad because it took me a long time to get back into my normal clothes, and I left clutching my camera, so I think they thought I was just hanging around and trying to get more pictures. I totally wasn't, I'm just really slow, I promise! Oh, I forgot to mention that I gave Mika's mom a little gift before the show. I brought some colorful glass bead necklaces for his mom and each of his sisters. I told Yasmine that their beautiful photo shoot in Elle magazine inspired the gift, because they are such beautiful and colorful ladies. Also, the necklaces were from India, and I'm from India, so they had a little DaMango flava. Mrs. P put her necklace on right away, and then hung one around Yasmine's neck, because she was busy painting one of the big girls. They were so sweet, and I'm glad that I got to give them the gift in such a personal way. Oh my, all I've done is talk about myself. Sorry about that. So, yeah, Mika was there, and he put on another great show. I didn't get a very good view of the rest of the concert, because the floor was pretty packed. I also felt a bit lonely, because I couldn't get back up to my buddies. My photos and vids didn't turn out so well, because there were too many heads and arms in the way. I still enjoyed the music, and just let myself take it all in. It may be a while before I see Mika again, so I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. After the show, we didn't get backstage passes, so we waited in a cold dark alley for a meet'n'greet. My hopes weren't high, because M was still injured, and probably very tired. Fortunately, the scary alley was a good place to be, because his lovely band came outside, and hung out with us for a while! There were only about a dozen people waiting, so Imma, Jimmy, and Cherisse graciously took photos, and signed autographs. I brought a mini Munny doll, and had them all sign it. (If you don't know what that is, google Kidrobot Munny. They're very cute, and fun to customize.) About 15 minutes later, a very sweet man on crutches made his way outside. He looked beautiful, and I noticed that he had one of my world famous handmade "Got Mika?" buttons pinned to his jacket! (I had stealthily left one backstage for him on top of a wardrobe trunk. Hee hee.) I squeeled, "You found my button!" And he said he thought it was great. My little fangurl heart melted. The M&G was quick autographs only, so still no photo with him. Oh well. I gave him my Munny doll to sign. As he drew a rather wicked face on it, I told him that I'd written him a song, but was unable to get it onto a CD for him. I asked him if it was ok to send it to him, and he said sure. (I guess that means I'd better finish recording it!) I then reminded him of our conversation last year, about how I had promised we would sing together one day. I told him that I was sorry it hasn't happened yet, and how he must be very disappointed. I'm so cheeky! I then told him not to worry, because I'm working on it. He smiled (and probably thought to himself, "What is wrong with this girl?") Anyway, he finished his autographs, and John helped him into his car. We all thanked him and said our goodbyes. I had a wonderful warm feeling inside as I headed back to my hotel. First of all, I was so happy to reconnect with my wonderful MFC friends, and meet some of you for the first time. Second of all, Mika is just plain inspirational! I am not particularly star struck by the man, but I am very inspired by him musically, and as a person. Let's face it, the world needs more people like Mika, especially the entertainment industry. His talent, kindness and grace make me very proud to be a Mika fan. Thirdly, I got to dance in my underwear in front of a few hundred strangers. All in all, this was a good day. Thanks for reading!

You rock, lilmot! And your friend Denise was a lot of fun! More fun memories with you, love it!

Ok, I'm going to make this quick, because I gotsta get to bed! I need my beauty sleep for Vancouver tomorrow (er, technically today). I'm very tired, so please excuse the typos. First and foremost, yes, the seating situation was ridiculous. I didn't imagine I would be trying to film around people's heads, because I was supposed to be in the FRONT ROW! Argh! Thank you Moore Theatre, for creating an imaginary "pit section", and selling a few more seats 2 days before the show. Not cool! Ok, rant over. On a happier note, the show was AWESOME! Even with a bum foot, the man knows how to put on a great show. He was happy, and giddy, and bouncy. Unfortunately, the bouncing resulted in M hurting his other knee. Boys! When will they learn that they are NOT invincible? He was quite giddy tho, probably the result of the painkillers. He talked about his "f-ed up" foot a couple of times. One of the most hilarious moments was when he started asking people in the audience about the problems they were having. One girl in front said she had a boot on her foot also. Mika says, in the cutest voice, "Oh, we're twins!" His singing was great, and I loved the new set. I tell ya, the ol' boy keeps getting better and better. The events after the show were a bit weird and wonderful. Mana, the rockstar herself, got us backstage passes to meet M after the show. (It wasn't actually backstage, we just waited in the theatre for him to come join us.) Oh, and I finally got to meet the legendary Christine! Wow, what a gal! She made me feel so comfortable and relaxed, that I divulged all of my deepest, darkest, dorkiest Mika secrets to her! LOL! (No, I will not post them, you will just have to use your imagination.) So, we had some good laughs while we waited for the non-MFC backstage pass holders to meet with Mika. Apparently, it would have been better to be a non-MFC member, because they all got to talk with him individually and get photos with him. The MFCers got a super tired, vacant Mika for a group photo, and no real talk time. I didn't mind so much, because he REALLY needed some rest, and taking up any more of his time would have been just plain cruel. (Besides, I know when a man has had enough of me. ) Alison took the photos on my camera, but the funny thing is... I'm not in any of the photos! WTF! I was sitting on the end of the row, next to Christine, and you see her, but no me. I have met him on a few different occasions, and yet I still have no photo of us where you can see both of our faces. It's almost funny. But kind of not. Oh well. One more chance tomorrow, I suppose. Mika did stop on the way to the bus to sign a few autographs and take pics with the people waiting outside. I was very impressed, because you could tell that the goal was to get him on the bus immediately, but he kept saying, "Just one more, one more." He was so generous and obliging, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. I hung back, because I didn't want to keep him from leaving, and because I knew I'd see him the next night. I did, however, ask John what I would need to do to be a Big Girl dancer in the Vancouver show. He said, "Come see me at 5pm." So you know what, ladies and gentlemen? That's exactly what I'm gonna do! I'm sorry for not posting pics and videos right now. I really need to get to bed, so I promise I'll do it later. I will post the group pics, so that those of you who were in them can save a copy. *sigh* (Still sad about that...) I'm dang near delirious, and I'll probably regret this entire review in the morning, but this is all you're getting from me right now. Good night, and thank you to my awesome MFC buddies for making it such a memorable night! There's more to come...

Show was awesome! We're waiting to meet Mika! Everything's great, no worries.

The show is starting!

So yeah, here I thought I had a front row seat, and there's another row of chairs in front of us. :blink:Mana and Christine are in the middle section, and there are 3 rows in front of them. The cheapo wooden chairs have paper signs on them that say they're "pit" seats. I'm sorry, but that's the tackiest lookin' orchestra pit I've ever seen. The worst part is that the folks in front of us bought their tix 2 days ago! We've had ours for 2 months. Ok, enough griping. Just waiting for Mika. I'm glad I made badges. I've got one holding the front of my dress shut.