lollipop_monkey

I'm straight-up addicted to this song. Like, I need to hear it every few hours or else I start experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Haven't felt quite this obsessed with one particular Mika song since How Much Do You Love Me. Everything about it is just perfect to my ears, from the lyrics to the vaguely 80s instrumentation. Fun fact: If the Wikipedia entry for the new album is accurate, this is the only song on the new album that Mika alone has a writing credit on, without any co-writers.

These two shows were everything I didn't know I needed. 🥰 I hadn't seen Mika since he played the Adelphi in London in October 2015, and I had almost forgotten how great his shows really are. I try to go to concerts rather frequently, and while a couple of artists have come close, these shows really reminded me that Mika is in a class by himself. I do believe there will be future fans (who probably aren't even born yet) who will discover Mika's music and wish they had a time machine to go back and see him live – if I may employ an overused comparison, much like people of my generation tend to speak about wishing to go back in time and see Queen live. For the first Montreal show I had floor tickets, and ended up near the front on the far right side; the second night I had a seat in the balcony for a different perspective. There was no barrier in this theatre, so the first night we were right up against the stage. This show opens with a cool monologue about love and energy and the Big Bang - I'll probably try to transcribe it at some point, if no one else has already. He then bounds on stage and launches into Ice Cream, which is just killer live and will probably have a place on his setlist for a long time. The Tiny Love Tiny Tour is beauty in its simplicity - there's really no set to speak of, and it seems to be all smaller venues. It's just Mika, the band, and the music. Both nights his voice was in great form, and he seemed genuinely pleased to be back on stage. He's completely re-worked Lollipop – not sure if this version is new for this tour or if he's played it before, but it's jazzy and sassy and shows a spot-on progression/maturity 12 years after LICM. "Mama told me what I should know; too much candy gonna rot your soul. If she loves you let her go, cause love only gets you down. But now I'm 36 years, and all that bulls**t I was told I live my life, and love was found – And mama, it never got me down." The new songs are really, really great. Don't get me wrong, No Place In Heaven is a good album – but I think this new album is going to be several notches above it. Whatever combination of his headspace, his creative process, his collaborators, and any other factors - it all seems to have come together to create a really solid bunch of songs, and that's having only heard a handful of them. Tiny Love is an anthem for the ages. It doesn't really sound like today, it doesn't sound like yesterday... it wouldn't have been amiss in 1982 and I don't think it will sound dated in 2032. It's definitely even better live than the recording - it just weaves from section to section beautifully. Blue is another new one that's really well done, simultaneously powerful and delicate. During this tour he's bathed in blue light as he sings Blue, which then progresses into Underwater, still bathed in blue-ish light. Pretty cool how something as simple as lighting can add so much. He did Elle Me Dit both nights, which was a highlight each time. The vibe in that theatre during that song was just on fire. The crowd was really great both nights - on the floor everyone was super into the music and really enjoying it, but there was little to no pushing and shoving or other ridiculousness. When he went off-mic at the end of Happy Ending, the crowd respectfully quieted down to hear him. (That part is such a treat - if I had at all forgotten how lovely his voice is, that was quite the reminder. 💕). All in all, two really stellar shows. As we sit here on the verge of the My Name Is Michael Holbrook era, I feel like we're about to see some greatness from Mika in the coming year. I'm so glad he's back, and I can't wait to see what's in store.

Awww, this makes me so happy. So glad you gals got to see him, and that he did "Tomorrow". Hard to believe that first Oakland show was 10 years ago already 🥰

That was a HUGE highlight for me. I've seen Mika a bunch of times, but when he went off-mic for the end of Happy Ending I was spellbound, freaking out on the inside like it was 2007 again. Just magical. I recently saw another upbeat, dancey artist with the same kind of tut-tutty crowd. It really ruins the experience to be made to sit quietly in a plush theatre seat while a dance song plays. Sorry you were stuck in purgatory. The flags were absolutely brilliant! Well done to everyone who was involved. It was so heartwarming to see the look on Mika's face when he saw the flags and realized what they symbolized. Overall I thought the gig was amazing, and I love the new arrangements on some songs. The drums seem way more thumping and insistent than every before, and it works so well. I was never a huge fan of the studio recording of Promiseland, but the live version was perfect. And the dance version of Hurts is spectacular. That song made it feel more like an EDM show than a Mika gig I loved the acapella bits he included in some of the songs. In We Are Golden he closed it out by repeating the bridge over and over again (now I'm sitting alone...), which I loved. He also seemed to be really connecting with the audience, laughing and cracking jokes. At one point he stole someone's beer, walked around with it for a few minutes, took one sip and gave it back. It was also a treat to hear Over My Shoulder again. In the heart of my 2009-era fangurl days I'd have waxed about how that song is so beautiful it defies comprehension - and quite frankly, I'd still agree. As far as the French thing goes, imagine you're American and you fall in love with Katy Perry, an English-speaking American singer. You go to see her in America and instead of Firework or Teenage Dream or something, she sings some obscure song in a foreign language that you've never heard of. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with Mika recording and performing French music, but simply that at a show in London he's got many other options that would better resonate with that particular audience. Thanks to Deb for organizing the pub party. It was amazing to see so many MFCers in one place.

It was working earlier, I think all the demand just crashed their site I would recommend trying again in a couple hours.

Okay Mika, get on with it already. I wanna go to bed.

Yeah for sure. I pounced on him after a gig a few years ago to figure out one line of Good Gone Girl that no one could quite make out

I walk into the Canadian thread and everyone is talking about Tim Horton's and maple syrup. Sounds about right.

Ha I was wondering if anyone actually disliked this one

I love how this song is making a huge positive impression on everyone. It's clearly one of his stronger songs

Welcome! Always nice to see new Canadian fans on here. It's so cool that you and your Mom listen to Mika together. Are you going to his gig in Montreal in July?

At around 2:22 in this clip it shows Pitch Perfect's music director breaking down the vocal arrangement for the acapella version of Lollipop. Pretty dang cool.

Here's the setlist: http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEgIc-lUUAAK969.jpg He skipped BoumBoumBoum, and he added Elle Me Dit before Love Today. He also dropped Lollipop at the end.