superstar

Yang, I love your report! The shirt looks great! Popular Song has been a HUGE crowd pleaser in both the New York shows. They dropped the piano off of it at this show (because it didn't fit on stage!) but I think the addition of the saxophone gives it a dancey vibe. A non-MFC friend of mine was at the Webster Hall show last night and said that Popular was his favorite

Tonight was not perfect in a lot of ways, but the show itself was one of the best I have ever been to. Thank you Mika There was a queue going all day, and we asked the guards over and over how the process would go. However, when doors opened and we went inside, they didn't have the list of names on the fan presale list. I don't want to write about it now because it will dredge up bad memories, but basically a ton of regular ticket holders that were much further back in line got inside way before we did. Shame on you, Webster Hall! We finally got in and thanks to the kindness of strangers I secured a spot along the railing, but not all MFCers were so lucky The opener is still bad, haha, but it did not matter because the place was on fire when Mika came on. The setlist was the same as last night...except tonight there were no omissions! I will be brief (sleepy!) but need to pass on some highlights to all of you: 1. NEW SONG! Good Wife! This. Is. So. Good. It was short, but the chorus is falsetto Mika, it's all very upbeat. He played it after Billy Brown (aptly, he explained, because Billy Brown was about a friend-who-was-no-longer-a-friend and Good Wife might be a repeat of that!). It seems to me to be about a woman who remarried? Mika said after the show, too, that the lyrics are very clever. I can't wait to see recordings of it. I was there for the debuts of new songs in Montreal, and my first impression of Good Wife is much better! 2. Mika loved Webster Hall. The crowd was so loud, so energetic, and the venue is just so big. He engaged a lot with the crowd, and was touching our hands from the stage! 3. We got an encore tonight! Which was Elle Me Dit--a huge huge hit-- and then Lollipop. Tidbit, apparently this is the first song in the new Pitch Perfect movie...guess I'm going to have to go see it now He sang Lollipop right to Audrey in the balcony which was clever and great. 4. AND HE TOOK OFF THE SUIT! DURING LOLLIPOP, WHICH WAS THE LAST SONG, BUT HE TOOK OFF THE JACKET AND LOOSENED HIS TIE AND UNTUCKED HIS SHIRT. So everyone here in the fanclub can shush shush about the suit now Mika has not sold out!! 5. After the show we waited for a while, and Mika came out and was in no rush to get to the car. There was a pretty big crowd but he was chatting, signing and (!!) taking photos with pretty much whoever asked. He asked Nina about her glasses, and had a lot to say to Deb. He was clearly glowing after the show tonight, he was so relaxed and happy to stand around with us. I might add some more tomorrow but now it is to bed for me. Webster Hall for the third time was incredible. Thank you, Mika. Goodnight, MFC!

Hi everyone! Sorry there was no proper review last night—we got home around 2am and were ready to fall into bed! The gig yesterday was perfect, by the way Indy (77red) and I showed up to the venue which is in the heart of Williamsburg. The five boro bike tour was happening yesterday (a huge crowd of New Yorkers biking all through the city), and it went right by the venue! And the place was right next to a doggy daycare. So we had bikes, cute dogs, and the Manhattan skyline to look at on the beautiful clear, sunny day. Before the Mika review, I just have to say. This is the best organized Mika show I have every been to. The venue doesn't usually do concerts (I think mostly EDM, dance parties etc) so they were thrown off by the queueing. They came over and asked us multiple times what was going on, haha. But when it came time to open doors, they explained to us how everything would be set up so as to retain the proper queueing order. They checked tickets before, and so when doors opened everything went very smoothly. Thanks, Verboten! (Another note about the venue...they had an auxiliary club that was having a brunch/dance party/dance club from 11am to all afternoon, and the staff kept inviting us to the party. "You won't lose your spot in line!" they said. It was great, because we had the go-ahead to go pee there!) The stage was incredibly low—we all were sitting on it during the pre-Mika DJ set. This laster two hours, and then the lights got low and the band came out. There was SO much energy, then Mika stepped in front of us...RIGHT in front of us! He was clearly a little blow away by how close everyone was, but brimming with excitement. At some point he said "It's good to be back to my job....this is my job!" We had a great time, because he had a great time. He went right into Toy Boy, which was great with the new band. This morphed into Popular, which had Curtis on the saxophone. The stage at this place was TINY, and Mika explained that they had tried to get his piano on stage but it wouldn't fit. So Popular was played with no piano, just sax and some bongo drums from Julie (who was AWESOME!). I loved this version, maybe even more than the one with Kristin Chenoweth at LPR last time During Grace Kelly, he grabbed Nina's (tiibet) glasses and put them on! It was hilarious, even though Nina couldn't see what was going on. Talk About You was GREAT live, everyone was dancing, and the drop in the bridge ("walk through the city....but all I'm seein is--") worked out really well. Before Big Girl, we was praying, and said "Dear lord...you have made many skinny people....walking around the world....angry.....looking for a pair of jeans...but if I was a big man --" and at that point he just started singing "If I was a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the roof. Ah, Mika. And during Big GIrl he grabbed the selfie stick of an MFCer (not sure your name!) which is what happened in Mana's video above. You can't tell in the video, but he points the camera at his face, and then at his butt! It was so funny. These were the kind of antics that could happen at this venue because we were absolutely so close to him. I loved Good Guys live, but not many people seem to know it yet! He encouraged a lot of crowd singing and dancing. He skipped Good Life (maybe tonight!), and I loved watching Boum Boum Boum here versus in Montreal. The crowd reaction in Montreal was electric, but here I think the crowd was more enamoured about Mika speaking French than anything else. It was funny--at the beginning he mentioned how happy he was to not be speaking in French. I think we all looked at Christine at that point... At the end of Billy Brown, Mika changed the lyrics to "...and while it was all going accordingly to plan, then Billy Brown fell in love with..me." The crowd went wild! Before Last Party, Mika was very mellow. Someone in the crowd yelled out "we love you Freddie," which set the mood. At the end of the song the energy was rising, during the "end of the world let's party" part. So yes, he did not play Lollipop! Although we were all screaming for him! But perhaps he wanted to hang out with his family, who occupied most of one of the VIP sections, off to the side of the stage. There were apparently a lot of celebrity faces here (who I completely missed, of course), including Paul de Leeuw, Perez Hilton, one of the property brothers lol, and Mika's grandmother of course. After the show we waited around for Mika outside. It was a pretty small crowd of MFCers, which probably a dozen other people. Mika did come out and ended up being very friendly. He signed everyone's stuff, chatted with one of the people from the venue (who was fangurling hardcore) about how they did a great job with the sound/lights. He wished a fan happy birthday, and we all requested that he plays Drunk at Webster Hall. He seemed very open to the idea! This was one of the best gigs I've ever been to. Thank you weather, Verboten, patience, James Dean, and of course Mika! P.S. Yang, it was great to be with you for your first gig. Front row crew, it was wonderful to see you all again! And I'm looking forward to today!

Walking from the J train is safe, but it would take a while...that's pretty far! Definitely check out a route on Google Maps before and see if that's what you want to do. Haha I think "nice" is relative, but Williamsburg is SUPER gentrified (imo). I don't think there's anything to be concerned about, even alone at night. Especially this area. Tiibet, I don't know what neighborhood your last gig was in but I can't imagine--personally--that anywhere Mika plays would not be nice. Another option of getting to the venue! If you have a smartphone, you can download the app Lyft from this link, which will give you a $20 coupon for a taxi! Lyft is a taxi-hailing service like Uber. https://www.lyft.com/invited/KIRA957671

Head's up MFC! New York City subway that runs from Manhattan to Williamsburg (where the venue is) is not running on weekends! It's called the L train—you can see it in grey on this map—and it's the easiest way to get there. But unfortunately it will not be running this Sunday! As you can see, the G Greenpoint stop is close to the venue, and there are some buses that run in this area. Make sure to do your research before the day of the show! And let me know if you have some public transit questions, because I have a pretty good idea of the system here.

Now less than a week! I can't believe it....so soon! Anyone else dressing up as a dancing building?

Laying the old forum to rest! I can't believe this day has come!

This was Mika 2.0, Mika with no piano playing and no confetti. People say that the symphony is “high art” and to be honest I was surprised to find myself in the gleaming wooden chamber, vaulted ceilings, with that “new room” smell. It was beautiful. But like no Mika show I have ever seen. And then the (massive) orchestra was tuning up and playing the overture, and it didn’t seem possible that Mika could step onto the stage and belong there. But this is Mika 2.0, yes, and Mika’s performance tonight was revolutionary. These are songs that we all know by heart, but they’re in a setting that finesses every intricacy, adds depth and texture and emotion to all these songs. The program handed out for the show has a little interview with Mika, and one of the things that it says is that the symphony is neither quiet nor loud. For Mika, this was perfect. His voice was in top condition tonight, and was equally powerful at times and vulnerable at others, but always perfectly clear. What a blessing it was to walk straight in without queuing, sit in the perfect seat (in the 4th row!) and experience the perfectly tuned, perfectly crafted concert. There is a lot to think about but I want to add a couple moments here. Boum Boum Boum, Rain, Heroes...for me these songs didn’t necessarily stand out on the albums where they appear, but they were perfectly orchestrated. Boum Boum Boum was filled out by strings and the vocals from Max and Ida (!!!) and it was so much more than a catchy pop song. Rain, too, has departed from the sparkling violin from Owen Pallett and replaced by the wall of sound that supports Mika’s falsetto. Heroes had a brass section that punched powerfully behind the chorus, and softly reinforced that like “you don’t have to die in glory, die to never grow old”. It will be hard to go back to hearing these songs the way they were recorded. Happy Ending. This song is always fantastic. In Williamsburg he sang it without a mic and I tearfully didn’t think it could get better. But this is the palace that Happy Ending was made for. There was a moment when the song ended and everyone was clapping, then standing, and then it just happened where the whole house was giving this powerful standing ovation and Mika was there in the middle, so small, so grateful. He knows what he’s doing here is unprecedented and so special. There were a couple other ovations (and a lengthy amount of clapping at the end of the show, of course) where this message was conveyed. We have new songs! And they all sound great! I can’t speak to how they will actually be on an album because everything sounds different in gold-quality surround sound, but I am certainly excited. Particularly about “Where have all the good guys (gays) gone” which is a humorous track that had the whole orchestra laughing. You know that oft-quoted Oscar Wilde tidbit, “we are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars”? So that’s the basis of this song, whose chorus I wrote down – if we are all in the gutter/it doesn’t change who we are/cuz some of us in the gutter/are looking at the stars. He also shouts out to Rufus Wainwright and James Dean, among others, which is lovely and I can’t wait to hear a recording. Over My Shoulder happened. Also Overrated happened. There was this bit during Elle Me Dit where Mika seemingly forgot that he was in this bourgeoisie opera house and grabbed the mic off the stand and was dancing and singing back and forth with the audience. It was so wonderful and unprecedented, and speaks to the whole tension of the OSM series, tension between pop and “high art”. These symphony players so used to interpreting Tchaikovsky (or whatever they play these days) are here playing “boum boum boum”, “I only love you when I’m drunk”, “hook her, book her nook her” with Mika doing the awkward dancing the whole time, anyway, and it just works perfectly. We leave very early for the airport tomorrow so I should wrap this up, but winning tickets to this show must have been meant to be. I can’t imagine missing what we just saw. This show was unforgettable. Thank you MFC and thank you thank you thank you Mika. Goodnight everyone!

Do you think when Mika wrote the lyrics "hook her, book her, nook her" he ever imagined singing them in front of a 110-piece symphony orchestra? Maybe not? But woah Tonight was something else. Writing up right now. Thank you MFC for the tickets! And grateful to everyone that I met!

BOSTON! How bittersweet--the last show on the tour, and probably the last time I'll see Mika for a long time, but what a ride it has been! Indy and I arrived in Boston in the morning and had dim sum in Chinatown before meandering to the venue around noon. The place itself didn't even really look like a concert area, which was aided by the fact that there was pretty much no one around. Luckily next to a Marriott with a nice bathroom! Queuing was a little chilly but pretty uneventful UNTIL they started lining everyone up. Wat a disaster! They funnelled us into a crowded area, then checked tickets from there--basically, it was really frustrating to be 3rd in line and not get in 3rd but, something to know about this venue in the future for sure! The wonders of a stage with no barriers! Indy and I got a great spot behind the piano. The show actually started early (???HOW???) and Mika came on around 7:30! The DJ set was uneventful--read, the exact same as every other night but with more hype horn--but the crowd wasn't as responsive as last night. Indy summed this up well on the train ride back home: the Brooklyn show's crowd was much better, but Mika himself was better tonight. Which, at first, I couldn't tell! He came on and played Grace Kelly, Toyboy, Lollipop and Blue Eyes with pretty much no conversation in between. However, he started to get into it, which I suspect had to do with it being the last show of the tour. On "Lola" he complimented the Boston audience for being very on-key, unlike the Philly audience who just "sang really loud without caring what they sounded like," or in LA where "they just sang whatever they wanted, even if it was someone else's song, as long as they kept dancing!" About halfway through he admitted that he had completely ****ed up the setlist and asked the crowd what we wanted to hear. Everyone was screaming and by some miracle he thought it would be OK to do "My Interpretation" He sat down, played it, got most of the notes and lyrics wrong in the first verse. By the time he had managed to get through the chorus he very smoothly segued into Relax--hahaha! But he routinely asked for suggestions throughout the night. He had Curtis come over and accompany him on Blame It on the Girls (!!). You actually have to see picture of this, I think Indy's got a hilarious one, the position that Curtis had to stand in to play around Mika was hysterical. It was actually a lot of fun to watch Max and Curtis have to work really hard to keep up with unrehearsed songs. Right before the penultimate song, he asked again and decided to do WAG!!!!!!! YES HE PLAYED WE ARE GOLDEN ON THE ACOUSTIC TOUR!!!!! Ok, ok. Also, though the audience wasn't as good as last night's, he sang without mic at the end of Happy Ending Honestly, honestly. The direction in which he took the "little bit of love" part to end the song was a gorgeous departure from the typical melody. I'm sure someone's got it on camera. So there was less dancing (and fewer quiet people when there needed to be) than last night, but Mika chatted and chatted. He mentioned dedicating Drunk to his gramma last night, mentioned appreciating the variety in the States (from the herbal tea drinkers to the herb smokers), and thanked us for sticking with him even when he made mistakes. It was a really wonderful show Afterwards we wandered around to the back door. Mika and Tim came after about 30 (?) minutes and even though there was a huge crowd it went over really well. The fans were surprisingly calm and respectful, probably because of how Mika didn't seem to want to rush through everyone. He signed my tragic 2009 picture with him, and I made sure to thank him for sharing these shows with us. He said that he had loved my outfit last night, ahhh Ok, I'm so exhausted. But what a trip this week has been. Thank you, Mika, THANK YOU! Even though you took my sharpie Even though you might have been reading off the Relax lyrics again

OH NO WHAT HAVE I DONE Lebanese, LEBANESE ! Christine is right!! Going to edit the post now Also--still not over last night.

Delirium, delirium! I'm laying on this couch and feeling my legs ache from hours of standing and shivering. This is pure physical exhaustion, but the best thing is that it does not matter, at all. So I've never "hard-core" queue-d before--it's always been sunny and pleasant, no matter the length. Today in Brooklyn when we arrive at the venue around 2pm, it was rainy, windy and bitingly cold. The levels of rain and wind oscillated as the wait continued but, let's just say, it was completely miserable and there were times when I almost thought to myself, "is this going to be worth it?" And, god, what a stupid question that was. IT WAS SO ****ING WORTH IT After funnelling the queue through a barrier maze and into the basement bar (ha, yes we were scared) they allowed us into the venue. I was in front, center, basically looking up Mika's nose (but unfortunately unable to see him when seated at the piano). We've pretty much established that after Max and Curtis come on it's all the same...like, no way they're DJing anything up there other than pressing "play" Ha, and the music before the show is also the same. And then the lights go off........ Mika was ebullient. I have never seen him with this much energy, charisma or spontaneity. Indy and I were in front in our cute dresses and crowns--and as Mika (clad in the green Jools Holland suit) said, "I dressed up for you guys tonight...just like the tiara girls in the front" --ok, it wasn't that, but you get the sentiment CAN I JUST CUT TO THE CHASE HERE: HE DID HAPPY ENDING AND LOLA WITHOUT A MIC AND, LET ME, I, THERE'S NO WAY TO EXPRESS how lucky I felt, how undeserving, how utterly COMPLETED it is to be standing directly below your favorite singer and having his words spill over you and engulf you. It was like being Mika's bedroom floor--the honesty which is afforded by liberation from a microphone. His manner of singing is different, he changed the lyrics more freely and let certain notes crescendo unexpectedly and beautifully. Yes, I was crying. (I just want to articulate once more how wonderful a thing it is to be a Mika fan, especially a Mika fan who gets to experience this tour, especially seeing this show three times. The intimacy of being serenaded without a microphone, without inhibition, is an incomparable event, and how GRATEFUL I AM that he shares this side of his talent with us cannot be expressed!) Also, sorry, because I know this has got to be hard to read if you can't experience the micles singing. But, it leaves you speechless and covered in tears. God, Other highlights: Dita's intro to Big Girl was really interesting, especially from the front row...how to react to a strip tease?? But the crowd absolutely ate it up! He played Make You Happy (by request) near the end of the set, and had Indy look up lyrics on her phone, which coincidentally didn't have service. He was singing and harassing her with-eyes to hurry-the-****-up and find words for him, but when a girl in the 2nd row handed him her phone with the lyrics pulled up it was clear he didn't really need them Mika was explaining about his LEBANESE grandmother, and then how inappropriate it was to segue into "Love You When I'm Drunk," haha He came out and signed as he exited the venue. My sister got her Oakland picture signed, and I didn't get to talk to him but he was clearly in a good mood, all night too The vibe of it, even though it wasn't a synagogue, was really incredible. He had us eating out of his hand on the acapella performances. I mean, imagine this fairly spacey hall with balconies, completely silent and standing in awe. Ok I'm clearly really exhausted and no longer coherent, but hopefully someone can elucidate the events of tonight more clearly than I. Indy and I are getting up in a couple hours to catch a bus to Boston, and I cannot say enough how grateful I am to be doing this all again tomorrow It's always worth it!!! GOOD NIGHT!!!

Oh, my god How incredible Keep the incoherent awe-struck mumblings coming!

Ok I want to start off by saying that tonight was the most fantastic concert (event, anything) I have ever been to. The best way to describe this is that if I imagined my perfect concert, it would not have been as good as Mika at Le Poisson Rouge on April 9th. Starting at the beginning: I ran (actually ran!) here from my class at 1:45pm, and the queue was about seven people, not too bad! Though doors were at seven the time went by quickly. We saw Curtis and Max hop of out of the car, but Mika must have gotten wise and entered the venue on the side door. We walked by and heard a little bit of sound check mid-afternoon. People kept walking by and asking what we were up to, but the best one was a guy who asked us who we were there to see. We replied “Mika,” and he was like “is that a medical condition?” Yes, yes it is. I know about the LPR 2009 debacle with entering and general mass chaos and luckily the venue did too. About half an hour before doors they came and checked everyone’s will-call reservation and scanned everyone’s tickets, so when doors officially opened we just walked straight through, walked down the stairs and cozied up to the tiniest most intimate stage, probably ever. Some pics: MFC Front row! The stage setup: The wait for Curtis/Max double act, which I think we should rename “Curtis and Max Try Their Hands at Self-Indulgent DJ-ing For Way Too Long” seemed like it took forever. Which was probably good, because I needed time to adjust to the fact that their dead duck prop was RIGHT IN MY FACE and also I was insanely, grossly close to what was soon to be Mika. And definitely got a taste of this when I basically had to look straight up at Curtis and Max as they played their 30 minutes of 30-second iTunes samples—or that’s what it sounded like...No, no I’m being mean, I really did come to enjoy it. But I had to try pretty hard. They don’t really try to engage the crowd at all so you have to engage yourself, but honestly it was good to get my dancing warmed up before Mika. (Curtis, Max and my duck friend) When they left the stage was cleared and the mic was set up not two feet from me. Don’t believe me? Ok, ok, so, Mika comes on by himself and sings Grace Kelly and is just bringing the house DOWN. Curtis and Max join him for Toy Boy, and that was when I could really tell that he was in a good mood. Like more of these shows he was really chatty. Some stuff that I remember: he talked about how they bought the $900 (Canadian money) DJ equipment before the show and C/M’s first set sounded like “David Lynch’s funeral music.” It later improved to resemble “house music in Harry Potter world” or something like that, but Mika thought they had improved enough to be an “act” by tonight. Honestly, I don’t think the two of them cared if anyone enjoyed it, haha. (at the piano) He introduced SITM by saying that, while growing up he had taken tap dance classes. He’d always really wanted to be Gene Kelly (no, not Grace Kelly—he actually admitted to not knowing much about her!) so we should just imagine that Curtis and Max’s percussion was him tap dancing. Origin was fantastic. After playing the song, Mika sked them to make it completely dark, and everyone closed their eyes. He said, “this time, I want you so scream “Love, love, love” like you’re the last person on earth, like it’s the only way you can find another living being” ... and when he counted us off the house went WILD. This venue was so small and it was hard to dance without hitting Mika (that small!!) but we managed it anyway. Before Stardust, he noticed my cascarone on the stage (cascarone=egg shell filled with confetti). I handed it to him and he asked me what was in it but couildn’t hear when I said “confetti.” He leaned down and let me whisper it in his ear (ok, guise, I whispered in Mika’s ear, I did, that happened, no I can’t believe it either). He straightened up and said “oh, it’s a friendly egg!” then cracked it over Curtis’ head. Pretty perfect preface to Stardust—which has THE MOST INCREDIBLE ACOUSTIC RENDERING. Kristen Chenoweth was there for Popular! What a surprise! She’s actually tiny so Mika had to lift her onto the piano and they sat there together to sing it. Good thing he printed out the lyrics, because she totally needed them That being said, it was really fun and not something I expected! (with Glinda herself!) The staging of Underwater was incredible. All the lights were off except some sparse blue stage lights and one lone lightbulb that hung basically above our heads. As the song built, Mika would push the lightbulb so it would swing in a circle, illuminating his face for moments at a time. No Century Man, but we did get Hia Leah. I could go on about how he snubbed the really loud drunk lady that kept yelling, or how hot it was in there (he was dripping!), Mika-Curtis-Max’s three-part piano piece on SITM, but I want to develop the most incredible moment of the night for me, and that was Over My Shoulder. Everyone was quiet. The sheer power of Mika’s voice—how it crescendos on those long, held notes, how clear even the highest notes ring—I was blown away. Coupled with the Curtis’ melancholy melodica and Max’s quiet, tenuous harmony, it was the most beautiful song I have seen on a stage. And I was just feet away from it. Afterwards, thanks to some AMAZING work by Deb (DEB!!!!) and Nas, MFC got ushered into a side room for a quick hand-shake and group photo with Mika. The photographer was with Mika, so Deb I hope he sends you the pic (Jerry said he would!). Of course I forgot to give him my gift, or get anything signed, but this is no surprise because it seems like I am always awestruck in the face of a god. And it truly was the face of a god. If I didn’t know it before tonight sealed it. Tonight was the concert of my dreams. It was truly the best thing that has ever come to pass. I can’t articulate how lucky I feel to have that Mika shares this side of himself with us, and that I’ll get to share it again and again on Friday and Saturday. Ok, I need to go wash the sweat and tears off myself. Tonight was perfection.

YO CAN WE GET A REPORTS THREAD UP IN HERE>!!?!??! I just wanna say that this was the best thing that ever happened to anyone, ever, period, hands down, oh my god, ever Report to follow!!!! LFJASFLQLDKJ@#LKDWLD

I'll be wearing a tiara! Can't wait for tomorrow!!!!!!!!

Christine! Thanks for the report! The sound is a real bummer--that's why we go to these concerts...to hear him! That being said, it sounds like he's in a great mood on this tour and in top condition vocally. I hope you have luck in DC! And you can stop by for LPR if you want....

Almost one week away! See y'all in the queue?

I discovered Mika about 3 months after this, and was crushed, of course, that he had been here without me even knowing...he needs to come on back to Austin.

This video is getting me excited.... Because I wasn't already

Hey! If anyone had an extra ticket let me know! Id rather not buy from scalpers .... But I'll do what I have to haha

This is ridiculous! I'm a po' college student and can't afford the stubhub prices! Gonna search around and continue throwing a fit.... I will be at this show!!

Got the same error message in Ticketmaster during the presale and today saying "No exact matches were found," seconds after the tickets were released. Oh the HUMANITY!!

Let's get down, Boston! Booking bus tix from the new York show on Saturday morning!

NO I MOVED TO NY Rose!