Lucrezia

Repubblica 20.09.2015 Click here to original version I'm doing a translation of it

I'll try to call them tomorrow and see if it's real or not

I wrote on Twitter if the news was real or not and the OSM answered me OSM ‏@OSMconcerts 1h1 hour ago @_Lucrezia_ @mikasounds We're glad you enjoy Mika and the OSM so much! Yes Mika is in Como in October, but not with the OSM this time! So it seems that the news is real but before getting excited I need some news from Mika himself xD it's hard for me to believe it... it would be really beautiful since I missed Montreal

You can see the whole gig again here: I think that they will delete it soon so if someone can record it, it would be amazing thank you

Here you can find the interview with the judges broadcasted 01/09 on SkyTG24 and SkyUno https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxtyZuo401xad1ZpOEV3Y01MMGs/view?usp=sharing

I've recorded it! As soon as possible I'll post the link here

So here are the scans of the magazine Telépro... it's a very interesting interview: he talks about his new album, the tour and his house in Miami. Thank you so much Mikafrance for the scans!!!

Take your time, sweety

Thank you everyone!! I'm glad that my translation was useful Thank you for the suggestions, Karin! I agree with you 'cause I wasn't so conviced about these parts too, if Anne has a better way to translate please let me know... I'm learning french day after day so I'll be very glad if you can help me

Translation (if there are some mistakes please let me know) Have you been disappointed by how went your previous album, "The Origin Of Love"? Mika. Creatively, I was very happy. But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for me, I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and again, it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial. So does an artist has henceforth go through this kind of gateway? I don’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to embark yourself: in fact, for example, the TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitated when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and "The Voice", of course . Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global. In each country I work differently. In the US, I worship, I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn and sells in two minutes! Italy, France, Korea, Spain, each time everything is different. It is a privilege that allows me to work with lots of different people. Do you not get tired of this constant vortex? No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself fully for a month and then I don’t make television for weeks. My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts. This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and doesn’t have much stage... It's different for her because she made the decision to have a child, we can only understand it. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You have just find the right balance and don’t spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not make things complex, so don’t think about the consequences. Did people discover how really you are? Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motives. I have long had a lot of reservations on TV, I was afraid of the questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totally free. It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings. To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we grow up as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. The song "Good Guys", it’s me who said, "Finally, let the “enfant terrible” who inspired you when you were a teenager." It took me as I shake to get there. Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free? I wouldn’t have spoken of it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public made me much good. For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. It was complicated? Some have literally looked at me! [Laughs.] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret. Did your way of writing changed? Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost to the other extreme, I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially these songs where I say more things than I do in reality... You honor Freddie Mercury in "Last Party," was he a role model for you? A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well, she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant. The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim? Of course. The album of Elton "Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock, being it in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize all in pop. Queen showed me that it was possible. What do you like in the current pop? Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year. Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy? For me not at all but for them most definitely. I make s**t constantly! When I decided to make TV, I also decided that I had fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with the maison of Valentino. The target is to stay dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Talking about the family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years. Are you unbearable? No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone. Will you do the coach again in "The Voice" next year? I do not know. But I have to do a tour... Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most? Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you get past the cap, they are the types super likeable, eccentric and super tender. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes: "Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother. You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel? [Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person! He has projects in abundance. "I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would quickly work on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to produce at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. " He rented the house of Orlando Bloom "In Los Angeles to record the album. He didn’t like me. He was in full divorce and tourist buses running every hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus picked me as Orlando, and I threw them my coffee. Alas, there is no trace on YouTube! " He played at Parc des Princes "In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have committed more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tourneè to repay myself. But I have excellent memories.”

I'm translating this interview in English and another one from Teleprò... I'll post them soon

Thank you Roberta I'm updating my post with the digital scan and the translation

Oh so you're working on it! Perfect, then I stop to translate it

ITALIAN PRESS CORRIERE DELLA SERA http://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/15_agosto_09/scritta-omofoba-poster-mika-cantante-pubblica-non-ho-paura-l-amore-fa-quel-che-vuole-ec2c76a6-3e18-11e5-9df9-e4a39ac26db0.shtml?refresh_ce-cp Interesting article by Ivan Cotroneo: http://27esimaora.corriere.it/articolo/la-scritta-omofoba-sul-manifesto-di-mika-di-chi-non-accetta-il-mondo-che-cambia/ Another one about the removal of the posters by the Mayor of Florence: Mika, insulti sui manifesti foto Il sindaco si scusa e li fa togliere http://t.co/TLSpUexfkr Corriere Fiorentino http://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/cronaca/15_agosto_09/mika-insulto-manifesti-sindaco-si-scusa-li-fa-togliere-b803b8e8-3ebe-11e5-bd3d-78cf8379b20b.shtml A column on the newspaper from 10.08.2015 Mika's moving letter about bullying and homophobia from 12th August 2015 http://27esimaora.corriere.it/articolo/mika-se-non-avessi-reagito-agli-insulti-avrei-tradito-il-13enne-che-sono-stato/ English Translation by Elwendin, Alyara and *Vv* Mika: Hadn't I responded to the insults, I would have betrayed my 13 y.o. self. When I saw the pic of my dirtied face on the poster in Firenze on Instagram, I felt sad, humiliated. My first instinct was: don’t say anything to anybody, don’t react, don’t move. I'm on tour, I can turn away from it, perform and feel good. I can push away the insults. But the fans started to talk about it, my friends started to text me. And I realised that my first reaction was the same one I used to have back in the day, it was the reaction of a very young boy who was feeling helpless. That's how I used to be at school: defenceless. Had I responded back then, they would have beaten me and I would have come up with nothing but coming back home with a bruised face. I know about bullying, they would pick on me. Because of racism, because my mother was fat or because we had financial issues in that period. But mostly, 80% of the time, because of my sexuality. Even before I was even aware of my own sexuality. When you're a kid and get attacked, you think that you can't fight back, because if you do, those things would become even bigger, as big as a mountain. When I was a child my payback has always been slow, mirrored and spread in the long term. I tried to move my focus away from my condition, I concentrated on the future. When I had to face that poster, I felt like the boy I used to be. And my instinctive response was to lick my wounds, shut my eyes and project myself in the future. It's an automatic reflex, which is shared by most people who are bullied: turn away, keep everything for yourself. Then I understood. That was one of the few times in my life when I had been forced to choose a direct confrontation on bullying and homophobia, I realised how much things have changed, how much I have changed. It's for people's reactions on socials, for my friends and, I have to admit, for my coworkers. Some of them are gay and got hurt because they are connected to what I do every day: they felt like they had been insulted themselves. I realised that, yes, there was my automatic response because of what I endured and because of some old defence instinct, but now I'm in a privileged position: I'm on tour, I'm free and surrounded by free people, I’ve built my own world where I can do what I believe in and provoke tolerance through my music and my concerts. It's a huge luxury. By refusing to acknowledge those insults I would've made a mistake: I would've forgotten the 13 y.o. I once was and I would've hurt all the people who don't have that luxury and that privilege. I can get on stage. But when you're young and that word concerns you, if you look at that billboard and you don't find any answer to shield yourself with, then it means you've been abandoned. You lose hope and you find yourself even weaker. I couldn't allow that, exactly because of the things that changed in my life: I would've left myself and so many others alone. It doesn't matter whether you're 14 or 64, when you see such a thing you react in the same way, because it affects you. That's the reason why I decided to use that image as a profile pic on Twitter and Instagram. It was exactly what would've scared me at the age of 13. I wasn't that brave back then, I couldn't be. I did the opposite of the thing I would've done at school. I've been called like that all my life: I used to take those insults, I used to turn them into music, put them in my drawings. Last Saturday was the first time I told myself: why not to put them out there and use them as a flag fluttering above the heads of all those people who write and think like that? This was Oscar Wilde's greatness: he could take hypocrisy and throw it back in people's faces, sometimes there's nothing more appropriate than inappropriate actions! That's why Wilde is one of my Good Guys. I could have written five thousands words, could have told them to go to hell, could have said that I would never go back to Florence (but not for me, I love Florence!), I could have used my column as an outlet, comparing homophobia to sexism and machismo. But with that “visual declaration”, with that sign which has become a flag, I accomplished it without being violent nor aggressive, without getting lost in sermons. It was beautiful to see how an image could turn out to be powerful. For my mum as well. She didn’t say much, but she reflected herself in this episode, as she faced a tough period when she was a teenager. She’s never been compensated for what she has had to face: this is a sort of compensation for her and came through one of her kids. She stared at me, she squeezed her eyes and smiled as someone who finally found rest. The most complicated thing now, is understanding how we can go beyond that image, downright because of its power. A bunch of people wanted to replicate my deed: they took that image, added their photograph, and the slogan “let’s break the silence”. Facebook blocked their profiles for 30 hours, this goes to show that this word is still sensitive and hard. Therefore: if they offend you, is it right to turn an insult – that remains an insult – into a flag? It is, when it provokes a constructive discussion, when it helps people to think about how a superficial and stupid epithet can make other people feel. Anyway, that word still hurts. It’s still a really strong one, it has many negative implications and can really hurt. We can’t accept it as a normal word. But let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist: that would be much more dangerous. IL Fatto Quotidiano #Mika e l'ipocrisia del "Io ho tanti amici gay" http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2015/08/10/il-caso-mika-e-lipocrisia-del-io-ho-tanti-amici-gay/1946998/ La Stampa Mika insultato sul cartellone, la risposta è da applausi ALL MUSIC ITALIA http://www.allmusicitalia.it/in-direzione-ostinata/mika-lancia-lhashtag-rompiamoilsilenzio-perche-frxcio-is-the-new-figlio-di-puxxana.html Translation by charlie20: The meaning of the words is: Ugly, off-key/tone-deaf, unpleasant/annoying (jerk), snob. The author of the article says: "Of course the image of this article is a provocation on the fact that there are so many ways to express that we don't like someone ... physically, temperamentally ... the word faggot in a civilized society should not be among those, however." He says that he doesn't want to pretend that this word is used just by a few morons like who "decorated" the poster. With regard to discrimination based upon one’s sexual orientation our country still has a lot of problems. The laws are missing, those that protect from violence and discrimination, and those that grant rights to the point that we were also recently rebuked by the European Union. But unfortunately, the biggest problem of our country is cultural. Because the offense most used among young people nowadays is "s**tty fag", and unfortunately, that word is used as the worst insult be addressed to any guy . It doesn't exist worst insult for most of them. "Meanwhile (while many pretend not to notice what's happening) young boys take their own lives, are insulted and beaten for their sexual orientation (real or perceived), while older people are living a secret life unable to escape the prejudice, fear and shame that our society has implanted in us like a microchip." "So "Break the silence" is necessary because we live in a country where if you see a poster of a singer, in this case Mika, you don’t draw mustache on it/him, you don’t do the horns on his head ... no, you write over it/him Frocio/Fag." LA REPUBBLICA Vanity Fair Mika insultato su un cartellone, lui risponde su Twitter http://www.vanityfair.it/people/italia/15/08/09/mika-cartellone-offesa-omofoba-risposta?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=vanityfair http://www.vanityfair.it/news/italia/15/8/11/maria-elena-boschi-biglietto-concerto-mika?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=vanityfair Televideo RAI NEWS http://www.rainews.it/dl/rainews/media/Scritta-omofoba-su-poster-di-Mika-81c85051-3e8c-40f5-aaba-88317160a22b.html http://www.rainews.it/dl/rainews/articoli/Mika-e-insulto-omofobo-sul-poster-Perche-ho-scelto-di-reagire-dd4122dd-1d32-4a4c-9628-1fea01aa20af.html Il Giornale http://m.ilgiornale.it/news/2015/08/09/insulti-scritti-sui-poster-mika-contro-gli-omofobi-sbagliato-avere-paura/1159556/ La Presse http://www.lapresse.it/mobile/spettacolo-e-cultura/mika-dopo-gli-insulti-omofobi-non-temo-discriminazioni-1.744420 Il Messaggero http://m.ilmessaggero.it/m/messaggero/articolo/PRIMOPIANO/1508244 Huffington Post http://m.huffpost.com/it/entry/7961432 AGI (Agenzia Giornalistica Italia) http://m.agi.it/ultime/notizie/articoli/musica_insulti_omofobi_a_mika_non_temo_chi_mi_discrimina-201508091430-spe-rom0020#.Vcs1UrkazCQ Leggo http://m.leggo.it/SPETTACOLI/MUSICA/articolo/notizie/1508262.shtml La Nazione http://www.lanazione.it/firenze/insulti-omofobi-al-cantante-mika-scritte-a-firenze-sui-manifesti-che-pubblicizzano-il-suo-tour-1.1208217 ANSA http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2015/08/09/mika-scritta-omofoba-su-poster-concerto_5e1beb99-55e6-40fe-b6ea-63a86d28d464.html http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/2015/08/09/mika-e-la-scritta-omofoba-rompiamoilsilezio-diventa-virale_d0526f3a-2dd5-4a6a-9dc1-e48a6a0be158.html RTL 102.5 by Andrea Conti http://www.rtl.it/notizie/articoli/mika-risponde-ad-una-scritta-omofoba/ Sorrisi E Canzoni http://www.sorrisi.com/musica/news/mika-dopo-la-scritta-omofoba-impazza-rompiamoilsilenzio Il Mattino http://m.ilmattino.it/SPETTACOLI/MUSICA/ilmattino/notizie/1508274.shtml TGCom 24 http://mobile.tgcom24.it/checkexistpage.shtml?/cronaca/toscana/mika-nardella-firenze-non-e-cosi_2127271-201502a.shtml Firenze Post http://www.firenzepost.it/2015/08/09/firenze-scritta-omofoba-contro-mika-il-sindaco-la-fa-cancellare/ La Prima Pagina http://www.laprimapagina.it/2015/08/09/firenze-insulto-omofobo-mika-rompiamoilsilenzio-la-citta-e-cosi/ Nove da Firenze http://m.nove.firenze.it/manifesto-con-scritte-omofobe.htm Giornale di Sicilia http://gds.it/2015/08/10/scritte-omofobe-a-firenze-lhashtag-di-mika-rompiamoilsilenzio-e-virale-foto_393939/ Yahoo Notizie https://it.notizie.yahoo.com/blog/the-newsroom/mika-contro-l-omofobia--la-risposta-agli-insulti-%C3%A8-anche-in-una-canzone-120526995.html MTV Italia http://news.mtv.it/gossip/mika-solidarieta-dopo-linsulto-omofobo-rompiamoilsilenzio/?vcs=social_20150811_50631026&adbid=631046642368581632&adbpl=tw&adbpr=19586276 http://news.mtv.it/gossip/mika-se-avessi-ignorato-gli-insulti-avrei-tradito-ragazzino/?vcs=social_20150812_50693956&adbid=631450333726642176&adbpl=tw&adbpr=19586276 Quotidiano Net (they mentioned the discussion about Boschi - Gasparri) http://www.quotidiano.net/mika-gasparri-frocio-1.1213185 GQ ITALIA http://www.gqitalia.it/news/2015/08/10/mika-e-anja-rompono-il-silenzio-su-omofobia-e-razzismo/ LA NAZIONE interview to the photographer who took the pic of the posters and first posted it on instagram http://www.lanazione.it/pistoia/mika-omofobia-foto-1.1210236 IL Resto Del Carlino thank you Sarina GENTE thanks Sarina

I'm agree with you girls... The first row is always a great occasion to have more contact with the singer but most of the time you can't move properly as you wish since you're "compressed" like a sardine among lot of people and then you've to make hours and hours of queue, you get anxious, tired and at the end you don't enjoy the gig and you stay there in the first row with one though "when will it end?" Btw, since I'm not interested in queue at gigs if I can make it, I would be very happy to meet all of you

Copy and paste what I wrote on the other thread It seems that they'll broadcast it on 16 August at 8.30pm on EEN Here's the program of the day 19 : DJ-set Dimitri D’Anvers 20.30: Pop Up Live meet:K’s Choice Mika Natalia Regi Scala Gers Pardoel Christoff De Ketnetband Maartje Van Neygen 22: naprogramma met Bart Kaëll 23: the end Link: http://www.gemeentem...4/2/pop-up-live Here's the link of the official FB page where you can read that it'll be broadcasted on 16 August https://www.facebook...5673294/?type=1

From what I found, searching on the site of BBC Radio 2, Zoe is in the the Ken Bruce's program with "Zoe Ball sits in" and she'll be live tomorrow, Thursday and Friday at 9.30am... since he prerecorded today maybe tomorrow he'll be there Anyway, here's the link (they put the podcast of the live everyday) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0639kps Searching on Google, I found out that it's a music festival recorded for the belgium TV EEN... it's a free concert but he'll be among many others! Anyway, it seems that they'll broadcast it on 16 August at 8.30pm on EEN Here's the program of the day 19 : DJ-set Dimitri D’Anvers 20.30: Pop Up Live meet:K’s Choice Mika Natalia Regi Scala Gers Pardoel Christoff De Ketnetband Maartje Van Neygen 22: naprogramma met Bart Kaëll 23: the end Link: http://www.gemeentemol.be/activiteitendetail/281702534/2/pop-up-live Here's the link of the official FB page where you can read that it'll be broadcasted on 16 August https://www.facebook.com/popuplive2015/photos/a.705640059569067.1073741828.705298236269916/744597785673294/?type=1

Luisa fantastico resoconto!!!!

Ok let me check it with the original and if there's something, i'll let you know EDIT: you could change interventions with participations and it's his not hers as the writer is talking about Mika. (It seems that there's a video of ASW with Mika) For the rest it's all good

Thank you so so so so so much Deb!! You've done an amazing work

Oh if you're already at the end of it, I'll stop myself ;P I'm still at the beginning of the second page

Ok my favourite are: 1) Oh Girl You Are The Devil 2) No Place in Heaven 3) Promiseland At first I didn't like No Place In Heaven but after I heard it a second time and I read the lyrics I totally fell in love with it It's a real statement

Here's the digital scan of the interview if someone has problems to read the pics I have a bit of free time so I can translate this one but you've to wait a bit 'cause it's long and the structure is a bit different from the others

Thank you so much Thank you Christine! Yeah, I'm Sicliam but for my university and family issues, about 4 years ago we moved to Milan where I live permanently. But you're absolutely right: it's totally another thing when you are at home I think that I'll never forget all the emotions I felt that night

Here's my report about Taormina's gig...it was hard to find the words but since I'm sick I had a lot of time to think about it. Wow! Well where to start? Sorry this initial doubt, but I feel like a painter in front of a blank canvas that experiences that moment of panic ... there are so many things that i would like to share and so narrow are the limits of a simple canvas. To begin with let's say that there are two types of live shows: the "simple" concert and The Event. What happened in Taormina was more of an Event, it was unique, a dream came true. In these 8 years that I followed Mika throughout Italy, since I'm Sicilian born and raised, I always dreamed that one day he would have performed in my land in the same places that cherished a lot of my childhood and adolescence memories and emotions ... Well yes, I was a bit selfish: I dreamed that he could also feel my own emotions! But the patient and confident awaiting was starting to turn into the sad realization that the dream would not have been realized... instead about 3 months ago that dream came true and the most awaited concert became reality: Mika finally would have performed in the Greek theater in Taormina.The theater, which had seen the greatest names of Greek and Roman culture and that had enchanted also the writer Hemingway now it would have had the opportunity to host our Lebanese singer. After 4 years I have had the pleasure to be back in the second row just in front of the stage less than 2m from the stage so I had the opportunity to fully enjoy and live the show. When I walked into the theater I noticed the lack of scenery, there were only sunflowers resting on the piano and behind the band ( it reminded me a lot the concert of Cagliari in 2010) but who needed the scene when there was a landscape like the one that surrounded the theater of Taormina? To describe the concert I'll borrow the words of Goethe "We must admit that an audience of a theater never had in front of itself a similar scenario" and it's exactly what I felt when they dimmed the lights and Mika went on stage dressed in white, with a pair of sneakers and ethnic necklaces turning on fire the 4,500 people present that evening. When the band played the first notes, I think my heart skipped a few bits: for the first time I heard "No Place In Heaven" live and in that magical atmosphere we all sang as if we were also asking him to enter in that heaven that it's the wonderful world of Mika. At the beginning he had some problems with his voice perhaps for the emotion or perhaps because a naughty mosquito that apparently, while Mika was walking up the stage inadvertently entered into his mouth ;P At the "Hello Taormina" a roar from the whole audience welcomed Mika, charging him up and also, as he had never done before, He never stopper going on song after song not giving himself never a pause and dialoguing with the public on several occasions that it became fully part of the Event. At one point, Mika snatched the lineup improvising, singing songs like Over My Shoulder that led the audience in silence, broken only at the end with a liberatory applause. Another magic moment was hearing him speak in Sicilian, even if with some mistakes, to tell the story of the birth of my beloved Sicily, where, he said, you can eat very very well ... I post here the story so that you too can know it: 'N jornu ca Diu Patri era ****enti e passiava 'n celu cu li Santi, a lu munnu pinsau fari un prisenti e da curuna si scippau 'n domanti; cci addutau tutti li setti elementi, lu pusau a mari 'n facci a lu livanti: lu chiamarunu "Sicilia" li genti, ma di l'Eternu Patri e' lu diamanti. A day God the Father was pleased and he was walking in heaven with the saints, he thought of making a present to the world and from the crown he broke away a diamond; he gave it in dowry all seven elements, He put it down to the sea in the face to the east: The people called it "Sicily", but of to the Eternal Father it is the diamond. His performance and the one of the band were great but honestly talking about technique or precision is useless for a concert where has reigned the emotion and he has put his heart in it. It is one of the fewest times that I saw Mika really happy to be there and sing for us ... when he admitted that there were 10 years that his Italian fans kept asking him to come to Taormina I was moved because it was like he was talking directly with us at that time and knew very well how we felt to finally have him there. After the concert, he was a little moved and thanked all his friends (the audience) and the theater that was hosting him... the magic was suddenly over leaving a sense of happiness mixed with sadness in all of us. What else to say ... Mika thanks for giving me once more an emotion that I will always carry in my heart. I wrote it even in Italian (for who doesn't speak English) Wow! Da dove cominciare? Scusate questo dubbio iniziale, ma mi sento come un pittore davanti ad una tela bianca che vive quell’attimo di panico… tante sono le cose che vorrebbe esprimere e tanto stretti sono i confini di una semplice tela. Per cominciare diciamo che ci sono due tipi di live show: il concerto “semplice” e l’evento. Quello che è avvenuto a Taormina è stato più di un evento, è un unicum, un sogno che diventa realtà. In questi 8 anni che ho seguito Mika, essendo siciliana, ho sempre sognato che un giorno egli si esibisse nella mia terra negli stessi posti dove io nella mia infanzia e adolescenza ho vissuto tante emozioni.... ebbene si ero un pò egoista: sognavo che anche lui provasse le mie stesse emozioni! Ma l’attesa paziente e fiduciosa stava cominciando a trasformarsi nella triste consapevolezza che il sogno poteva non realizzarsi ed invece circa 3 mesi fa ecco che il sogno diventa realtà e il concerto per me più atteso diventa realtà: Mika si esibirà finalmente nel Teatro Greco di Taormina. Il teatro che aveva visto i più grandi nomi della cultura greca e romana e che aveva stregato anche il letterato Hemingway ora avrebbe avuto l'occasione di ospitare il nostro cantante libanese. Dopo 4 anni ho avuto di nuovo il piacere di essere in seconda fila centrale a circa forse 2m dal palco quindi ho avuto la possibilità di godermi appieno lo spettacolo. Quando sono entrata dentro il teatro ho notato subito la mancanza di scenografia, vi erano solo dei girasoli appoggiati sul pianoforte (mi hanno ricordato molto il concerto di Cagliari nel 2010): ma chi aveva bisogno della scenografia quando vi era un paesaggio come quello che circondava il teatro di Taormina? Per descrivere il concerto prenderò in prestito le parole di Goethe “Bisogna ammettere che mai un pubblico di teatro ha avuto davanti a sé uno scenario simile” Ed è proprio quello che percepito quando si sono abbassate le luci e Mika si è presentato sul palco vestito di bianco, con un paio di collane etniche e sneakers accendendo le 4.500 persone presenti quella sera. Quando la band ha suonato le prime note, ho avuto un tuffo al cuore: per la prima volta avrei sentito "No Place In Heaven" live ed in quell'atmosfera magica abbiamo cantato tutti come se stessimo anche noi chiedendo di entrare in quel Paradiso che rappresenta il fantastico mondo di Mika. All'inizio aveva qualche problema di voce forse per l'emozione o forse per una zanzara cattivella che a quanto pare mentre Mika saliva sul palco era inavvertitamente entrata dentro la sua bocca ;P Al "Ciao Taormina" un boato proveniente da tutto il pubblico ha dato il benvenuto a Mika facendolo caricare come non aveva mai fatto prima prosenguendo canzone dopo canzone non dandosi mai un attimo di pausa dialogando a più riprese con il pubblico che ormai era diventato parte dello spettacolo. Ad un certo punto Mika ha stracciato la scaletta improvvisando, cantando canzoni come Over My Shoulder che hanno portato il silenzio assoluto nella platea spezzato soltanto alla fine da un applauso liberatorio. Un altro momento magico è stato sentirlo parlare in Siciliano anche se con qualche errore per raccontare la storia della nascita della nostra amata Sicilia dove detto da lui si mangia benissimo... vi posto qui la storia in modo che anche voi potete conoscerla: 'N jornu ca Diu Patri era ****enti e passiava 'n celu cu li Santi, a lu munnu pinsau fari un prisenti e da curuna si scippau 'n domanti; cci addutau tutti li setti elementi, lu pusau a mari 'n facci a lu livanti: lu chiamarunu "Sicilia" li genti, ma di l'Eternu Patri e' lu diamanti. (anonimo siciliano) Un giorno che Dio Padre era contento e passeggiava in cielo con i Santi, al mondo penso' di fare un presente e dalla corona si stacco' un diamante; gli diede in dote tutti i sette elementi, lo poso' a mare in faccia al levante: lo chiamarono " Sicilia " le genti, ma dell'Eterno Padre e' il diamante. Le sue prestazioni e quelle della band sono state ottime ma sinceramente parlare di tecnica o precisione è inutile per un concerto dove ha regnato l’emozione ed il cuore. E' una delle poche volte in cui ho visto Mika veramente felice di essere lì e cantare per noi...quando ha ammesso che erano 10 anni che le sue fan italiane gli chiedevano di venire a Taormina mi sono commossa perchè era come se stesse parlando direttamente con noi in quel momento e sapesse bene da quando agognavamo questo momento. Alla fine del concerto anche lui un pò emozionato saluta e ringrazia tutti i suoi amici (noi spettatori) ed il teatro che l'ha ospitato... la magia era improvvisamente finita lasciando un senso di felicità mista a tristezza in tutti noi. Che dire di più... grazie Mika per avermi regalato ancora una volta un'emozione che porterò sempre nel mio cuore. SETLIST: No Place In Heaven Relax (Take it Easy) Talk About You Popular Song Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) Rain Billy Brown Blue Eyes Grace Kelly Underwater Good Guys Elle me dit Stardust Happy Ending Over My Shoulder Last Party Origin of Love Lollipop We Are Golden Love Today