Daisuke

Here are my horrible photos lol

Great show, nice set, he didn’t play anything from no place in heaven which surprised me.

There apparently is an after party but only people with some special stickers had access, no one could tell me how the stickers were obtained so ¯\_(シ)_/¯ 

I totally forgot to check this thread before today lol

I’m here and in lower balcony C120!

I’m not sure if I’ll have time to wait after the show for Mika tonight but I hope all of you firsttimers have fun!!!!!

Thanks Eriko, I can always count on you to have posted links, lol

1 hour ago, mellody said:

 

Aww, he's talking German again!  t4p!

I can't find this on Instagram... is it because it was only live and then automatically deleted after a while?

Right, the instagram live posts only last 24 hours iirc; and thats if they get saved to the Instagram story in the first place.  Some people go on Instagram live, and dont save it; so you can't see it again afterward.

Mika mentioned him on twitter around his birthday in a tweet (August 18th or 19th if it was after midnight in 2015)

He has mentioned him before (he usually calls him Andy), but very rarely. 

Really? where do you live? There're lots of pics of him alone and with Mika on magazines, tw, fb, everywhere. And I think it'a not the first time he talks about Andy, he did it in a french show if Im not wrong and maybe in some other interview. 

I'm American, lol. I ended up googling Andy right after I posted and realized that he and Andy are the same....

I recall Mika mentioning Andy before, I definitely remember that tweet; because I wondered if Andy was his boyfriend when I read it; but I wasnt sure lol.

In hindsight, i guess I should have put two and two together a long time ago. I also think I've met Andy at a show; but it was a long time ago, so dont quote me on it.

They're very cute together; I'm glad he isn't as secretive anymore.

Vanity Fair Italia - 2 Novembre 2016

Thanks alot Eriko, I had to log on, just to thank you, instead of just appreciating you while lurking lol.

Lunari, thank you for translating!!!

I must be out of the loop-is this the first time Mika has mentioned Andreas by name? I knew they were still together, but I've never known what his name is or what he looked like.

• Stuck In The Middle: MIKA wrote this song about his grandmother, and while he still doesn’t openly mention being gay, there are certain lines that indicate there is something wrong with him in his grandmother’s eyes, a constant source of disagreement between them. I’m thinking of “ours is a family that’s based upon tradition, but with my careless words I tread upon your vision”. Later on in the song he mentions being different from his siblings; “Are five kids better than one who doesn’t lie to become?” I see this as MIKA admitting he is different, but that he won’t lie to please anyone.

Stuck in the Middle has been and continues to be one of my favorite songs, period; and in 8 years, I have never even thought of it from that perspective.  I knew it was "about" his grandmother; but I figured she was the protagonist. 

Your interpretation makes WAY more sense.

Iirc (and others have mentioned it in the thread) Rain is a break up letter from when he was a teenager; so I think it's "safe" to assume the song is about guy, i.e. making it a same sex relationship....the letter thing was even used as a focal point in the album art/single art for the track.

The "Origin of Love"[the song] is about he and his boyfriend, isn't it? and I do believe that many of the songs on the album are about their relationship; but not every song is "overtly" gay, for example "Kids" is pretty universal I think; and Popular isn't specifically about being gay.

I dont speak French, so I hadn't realized  L'amour Fair Ce Qu'il Veut and J'ai Pas Envie used male pronouns, thank you for that.

So....he hasn't played this live yet has he?
Is this gonna be one of "those" songs?

hey there!
I'm a pianist as well so I understand your frustration, unfortunately pop songs are rarely notated as "recorded" so fact of the matter is you're *not* gonna find any sheet music for what MIKA (or Greg, as he's usually playing on the recordings lol) actually play on the recordings.  Grace Kelly is popular enough that you may be able to find some sort of fan transcription but obviously thats gonna require searching on  your part.

When I want to play exactly what MIKA plays, I find it easier to listen to a live performance, especially one that's "stripped" as it's easier to heard each instrument and pick out what voicing are being used on the piano.

However, I don't know how well you play by ear, so if I were you, I would purchase or acquire the "official" sheet music, and then do your best to adjust whats printed to what you hear on the records.

And specifically for "Blame it on the Girls" the printed sheet music is actually relatively accurate regarding the piano portions; it's just notated a half step up iirc, so if you play it a half step lower you can get pretty close.

Relax, Take It Easy is primarily synthesizers and keyboards, so i mean the chords are basically "it" and the riffs are simple melodies, so they should be simple enough to deduce.

good luck!!

"I fled London and I had left my boyfriend and my family.

Thanks for translating!!

I have to say, I generally try to be uninterested in MIKA's personal life, but his timeline of events between he and his boyfriend always has me curious.

So, now I see what he meant he said they'd been together along time, but had broken up.

L'amor Fait Ce Qu'il Veut

is the same 4 chords for the entire song:

Am//// D7//// G/// G/F#/ Em////

All She Wants (will update, as I haven't got it perfect)

Verse & PreChorus

F //// //// C//// F////

Chorus

Gm//// C7//// F//// Dm////

I think the whole album is extremely sad. No matter where he is now (and even he seems to be fine with the situation now) it's obvious the path there wasn't easy. 

It's interesting that you mention the whole album being sad, because (Disregarding The Origin of Love which is in the middle in my opinion) 3 of his 4 albums can be viewed as rather depressing in general, depending on what lens you view it through.

But for me, this is the only one that is very obviously and overtly sad; The Boy Who Knew Too Much and Life in Cartoon Motion are both layered with subtext that requires you to know about MIKA to really pick up on alot of the "true" meaning.

It took me a number of listens to really "get" TBWKTM, but this album just hit me right in the face, it was hard not to be on the verge of tears several times during my first listen.

Then again, he is out, and he wasn't for the first two, so that may be the biggest part of it.

I know. He doesn't often perform the bonus tracks, does he? (Says the fan still waiting to hear Tah Dah live one day...)

extremely unlikely, Technically speaking, he has performed some of the bonus tracks from LICM, but he didn't have as many songs then.

I wouldn't expect him to do this one, I'm in the same boat as you regarding Tah Dah (...and Loverboy for that matter); considering when I asked about performing bonus tracks in general (in 2013), he gave me a "surely you jest face!" and then said " well, maybe I'll do Tah Dah" and then never did it, I'd just put this song in the "never to be performed live" pile.

But you know, having perused the other threads, I see he played L'amour fait ce qu'il veut, so there may be hope yet.

I sat in the balcony and watched, my photos are absolute drivel, but here are a few of them.

***assuming they'll upload

I will say I was very very very surprised he didn't play Stuck in the Middle. He only played keyboard himself on two songs iirc (Elle Me Dit, and Bily Brown).  The drummer is new I believe, I didn't recognize him or the guitar player (although I think that was the same guitar player from the Origin of Love-era shows). Overall, I thought the show was much better than his previous shows; the setlist was tighter, the arrangements were an improvement over past live arrangements....it was a greater show than in the past--then again he only comes to LA every two to three years, so one would expect more apparent differences in two years, hahaha

He seemed more free to use backing tracks in the performance, which made several songs sound more full; it worked surprisingly well for him.

At this point, I can't completely remember the order of the setlist, but:

Toy Boy; Grace Kelly; Billy Brown; Relax, Take it Easy; Blue Eyes; We Are Golden; Origin of Love; Underwater; Billy Brown; Talk About You; Good Wife; Good Guys; Last Party; Elle Me Dit

someone else can put them in order, ahaha

I also think we need a better manner for the MFC to meet up; not saying we should go back to the light-up hearts, but those sure were useful. Some faces I can remember from years past, some I don't. But it was nice seeing everyone regardless.

After the show, Mika stood around and signed some stuff and took photos with the people who waited; he was quite the trooper, it was pretty obvious he wanted to go, and he kept asking if we could take group shots, but he took alot of single photos anyway, which was quite nice.

The photos wouldn't attach correctly, so I turned to my dropbox instead:

The opening DJ

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3hcw08fsfvxtyh4/MIKALA15050610.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ghfs7rtizvpfnuj/MIKALA15050609.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vz4rs6k50hnd4ce/MIKALA15050611.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e3x53b3l2gkm8z1/MIKALA15050613.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrwlhd4kkide3ld/MIKALA15050614.jpg?dl=0

MIKA

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bz1isbmvlww7a4h/MIKALA15050615.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/julrbbfrpka1t3k/MIKALA15050616.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3lqiw1695p1m0zb/MIKALA15050619.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mgnonxcr9z7fob7/MIKALA15050618.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7gvenjscjqd2e4l/MIKALA15050620.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e4jj2efnebadw6j/MIKALA15050621.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f3b4v1lljrkrqgi/MIKALA15050622.jpg?dl=0

Here is the entire photofolder, I posted some of the decent looking ones, but should you care to see the rest...:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ytneqt3cx3xtqkr/AACtcvSwTuXNeLJaCRRDqrs_a?dl=0

Thanks for sharing!! 

 

Also, I completely missed the instagram post with the set - so thanks for pointing that out too! Looks so colourful!! 

 

were there only GA tickets or did I miss VIP pit tickets?

This is a club-type venue; so it's probably all GA, and then inside you might be able to buy a table for bottle service or something maybe.

I can't tell for sure, it seems they switch up the configuration inside depending on the show/event.

Also, I'm pretty there were only GA tickets available for purchase, unless the VIP tickets sold out in the first day.

I'm planning to head there right after work, so I'll probably be in the area around 6ish. Which is early, but I'd rather be super early than late.

Great. At least we'll be there as a group. What time is everyone getting there?

I've been thinking about going up there early in the afternoon (like just after noon, maybe even at noon), on the off-chance that he comes by the front before soundcheck or something, but I'm not sure yet. I'm not sure if I want to spend the day standing around up there if he doesn't swing though. At MIKA's last couple of shows there wasn't much of a point to waiting in line for more than an hour or so.

At any rate, I plan to be there by 5, maybe 6 at the very latest.

I've never caught any of his periscope broadcasts as they occur, although I see clips are posted here; has anything interested occurred while he streams?

The 3 most important people in your life?

@Cindy_Cimorelli My other half I live with, my little nephew who is the future of my family and my dog

I'm not surprised that he lives with his boyfriend, but it does surprise me that he manages to keep him out of the limelight so, I don't think I even know what the man looks like.

Thank you all for transcribing and translating!

The venue is relatively small...what time are you all going to start gathering in line?

I'm not sure if I should get there in the afternoon and plan to hang out all day, or...

Do people still wear flashing hearts to Mika concerts?

I haven't seen that in a very long time, but it'd definitely be a way to let people know you're an OG MIKA fan.

I think Sam Smith is occupying the same space as Adele and she is the one who will fill it when Sam Smith goes back into the studio. I think the reason both of them are successful in the US is because of the old school R&B feel of their music and their diva-level voices, neither of which applies to Mika.

No, I agree actually. I was thinking in terms of the "male popstar" position (as it stands, there's...Timberlake...Nick Jonas......Jason Derulo........thats just about it at the moment, it's a slim list presently).

But upon further consideration, MIKA is closer kin to someone like Rufus Wainwright, and even then, they're not all that similar, as Wainwright's music is generally more complex and less "accessible" that MIKA, who's writing simple pop songs most of the time.

One thing that does bug me, regarding Mika's collab with Pharell, is that Celebrate, whilst not being the best song on TOOL, is actually much beter than HAPPY, by Pharell W. That song is so annoying and yet it is still played everywhere and is a huge hit! But Celebrate was hardly played in the UK, but HAPPY was played a lot!

Pharell is more well known and has been around far longer than MIKA; but more importantly it was the title track for a major animated motion picture.

The same could be said for Grace Kelly, most people know that song, and thats because it was featured pretty heavily in and film/tv productions.

I see where you're coming from, but fact of the matter is; MIKA really doesn't have final say. The TV stuff has been great exposure for him, so hopefully that turns things around, but then consider...he's still low on the totem pole in English speaking countries.

He's not a major super-star, and that bums me out as well, but fact of the matter is not everyone can be at that Kanye West or Katy Perry-level of pop stardom, and I personally don't think he wants all of that (just my opinion, obviously).

I don't know what the money looks like for him, but I get the feeling that he does pretty okay in France and Italy (Korea too for that matter), because if you notice, he'll take his victory lap there, instead of the States or the UK (and he's in both countries all the time!!).

I'm also curious to see what promo routes are taken with this next LP; choosing the "better" single instead of the most accessible one is a good start. A Pharrell feature means jack****, because Pharell just about works with everyone, so it's not all that exclusive. I agree, that was a poor choice.

Whats also silly is the label not continuing to push singles; Sara Bareilles has a very long single cycle (6+months, compared to the typical 3-4ish) but her label usually has something out in the market place (but even with her; she'll do something radio fodder just to placate; ie Brave).

MIKA and Sam Smith sort of occupy the same space; so I'm wondering is MIKA will just be able to slip in behind Smith, because by Summer, Smith will probably be fizzling out (as far as being "in your face"" because I imagine he'll be on a world tour of some sort, or just back in the studio).

But yeah who knows, MIKA is quite unique, hopefully he can be a super star to the masses once more, and if not; 2007 was a great year, haha

It's hard to say when the album will be released. Being that he's on The Voice in France right now, it's hard to imagine it will be released BEFORE that's ended. Most likely, the album would follow directly on the heels of the Voice finale so he can capitalize on that.

Still, there isn't any official source, so we'll just have to wait and see.

To give you a frame of reference, TBWKTM was released in September 2009, and MIKA had originally "slated" it for spring.

TOOL was released in September and October (personally, I think that hurt it a bit; staggered release dates in the internet age seem beyond stupid, but 3 then years between releases doesn't help anyone who isn't Kat Perry/Taylor Swift/MJ tier anyway, so...). [iirc] Originally, MIKA said 2011, and then Late 2011, probably some other period, and then Summer 2012. (In fact, you can probably go find some of his tweets where he talked about song titles, and said it was coming soon).

What you have to understand is that MIKA is an artist on a major label, and even if he isn't getting priority (because, quite frankly, he's not a priority you can see who some of his current labelmates are here), he's still subject to the suits and all of that bureaucracy.

So, just because he's done ~recording~ doesn't mean it's anywhere near being released.

The label could listen to it and say "yeah, this doesn't work. no to this or that; yada yadda yadda" and then he'd need to rerecord or even re-write elements. It could also take a while to be mixed or something, and even with all of that, the masters could sit on the shelf while the album promo is done and hyped up for 3 months.

So, it's really hard to say anything meaningful with just conjecture.

However, all things considered, I would expect it before the end of 2015; probably in September, but my opinion means jack all, we just have to wait and see (obviously).

MIKA official ‏@mikasounds 2m2 minutes ago

To the girl who waited outside the LA studio for me to write lyrics down for a tattoo; warning I think I might have made a spelling mistake!

 

MIKA official ‏@mikasounds 1m1 minute ago

... So please just check before, doing the deed. That would be a little embarrassing (for me)

Does anyone know what studio that is?

hey guys sorry i've not been more active on this forum ... just though you could help me out, my friend who is a drummer, what is the drumming technique called during the second verse on Grace Kelly, does anyone know what the drummer is doing or hitting, or if there's a percussion instrument involved ???

What exactly are you looking to know?

I'm not a drummer, but in the second verse, the drums are essentially a dance beat; 16th note rhythm on the high hat; kick and snare on 1,3 and 2,4 respectively.

The high hat has a certain quality due to the processing used in the recording; it's likely a hat from a drum machine, but I can't verify that.

Do you mean the "clipity-clap" percussion that starts the song? I'm not sure what's used on the recording, but you can emulate that by playing the rhythmic pattern on the rim of one of the drums.

Thanks a million for sharing !!

You're welcome.

It the quality is crap, but at least the rest of you can hear the whole thing in it's entirety.

I see Harrison is in one of the pics -- with his eyes closed. Darn it! I guess they didn't give you much time, did they? Oh well, still wish I could have been there!

No there wasn't much time at all, it was pretty rushed. Walk up, one shot, and that's it.

MIKA seemed a little out of it (which is understandable), so I guess they wanted to get him out of there and back to the airport, but if he had time, I think he would have stuck around.

He seemed like he would have hung out and talked for a bit had he the option.

I hate that the images are so tiny.

I feel ripped off, hahaha

I cannot open the ZIP file...

Could somebody help me please !!!!

okay.