The below is a long post (basically, my journal entry) about Tuesday's show. After reading all of the posts, I was inspired to share my story. Thanks to everyone for posting - it allows all of us to be part of the night with you!
It seems like forever ago that I frantically called my brother at home asking, “Did you book the Mika tickets?!” I had snuck out of a meeting early to call home and make sure that we’d be set for the Chicago show. I saw Mika for the first time with my brother almost two years earlier at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota and couldn’t wait to see him again!
We flew into Chicago early to visit with some friends, but come Tuesday, it was all about the show! We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Crew (a local bar close to the Riviera) before heading over to wait in line at around 3:30. While we weren’t the first in line, we were pretty close. It didn’t take long before a much longer line formed behind us all the way down the block and around the building.
While waiting, we met some great people. A couple of guys from Texas, a mom and her daughter, a couple of students who drove from Michigan and one of my friends who had joined us for the concert. We listened to some tracks from the new album along with some classics from the first. It’s surprising to me as I type this how quickly those 3 hours went by before they opened the doors. I’m sure it was the excitement, anticipation and nerves!
Security at the venue had us form two lines; a line for men and a line for women. This was so that each person could be screened at the door. The guy in front of me had two cans of silly string that the security guard made him throw in the trash can. I made it in without any hassle and quickly went inside. Not knowing the venue, I wasn’t sure how to access the stage. However, I quickly realized that all entrances were closed up and that no one was actually able to enter the theatre. I stood by the middle entrance and people were already beginning to push and shove. I heard several folks complain about how long they had stood in line; unfortunately, the venue did not do a good job of rewarding those of us who got there early. Instead, they made us wait before finally opening the doors (which of course, opened outward against a throng of Mika fans who wanted nothing more than to get in!)
Once the doors finally were able to be opened, people started to run. Security gaurds’ shouts to "walk" fell on deaf ears. Not after all of the waiting and buildup! People frantically made their way to the stage. Again, more pushing and more complaining. At one point, I was shoved down and fell into a girl next to me and she got mad, to say the least. She started shouting at me! Despite the explanation from me and another girl behind me, she kept yelling at me! Eventually, she left to get booze. (I’ve never really understood why people who push to get to the front insist on drinking. Do they really enjoy the show? Anyway, I digress…)
With all of the excitement, nerves pushing, yelling, heat and smells, I got really queasy. In fact, for about 20 minutes, I thought I was going to have to leave. Fortunately, the mom that I met outside shared with me some motherly advice to focus on my breathing, and by the time that Gary Go went on stage, I was feeling somewhat better.
While I didn’t know a lot about Gary, his performance was great! I had taken a picture of the setlist prior to him going on, and we did a countdown of songs before Mika; each song, our anticipation grew. His final song, Wonderful, was just that. I recommend checking it out on YouTube. It was a super quick opening act (I couldn’t believe how fast it went by). He was already off the stage around 7:40. However, it was another 40 minutes before we were greeted with the opening of the show we all came to see!
[spoiler Alert]
The set that was visible included an orange couch and a flat-panel TV with old black and white shows playing (I think I saw a clip of “I Love Lucy” at one point). As the band came out, they all took turns sitting down on the couch, laughing and pushing each other playfully.
Then, the programming on the TV was switched to a newscast where an older newscaster shared that the space shuttle was about to take off with the first civilian ever to enter space. The band was really excited and intently watched the television. As they watched, the newscaster became more and more distraught with the news he was hearing in his headset and finally shared that a tragedy had occurred and the TV footage showed the spacecraft shooting into the sky and exploding, breaking up into pieces (with stage lights flashing to add dramatic flair). The band was shocked at the scene that played out before them. I turned back and looked at my brother, who was in the second row, and asked, “What was that?!” I personally thought it was an odd way to open the show and was eerily similar to events that have played out in our past. I actually hoped that the concert would start with the song “Major Tom (Coming Home)” where everyone in ground control thinks he’s lost, but actually, he’s survived.
Well, that’s essentially what happened, without that song. As it turns out, the civilian survived, and it was none other than our very own Mika! Adorned in a spaceman outfit, he took the stage and stripped down to his white skivvies. It was quite the entrance! Mika quickly ran off stage to dress and opened the show with Relax (Take it Easy).
[End Spoiler Alert]
I’m not going to go through and review each song, rather, let me just say this: The show was amazing. I don’t know where Mika gets his energy, but he was a shining light the entire show. He spent little time breaking to talk to the crowd, with a few exceptions mentioned in previous posts. Rather, he spent the vast majority of his time cramming in as many songs as he possibly could from both albums. Some notable moments:
Mika took a hat someone in the audience had made and wore it on stage!
He reached out and grabbed my hand
The crowd’s energy during We Are Golden really seemed to floor Mika. He simply held the microphone out at one point and beamed
Mika’s bandmate (on the right-hand side of the stage) wore out a colander on his head near the end of the show. It dropped to the floor as he was banging on his can. He picked it up, held it for a moment before placing it back on his head. It fell again and rolled around on the stage. He bent back down, picked it up – but instead of putting it back on his head, he handed it out to me! I shouted “thank you” but know it was drowned out amongst the cheers of the crowd
I wore my new colander “hat” on my head during Lollipop. At one point, Mika placed one on his head, and I did the same. Ecstatic.
It was pure joy from start to finish. There’s little else I can say to describe the performance other than, brilliant. Simply brilliant. Mika shined for an hour and a half and didn’t let up once. I remember his energy from the first show I saw in Minneapolis, but with a second album under his belt, this show was non-stop Mika the entire time. Some might say that it was Mika-tastic! (ok, by some, I mean, me!
As the group took their bows, the audience cheered. It was almost surreal. And then, just like that, the show was over. The venue lights came on and security started ushering folks out. I shouted for a setlist and was successful in getting one of the roadies to pull one up and throw it out into our group. Our friend, the mom, got it and stuffed it into her bra immediately. There was no way she was giving that up!! *laughs*
The show couldn’t have been better. Everyone in the group we met outside waiting in line loved it. We all met back up and waited in the merch line. While my brother and some of our new-found friends waited in line, one of the girls (Nikole) and I went outside to wait by the stage door. By the time we got outside though, the line was down the entire block!
The rest of the group eventually joined back up with us, but the line just continued to grow. With a group this size waiting, we kind of gave up hope and decided to go take pictures by the tour buses. Some other fans had decided that this was the place to wait to see Mika (versus in the large crowd gathered on the opposite side of the street). As we stood there, a man came walking down the sidewalk toward the first bus and said, “If you’re going to see Mika, you need to be on the other side. That’s the only way you’ll see him.” As he approached the door, he saw me holding onto my treasure, a shiny, dented, silver colander. He said, “That’s my colander,” however, none of us understood what he said through his accent. He again repeated himself, this time more forceful. I explained that the band handed it to me during the last number. He responded that I needed to give it back to him, “it’s mine” he said. I again explained that it was given to me during the last song. He approached me and asked, “Are you going to give it back to me or not?” I politely declined the request. Then, and this is the part that I’m still in shock about two days later, the man walked up directly to me and said, “Then I’ll just take it myself” and he pulled the colander out from my very hands. He then boarded the bus and locked it behind him.
Another group who had been sitting down by the bus in hopes of meeting Mika jumped up to their feet and asked, “Did that really happen?” I stood there with my brother and 6-10 other fans in disbelief holding back tears. One of them wanted to storm the bus to take it back – obviously, not an option. Another fan offered me the setlist that one of the roadies had handed her from the stage. She said, “You deserve at least this as a reminder of the show.” While that was incredibly sweet, and just what I’d expect from Mika’s fans, I thanked her but declined her offer. I explained that it was hers and that she needed to get it signed when Mika came out (and I made her promise that she’d send me a photocopy!)
After waiting in the rain for a little over an hour, Mika finally came out. And to the delight of all of his fans, he took the time to smile and sign autographs for each and every one of them. One of the crew (either Mika’s or the venue’s) held an umbrella over his head while he greeted his waiting fans. He eventually made it down the long line of fans to me and I’m sure I mumbled something that was incoherent, “Thankyousomuch,itwasagreatshow,weloveyou,you’rethebest,ohmygosh,ohmygosh”
but he just smiled and made complete eye contact with me the entire time. It was like I was the only person outside waiting in the rain and cold at that moment – and I’m guessing others had a similar experience. The appreciation and love that he conveyed through his eyes alone left me on top of the world.
He continued down the line and I took some more pictures before he was eventually escorted across the street. At the end of it all, one of the fans that had been with us came up and gave me a hug and said that she was sorry about the whole colander thing. I shared with her that it was still an amazing show and an amazing night – and that’s been the case both times I’ve seen Mika perform. I appreciate his music and his love and support of fans. And I know that he would never condone the type of behavior that one of his crew displayed to me on Tuesday night outside of the Riviera. It’s his love and genuine presence that brings us back again and again. Whether it be Minneapolis or Chicago, or somewhere in between, I have high hopes that I’ll get to see Mika perform again.
It may sound silly, but it’s emotional ending this post, as it means that the concert is officially over. I’ve watched several of the clips on YouTube already and just smile knowing that I was part of the experience at the Riviera on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. Many thanks and much love to the wonderful people that I met. All of us brought together by one common thread: music that makes us laugh, cry, smile and dance. Thank you Mika for creating a little bit of love in the world we live in. Here’s to happily ever, just like in the cartoons… -Mark
