Hero

4 hours ago, mellody said:

 

Finally found my hair in the 2nd pic, lol!  I thought I must be somewhere in it, as the "you are Golden" banner was a few rows behind me. I'm half hidden behind that guy whose head keeps appearing in my videos, and I can't see Nina in this photo at all, who was next to me. And Michelle, I think that maybe I see your hand?

Haha, I was 4 seats to the right of the person with the banner, so I'm in there too. Can't see me though! 

Well, I just bought a ticket so I'll see you all there! 

1 hour ago, Prisca said:

Yes, I have experienced all kinds of things. Roundhouse has been the best organisation I have ever experienced. Letting people in one by one was perfect. Usually it works out to get into the first or second row if you get there early. My description was more negative than is often the case while queuing. I'm sorry, I just had a moment of frustration. 🙈

Understandable, with the amount you've done, it figures you'd have more than your fair share of negative experiences. 🫂

I guess the usual advice applies - prepare for the worst, hope for the best. 

14 minutes ago, Prisca said:

You can also come at 10am and someone who came at 3pm can be in front of you. You can also come at 6/7am and someone who comes a few hours later blocks you to make room for someone who started queuing late in the afternoon and still look like a bogeyman because you don't want to leave a 50-something year old woman who is a head shorter in front of you who arrived at the concert venue only 30 minutes before the concert. You can also start queuing at 7.30am and give up your front row without discussion for someone who needs it more than you and still become a bogeyman in the end. All happend to me! The front row is never safe (yes, sorry, I'm frustrated). But true, for the first few rows it should be ok. But honestly, I have more faith in the UK than in France that you will get your fair share.

Oh man. I'm sorry you've experienced all that. Blocking is completely unfair. 

The Roundhouse worked well because they had good security who worked with us, respected the numbering, and enforced no running in the venue. Honestly, I doubt the Bristol crew will be as good. Probably more like it was at Caribana or Zeebrugge. 

Howling. Last night I fell asleep on the sofa after making myself a sandwich. While asleep, I dreamt that I was frantically trying to open a bag, finally resorting to tearing through it with my fingers. It was one of those half awake dreams, quite visceral. Jerking awake, I could still feel the bag on my fingers. Looking down, I saw that I'd actually torn a big hole in the plastic wrapper on the loaf of bread, my fingers were still curled inside it! 😲

If only I could train my fingers to knit and sew during my sleep. 🤣

On 4/19/2023 at 9:40 AM, Prisca said:

Just get there early queuing

Hmm, how early though... if it's anything like the Roundhouse last year, I'd say by 10am to be in the first few rows. 9am to be certain. 

Speaking of misheard lyrics, a few times now when he's sung Happy Ending live, at the part "the way you left me", I've  heard "the way you let me". Which makes no sense in the song, so it's probably just me mishearing his accentuation. 

2 hours ago, AmelieCharlotte said:

That's a brilliant summary of the gig, thank you! It was so lovely to meet you & chat 

I was saying to someone yesterday that all the husband/boyfriends who looked like they'd been dragged along by their wives were the ones who I heard afterwards saying how amazing it was. The Mika effect!

It was lovely to meet you too! Hope to see you at a gig again soon.  

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Sorry  I think nearly everyone spent a little more money than they had initially wanted to during this trip! 

 You took us to some nice shops that I don't see round here, so I was happy to tag along!

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

I was standing in close proximity of you and I do not recall this call  but maybe I was distracted by a dashing smile looking out from the car.

Haha,  hopefully he was also distracted. 

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

OMG! As if you didn’t have enough adrenaline rushing through your veins already!?!? Glad it was a miss!! 

I had started to relax at that point too. Didnt last long! I felt bad for Prisca watching it fall. From the noise it made I was expecting to see a collapsed wardrobe! 

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Oh yes, we were very lucky that way, we are familiar with longer waiting times! But I also think it was due to the festival having to close down early enough, since it is situated in a neighbourhood. 

Oh that's a good point, yes! OK petition for more gigs in residential areas. 

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

All in all I really enjoyed reading your report, because it truly captured the feeling that evening so well and I could relive the memories again 

Aww, I'm glad! Thank you. 

8 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

After the M&G the people around me kept saying “what a nice guy, who would’ve thought?” It was so cute, and I was like “yup, that’s him!” ❤️

Yup, completely! 🥰❤

Cheltenham was extraordinary, what a fantastic start to this year's gigs! So much energy and good vibes. 

I arrived Tuesday afternoon. You'd think being in the UK the journey would be simple, but no, my first train was delayed so I missed my connection and had to buy another ticket for the 2nd leg. Ah, well worth it for Mika. 😍

At Cheltenham I quickly met Anna who was staying in the same hotel. We had a delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant, then took a walk to scope out the venue.  The tent looked quite small from the outside, we wondered how they'd fit us all in! 

The next morning broke fair, and after a quick walk I again met with Anna. We made our way back to the venue, where we met up with the other MFCers. So lovely to see everybody again! We hung around in the park while other fans joined us, and discovered one of the security guys was actually a fan of Mika, which was why he'd applied for the job! So nice to hear, and we all immediately felt more relaxed knowing there was a kindred spirit on the other side of the fence. 😄

It was still too early for Mika to be there, so after a bit of emergency shopping (🤭) we met up at Ask Italian restaurant, opposite the venue, for a tasty dinner. We were about 11 people at this point. It was so nice to see everyone chatting and laughing in good spirits. 🥰

Afterwards we went back to the tent, and more fans arrived. We moved round to the artists entrance on the side road, and chatted as various vehicles came and went, each time with us watching 'discreetly' through the gaps in the fence. Thinking it was probably still too early for the soundcheck, we discussed going back to our hotels to get changed and reconvene. As we were chatting, a car pulled up to the gate, looking nothing like a car we would expect to see him in. The nearside window wound down, and there he was! His beaming smile, saying hello to us! 😍🥰 Everyone else was cool and said "Oh hi! Hello!". For some reason I let out a surprised and cringe-inducing "Ooooaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!"  Sorry Mika.

He drove in, then came back to the gate as a couple of girls called him over. One of them had 2 vinyl albums - LICM and MNIMH - which he happily signed for her. After a quick chat and a couple of photos, he headed into the tent. Everyone was on cloud nine, it was a lovely and unexpected moment that really set us up for the evening to come. The girl with the records was so emotional, she said it was the first time she'd met him. How lovely! 😍

At this point most of us returned to our rooms to get ready for the gig. I waited for Prisca, who I was sharing a room with that night, who was on the coach from the airport but delayed due to a big traffic jam. She finally arrived, we said hello, and as it turned out she was still ready for the gig before me. 🤣🤣

Back at the venue, we found a group of fans waiting at the artists entrance, and could hear the soundcheck inside. Anna was round the front of the tent doing a livestream of the soundcheck for fans who couldn't attend. 

We all regrouped and went to the front of the tent, where we found that even though it was a seated gig, we would still have to queue for a bit as they weren't quite ready to open the doors yet. 

At this point I say a big thank you to Michelle, who sold me her spare Row F ticket which halved my distance from the stage, and an equally big thank you to Karin, who had kindly obtained 4 Mika x Pilot pens and brought them from Germany for me. Thank you ladies!! 😘🥰

After some waiting around, the doors finally opened and we were able to go in. I was surprised at the lack of security, there were NO bag checks taking place, and the ticket check was just to see if it said "Mika". It meant we got in more quickly, but after going through bag searches and forbidden items at other gigs, this seemed quite lax. 

Entering the tent, I realised how deceptive the view from outside had been. This place was HUGE! I felt like I was walking into an arena. 🤣 I quickly found my seat and tried to spot other MFCers as the crowd piled in. I had a worrying moment when a big guy took the seat in front of me, but with a slight lean I still had a good view of the stage. 

Hearing the intro music start, my anticipation was through the roof, I didn't realise just how much I'd missed this. The band came on stage, then Mika came out, still in darkness, to a rapturous applause. A single spotlight on him, he told us the story of a defiant pink girl screwing up a perfectly grey town, leading us into Lollipop and an energetic start that would be maintained throughout most of the show. 

Most of the songs are a memory of "Oh, yes!" "Wow!" "Amazing" "oh, my god..." etc... 😁 Key moments - a flash of light and me realising the choit were also there (I hadn't seen them come on stage due to big guy in front of me),  after OOL when he had to dash off and change because his trousers were falling off him 🤣🤣🤣, introducing the surprise guest Nomfundoh and duetting Feels Like Fire 😍, introducing and singing the lovely One More Dance together, him dancing in the crowd for Big Girl and the 2000 stars of Underwater, everyone - even the older jazz oriented guys - getting up to dance, the explosive performances on the stage, his gentle modesty, humour and warmth lifting everyone. Hearing Billy Brown, Popular and Rain made a nice switch, and the classics were performed with zeal. There was a moment during Happy Ending where he seemed to be having difficulty with a technical fault, but it was quickly sorted. I was happy to see the cloak and crown return for WAG, and the energy of the Love Today encore was life-giving. 

The crowd's applause was rapturous, with foot stamping, deafening cheers and whistles. He exited on the Yoyo remix and, being stuck in the row centre, I had another little dance then made my way to other MFCers in the front of stage. Everybody was in awe at what we'd just experienced. Heading back to the artists entrance, we kept hearing words like 'amazing' 'incredible' 'brilliant'. Even those who had been dragged along by friends were saying how much they enjoyed it. 

At the gate, we didn't have long to wait before he came out. We thought it would be from behind the gate, but no, he had them opened and came to stand with everyone! 😍 Some signing and chatting (and a group selfie) later, he thanked us all for coming, then got into the waiting car and was driven off to calls of 'thank you'. A wonderful end to the day.

But I had another little OMG moment in store. Up on cloud nine again (had I left? I'm not sure!) I turned to see Andy and Adam walking past. Surprised, as I thought they would have been in the car, I caught Andy's eye and said how much I was loving Epirus Falls, it was fantastic. He grinned, said thank you very much, pleased to meet you, and held his hand out to me to shake! I got an Andy hand shake!  Such a sweet guy. 😍

Afterwards a few of us dashed off for a quick comedown drink before the bars closed, then caught up with Karin to wish her a Happy Birthday, before saying our goodbyes and heading back to hotels. 

That night I had a near miss in the hotel. A picture above the bed fell off the wall and landed with a loud bang, directly on the pillow where my head had been just 2 minutes earlier! Not quite the scare I needed before going to sleep!

The next morning I ached so much from all the dancing, but in a good way. 😁 I was also more tired than I realised, as on the train back I fell asleep and missed my connecting stop. 🤣 I had to hop off at the next station, and buy a new ticket for the second leg. Again. 😅 With 2 new train tickets and a new gig ticket, I've almost paid twice for this gig! Meh, it was worth it. It was a fantastic gig, an incredible evening which I'll remember for a long time, and it was worth every second. To the point where I'm now thinking, hmm, maybe I can get to Bristol somehow... 🤣

On 4/9/2023 at 6:55 PM, TinyLove_CJ said:

Mum wasn't too keen on ep.3, a little bit too rude...

(Oh boy... just wait 'till series 2 )

😆 Remind me what is in episode 3? Is that the one with Elio?

On 4/14/2023 at 7:22 PM, TinyLove_CJ said:

Return journey in two words:

Blood + Panic 

Why, what happened? 

1 hour ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Hello everyone! Selling a row F seat for tomorrow’s gig! 
 

 

I'm interested! Have pm'd you. 

24 minutes ago, Prisca said:

Are we talking about the same Mika?

Sure, if he uses the same concept as his diet. He'll condense a year's sleep into that one month, and be refreshed for longer. 

I know, I know... ... sorry!

1 hour ago, SusanT said:

But what's Mika doing between April 26 and May 23 ?

Sleeping.  

Le Mens 24hr is an endurance driving event. It's hugely popular and will have been on sale before now. Its the centenary, so I can imagine tickets sold out a while ago, maybe even in a pre-sale. 

View it like a private gig. 

Looking at the schedule though, each night the artist is listed 8pm - 11pm. That can't be right can it? A 3 hour show? Unless it's broken up into sections. 

1 hour ago, teenagedreamer98 said:

Today I was in a cafe in Glasgow and I heard FIVE Mika songs on their music player! Love You When I'm Drunk, Lollipop, Billy Brown, Staring At The Sun, Stay High.

 

What made me excited was that they mostly played his album tracks, not the famous singles. Whoever runs that cafe has great music taste! 

WOW!!! That's brilliant!

Can you remember the cafe name? Any fans in the area could be sure to visit it. 

1 hour ago, mellody said:

 

Was he leaving? Or arriving? In any case, would be fab if it was for rehearsals... especially of new songs, but it might just be twists on the old songs, I wonder how jazzy they'll make them sound for the Jazz Festival. Thinking of the Lollipop version with NAIP...

The version of Lollipop he did with Mitch on piano where he told the story of Simple Jack was quite jazzy. And with FunkOff for I❤Beirut. 

I guess Lollipop is the most translatable for a jazz format. 

Edit: SITM! I forgot SITM. Doo ba daa, zow! 

Hi Leo, pleased to meet you! I'm Andrea in the UK. Have fun here, there's so much to see! 

The interview was held on Tuesday by telephone, it was reported in another thread:

On 4/18/2023 at 12:21 PM, Naectegale said:

Good Morning

 

Mariella Frostrup is interviewing Mika today for her Times Radio show. I think it will be broadcast on Thursday between 1pm and 3pm and should be on catch-up or a podcast or something afterwards.

23 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

In less than a week we will see him live!

Yeah, but I want one of his virtual hugs. ❤️ 

23 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

I’m thinking he will travel to the UK soon to do last fittings. Maybe Mira Mikati herself will also be at Cheltenham? 

Might already be here! 

1 hour ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

At least he's alive.

Jesus Anna, I wasn't even thinking like that! Thanks. 

1 hour ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

He reposted a story about Bristol gig 

Saw that. Nice, but who says he posted it? For promo like that it could be someone on his team. It doesn't count unless we see him. Preferably a video. With speaking. His voice, not AI.

Yes I am picky. 

Where's our lovely guy? I'm missing him. 

Good interview! Loved his description of the Lebanese bubble, the smells of tobacco and Elnett hairspray, the old men drunk on whisky accusing each other of cheating at backgammon, so evocative. 

Nice that they gave him time to speak about his refugee work. I had no idea 18 years was the average time spent in refugee status, that's nuts! 

25 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

I also think that the interviewer (Mariella) had a time restriction. It didn’t necessarily feel like a rude cut off, because she did let him talk and express himself

Yes I agree, there was a time limit, she had to move the discussion on every so often. Would have been nice to have a proper thank you at the end instead of just signing off, but we can blame that on the time restrictions. 

He did well! 🥰

Don't know if this one is new, old or a variant, but a fake "Mika" is messaging on Instagram. 👿

It's not bad, but there's room for improvement.  Not harping back to the past and putting their own spurious "observations" on it would be a start. A bigger focus on his more recent projects would make it better. 

But if Mika keeps going as he is - I don't think any reporter is going to have influence over his comeback.