Aki Celeste

Lol here I am, thinking "oh, so Mika carries one of those pinchy arm things for picking up stuff around with him?" This explanation makes much more sense.

Oh wow... this is the sort of gig I'm made for. 🥰 TBH the gigantic seated stadium show experience, while exciting to go through for my first live concert with Mika, was also both over- and underwhelming for me, and I understand now why fans tend to queue up for so long ahead of time! I'm especially happy to hear these two songs sung live, as Lola was probably one of my favorites from that album, and Stardust was not (mostly because of all the extra production layered on top of Mika's voice). The contrast of hearing them sung with minimal accompaniment, audience participation, and up close, is simply magical. With magic being a temperamental thing dependent on all the right factors aligning, it's possible that I may never be lucky enough to experience a gig of this nature. BUT... thank goodness for recordings like this one, and long-standing fans to remind us of them. 🥹

So I'm watching this Imogen Heap documentary, entitled "Everything In-Between: The Story of Ellipse," and all of a sudden, Mika shows up! It's just a small snippet of them collaborating on "By The Time," which apparently happened during the time that Immi was in the process of creating her album "Ellipse." The documentary is available for rent through the Doc'n'Roll website (https://www.docnrollfestival.com/docn-roll-tv/imogen-heap-everything-in-between-the-story-of-ellipse). It seems to consist largely of edited vlog footage, which I believe Immi posted on YouTube as she was working on the album, but I wasn't able to track down the part with Mika specifically, so I screenshot it myself and have attached it below. Mods, do what you will with relocating or taking down this post, as I'm not sure if there are copyright issues with the snippet of video being posted here. I just thought it was so sweet, seeing circa 2008 Mika again, and working with one of my other favorite singers, on some of my favorite albums of theirs. ByTheTimeMikImmi.mov

Gotta say, I am learning a LOT about sweets on this thread these past few days. Fry's bars? Fancy marshmallows? Chocolate-dipped Turkish delight? Do MFCers ever do candy swaps for the holidays?

Yes please. This has got to be one of my favorite sweets in the world, but somehow I didn't end up eating any this holiday season. Better late than never!

I'm just now catching up to some of these posts, and I absolutely love his story of how he perceived sound as a child. Taking apart a violin an hour after receiving it as a gift - now that's curiosity, and commitment! (Although I totally feel his parents' pain on this one). I resonated hard with the comment he made about the ceremonial aspect of listening to music being lost, or at least drastically changed due to digital technology. As a budding audiophile, it makes me wonder if he has any thoughts on the merits of vinyl vs digital. I personally have only known his music through CDs and MP3 downloads (with the exception of MNIMH, which I do have on vinyl, and most of the tracks sound awesome), but I'm curious to know if there are any tracks in particular that are more suited to one medium over another. Perhaps a subject for a different thread that I haven't found yet. I also might have drooled a bit over his description of the four studios he's been working out of - they have a perpetually stocked kitchen? With Harlem jazz playing? In my happy place I've generally imagined being a part of one of the choirs he sometimes uses for performances and recordings, but I might have to upgrade that dream a bit....

Hi Lisa, and welcome! Your story is very similar to mine, in that I loved his first album when it came out but never caught up to what he's been doing since then until recently. I felt sad about missing out at first, especially on the earlier parts of his career, but over the past year I feel like I've made up a little for lost time, with the help of the MFC. I'm on the East Coast too and look forward to the next time Mika comes to our neck of the woods!

Goodness, what a lovely moment! Thank you for capturing it so well for us fans who couldn't be there. I especially loved his comments on the artwork (congrats @holdingyourdrink !), and even caught a glimpse of my own contribution when he paused with the page open. A truly special evening, from the sounds of it - thanks again for sharing. 💖

Awww... I somehow missed Mika's tweet till now, but I find it so heartwarming that he loved Marcel the Shell, which was my favorite cinematic discovery of this year. (It's based on a series of short videos you can find on YouTube, which is more comedic and quirky but still has some meaningful messages). Given this knowledge, I can interpret Mika's final comment from the interview in a more poignant light. The movie does have its sad moments, including death, but the message that I got from it was exactly this, that we can be even more humbled by and appreciative of life when death of a loved one puts it in perspective.

Oh good, I'm so glad someone chose this song! I ran out of time myself to submit a video, but if I had, it would have been about Good Guys. I look forward to seeing the result - that is, assuming @TinyLove_CJwill be sharing it here?

Yeah, that is weird. I was able to watch via YouTube on my phone yesterday, but now when I try to look up the video through Mika's YouTube page on my laptop, it says it's "unavailable." Maybe they did have a few loose ends to tie up with copyright, etc. Or maybe YouTube took it down because it was too sexy...? (I don't think this is actually the case - it would be very odd if it were, because there's MUCH more scandalous content out there).

I'm terribly ignorant about most awards, but this is kind of a big deal, right? Have any of his other albums gone platinum? Why are they deciding this just now - was there an upswing in purchases of the album or something? I personally agree that the album is amazing and am thrilled to see it get some recognition, even if it's been delayed by a few years...

I tried to respond with a laugh icon but for some reason the "confused" icon showed up instead. Let me just say that I am not in the least confused about your reaction, as I would probably do the same, especially for those white shoes with rainbow heels...

Yes! I certainly hope it is a sign of things to come. Even if it's just for his Eurovision journey, what a great way to keep his fans engaged, and invite in new ones.

Wow, he's actually updating his YouTube channel! Haven't seen him upload there for months, but I guess with all the buzz around Eurovision, now's the time. I like how there's a "new song out May 13" announcement snuck in at the end of his Mikavision video - excellent marketing tactics.

Yes, exactly! I was much more pleased with the "Hometown" song though...

He looks so cute and ecstatic to be outdoors and not at Eurovision - makes me wonder what hoops they're putting him through!

I'm still catching up to all the videos - thanks so much for making and sharing them, @Prisca! I totally get the Will Ferrell reference, because that's what I initially thought of when I heard that Mika would be hosting ESC. Will Ferrell played a comedy role a few years ago as an aspiring Icelandic pop singer who gets chosen to compete in ESC, and it was probably one of the most over-the-top movies of his that I'd seen in a while (think Blades of Glory or Zoolander). I can't exactly recommend the movie, although it does have some priceless moments in it, and a lovely Icelandic song toward the end. But I am guessing this is what Mika was referring to.

I've felt the same way, ever since I discovered that they haven't even updated the site to include lyrics from MNIMH. And the lyrics for the songs that are listed aren't always the correct ones. I'd be tempted to get in there and update it myself, if I had the option, but a new website sounds even better. Plus we always have the lyrics here on the MFC site. He should start hiring more of his fans already!

One more, from the Underwater portion, when the crowd participated in lighting the space: IMG_20220425_215401.mp4

The gratitude keeps multiplying, as I catch up to the various recordings of this magical concert. Some of them were made by my partner, who has been ever so patient and supportive with my Mika obsession over the past year or so. There are others out there of better quality, but I think these are worth sharing just because they illustrate how versatile Mika can be, even in a huge echoey space like a hockey stadium. Especially when he went off-mike - it was amazing to me that we could still hear him from as far back as we were seated! So here are a couple of the videos (again, please excuse the sub-par visual quality): MikaBigGirledit2.mp4 IMG_20220425_220138.mp4

Okay, that didn't take too long! Here is my weird and wordy version of a report, for my first ever Mika concert. So much gratitude for being able to have this experience. In order for the rite of Spring to be reborn, death also must be acknowledged. I was reminded of this truth when I first approached the Centre Bell in Montréal, a few hours before the show was set to begin. There were offerings of flowers heaped at the foot of a statue directly outside the building, and it took a moment before I realized who they were for: Guy Lafleur, beloved hockey icon, who had recently passed away. It was a hushed note to start on, for the otherwise celebratory occasion of the Rite of Spring, and the irony of his name (“The Flower”) was not lost on me, as I brought my own flowers indoors. I had put some thought into my outfit, after watching Mika’s parade of colorful clothing offset by white, and I definitely stood out in the crowd of concert-goers, topped by a glittering rainbow of flowers on my head that drew comments from a Québécoise behind me as we streamed into the venue. The two purple silk tulips I carried were an emblem not only of Spring but of generosity, as they had been delivered to me by a fellow fan several days ago, and were soon to be shared with another fan who had lost theirs earlier in the tour. As we stood together in the vast, misty blue bowl of the stadium, I was struck by how remarkable, yet how accessible, this whole situation was. Months prior, out of a haze of creative inspiration and curiosity about the singer who’d helped to inspire me, I’d bought surprisingly affordable tickets to what in my mind amounted to a once-in-a-lifetime, potentially spiritual experience, and I spent the following several weeks diving into the delightful community of fans and artists that he’s built up around him over the years. A spiritual experience it did not quite turn out to be, despite the cathedral-like echoes and ethereal vocals of the impressive opening act, the Québec-born singer Klô Pelgag. She wore angel wings in feathered white, a sharp contrast to the black suit that Mika wore at the start of his show, peeled away one panel at a time to expose internal organs, muscle and bone. It was fitting, as my experience of Mika, underneath all the trappings of fame and glamour, was essentially a human one, and his music a celebration of all the emotional highs and lows of the human realm. From “Lollipop” to “Origin of Love” to “Tomorrow” to “Relax,” I was enfolded in a warm cloak of the familiar adorned with flourishes of the unexpected. “It only took me fifteen years!” I found myself shouting to my partner at one point, referring to the first time I’d discovered Mika’s music, and the length of time it had taken me to catch on to the fact that he was a person, still living out loud, and not only a disembodied voice. It dawned on me that I wasn’t there just to receive, but to give, freely and joyously, of my own time, money, and energy, just as he gave of himself to his audience. It was a deliberate act of gratitude and of support for who he was and what he was trying to do, and yet… it felt charmingly simple. Not unlike his confession of locking the keys in the car the night “Grace Kelly” charted, weaving the sublime with the mundane. Missteps could be made, and it wasn’t the end of the world. But magic began to creep in at the seams. I felt it when Mika expressed a desire to see us and to be seen, and before I knew it, he’d jumped off the stage partway through “Big Girl” and started frolicking through the aisles in his hot pink suit, illuminated by a spotlight that somehow managed to keep up with his brisk pace and bouncing steps. Standing where I was, right next to the aisle in the central section, he passed within a foot or two of me, and I was so tickled that I took off my mask for a brief instant so I could show him how broadly I was smiling. I don’t think he saw me, so focused was he on singing and staying on track, but I could see every detail, including the intensity of his eyes and the sweat-damp curls of hair that framed his face. Safely returned to the stage, he ended the song with a boyish upward swoop of his voice. Human, yet divine. Collective magic came into being toward the end of “Underwater,” when he asked us to turn on our phone torches and light up the stadium as if we were stars numbering in the thousands, then to extinguish them at his bidding. Birth, and death. Building upon our synchronized movements, invoking us into planethood, he eventually brought us into a final, thunderous rendition of the chorus. My instinct was to harmonize, to not quite follow along with the crowd – a habitual quirk of mine – but it was beautiful to witness this thing that we’d created together, out of something as ordinary as our phones and our voices. Other highlights came in short bursts. Mika shushing us as he went off-mike and sang the chorus of “Happy Ending” solo. Hearts formed out of hands silhouetted against the ever-changing colors of the stage backdrop. A moment when I could feel tears pricking my eyes and shivers rippling across my flesh in response to “Tiny Love,” and Joannie’s memory hovering over its reprise. Mika draping himself shirtless atop the piano, head lolling upside down to face the audience as he somehow kept dancing to the beat. A cascade of tulips, shaken over his body to the ground and tossed into the crowd, with one impishly thrown back into his face. (Three of them would eventually make their way into my hands, and into a vase at home, where they flourished in pale purple glory for several days). An improvised invitation to a singer-songwriter friend, Ariane Moffatt, to join him onstage for “Boum Boum Boum,” sung partly kneeling before her as if she were the only person in the world. The end of the show snuck up on me, even though I’d gotten a sense of it after watching video clips from previous shows on the tour, posted by his most diligent fans. Donning his basket-woven crown and his cape of resistance, he came back to us for a couple of encores and ended on a golden note. “We are not what you think we are,” we chanted, and for another wistful moment, I could suspend my ordinary, everyday mind, and with the budding heart of Spring, simply believe in the magic.

Thanks for everyone's helpful comments so far! I was a bit lost at the concert, being seated further back in the central section and not understanding everything he was saying in French. It didn't even occur to me to wonder about the screens, so large was his presence in the moment, but it did translate to me not having any good pictures or video of him on my phone. I've written up something in English, but it's rather long, more like a philosophical article than a short gig report. I may try paring it down to submit for the 2022 yearbook next year. In the meantime, I will likely post it here once I've gotten it to satisfactory place. Words have always been my forte, not so much images.

OMG, this sounds weirdly close to my dream from the other night (I was on a very high balcony with a bunch of fans in rainbow lighting and afraid of falling off). Glad there was no falling last night, and those of us prone to falling or going weak in the knees around Mika... STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGES.

Hi Daniel, lovely to hear your story and that you'll be at the Montréal gig! I'm a relatively new Mika fan myself, in that I've enjoyed his music since his early days ("Relax" was the first song I remember hearing in 2007, while I was a student in France ), but haven't engaged much with his fandom or his live performances until recently. Montréal will be my first, if I'm lucky (wasn't so lucky with the Boston gig ). No worries about not being forum savvy - I'm still getting the hang of it myself. Welcome and enjoy!