greta Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20080202_They_liked_you__Mika__they_really_liked_you.html Last spring Mika, the Lebanese-born pop-star-in-the-making, introduced himself with a song named after a Philadelphia-born princess. In "Grace Kelly," the first single from his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion, he asked a question to which he could not imagine a logical answer: "Why don't you like me?" On Thursday night at the Electric Factory, the London pianist, born Mica Penniman, launched his first U.S. tour with a terrifically entertaining, delightfully campy, aerobically energized sold-out show that made not liking him not an option. As the room full of teenage girls let their enthusiasm be heard, the floppy-haired 24-year-old took to the stage to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5. " He began with the lithesome dance track "Relax (Take It Easy)" and the full-bodied boogie of "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)," for which he was joined by a plus-size dancer in a corset that matched the one worn by an oversize, inflated woman at the rear of the stage. In many ways, Mika is a throwback to the '70s, before the concept of "indie" existed and pop stars like Elton John were unabashed in their extravagance. His songs are catchy, shamelessly commercial singalongs with big, bold choruses. (Before scoring a record deal, he wrote jingles for Orbit gum and British Airways.) And Mika is in the habit of gleefully showing off his octave-leaping voice, in the manner of Freddy Mercury, who's name-checked in "Grace Kelly." On Cartoon Motion, Mika's influences are apparent, and he doesn't make much of an effort to camouflage them on stage. At the Factory, he paid tribute to Annie Lennox, whose vocal mannerisms he often approximates, with a cover of the Eurythmics' "Missionary Man," done as a duet with a backup singer who stood atop a giant M wearing a feathered headdress. But for all the transparency of his sources, Mika already comes off as his own exuberant creation. That was apparent whether he was driving his fans into fits of ecstasy with a shirtless drum solo, or dressing in a bunny suit for a closing, confetti-strewn version of the infectious "Lollipop" - a confection ensuring that everyone there liked Mika even more than they did at the beginning of the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 This has already been posted (by you even!) http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12597 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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