Blue Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Yay! Me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I've got pictures, but is there any special thing to do on this site to post? We tried awhile back and it just gave a link to flickr. I wish it would post on this site. Help!? They are pretty good, I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyGodiva Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I've got pictures, but is there any special thing to do on this site to post? We tried awhile back and it just gave a link to flickr. I wish it would post on this site. Help!? They are pretty good, I think! You have to get the code for it, then when you paste the code the pic should show up when you post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittie88 Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks for all the reports and pics so far -love them! Cant wait to hear the report from Charlotte! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaluvr Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Hey Jennifer! If you upload them to photobucket, you can cut and paste the links from there and they appear here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaluvr Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 This is all brilliant guys. I am so pleased that what could potentially have been a disaster turned out so well. And I really applaud the professionalism of Mika for rolling with the punches and performing regardless and turning this into such a unique event for the Candian/U.S tour. My sentiments exactly! I would also love to somehow officially acknowledge Mika for this but not sure what we would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Hi all! This is Jenniferb's hubby, Garth. I'm here to post all the pics we took of the SL show, with experiences, opinions, etc., which aren't necessarily the opinions of Jen, so take them with a grain of salt! It's also very long, about 2000 words, so hopefully it will feed your hunger for info! I'm also a big fan of Mika, as are my kids, ages 4, 6, and 9. I call my wife a “groupie” in jest, but yesterday I realized that I'm a groupie groupie, since I just puppy-dog my groupie wife around with a camera and carry any extra stuff she happens to pick up along the way. But to be totally honest with you, I had just as much fun as she did. We've been looking forward to this day for a long time, and did a bit of preparation to make it as memorable for the children and us as possible. We knew we couldn't take the kids to the concert itself, so I airbrushed Mika shirts for them to wear all day. We took them out of school that day, and stayed at a hotel the night before, which the kids always love. We then tried all day to get a Mika sighting, just for a photo op. We've never been to In The Venue (ITV) before, and when we drove up to see how the line outside was progressing, we drove past the homeless shelter, and many shady places to get there. The building itself, from the outside, is a hole, and that's being overly complimentary. The neighborhood and the building were completely the opposite of what I thought decent enough to house a Mika concert. While Jen waited in line outside she handed out a bunch of MFC hearts that she painstakingly cut out beforehand. I sat with the children in the van to keep them warm. From that vantage point I could see what was going on behind the scenes from the back door. I talked to some of the stage crew to find out where Mika was, and how the set up was going. Bad news all around. The band were all there, somewhere, but the equipment was in Wyoming. Because of the recent snow storms, I-80 was closed, and they were stuck. The opening band was even further behind! So their options were to either postpone the show, push it back until they could find equipment to rent, or do an acoustic show and give everyone a partial refund because they couldn't do the show they usually do. Luckily for us, they chose the latter. I saw a Modern Display truck pull up full of stage props, and a catering truck, then finally the Suburban carrying Mika and his mom, sister, and other folk. This was around 5:00 pm, and the line was getting long. I can't imagine the incredible pressure the whole crew was under, trying to get any kind of show on, and knowing that people were waiting anxiously outside in the cold. We were fortunate enough to get inside ITV for a pre-show meet-n-greet with 20 or so radio contest winners. Now, as I said that the outside of ITV was a hole, unbelievably the inside was worse! What a dump! I don't know how they keep this place open. Filthy, cold, warehousish, with the charm of a soggy crumpled paper bag found at the bottom of a waste barrel. I mean, honestly, when I took my son to the restroom, I wouldn't let him wash his hands for fear of catching something unthinkable. But the restrooms were sparkling compared to how they were by the END of the show. Jen said there was raw sewage on the floor in the women's restroom. The place ought to be shut down! We were seated on some hard floor-risers to wait for Mika. We sat watching curiously at the stage crew in an amazing fashion decorate and set up the stage. Simply amazing for the time they had and the challenges they had to overcome! The stage was very small, only enough room to sit the band members down to play, and nothing else. Despite the stress that I'm sure he was feeling, John, the show producer was extremely gracious and kind to us. My wife's a real charmer, so she got him to smile, and I got it on film (see below). Mika finally came out and greeted us all. He was eating from a disposable bowl, and someone asked if he was eating ice cream, and he replied, “No, just some soup” which looked like some type of bow-tie noodle soup. I'm sure he was just trying to cram everything he had to do in the short time he had, including dinner. Mika noticed my son's shirt and kindly pointed at him with a smile. When it was apparent that he wouldn't be able to migrate from the beginning of the seated group to our seat, I took the kids and walked up to him. My 4 year old girl had a sterling silver heart with the initials “B.F.F.” engraved on it that she wanted to give to him. So I picked her up, tapped Mika on his shoulder and told him that my daughter wanted to give him something. She handed the heart to him, and he graciously took the time to look at it, and in his British accent said, with a nice pause between each word as if he were trying to figure it out, “Best... friends... forever”, and he smiled and thanked her, to which she smiled shyly. He then allowed me to take a picture of them together, with Mika holding my daughter. Such a cute photo that will bring back many wonderful memories. We were all given a free CD of his album and we got him to sign it, as well as get a nice family photo. He talked a little more with the group, and then said that he'd better go get ready. We took some more pictures of the stage being prepared, and of the kids and Jen, and then I had to run the children home (Sandy City, about 12 miles south of Salt Lake, thank goodness for freeways) before the concert started. Jen stayed there and was fortunate to watch Mika come out and do some sound checks on stage. I returned with my sister-in-law to see the show (which was her very first concert at the age of 29, what a way to break her in!). On the way there we could see how long the line was... HOLY COW! It wrapped around to the next block, and was 3 people wide! I really wondered how all these fans would fit in the building. We got back in time to be 2 or 3 people from the front.We waited from around 7:30 till 9:15 when the show finally started. The crowd was extremely pushy, with a gaggle of dressed-up Mika uber-fans thinking they were the privileged ones trying to push their way to the front. They met resistance up to the point of being right behind me, and our group of MFC'ers stopped them dead in their tracks, and there they stayed annoying all who could feel their rambunctiousness and hear their screeches. Being taller than most around me, I could see the crowd from above, and it looked as if everyone was floating in water, with waves of movement. We were so cram packed, that the flowing movement was quite involuntary. If a push started from the back, you could see the effects all the way to the front, where Char and her surrounding lucky ones were undoubtedly smashed against the unmoving steel barriers. You simply can't fall down, but you're gasping for air, and praising the Lord for every cold draft that wafts over the crowd from some invisible savior opening a back door. I'm thankful it wasn't hot outside too! I looked up and saw that the balcony was filling up quickly, and my only thought was how old and decrepit the building was, and I imagined the beams holding up that floor crumbling. Morbid, I know, but I quickly looked for the closest exit just in case. At one point, Andy, Mika's tour photographer, was shooting a camera in our direction and everyone waved their arms and screamed. The unfortunate thing is that afterwards I couldn't get my arms down because the crowd was so tight. Another unfortunate thing was that most of us needed some gum... *whew*... inescapable bad breath abounds! When Mika finally came out, the sea of people turned to a tsunami of screams that made Mika hold his hands over his ears, which he had to do several times during the show. He mentioned later how loud the crowd was, which only made them louder. I was sure my recordings would be all static-sounding because the decibel storm. I had soft foam earplugs in through the whole show, and it drowned the crowd out enough to hear Mika quite clearly, and I highly recommend them if you ever find your ears ringing after a concert. You won't miss a peep from the stage, and you'll enjoy the show so much better! I now understand why so many Mika concert videos that people post on YouTube are so shaky. “Learn to hold that camera still, for crying out loud!” Remember that sea of people? Yeah, you have no control. When a beat picks up, so does the people storm. You're doing all you can to not get shaking camera syndrome. Mika is an amazing performer. He has unbelievable stage presence for a young 24 year old, and his charm just takes over. And his band is just as charismatic. The stage was so small, it could barely hold all of them, and there was a lack of any accessories like the Lollipop Girls, and the Big Girls. There simply wasn't any room. Everyone stayed put through the whole show, with the exception of Mika. He got up and interacted with the crowd when he could, but he had to step over some of the equipment to do so. There was only one Mika jump through the show. I was disappointed that more hearts weren't held up during Love Today, which was the whole point, but now a thousand more people know about the fan club, so good publicity instead. to be continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpfree Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Katey!!!! Nooooo way! OH why why why didn't we all go to eat together after???? You lucky lucky girl! I am so glad you got to meet him. What hotel was it? (You may have answered that in this thread - I need to catch up!) i'm not sure of the name of the hotel. but it was on the same block as the hilton. yes, i'm very lucky. and i dont understand why we didnt all go out to eat together after the show, but i guess it just wasnt meant to be that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mika mentioned how crazy of a day it had been. It was the first time the whole band had played acoustically together, so he said that they were just going wing it and have fun! And fun they had! What I didn't understand is why they called it acoustic. Mika was on an electric keyboard, Mike had an electic bass guitar, and there were sound effects. Trimmed down skeleton crew concert, sure. But acoustic, not entirely. One thing for sure is that none of the audience missed any of the equipment that was stuck in Wyoming! We were privileged to see a never-seen-before-Mika-show, and it didn't disappoint, for the most part. It was too darn short, only 45 minutes, but there were several songs they said they couldn't play without their regular equipment. Noticeably missing was Ring Ring, Erase, and Big Girls. For a performance that good, 3 hours wouldn't be too long! So when the concert was over, a group of fans took it upon themselves to sing in unison the whole Big Girls song. It was loud, so I'm sure Mika could hear it backstage. We stood around waiting to possibly see Mika one more time, then could have kicked ourselves for not realizing that if anything, Mika would go out the back door. So we raced out around back, and saw the tell-tale bright light that was Andy's camera pointing into a crowd of people. Dang it! So we raced over and had just enough time to take a few more pictures, one with Jen grabbing his arm and posing with Mika signing autographs. Not a great photo, but a great finish to an unforgettable day. Thanks for letting me share our experiences! Undoubtedly, word will get out about Mika, and next time around he'll be a bit more untouchable, so we were very fortunate to have seen him while in his US infancy. Mika with my 4 year old daughter Mika with family Hey look! John's smiling! He was very nice to us! Custom made Mika Shirts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mika sound check Andy, Mika's tour cameraman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Jen stealing a shot with Mika Mika receiving Natalie's gift And Luke Juby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickfigures Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Oh yeah one of my favorite quotes of the night has to be when he realized there was a fenced area for the people drinking. He was just talking than all the sudden he goes "What are you doing in a cage? I just realized there's a cage halfway through this venue. Will they not let you out or something? (someone informs him its for people who are drinking) Ahhh! It's cause their drinking their ****ing drunk" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyGodiva Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Jen stealing a shot with Mika Mika receiving Natalie's gift And Luke Juby Wonderful pics! oh wow! They turned out really well! Thank you so much for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilmot Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Garth! What a wonderful report....and the pictures are great. You have a beautiful family. Wow, this thread keeps on getting better and better and it was already great to start with. Thank you everyone. Even though it was in a "hole" this SLC concert sounds so awesome! So, Mika didn't wear his blue tie for the whole concert, huh? Or was that the sound check picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaluvr Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mika receiving Natalie's gift Eeeeeeeeee he's holding my gift!! I am SO happy you got a picture of that! Garth it was so great to meet you and Jen. You guys are awesome. Your report is absolutely terrific and all these pictures make me almost want to cry lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candboys Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks for sharing! It sounds like you had a good time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwalk174 Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 i loved your report!! it's too bad the venue sucked too bad i loved all the pictures also!! thanks so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks for letting me share our experiences! Undoubtedly, word will get out about Mika, and next time around he'll be a bit more untouchable, so we were very fortunate to have seen him while in his US infancy. Are you kidding? Thank YOU for sharing your memories of this night! What an amazing, well-written report! I really appreciated it! And this photo of Mika with your daughter -- just melts my heart! Wow! dcdeb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer B Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Nat, I thought you would LOVE it! Glad for you! The clothes were different for sound check, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpfree Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Jen stealing a shot with Mika Mika receiving Natalie's gift And Luke Juby omg i love you guys for putting up all these pics! none of mine turned out. i noticed in these ones, he's wearing the sweater that i love. ahhh. its the white one he's wearing underneath his coat. its very soft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findingmywords Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Aww thanks so much Garth!!! Great report!! the pictures are lovely! Especially the one with mika and your daughter!! So cute!! Thank you so much!!! I'm glad you all had a good time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivan Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Are you kidding? Thank YOU for sharing your memories of this night!What an amazing, well-written report! I really appreciated it! And this photo of Mika with your daughter -- just melts my heart! Wow! dcdeb what a cute pic!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivan Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mika sound check Andy, Mika's tour cameraman GREAT GREAT PICTURES!!! AND BAD ME FOR COMING IN HERE SEEING THEM!!! i just get super excited for the LA show.... its not good for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findingmywords Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 GREAT GREAT PICTURES!!! AND BAD ME FOR COMING IN HERE SEEING THEM!!!i just get super excited for the LA show.... its not good for me! :woot_jump: teeelll me about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jujuzita Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Great report, great pictures, thank you for sharing (tired, just came from the disco where I heard Relax and Grace Kelly ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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