Mika, each time you repeat one of your soundbites on stage, I like you a little less.

[miss f]

Seriously. You're so good at everything else, can't you drop the painfully staged scripts and engage in some spontaneous stage banter, like in SLC?

 

I was really moved by your quote about radio play and live shows in Philly because it was new, and seemed genuine. I joked that I would bet you'd be repeating it at every show since, but of course you are. Yes, it was a good bit, but not as a "bit"--it was only moving and good as something earnest and real. I had thought your slight hesitation prior to saying it was because you were disclosing something vulnerable, a confession of sorts--not because you were trying to remember the latest addition to your script.

 

The overly-worn Billy Brown bit just makes me grind my teeth at this point.

 

--Jack

 

Haven't the energy to read all the posts on this thread, but I agree with some of the points raised.

 

Unfortunately for me, this is one of the reasons I've decided to stop going to any more gigs for a while. Since seeing him firstly last year,in January at Flopp Music store, and 7 times after that, untill my last gig in December, which i even considered not going too, I also became alittle cynical about the 'scripted banter' and stage performance.

 

I can't or won't put the blame on Mika, but myself really. Too much of a good thing always has its downfalls. I just had to remember that he wasn't just playing for existing fans, but new fans aswell. I dunno..I guess when you start to know the setlist or routine, even before any songs are performed, its time to take a back sit..... Just my opinion

[JackViolet]

Since seeing him firstly last year,in January at Flopp Music store, and 7 times after that, untill my last gig in December, which i even considered not going too, I also became alittle cynical about the 'scripted banter' and stage performance.

 

Ooooh, I'm madly jealous that you saw him way back then. Question--what was his "routine" like at that point? I don't think he had one yet, right? Did he tell any of the same stories even then, or was his chatter unscripted at the time?

 

--Jack

[elanorelle]

I wish to enjoy the shows for my own reasons....

 

i love all what you are talking about and some great points. but some of us want to keep it sacred...really.

 

i suppose its so special for me...no one can say anything that would ruin for me

 

 

I AM GOING TO SEE HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME TOMMOROW SO LETS JUST HAVE FUN WITH ALL OF THIS..... :wub2:

[babspanky]

.I guess when you start to know the setlist or routine, even before any songs are performed, its time to take a back sit..... Just my opinion

 

Hello Felicia! First Kay and now you! What a treat! Hope you are OK?

I kind of know what you mean, by December, I got strangely emotional and jaded, but I have to say, I am about ready for another gig now, and that's after having been to the Fiat Launch in January too.

I agree about the scripted banter, but like you say, we may have heard it a lot, but others won't have. It doesn't overly bother me, although I do take the piss a bit!

[Aaurora]

:ban:WHY Loverrated is banned?!

Don't get me started paranoid too!

 

Omg..... What happened, I loved her so much, she was mon petite everything!!

[Christine]

No one wants to ruin anything that's sacred. We're not even asking Mika to do something that is uncharacteristic of him. He's made unscripted audience banter before and there's no reason he can't do it again. It's a desirable thing, trust me!!

 

I don't find anything wrong with some of the repetitious stories. If he wants to introduce Billy Brown in the US with a relevant story about Tommy Mottola and Wal-Mart that's fine. But there is no reason why he can't improvise a little bit in between songs too. The audience (and everyone reading gig reports on MFC) will love every second of it and I think Mika will enjoy himself too.

[Jazzy]

At HMV he seemed really shy and didn't say much. Granted they were only twenty/thirty minute performances, and there was some chatter (mostly about how glad he was the album was finally out and then at the second one about how glad he was to be back home) but none of what he said was stuff that I've heard since.

 

I think it's worth remembering that while there are all these artists that manage to just improvise their way through a gig, there are also artists that repeat word for word what they've said at every single concert for the last three years, Green Day being a prime example of this. An excellent live band, but the only thing that ever changes in their between-song banter is the name of the place where they are. There are two ends of the spectrum, and I think Mika's bang in the middle. The stuff he repeats is stuff that gets a reaction from the crowd. Like the Billy Brown story, every single person cheers when he tells them what he said to Tommy Mottola, so if you get a reaction like that from people, you're bound to think "Well, that works, I'll use that again."

 

And finally, I would like to say that being on stage is terrifying (in a marvellous way, but terrifying nonetheless) and I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to try and banter with people when all you can really see is bright lights shining in your direction. I find it hard enough when I've got a set script that I'm meant to stick to and I've got other people there to support me, but being the centre of attention and having to come up with interesting things to say on the spot is verrrry difficult. Comedians, who are supposed to be brilliant at that sort of thing, spend months testing out their material on small audiences, and you'd be surprised how much of it is rehearsed, word for word, and repeat that exactly for their entire tour, so don't be too harsh on the poor boy.

 

Looooooooong post. Apologies.

[elanorelle]

No one wants to ruin anything that's sacred. We're not even asking Mika to do something that is uncharacteristic of him. He's made unscripted audience banter before and there's no reason he can't do it again. It's a desirable thing, trust me!!

 

I don't find anything wrong with some of the repetitious stories. If he wants to introduce Billy Brown in the US with a relevant story about Tommy Mottola and Wal-Mart that's fine. But there is no reason why he can't improvise a little bit in between songs too. The audience (and everyone reading gig reports on MFC) will love every second of it and I think Mika will enjoy himself too.

 

very true......i love things improvved! maybe Thurs and Friday might be differnent ! maybe I could make a scene or something hehe

[lollipop_monkey]

In LA, he gave the spiel about Billy Brown and America, and the crowd ate it up with a spoon. His "American record exec" accent is fscking hillarious.

 

He didn't launch into that in San Fran, though - all he said was something like "San Francisco would love my mate Billy Brown!"

 

In both Cali shows he thanked everyone for coming out, and acknowledged that radio play is hard to come by here. It's repetitive, but I don't doubt for a second that he truly means it - here's this massive country that for whatever reason is shunning his music, despite ever-growing, sold out live shows.

 

In LA, Michelle threw a plush Mika-monkey on stage. He brought it out in San Fran, called it a voodoo doll, and couldn't for the life of him figure out why he had a tail. Guess the "monkey"part was lost on him.

 

Short clip of that:

 

 

I love that in your imagination, Mika appears to reside solely in Asia.

 

--Jack

 

ROFL!

 

I wish to enjoy the shows for my own reasons....

 

i love all what you are talking about and some great points. but some of us want to keep it sacred...really.

 

i suppose its so special for me...no one can say anything that would ruin for me

 

 

You have nothing to worry about. It's your first gig - you will relish every single second of having him on stage in front of you, no matter what he says. It will be magic, it will be wonderful, and you'll feel like you're going to just disintegrate from all the emotion you'll feel. I guarantee it.

 

Omg..... What happened, I loved her so much, she was mon petite everything!!

 

If you have any questions, feel free to PM Freddiesdouble - I'm sure he'll explain it to you, but we wouldn't be right to post moderation decisions all over the boards.

[themetalmunchkin]

You little jerk, you just made me cough up the tea I was swallowing.

 

u know u shouldnt eat and drink when your on mfc

[Aaurora]

 

In LA, Michelle threw a plush Mika-monkey on stage. He brought it out in San Fran, called it a voodoo doll, and couldn't for the life of him figure out why he had a tail. Guess the "monkey"part was lost on him.

 

Short clip of that:

 

 

 

Thats cute

 

Realisticly, he does so many shows. You can't expect him to say new, witty things to the audience at each show. The poor boy would be wracking his brain for clever things to say. We all know how organised he is, perhaps this is part of it, he loves to be in control and to know what he's going to say or do at each show.

 

I could possibly offer more insight into this if I ever get to see him live

 

If you are travelling across the country to see each show, you are bound to see things more than once. If, he does a concert in the same place but a year apart and he is still saying the same things, THEN it gets a bit trite.

[mikaholic]

Would like to see that!

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ONpPUUIjmfQ

[babspanky]

Thats cute

 

Realisticly, he does so many shows. You can't expect him to say new, witty things to the audience at each show. The poor boy would be wracking his brain for clever things to say. We all know how organised he is, perhaps this is part of it, he loves to be in control and to know what he's going to say or do at each show.

 

I could possibly offer more insight into this if I ever get to see him live

 

If you are travelling across the country to see each show, you are bound to see things more than once. If, he does a concert in the same place but a year apart and he is still saying the same things, THEN it gets a bit trite.

We're almost there! To be honest, I can't remember what he's said at which gig, I just know if I've heard it before, but it doesn't bother me that much.

[JackViolet]

Realisticly, he does so many shows. You can't expect him to say new, witty things to the audience at each show.

 

New and witty perhaps not, but I don't expect witty. I don't think anything he says now is particularly witty anyhow.

 

Like Chrissy said, he can even keep his routine if he's that tied to having pre-tested material--but what's stopping him from improving on top of it?

 

Come on! Is he gonna let Patrick Wolf best him at this?

 

--Jack

[babspanky]

Come on! Is he gonna let Patrick Wolf best him at this?

 

--Jack

 

Some would say Patrick beats him, full stop.

[vickylovesmika]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ONpPUUIjmfQ

Thanks for that !

I just happened to pop in here too , great timing !

I think Mika is very genuine and sweet, i can't really say much negative about him after all the great things i've seen. The guy thanked me for giving him a daft lollipop for heavens sake ! What more can i say!

I do think he could speak a bit more to the audience at times but i think he does, more than lots of other people do, so i'm pretty happy

He does try to put on a great show and get to the whole place as he says with his show and reach the people at the back of venues ... he is just young too , come on ... he's still in his infancy as a STAR!

oh dear i'm coming over all maternal ......

[Yoppappop]

me too (repkying to the title of the thread...)

not that i "like him a little less" but i find it more and more ridiculous... well... a bit ridiculous, but once again, i think the 7 gigs i have behind me might have something to do with that...

[Christine]

Some would say Patrick beats him, full stop.

 

----

 

If Mika had never done any improvised banter I probably wouldn't notice it was missing. Paolo Nutini can barely open his eyes on stage and even when he talks to the audience no one can make out WTF he's saying. But you know, that's Paolo.

 

Mika on the other hand is one of the most charismatic, quick witted people I've ever come across and he is perfectly capable of making chit chat in front of an audience. It does not have to be witty or stellar. It just has to be comfortable and relevant.

 

When Mika came outside after the show in Toronto he wanted to know what was going on with the big truck outside with his face plastered all over it. This is exactly the kind of thing he could bring up on stage. Mika has Andy running around all day so he knows exactly what's going on with the audience and the venue. He's already prepped to strike up conversations with people in the front or ask about why there's a big truck outside with his face plastered all over it.

[Yoppappop]

maybe he's really the control freak he says he is... obsessed about the timing on stage, etc. someone noticed and tld me after one of the gigs we've been to that he was counting ALL THE TIME, giving signs to the whole band as when to start, when to stop, what to do, etc. that gives not much room for interaction but he's improving. evolution the since april is globally positive regarding the audience interaction, and it was SOMETHING (or was NOT) in april :blink: (well, in paris, though... seems that he was better everywhere else in europe then... but i'm only talking about what i see and what i know )

[Christine]

maybe he's really the control freak he says he is... obsessed about the timing on stage, etc. someone noticed and tld me after one of the gigs we've been to that he was counting ALL THE TIME, giving signs to the whole band as when to start, when to stop, what to do, etc.

 

I noticed that in Toronto too. I like the fact that the musical bits are timed well but there's no need for that kind of structure in places where he's decided it's appropriate to talk to the audience. Like I wouldn't expect him to interrupt the momentum between Relax and Big Girl with some random comment about Toronto, but things could be more freeflowing when he is breaking between songs.

[jjg81]

I apologize if it's been already said, Ive only read the 1st and last page of the topic.

I don't think you can really hold against Mika the fact that he tells the same stories at the gigs. I dont think it has to do with experience, it has more to do with trying to put the best show possible. When he sees that one of his comments/story works with the audience, he is going to repeat it more, it's probably safer but at the same time he is sure that its not going to fall flat.

 

You also have remember that 90% of the audience are gonna see the concert just once, so they'll never know that the story has been told 10 times already!!

 

I have been to only 2 Mika concerts, so I cant really tell if I would get bored hearing the same thing a few times.

 

However i have been to quite a few U2 shows on their last tour and Ive listened to many bootlegs, and even though Bono has almost 30 years of stage experience and is great public speaker, he is gonna tell the same stories over and over again. It doesnt take away from their performance because even if u have heard the story already, you still enjoy it because its told a bit differently every night and its great to see the crowd reaction.

 

As fans we would like to hear different stories, different songs (although Mika has only 1 album, he could do more covers...), I guess his ultimate goal is to put on the perfect show to build his reputation.

 

On the radio 1 interview earlier today, he talked about doing some acoustic shows, more intimate, that's probably where he'll be able to take more risk and perform different songs, tell new stories every night...

I hope he does that soon!! although tickets will probably be difficult to get!!

 

anywayssss, just my 2cents.

[sparkly1]

This is to jack,

I understand what you mean when you were talking about Bowie etc but I DO think Mika tweaks what he says at certain gigs, cos at Newcastle he got people up in the balcony even though the security kept making them sit back down, and then at one of the UK gigs after that (I didn't attend but saw it on utube), he told THAT audience all about it and told them not to be mean when they started boo-ing the Newcastle audience cos he hadn't finished telling them the whole story.

He also took the Mika bear (see my pic) that we gave him at Newcastle on stage at 2 gigs after that and told the audience about it and tried to get it to giggle for them a few times, I don't know if he just liked the bear or if he thought we would be in the audience and was trying to please us (like happened with the Quilt in Newcastle, he saw our reaction to that and beamed). Either way is a plus though.

 

So unless Newcastle was a turning point as far as gigs go for him, (cos at that gig and lots after, he seemed to REALLY get into appreciating the audiences and showing it on his face), then I do think he adds things, I just think maybe if it gets back to him (via MFC or whatever) that the reaction of his latest "ad lib etc" has a big impact on the fans then maybe he wants his next audience to feel some of that too. (am I making sense?) lol.

 

I guess what I'm getting at is I think he DOES try to ad bits here and there, but maybe you want him to do more of this and maybe he will in time as he seems to be trying to do that now.

[tauruslady]

yeah, but for a fan who has only seen Mika live once or twice...(or not at all, like me) this is still a treat. Its only a small group of extrememly dedicated fans that will even notice these "scripted" parts.

I mean I haven't seen any of his shows yet, and I hope the general theme and the way his shows are done stays the same for another bit...otherwise some people will never see these parts...

[sparkly1]

At HMV he seemed really shy and didn't say much. Granted they were only twenty/thirty minute performances, and there was some chatter (mostly about how glad he was the album was finally out and then at the second one about how glad he was to be back home) but none of what he said was stuff that I've heard since.

 

I think it's worth remembering that while there are all these artists that manage to just improvise their way through a gig, there are also artists that repeat word for word what they've said at every single concert for the last three years, Green Day being a prime example of this. An excellent live band, but the only thing that ever changes in their between-song banter is the name of the place where they are. There are two ends of the spectrum, and I think Mika's bang in the middle. The stuff he repeats is stuff that gets a reaction from the crowd. Like the Billy Brown story, every single person cheers when he tells them what he said to Tommy Mottola, so if you get a reaction like that from people, you're bound to think "Well, that works, I'll use that again."

 

And finally, I would like to say that being on stage is terrifying (in a marvellous way, but terrifying nonetheless) and I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to try and banter with people when all you can really see is bright lights shining in your direction. I find it hard enough when I've got a set script that I'm meant to stick to and I've got other people there to support me, but being the centre of attention and having to come up with interesting things to say on the spot is verrrry difficult. Comedians, who are supposed to be brilliant at that sort of thing, spend months testing out their material on small audiences, and you'd be surprised how much of it is rehearsed, word for word, and repeat that exactly for their entire tour, so don't be too harsh on the poor boy.

Looooooooong post. Apologies.

I agree with that especially the highlighted parts.

[sparkly1]

 

Thanks for that !

I just happened to pop in here too , great timing !

I think Mika is very genuine and sweet, i can't really say much negative about him after all the great things i've seen. The guy thanked me for giving him a daft lollipop for heavens sake ! What more can i say!

I do think he could speak a bit more to the audience at times but i think he does, more than lots of other people do, so i'm pretty happy

He does try to put on a great show and get to the whole place as he says with his show and reach the people at the back of venues ... he is just young too , come on ... he's still in his infancy as a STAR!

oh dear i'm coming over all maternal ......

 

I can't argue with that, and also there are times he has to save his voice for the singing so maybe he is doing that especially when he has a sore throat etc.