lollipop_monkey Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Mika Takes Audiences to the Candy Shop By Colin Stack http://www.newuniversity.org/checkDB.php?id=6568 The Wiltern, coined for its location on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, is not unlike several older Los Angeles theaters. True to art-deco form, the main foyer and theater feature ornate moldings in shades of powdery blue mixed with burnt copper. In 2008, the venue has just enough kitsch to be the perfect home for Lebanese-born/Paris conservatoy-trained singer-songwriter Mika. The venue was packed, Mika’s show having sold out fairly soon after tickets went on sale. From an original price of $29.99, scalpers had upped the cost of tickets to as much as $150 to $200 for general admission seats. This is somewhat surprising, since the Grammy-nominated artist has had almost no radio play on major U.S. stations. The crowd itself was very diverse. It ranged from chunky-haired scenesters to prepubescent girls who looked like they were on their way to see Hannah Montana, escorted by haughty mothers. The result was a slightly confusing albeit comical air, and prompted the question: “Wait, this is the Mika concert, right?” Just a hair past 8 p.m., the show was underway with the opening band. I have always felt a great sense of pity for the openers, who I think have a tough gig playing for an audience who isn’t there to see them. But the band that preceded Mika, hailing from the great northern state of Canada, left the audience particularly underwhelmed. They called themselves “The Midway State,” a group of angsty and underfed musicians who crooned into their microphones and made for a trying pre-show. The audience was clearly ready for the headliner to perform. At last, the lights dimmed again. The crowd was visibly bubbling with excitement and impatience. Suddenly, the colorful stage lights lit up, casting their collective glow to the audience as a tickling guitar echoed across the theater. Then the stage ignited in an overload of lights and sounds. Mika, tall and skinny and wild-haired, galloped around amongst his kaleidoscope of accompaniment. A woman with a tiara and an afro to rival all afros, grinned as her bejeweled wrists flew over her drum set. A man with a blonde Beatles wig scooted around the stage as his fingers raced over the frets. It was nearly impossible to take your eyes away from the main attraction, from Mika himself. He wore a white button-down shirt with sparkling black suspenders sewn into it, uber-tight black pants and silvery metallic sneakers. He whipped his dark curly hair in every direction, face drawn up in squinting delight as he spat the lyrics into the microphone—part belting, part falsetto, part giddiness. He was the single most charismatic performer I have ever had the pleasure of watching. With infinite energy and an innate ability to bestow an inexplicable glee to his audience, watching Mika was like riding a roller coaster through a candy store on Christmas morning. He took the audience on a journey through its favorite songs and threw in some that were never heard before but were just as loved. He was incredible in that he can bring the mood from high-flying silliness (“Billy Brown” and “Love Today”) to candle-lit ballads (“Any Other World” and “Happy Ending”) with seamless ease, and a mastery of presence that is rare for such a novel artist. For the deprived souls out there who are unfamiliar with the musical and vocal stylings of Mika, see how this sounds: the quirky 1970s style pop-beats and trumpeting melodies are reminiscent of Abba and Elton John, but there is a touch of the rawness of The Scissor Sisters and maybe the flair of Freddy Mercury. Mika’s sound has all the ingredients for an ear-gasm, but coupled with his on-stage showmanship, the entire experience is truly effervescent and delightful. After “Grace Kelly,” perhaps his most well-known single, Mika took a long low bow to the sound of cheers from a roaring audience, and then jogged off the stage. Everyone hoped he would come back for more and sure enough, their prayers were answered. Mika pulled out all the stops for his last number, the truly ridiculous song “Lollipop.” His band danced around in animal suits, a giant blow-up doll filled the back of the stage, and obscenely large balloons poured out into the audience. Then, at just the right moment, twin cannons blasted confetti and streamers into the air, and the entire theater was flushed with a cacophony of sound and color. Everyone was smiling and dancing, and a group of complete strangers, as different as they were, were brought together and elated by the brilliant creations of one man. Mika just has that effect on people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Quoting myself since I am THAT cool... A man with a blonde Beatles wig scooted around the stage as his fingers raced over the frets. LOL - Oh Mikey. He was the single most charismatic performer I have ever had the pleasure of watching. With infinite energy and an innate ability to bestow an inexplicable glee to his audience, watching Mika was like riding a roller coaster through a candy store on Christmas morning. LOVE THAT! Sigh. Great imagery. Mika pulled out all the stops for his last number, the truly ridiculous song “Lollipop.” His band danced around in animal suits, a giant blow-up doll filled the back of the stage, and obscenely large balloons poured out into the audience. Then, at just the right moment, twin cannons blasted confetti and streamers into the air, and the entire theater was flushed with a cacophony of sound and color. Everyone was smiling and dancing, and a group of complete strangers, as different as they were, were brought together and elated by the brilliant creations of one man. Mika just has that effect on people. Something tells me this guy needs to join MFC. He'd fit right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 A woman with a tiara and an afro to rival all afros, grinned as her bejeweled wrists flew over her drum set Nice review:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Great review. Thanks:punk: I love the bit about Mikey's Beatles wig . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Great review. Thanks:punk: I love the bit about Mikey's Beatles wig . I love the bit about the ear-gasm. How very apt! I've always wanted a word that described Mika's effect on us, and ear-gasm is just right!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassiopée Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I think this guy felt in love ... and poor Mickey Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisylou Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 maybey it was Martin trying to copy Mikey's hair! LOL!!! Love this review....this is how they should all be!!!! Hope this reporter is gonna watch the Brits too! xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoots14 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 ...It was nearly impossible to take your eyes away from the main attraction, from Mika himself. ...He was the single most charismatic performer I have ever had the pleasure of watching. ...like riding a roller coaster through a candy store on Christmas morning. ...with seamless ease, and a mastery of presence that is rare for such a novel artist. ...Mika’s sound has all the ingredients for an ear-gasm ...were brought together and elated by the brilliant creations of one man. Mika just has that effect on people. Fantastic review, accurate descriptions! Everyone hoped he would come back for more and sure enough, their prayers were answered. I love hearing the experience through Mika-fresh eyes. I had done so much "research" that I knew what to expect down to the last minute detail... I almost wish I could experience it again withought any knowledge of what was coming. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violet_sky Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Thanks for posting, very nice one He was the single most charismatic performer I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaMariaPetra Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Fantastic review! Again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzy Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Ha ha. Somebody had fun! Great stuff, thanks Mana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanessa Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Amazing review !!!I love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greta Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 a slightly confusing albeit comical air, and prompted the question: “Wait, this is the Mika concert, right?” no, it's Dolly Parton's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Travers Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 no, it's Dolly Parton's wait until he invites her on stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniula_sweety Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Funny and great! Like always! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Ear-gasm!!!!11 Perfect description! That geezer should review all things Mika-related, he's clearly got a sensible head on his shoulders, hahah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakie Doke Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Mika, tall and skinny and wild-haired, galloped around amongst his kaleidoscope of accompaniment. A woman with a tiara and an afro to rival all afros, grinned as her bejeweled wrists flew over her drum set. A man with a blonde Beatles wig scooted around the stage as his fingers raced over the frets. With infinite energy and an innate ability to bestow an inexplicable glee to his audience, watching Mika was like riding a roller coaster through a candy store on Christmas morning. Mika’s sound has all the ingredients for an ear-gasm. Mika just has that effect on people. This guy's writing is fantastic! And he definately sounds like he should be recruited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 WOW! Fantastic review! I could kiss this guy it was really well written...the descriptions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milou Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 wow, this is an amazing review! So positive. Really nice and heartwarming to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah90 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 one of the best reviews yet!!! which city? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmbm Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Ooooh great review:thumb_yello: Thanks for posting!...........memories:blush-anim-cl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariposa Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 wow, this is an amazing review! So positive. Really nice and heartwarming to read I agree! It's always amazing to read such positive reviews! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhsofamous Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Thanks for posting! Thats a great review!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiza Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Very positive review! Thanks for posting Mana:thumb_yello: And the comment about Mikey's hair:roftl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenie Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks for posting, Mana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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