REPORTS, PICS, VIDEOS OF MIKA @ Saturday Night Fiber - Madrid

[TheBlackQueen]

this is what i posted some days ago about the'small group of fans' who mika welcomes so much...

please read, i believe in this completely!

 

'I think these large meet and greets and after-gig signings are too taxing on him while he's touring. He has too many fans and too many other priorities and it's simply not an effective use of his time. He should be expending his energy on things like his website that will connect with thousands and even millions of his fans instead of trying to appease the same couple of hundred people over and over again.'

 

christine

i agree with almost everything you wrote, but this.

there is a very small group of old fans he really enjoys to meet after gigs.

i'm not in that group, as you may imagine, cause i went to very few.

but

fans who could travel a lot and witness all his crucial gigs and do enormous efforts (phisically and economically) to follow him...are a little part of his public life now.

maybe you are in that little group, i don't know. but i know some of them personally.

he's GENUINELY happy to meet them after the gigs.

 

i think he's fond of them because now he knows them a bit and are familiar faces who symbolize the affection of all fans to him.

 

he comes out on purpose, very very late, just to meet them...last example is last night in aix.

they were only 10....it was awfully late...it was raining.

but he came out and insisted to have a group pic with them.

wtf?

 

all other fans must not feel left aside by this....of course!

i'm happy for them and i don't feel bad.

i like him to be fond of strangers that represent a real joy for him (his fan base).

 

call me naif now!

 

Totally agree:thumb_yello:

[robertina]

They wanted to jump on Asun and Mika during their conversation. I told them to back off, sit down and to stay there...

 

Wasn't the nicest thing I did and said that night I suppose, but they would have made me really mad if they would had spoilt that moment...

 

ciao c@rin@!

well done...well done...

i'm sure next time they will be registered in mfc and behave well

[TheBlackQueen]

They wanted to jump on Asun and Mika during their conversation. I told them to back off, sit down and to stay there...

 

Wasn't the nicest thing I did and said that night I suppose, but they would have made me really mad if they would had spoilt that moment...

 

They did? OMG, I didn't realize, but I'm not surprised at all, that's the way they act every time with Ana and me. Thank you so much for telling them to back off Debbie it sure was a very special moment for me, and I think Mika was genuinly happy to talk to me, they would have spoilt everything.

[RAK1]

ciao c@rin@!

well done...well done...

i'm sure next time they will be registered in mfc and behave well

 

We can only hope.

Just digressing slightly going back to the Amsterdam show, Shady had never met him before and hadn't a clue what to say to him, so I kept her with me and told her just to say how much she enjoyed the show, and he would do the rest.

Well we were sat together, and after he spoke to me(and I got my little hug), Shady bravely said could she have one too, and he happily obliged. If you have seen the video, you will see the big beaming smile she had on her face after it, so much so she didn't care that he didn't sign anything for her, that hug made her night!

So believe me when I say, when you do meet him, whether you get an autograph or not, you'll never forget meeting him, as long as you stay calm and talk to him normally.

[Mary]

 

 

 

I can totally see where you are coming from and to a point I can understand your anger about a group of people who happened to see and meet him more often. But I really do think that from his perspective it is a nice thing to see some familiar faces in the crowd and thus to know what he's letting himself in for. I don't think I'm going too far assuming that meeting 10 or 15 people he already knew and who didn't ask for the usual boring procedures, have nervous breakdowns or burst out in tears was much less nerve-wrecking at 5 in the morning after a show, than having 200+ people he has never seen before and among whom for sure some might not know that he doesn't really fancy having his hair touched or being jumped at.

 

 

It's not anger. Not at all!

As I said, I'm really happy that Mika recognizes his fans, and talks to them so many times (hardly any artist does that!). That's one of the reasons I admire him so much as a person.

 

I just don't know what to expect, next time Mika comes here.

What happened after the gig in Lisbon got me thinking... Will I ever get the chance to meet him? It's not only about the autograph or the pic, those are just things to remember the occasion (I want them, but that's not the most important thing). It's about getting the chance to say some words to Mika, being face to face with him, and not just writing him and sending him presents like I've been doing for the last 2 years. Maybe he even remembers those messages and letters, who knows? Maybe not...

 

Hope you understand what I'm trying to say here...lol

 

And just to get one thing straight, I'm not saying that everyone that goes to a gig should get in the M&G (hello...brains here!)!

[RAK1]

thanks rose:wub2:

 

 

Anytime:wink2:.

[Christine]

I just don't like the way things are going, because there's always the same group of people meeting Mika (and I'm happy for them, it's good to know Mika is nice to the fans and remembers them) but...what about the other people? The other fans, who don't have the chance to travel to other countries to go to the shows and to these meetings, or even those who live in countries Mika has never been to?

I feel that now we need to have a special "status" to meet Mika.

 

I hope that things are actually moving in the opposite direction and that we are on our way to seeing many MFCers all over the world included in fan club perks.

 

You have to remember this is the first MFC meet and greet!

 

Every MFCer encounter with Mika up to this point has been at Mika's discretion. His people were responsible for the M&Gs in London and Amsterdam and Mika decides if and when he is going to sign autographs after a show. If there are so-called VIPs who manage to meet him frequently it's because they go to many gigs so they can take advantage when Mika makes himself available.

 

For this first MFC meet and greet passes were offered to everyone who was on the RSVP list for the gig. There was no attempt to exclude anyone or play favourites. I know it's only 25 people and many of them have already met Mika, but we had to start somewhere and this gig was as good as any since Freddie was there to work things out with John.

[robertina]

i'm quite positive that ALL mfcers went to the M&G, we checked the list many times.

 

jujuzita could not make it and she stayed in portugal so we could add a newby at the very last moment (she was with isa, cannot remember her nickname here) in her place.

 

greta...! blessed girl, you liked the M&G after all....we just guessed it would be wise to have it before, but we perfectly know Mika NEVER does anything before a gig, so when they said after we thought it was just as natural.

[Blue Sky]

If these people have caused trouble before...maybe they should be on a M&G BLACK list...

 

but mostly what I don't understand is why they don't just come on MFC, chat nicely with people... and maybe learn to be civilised Mika fans...

 

The hysteria/jealousy/ugliness of autograph/photograph hunting/hunters is probably what Mika enjoys least after the shows. And it is terribly time-consuming and pretty meaningless and tedious for the artist....I think Mika sounds like he values the brief connection he makes with fans after the shows more than the other stuff.

 

And it is frustrating to be a new fan and not know how to get your name on the list for a M&G. You might have been a fan since January 2007, but still didn't get into a M&G....how can we take this into account in future...maybe we need a brainstorming thread after this tour is over? What makes you eligible for the MFC M&Gs? Who do you contact? Before the gig? At the gig? Who gets to be in charge of liaising with Team Mika? How will it it happen in other countries that don't have as many MFCers attending? Do you need to be in touch with the local music promoters? You know there are lots of questions, and this is a gig review thread. Sorry.

[robertina]

If these people have caused trouble before...maybe they should be on a M&G BLACK list...

 

but mostly what I don't understand is why they don't just come on MFC, chat nicely with people... and maybe learn to be civilised Mika fans...

 

The hysteria/jealousy/ugliness of autograph/photograph hunting/hunters is probably what Mika enjoys least after the shows. And it is terribly time-consuming and pretty meaningless and tedious for the artist....I think Mika sounds like he values the brief connection he makes with fans after the shows more than the other stuff.

 

And it is frustrating to be a new fan and not know how to get your name on the list for a M&G. You might have been a fan since January 2007, but still didn't get into a M&G....how can we take this into account in future...maybe we need a brainstorming thread after this tour is over? What makes you eligible for the MFC M&Gs? Who do you contact? Before the gig? At the gig? Who gets to be in charge of liaising with Team Mika? How will it it happen in other countries that don't have as many MFCers attending? Do you need to be in touch with the local music promoters? You know there are lots of questions, and this is a gig review thread. Sorry.

 

i'm so scared of this!

 

for madrid it was easy because we were a small group, it was a good start, then admins/mods/team mika can try others!

[c@rin@]

They did? OMG, I didn't realize, but I'm not surprised at all, that's the way they act every time with Ana and me. Thank you so much for telling them to back off Debbie it sure was a very special moment for me, and I think Mika was genuinly happy to talk to me, they would have spoilt everything.

 

You're welcome

[Blue Sky]

So are there any more M&Gs that might be forthcoming over the next two weeks? Who knows about that? Or is it only the gigs when Freddie is going because he liaises with John?

[Mary]

I hope that things are actually moving in the opposite direction and that we are on our way to seeing many MFCers all over the world included in fan club perks.

 

You have to remember this is the first MFC meet and greet!

 

Every MFCer encounter with Mika up to this point has been at Mika's discretion. His people were responsible for the M&Gs in London and Amsterdam and Mika decides if and when he is going to sign autographs after a show. If there are so-called VIPs who manage to meet him frequently it's because they go to many gigs so they can take advantage when Mika makes himself available.

 

For this first MFC meet and greet passes were offered to everyone who was on the RSVP list for the gig. There was no attempt to exclude anyone or play favourites. I know it's only 25 people and many of them have already met Mika, but we had to start somewhere and this gig was as good as any since Freddie was there to work things out with John.

 

 

I understand that, and I truly hope all the MFC M&G in the future will be successfull, and that more MFC'ers have that chance too. (me included, if possible! )

 

(And I know how the passes were offered, cause Juju told me. She was actually supposed to be there, but she couldn't make it, as you probably know.)

 

What I said has nothing to do with anger, as said before. Don't get me wrong...

I just said what I was thinking after reading some reports...

Nothing against the MFC'ers who were there, either!

[RAK1]

If these people have caused trouble before...maybe they should be on a M&G BLACK list...

 

but mostly what I don't understand is why they don't just come on MFC, chat nicely with people... and maybe learn to be civilised Mika fans...

 

The hysteria/jealousy/ugliness of autograph/photograph hunting/hunters is probably what Mika enjoys least after the shows. And it is terribly time-consuming and pretty meaningless and tedious for the artist....I think Mika sounds like he values the brief connection he makes with fans after the shows more than the other stuff.

 

And it is frustrating to be a new fan and not know how to get your name on the list for a M&G. You might have been a fan since January 2007, but still didn't get into a M&G....how can we take this into account in future...maybe we need a brainstorming thread after this tour is over? What makes you eligible for the MFC M&Gs? Who do you contact? Before the gig? At the gig? Who gets to be in charge of liaising with Team Mika? How will it it happen in other countries that don't have as many MFCers attending? Do you need to be in touch with the local music promoters? You know there are lots of questions, and this is a gig review thread. Sorry.

 

 

I think a good idea would be for whoever organises an M&G for a gig ( and I would imagine it would most likely be FD or one of the mods), is to keep an eye on the list of names on the individual gig threads for whichever is picked for M&Gs. Then a week before take that list (as by then most people will have got their ticket, so that will be the amount going to that show) as the final number, and that will be the names that go on the list for the M&G.

That seems like the fairest way to me.

[Isa]

Hi rose...could not ask him questions about the trousers...sorry!

 

FD had been told to go right side of the stage after the gig...so we did.

there were some excited fans who clearly understood something was going on...and they were determined not to miss it!

 

they started to push violently at the barrier where we were waiting, trying to sneak in our group...man, we were not many, they could do it quite easily!

i told them it was a private meeting of Mika with his fan club, i told them in spanish and english but they would not care!

they were rude in answering me back and def determined to get in!

then security opened a narrow gap between barriers and we could get in very slowly, always being pushed by those...it was scaring!!!

jemma was so badly pushed that when in she cried..FD was so good at stopping them being so big! Brave alpha male he is!

bab had problems too...but they managed at last.

 

the rude fans also...they could get in....i was so angry and so worried they could spoil the M&G!!! we were all quiet and old fans, not needing pics or autographs, just willing to share a moment with mika...

John and the rest actually did not mind...they were just 4/5 ppl more!

 

so i remembered someone told me once i'm a bit assertive...i wanted to be assertive that night and i talked to those ppl saying:

 

now you are in and you should not be here, listen to me very carefully: don't ask for pics, don't ask for autographs, this is a meeting of mikafanclub with mika and he's the main man of this meeting, it's a private party and you must behave!

 

man

i think i scared them , my look must have chilled them down. they quite behaved, or at least they did not spoil the moment!

 

they were the first to meet him and they kept him quite long...we all were waiting to meet him! and when he was leaving they stopped him again for kisses! oh god *rolls eyes*

 

we were all seated, they had prepared an area for us beside the stage!

In that venue they don't have a VIP area, so they had to organize it randomly. That was the reason of those problems at the barrier.

 

then he was so nice, so nice...he stopped at any seat talking (or trying too...he was hoarse!), taking gifts in a bag sariflor gave him (thanks sarah...he was having problems!) and being always smiling and lovely and polite to anyone.

he was there directly from the stage, it was so late he would not have his usual shower. but he didn't smell! can you believe me?

 

when it was my turn, i introduced myself (i'm never sure he remembers me!) and gave him the Paolo Conte CD collection i bought for him, he was pleased of course and knows i'm his Paolo Conte's pusher as i already gave him a dvd last year in florence!

then i congratulated for the great show he put up in Paris...i said i was a fool not be there and that i was waiting for the dvd...

then we briefly talked about the RAH concert...sariflor had forgotten to ask him why he said it's hard to play there so she came over to me and we asked together...it's not because it's hard to find a date there, not because of the acoustic...he was having a funny face trying to say why...so i asked 'because it's too serious a place?' and he said ' Yes! this is....!'

then we said goodbye and he went on.

sariflor, pls correct me if i'm wrong in reporting out short RAH conversation with him...

he was trying to explain but he could not speak much cause of his voice!

 

then i went to john to thank him, you're welcome he said...nice guy that blondie!

 

and that's all...we went outside to listen to our BG reports! stayed there a little bit more and went to the hotel in time for a good restoring breakfast at 6o'clock am!!!!

 

The first real MFC M&G was a success this time, we knew each other and we knew what to do. no one of us needed a pic or an autograph and we were all tired enough to stay seated how they asked!!!

i'm so pleased i was there and i'm sure more will follow!

 

now i'm downloading my stuff and will upload it asap!

 

At last the first part of my report. Forgive my bad English today, I'm a tad tired still:wink2: Hope you understand everything, hehehe.

 

My Mika weekend started on Friday afternoon, when me and Ana went to pick Fred and Cassie at the airport just before lunch time. It was really amazing to see Fred again and to finally meet Cassie. I’m afraid their first impression of Madrid was a bit stressful, because I had reserved a table in a great, great restaurant to have some nice paella, and their plane arrived a bit late, so we had to run. We took a cab and we were downtown in no time, took them to their hotel and helped them checking in (I don’t think I’ll ever forget that old disappearing man at reception:lmao:). Bettasan had arrived a few hours before, and we met her for lunch in a hurry. I think all this fuss was worth it in the end, because that little paella place was actually so good, a real discovery, right? We had a lovely meal all we five (yummy!) and afterwards we headed to our rooms/houses (I still can’t believe I was in my own city, soooo weird!) to have a well deserved nap.

 

Later in the evening, when it was not so hot anymore, we hung around a bit in the city centre. Ana and me took Fred, Cassie, Betta and Isa to have some beer and tapas with my wonderfully patient and understanding boyfriend (aka Saint Rodrigo), and then we met Neeve, who joined us straight from the airport. I think everybody had lots of fun that night, not till too late though, a hard day was ahead of us and needed as much sleep as we could get.

 

Saturday was D-Day, and it started really early for me and Ana, since we wanted to welcome Robi, Mirti and Allegra in the airport. What can I say? Meeting them all after so long (especially Mirti, one of my “sisters”, who I hadn’t seen since October) was thrilling and could hardly stop myself from crying. As Robi said, we had breakfast there and then went with them to their hotel. Ready for lunch and meeting Debbie (c@rin@), Neeve, Fred, Cassie and Isa (hope I’m not missing anyone, I’m still not at my best, you know:wink2:). Nice lunch downtown all together and off to the hotel again, our headquarters near the venue.

 

Saturday was the hottest day so far, it was hellish really, but I didn’t even mind that much, we were all together, that’s all that mattered. Gates opened at six, so off we went, into the heat (it took me a bit of an effort to get out, you Northern people can’t imagine what it’s like to be out when it’s over 40ºC!!! but we had to be there soon, as we had no clue what we had to do about the M&G thing). Organization seemed to be a bit of a mess, and we had to go twice to ask about the passes with no answer at all. So we stayed just outside the venue, resting as much as we could on the grass in the shade until we decided to enter and enjoy the rest of the bands. Little that we knew what the rest of the bands were like! Personally, I found Siouxie so boring (sorry Queenie, I’m happy you enjoyed), and Morrisey such an as***le. I kindda liked the first part of his act, but I soon got tired of him: his music was repetitive and every time he spoke I felt this strange urge to throw something to him Anyway, I’m glad Fred enjoyed him (legend!). But the worst was yet to come! My Bloody Valentine was bloody indeed! Not even in my worst nightmares I had imagined I’d ever listen to a noise like that. I felt like I was inside the engine of a jet plane for more than 20 minutes. As the other MFCers, I had to put some paper in my ears, put my fingers on them and still the noise was hard to bare. During this “perfect concert” something really nasty happened to me and Sariflor with two guys who just wanted to reaffirm their “masculinity” in front of us but that’s not important anymore, the security guys were lovely and helpful, too bad the hooligans escaped when they saw us going to report them, sooooo brave, huh?

 

Anyway, it was around 11 when Ana had to meet Lulu to try on her BG costume. I don’t really know how it happened (I was too busy trying to teach those “bright” guys a lesson), but next thing I knew she and Mirti came over to tell us they were both BGs!!! I’m sure you can imagine my excitement, I’m sooo proud of my two little sisters, couldn’t believe I was going to see them on stage with Mika, all of a sudden the man himself was just the supporting act to them! Now it was crystal clear I HAD to be first row for them.

 

I have nothing more to say. We had a great time together and it was so nice to meet you all. I know I didnt talk too much, but Im a lil bit shy.

 

Oh, I have to say that me and Neeve meet 2 nice guys from Indonesia (or Filipines??) and 3 lovely guys from Argentina. I hated My bloody Valentine (I thought that my ears where gonna explode), love Hot Chip.

 

I wanted to ask Mika for a photo and an autograph cause it was my first concert and dont have any, but Im too shy for that. And decided to be polite with him and the others. Maybe next time (and I hope soon).

 

Oh, again, it was very nice to meet you all and wanna meet you all again!

 

 

Edit: a girl from the Spanish (Ninomika) said that Mika's mother let a girl from MikaSpain enter to his camerino(?).

I was the only one who saw Yasmine before the concert started??

[robertina]

So are there any more M&Gs that might be forthcoming over the next two weeks? Who knows about that? Or is it only the gigs when Freddie is going because he liaises with John?

 

aaaaaaaaaaa iona...relax!

 

no more M&G i think for the time being!

as no more gigs are coming actually but nyon and beirut and jordan.....

 

a lebanese M&G would be nice though!

[violet_sky]

It's not anger. Not at all!

As I said, I'm really happy that Mika recognizes his fans, and talks to them so many times (hardly any artist does that!). That's one of the reasons I admire him so much as a person.

 

I just don't know what to expect, next time Mika comes here.

What happened after the gig in Lisbon got me thinking... Will I ever get the chance to meet him? It's not only about the autograph or the pic, those are just things to remember the occasion (I want them, but that's not the most important thing). It's about getting the chance to say some words to Mika, being face to face with him, and not just writing him and sending him presents like I've been doing for the last 2 years. Maybe he even remembers those messages and letters, who knows? Maybe not...

 

Hope you understand what I'm trying to say here...lol

 

And just to get one thing straight, I'm not saying that everyone that goes to a gig should get in the M&G (hello...brains here!)!

 

Of course! I mean, hey, you've been here since January last year, that's a long period in times when everything is moving so fast.

You will get your chance, I'm sure. I'm not in the loop about what happened in Lisbon, but I take it, you didn't get to meet him there... What happened? Didn't he come out at all or was it too mad? However, next time, next chance.

To me personally it depends very much on the situation if I feel like going for it or not after a gig. If things are too crazy, I either just lean back, stay out of everybody's way and watch (like at the Brixton afterparty), or I go home/back to the hotel right away (like I did at the first Brixton gig). What I'm trying to say is that in my book 'meeting' him by any means is not necessarily what would make me happy. I'd rather see him once, get the eye contact and the opportunity to exchange a few (and even if it's really few) words than jumping into a crowd a hundred times, stick out my ticket and hope for his signature.

So whatever disappointment evolved from the Lisbon gig for you, there are others to come and then you'll be lucky. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And maybe there'll be even time for everything you want, talk, pic, siggie..

[Christine]

So are there any more M&Gs that might be forthcoming over the next two weeks? Who knows about that? Or is it only the gigs when Freddie is going because he liaises with John?

 

You do realize that it's taken months and months to get Mika to actually agree to anything don't you??

 

Baby steps people, baby steps.

 

Anyway I'll let Freddie address that. I don't know if or what he may have in mind for any of the upcoming gigs. Let's wait until he's back.

[Guest]

Well this is exactly my problem. I spent 22 hours at Brixton that day and Mika didn't have time to speak to me because he was busy signing autographs for people who weren't even there.

 

Thank you.

Maybe thought there's a reason that those people (don't know how many autographs he gave for people who weren't there) weren't there for a reason? London was supposed to be my first Mika gig .. it didn't go that way. I'm not gonna tell everything that happened, it's not worth it, but I'll just say that I was very happy when Carina got me an autograph. And it's not like she has 2 autographs from that evening, no, she asked one for me and not for herself () so does it really makes such a difference that I wasn't there? Not all people are that lucky to go to several gigs and if you're supposed to go to your first gig and you can't, it hurts.. I can tell you that.. And then someone ask a little thing, something that really brightens up your life at that moment and then you get a reaction like this about it ... that hurts too you know?

 

Maybe you didn't mean it that way, and I understand all you've said so far.. but I just couldn't let this pass .. Sorry.

[Blue Sky]

Rose I think your suggestions sound fine in theory, but I am jumping the gun, and thinking about all the as yet unchartered countries. Having people in one country doing it for others in another might get sort of tricky. There are all sorts of local things that might make the reality of a M&G more challenging....

 

but as Christine says, baby steps.

 

And as Robi says, I should just relax.

 

(The hazards of cross posting)

 

Wait till they all get back and report. I will shut up now.

[Mary]

Thank you.

Maybe thought there's a reason that those people (don't know how many autographs he gave for people who weren't there) weren't there for a reason? London was supposed to be my first Mika gig .. it didn't go that way. I'm not gonna tell everything that happened, it's not worth it, but I'll just say that I was very happy when Carina got me an autograph. And it's not like she has 2 autographs from that evening, no, she asked one for me and not for herself () so does it really makes such a difference that I wasn't there? Not all people are that lucky to go to several gigs and if you're supposed to go to your first gig and you can't, it hurts.. I can tell you that.. And then someone ask a little thing, something that really brightens up your life at that moment and then you get a reaction like this about it ... that hurts too you know?

 

Maybe you didn't mean it that way, and I understand all you've said so far.. but I just couldn't let this pass .. Sorry.

 

Exactly what I was thinking...

 

Another example: I was really happy when Olga and Juju gave Mika the presents from the portuguese fans during the after party in London.

I read the reports after that, and read about fans always next to Mika, wanting to talk to him... Maybe they were some of those fans, but I'm glad they manage to do that. Seeing the postcard I made in Mika's hands was really great.

[RAK1]

Thank you.

Maybe thought there's a reason that those people (don't know how many autographs he gave for people who weren't there) weren't there for a reason? London was supposed to be my first Mika gig .. it didn't go that way. I'm not gonna tell everything that happened, it's not worth it, but I'll just say that I was very happy when Carina got me an autograph. And it's not like she has 2 autographs from that evening, no, she asked one for me and not for herself () so does it really makes such a difference that I wasn't there? Not all people are that lucky to go to several gigs and if you're supposed to go to your first gig and you can't, it hurts.. I can tell you that.. And then someone ask a little thing, something that really brightens up your life at that moment and then you get a reaction like this about it ... that hurts too you know?

 

Maybe you didn't mean it that way, and I understand all you've said so far.. but I just couldn't let this pass .. Sorry.

 

 

I can identify with that.

That happened to me last year, I was supposed to do to Dublin for my first ever gig, and I had the ticket a place to stay with my cousin, but because money got a little tight I couldn't afford the airfare.

To say I was gutted was an understatement,and for a while I was really unhappy, but then I got to go to Birmingham, and that started the ball rolling for me.

So I do understand where you are coming from:wink2:.

[TheBlackQueen]

After the bloody valentines did their thing (whatever that was) we had no problem at all in reaching first and second row (I wonder why…). Hot Chip played just before Mika. I found them interesting, but as Robi said, it’s hard to come out before him, we’re all so excited and impatient we can hardly pay attention to whoever is doing his thing on stage. I was so happy to be with Neeve, Sienna and Sariflor, and to meet Tommy:wub2: this absolutely charming guy from Colorado who was a Hot Chip fan and wanted to see Mika too. I enjoyed talking to him so much I can’t wait for him to register in here (he promised he would), he was so nice and fun to be with. He even let me his place in the first row saying “I’m not a member of his Fan Club, you deserve to be front row more than me, and I’m taller too!” Isn’t that lovely? Thank you Tommy, hope you read this soon, I really appreciated it so much

 

So I could see the setting of the stage from the first row, and have to say it was exciting, as I had never seen that before: confetti cannons, loads of flowers of several shapes and colours (too many IMO), huge colourful lollipops, the clown mask in the back… It would have been all perfect if it hadn’t been for the three girls I had to my left (yes: at least two of them were the same girls who jumped the barrier after the show): they kept pushing me so hard just to get me out of there, they didn’t want a MFCer near, especially one of the Spanish ones, so jealous of us… But that’s another long, boring story. At first I pushed back as hard as I could, trying to ignore them, but I grew tired of them being so stupid and warned them the more they pushed the more I’d push them back (I can be quite assertive and scary sometimes and they were really going too far), so that made things a bit easier on that side.

 

When Mika finally jumped on stage it was madness, suddenly I forgot I was tired and sleepy, there was pure energy in the air. No intro, no Dolly Parton (sadly), just Relax and him dancing like mad. It was a very short set, as we knew it would, but as Tommy said afterwards, it was worth the money, the waiting and the trip. You could tell the man was actually enjoying every minute, all energy and fun. His voice was not in top form though, and especially during HE he lost it completely so he let the crowd sing for him. He spoke only Spanish, which was great actually, because he knows it quite well, although he did make me laugh some times and couldn’t understand everything he said. He’s trying, I know, and I’m sure next time he’ll speak he’ll do it perfectly:das: The set list was as c@rin@ posted, so no comments on that. Only it was really too short (but I would never get tired of a Mika gig, even if it lasted four hours it’s never enough!). I think he made quite a lot of eye contact with almost all of us, I could tell he was happy to see us there having such a good time. Then BG started and I saw Queenie and Mirti backstage, ready to go, and I screamed so loud Mika looked at me like WTF’s wrong with this woman?? He understood it soon after, when my two lovely sisters came out and started dancing so charmingly. They were really beautiful in their costumes, Ana in green () and Mirti in pink. Believe me when I say I didn’t watch Mika at all while they were onstage, I was absolutely focused on my girls:wub2: I taped them, but I won’t post the vids unless they give me permission, I’m sure you understand…

 

It was an amazing show, it reminded me a lot of Ibiza last summer: I could tell it was special for him, who knows why. And I had the time of my life, couldn’t stop jumping and dancing, in spite of the lousy girls by my side pushing and screaming in my ear all the time. I think I went crazy for a moment, it was just Mika and me then, I had never let myself go so much before.

 

The set finished, we all headed to the right side of the stage, where we had to wait for John and Pamela to lead us backstage. I’m not going in details about how some people misbehaved at that point (Jem, I had no idea they pushed you so hard, I’m really sorry, if I had known I’d have told them off as rudely as I could:huglove:). I’ll only say Fred tried his very best to let the right ones in, and he did it quite well, especially considering the messy situation. THANK YOU FRED FOR YOUR HARD WORK.

 

We were taken to the back of the stage by the front (don’t know if this makes sense, I’m still tired, you know), and that’s when those girls actually jumped and joined us. We were told to sit down and we gladly accepted, we were knackered and those chairs were a blessing. I can’t remember how long it took for Mika to come, but I know I didn’t even have time to sit down. I didn’t realize he was that tall figure that was approaching me with a wide smile when he held my hand, gave me a hug and kissed me – I was in shock! I gave him a pressie for his mum from me, Ana, Robi, Mirti, Allegra and Bettasan and one for him from me alone and had a nice little chat (thank you again Debbie, I’m afraid the world outside just vanished at that moment) and he moved over to the other MFCers. I think he was genuinely happy to see all of us (meaning US, you know), although he was voiceless and very tired. Oh! It’s true, he was sweaty but didn’t smell! I already posted about me senaking in his conversation with the Spanish girls, so I won't go back to it.

 

The whole M&G went really well though it was very short, but didn’t expect anything at all, so I was walking on air anyway with everything. After he left we headed outside too and met Ana and Mirti at the main entrance. I was soooo happy to see them after they hit the big time!

 

We waited a while just outside the venue enjoying the cooler weather (at last some air!) and then we went to the hotel to have a yummy breakfast that put us in out feet again. Then we all finally went to bed. It was 8 AM…

[Mary]

Of course! I mean, hey, you've been here since January last year, that's a long period in times when everything is moving so fast.

You will get your chance, I'm sure. I'm not in the loop about what happened in Lisbon, but I take it, you didn't get to meet him there... What happened? Didn't he come out at all or was it too mad? However, next time, next chance.

To me personally it depends very much on the situation if I feel like going for it or not after a gig. If things are too crazy, I either just lean back, stay out of everybody's way and watch (like at the Brixton afterparty), or I go home/back to the hotel right away (like I did at the first Brixton gig). What I'm trying to say is that in my book 'meeting' him by any means is not necessarily what would make me happy. I'd rather see him once, get the eye contact and the opportunity to exchange a few (and even if it's really few) words than jumping into a crowd a hundred times, stick out my ticket and hope for his signature.

So whatever disappointment evolved from the Lisbon gig for you, there are others to come and then you'll be lucky. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And maybe there'll be even time for everything you want, talk, pic, siggie..

 

Thanks!

 

 

Well, in Lisbon we talked to the security guys, to the director of the festival, to the guy who managed the bands there...well...all I know is that it took us almost an hour to talk to John, because the security guys made us go from door to door, making fun of us.

 

Anyway, John said we could go in, but they only agreed if it was in groups of 5. Ok for us... LOL

 

First group went in, and when they came out they just said "No more backstage, Mika left."

 

I was like WTF?

 

And that's what happened.

Probably Mika was tired. Probably he didn't want to meet us. But if it was because of that, they wouldn't let anybody in, I guess.

 

Or...Maybe if we had talked to John earlier (stupid security guards), we could've had the chance to meet Mika.

 

I guess we'll never know. But next time, i'll try to organize things waaay before the gig. Maybe we'll get lucky...

 

We're not stalkers or anything! LOL And we were just 15 people, from the portuguese fan club (and MFC) wanting to meet Mika and maybe take a group pic or something like that... lol

[Christine]

Thank you.

Maybe thought there's a reason that those people (don't know how many autographs he gave for people who weren't there) weren't there for a reason? London was supposed to be my first Mika gig .. it didn't go that way.

 

Most people who have the resources will eventually get their chance with Mika. You did go to a concert eventually, is that correct? And I think from what you've said you were at the Amsterdam M&G. Did you get a chance to speak with him?

 

I travelled thousands of miles to see Mika in London and I did not get a chance to speak with him because he spent what was supposed to be a party signing autographs. Who these autographs were for is entirely beside the point. He made it clear that it was a party and that he intended to speak with everyone but he was unable to because people were making unreasonable demands on his time.

 

If he had spent the Amsterdam M&G signing autographs and taking photos you would know what I mean because likely half the people there wouldn't have even had the chance to say hi to him.

 

IMO people (including Mika) should be able to enjoy these meet and greets for what they are - an opportunity to say a few words to Mika. If anyone wants something else from him, they should look at other avenues of getting it.