2008 - REPORTS,PICS,VIDS OF MIKA @ Beiteddine and BAALBECK Festival - Beirut, Lebanon

[Blue Sky]

The newspaper in Japan this morning mentioned this festival in Lebanon!! And Mika. Just that he performed. Nothing worth scanning. But it was mainly talking about how the (other) artists for this festival took some persuading, but the response from fans has been wonderful and everyone is happy to have the festivals back.

[Ankmet20]

hi, marie-andrée. thx for the personalised answer, i truly appreciated it. I've a special bound with this song, as everyone here could witness

I totally agree with your interpretation over the song lyrics, except for the fact i actually always considered it addressed to his dad, instead of any other family member.

o.c. it may as well be wrong, as mika always refused to talk about this song lyrics, as too personal. I respect that and mines are only speculations.

 

i also LOVE the whole message of acceptance/self acceptance included in the song. it's just a masterpiece.

 

thx for your insight!

 

take care!

 

I could have sworn I read or heard somewhere it was about his grandmother...

[fajoli]

I could have sworn I read or heard somewhere it was about his grandmother...

 

 

Me too... Where the hell did I get this impression ???

 

Just thought about it... It might be because of the lyrics 'I sit down and think about the day that you're gonna die. Your wrinkled eyes betray the joy..."

To me, it really does seem it's about his grandmother!

[Ruth]

 

And Racha, what can I say? You're amazing. And I am SO glad to finally see SITM with the tap dancing clown! I've heard about it, but hadn't seen it til I clicked on your video! You did an amazing job capturing that night![/quote]

 

You are most welcome... it was really my pleasure taping as much as I can... I knew not many fans worldwide will be there.. so i did my best to share it with them...

 

I focused this time on taping as much as I can while enjoying the concert cause I knew not many of the fans worldwide might get the same chance as me.. and I have already seen him live several times... so I already had the pleasure to enjoy the gig without the hastle of taping or taking pics..

 

Thanks racha, I love the effort you've put into all the YouTube files; you think of all the fans who couldn't be there and help us to enjoy it.

 

It was, indeed, an amazing job! Thanks ~x~

[allegra]

mystery mysterious

 

where is Cubitus?

 

we are waiting a mysterious picture of him from annywere

 

there are some signs now...

 

you know that Mister M was/is in Apamea... but this is a secondary information...

 

chek the sign founded in wikipendia:

 

Apamea or Apameia (Greek: Απάμεια) – previously, Kibotos (Greek: κιβωτός), hê Kibôtos or Cibotus – was an ancient city in Phrygia, Anatolia, founded by Antiochus I Soter (from whose mother, Apama, it received its name), near, but on lower ground than, Celaenae (Kelainai).

 

maybe.....

Cibotus > Cubitus

 

interesting

[Louiza]

wow how many FANTASTIC videos, pics and reports! :wub2:

[robertina]

Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

 

Robertina, rejoice : a genius is coming to my place this pm (August 1st) to help me share my coverage of at least 2/3 of the July 26th press conference ! Fortunately not everybody is as illiterate as I am.

I don't really know how my mother will manage to get in touch with Mika to ask him if she can tell you all about the adorable thing he did ; and even if she does I feel that he is so private and modest that he might well ask her to keep mum about it. Definitely his privilege : she wouldn't dream of unveiling something if he is anxious for it not to be known.

 

So long,

 

M.-Th.

wow darling...you seem to talk to us personally! love this!

 

i'm totally for mika's privacy...whatever he shared with you is totally yours and his...i know sometimes we feel urged to share our little moments with him, but it's nice also if you can keep them for you only.

so don't be bothered to share...we can understand!

[K@koL@ndon]

mystery mysterious

 

where is Cubitus?

 

we are waiting a mysterious picture of him from annywere

 

there are some signs now...

 

you know that Mister M was/is in Apamea... but this is a secondary information...

 

chek the sign founded in wikipendia:

 

Apamea or Apameia (Greek: Απάμεια) – previously, Kibotos (Greek: κιβωτός), hê Kibôtos or Cibotus – was an ancient city in Phrygia, Anatolia, founded by Antiochus I Soter (from whose mother, Apama, it received its name), near, but on lower ground than, Celaenae (Kelainai).

 

maybe.....

 

Cibotus > Cubitus

 

interesting

 

lool:roftl:he needs to change name:naughty:

[greta]

 

 

Mika feels the love from 14,000 Lebanese in first home concert

Published: Monday, 28 July, 2008 @ 7:47 AM in Beirut

Mika, a widely regarded pop music genius, enchanted a sellout crowd of 14,000 late Sunday in Martyr's Square, the heart of downtown Beirut.

 

Mika, whose real name is Michael Penniman and was born in Beirut from a Lebanese mother and an American father, returned to the city after he was forced to leave it at the outbreak of Lebanon's civil war in 1975-1990.

As he entered the stage he addressed the crowd in Arabic language.

'Hello, I am very happy to be here in Lebanon,' he said and waved a Lebanese flag.

Young Lebanese children wearing T-shirts that read 'Mika all of Lebanon loves you' gathered at the so-called Martyr square in downtown Beirut, which usually gathers political rallies, were overjoyed to see their favorite singer singing and performing on stage.

Mika, who resides in London has often been compared to Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters and Freddy Mercury. His first album Life in Cartoon Motion introduces such songs as Grace Kelly, Relax, Take it Easy and Love Today and has beaten all records in Europe and the United States.

'Mika's four Octaves voice drove us wild throughout the concert,' said one of Mika's Lebanese fans, Tara Attaya.

 

 

 

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/07/mika_feels_the.php

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

US-Lebanese singer relaxes fans in downtown Beirut Posted on : 2008-07-27 | Author : DPA

News Category : Entertainment

Beirut - Mika, the so-called genius of pop music, enchanted late Sunday some 14,000 of his Lebanese fans in down own Beirut by singing his famous song Relax, Take It Easy. Mika, whose real name is Michael Penniman and was born in Beirut from a Lebanese mother and an American father, returned to the city after he was forced to leave it at the outbreak of Lebanon's civil war in 1975-1990. As he entered the stage he addressed the crowd in Arabic language. "Hello, I am very happy to be here in Lebanon," he said and waved a Lebanese flag. Young Lebanese children wearing T-shirts that read "Mika all of Lebanon loves you" gathered at the so-called Martyr square in downtown Beirut, which usually gathers political rallies, were overjoyed to see their favorite singer singing and performing on stage. Mika, who resides in London has often been compared to Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters and Freddy Mercury. His first album Life in Cartoon Motion introduces such songs as Grace Kelly, Relax, Take it Easy and Love Today and has beaten all records in Europe and the United States. "Mika's four Octaves voice drove us wild throughout the concert," said one of Mika's Lebanese fans, Tara Attaya.

 

 

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/221760,us-lebanese-singer-relaxes-fans-in-downtown-beirut.html

[greta]

Monkeys, plump ladies, and a four-octave range

Mika pops-up Martyrs Square with a show for all ages

By Eugene Yukin

Special to The Daily Star

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

 

Review

 

BEIRUT: Amid thousands of whispers and cheers of anticipation, a larger-than-life monkey holding a skull slowly steps out from behind the gigantic print of a clown's head and weaves to the front of the stage. Then it starts. Standing adjacent Beirut's Martyrs Square on Sunday night, international pop sensation Mika tries his hand at bringing his debut album "Life in Cartoon Motion" to life.

 

He does it well. In a concert that at times could have been confused with a circus show, Mika amused his fans with dazzling lights, huge multi-colored balloons, clowns and dancers in animal costume. Then, of course, there was the legendary four-octave range of Mika's voice.

 

The sold-out show (its tickets ranging from $33 to $200) lured thousands of people to watch the Lebanese-born pop singer kick off the Baalbek International Festival and with his first-ever Lebanon concert.

 

Starting off with "Relax, Take it Easy," Mika - resplendent in a white long shirt and tight black pants decked in multicolored glitter - works the crowd well, prancing around the stage, waving his hands and jumping up and down, only to run back to the piano to sing. With the first song finished and the crowd evidently pleased, Mika takes a minute to talk.

 

"Hello! I am very happy!" says the singer in accented Arabic, eliciting ecstatic cheers from the crowd.

 

This pop sensation has often been compared to the late-Freddy Mercury, lead singer of the legendary rock band Queen. Others have drawn comparisons between him and Elton John, Robbie Williams and David Bowie.

 

Born to a Lebanese mother and American father in 1983, Mika (aka Mica Penniman) was evacuated to Paris with his family at the age of one to escape the Lebanese Civil war. Though he wasn't raised here, Mika has always expressed pride in his Lebanese heritage. In a press conference a day before this concert, he took the opportunity to emphasize his ethnic roots.

 

"Anyone who is any part Lebanese will always tell you the same thing," Mika said, "that the Lebanese part completely takes over.

 

"I was always very proud of where I came from and who I am, and being Lebanese is a big part of that."

 

After leaving Lebanon, Mika attended Paris' LycŽe Franais Charles de Gaulle, where he says he was often harassed and bullied by other kids. Adding to his hardships was severe dyslexia, which caused a lot of problems with his teachers. By age 11 Mika dropped out of school. It was during this time that he discovered music.

 

In an interview with "OUT" magazine this year, Mika recalled this period. "My life was kind of falling apart," he said. "I was a complete outcast freak. I got into trouble for everything that I said, so I stopped talking. I got pulled out of school [and] didn't go for about seven, eight months, and during that time I started to learn how to sing because I had nothing else to do."

 

Mika's family later moved to England where he enrolled in a music school and was trained by a Russian opera singer. As a teenager, he began to earn money singing a jingle for Orbit chewing gum and writing music for British Airways.

 

Just two years ago Mika was relatively unknown. In 2006 he released his first single, "Relax, Take it Easy" but it was his other single, "Grace Kelly," that earned him international fame. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart in January 2007. Since then, Mika has enjoyed a tremendous following in the United States and Europe, where his concerts draw thousands of music fans.

 

"Are there any big girls in the crowd tonight?!" Mika shouts at his Beirut audience. Then he bursts into a rendition of "Big Girl," a song about obesity and fat women, accompanied by an inflatable twenty-five-foot-tall woman, rising at the back of the stage.

 

The audience looks on as a group of large women in tight, brightly colored short dresses progress towards them, holding a huge inflated balloon in the shape of soda cup with a straw. Next comes the inflated pizza. Thrown down to the fans, the cup and pizza find themselves bouncing up and down across the whole venue for the next thirty minutes of the show.

 

"I don't speak Arabic very well," the performer says in Arabic, "but I'm trying as best I can." His fans cheer their appreciation.

 

Mika then performs some other pieces from his debut album, such as "My interpretation," and "Billy Brown," a song about a married man who has a gay affair, "Stuck in the Middle" and "Grace Kelly."

 

After hugging a tall skeleton figure, Mika stands with a pink umbrella while confetti pours down on top of him giving the stage an other-worldly feel. The crowd is electrified as he begins to sing "Love Today". Towards the end of the song, the performer whips off his shirt and begins a lengthy drum solo with his drummer, banging against various metallic cans.

 

Though the crowd was obviously pleased with the performance - at least if their shouting and jumping and waving of Mika posters is anything to go by - the singer sometimes seemed to struggle to engage the audience. It wasn't that audience members didn't seem to like him, it simply seemed many did not know his lyrics well enough to sing along.

 

For his last tune, Mika performed "Relax, Take it Easy" one more time and bowed with his band members before taking leave of the stage. No one seemed to care that much. Distracted from Mika, the crowd gasped as a flame shot up slowly into the night sky and exploded in a multi-colored display. The grand fireworks display continuing to dazzle the concert-goers for another seven minutes. The dramatic finish left Mika's fans with more than their ticket's worth.

 

 

 

 

[robertina]

greta is hunting again!

 

no reference to twilight

[DANI56]

double?

 

 

[Louiza]

double?

 

 

 

both amazing:wub2: t4p

[Louiza]

Monkeys, plump ladies, and a four-octave range

Mika pops-up Martyrs Square with a show for all ages

By Eugene Yukin

Special to The Daily Star

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

 

Review

 

BEIRUT: Amid thousands of whispers and cheers of anticipation, a larger-than-life monkey holding a skull slowly steps out from behind the gigantic print of a clown's head and weaves to the front of the stage. Then it starts. Standing adjacent Beirut's Martyrs Square on Sunday night, international pop sensation Mika tries his hand at bringing his debut album "Life in Cartoon Motion" to life.

 

He does it well. In a concert that at times could have been confused with a circus show, Mika amused his fans with dazzling lights, huge multi-colored balloons, clowns and dancers in animal costume. Then, of course, there was the legendary four-octave range of Mika's voice.

 

The sold-out show (its tickets ranging from $33 to $200) lured thousands of people to watch the Lebanese-born pop singer kick off the Baalbek International Festival and with his first-ever Lebanon concert.

 

Starting off with "Relax, Take it Easy," Mika - resplendent in a white long shirt and tight black pants decked in multicolored glitter - works the crowd well, prancing around the stage, waving his hands and jumping up and down, only to run back to the piano to sing. With the first song finished and the crowd evidently pleased, Mika takes a minute to talk.

 

"Hello! I am very happy!" says the singer in accented Arabic, eliciting ecstatic cheers from the crowd.

 

This pop sensation has often been compared to the late-Freddy Mercury, lead singer of the legendary rock band Queen. Others have drawn comparisons between him and Elton John, Robbie Williams and David Bowie.

 

Born to a Lebanese mother and American father in 1983, Mika (aka Mica Penniman) was evacuated to Paris with his family at the age of one to escape the Lebanese Civil war. Though he wasn't raised here, Mika has always expressed pride in his Lebanese heritage. In a press conference a day before this concert, he took the opportunity to emphasize his ethnic roots.

 

"Anyone who is any part Lebanese will always tell you the same thing," Mika said, "that the Lebanese part completely takes over.

 

"I was always very proud of where I came from and who I am, and being Lebanese is a big part of that."

 

After leaving Lebanon, Mika attended Paris' LycŽe Franais Charles de Gaulle, where he says he was often harassed and bullied by other kids. Adding to his hardships was severe dyslexia, which caused a lot of problems with his teachers. By age 11 Mika dropped out of school. It was during this time that he discovered music.

 

In an interview with "OUT" magazine this year, Mika recalled this period. "My life was kind of falling apart," he said. "I was a complete outcast freak. I got into trouble for everything that I said, so I stopped talking. I got pulled out of school [and] didn't go for about seven, eight months, and during that time I started to learn how to sing because I had nothing else to do."

 

Mika's family later moved to England where he enrolled in a music school and was trained by a Russian opera singer. As a teenager, he began to earn money singing a jingle for Orbit chewing gum and writing music for British Airways.

 

Just two years ago Mika was relatively unknown. In 2006 he released his first single, "Relax, Take it Easy" but it was his other single, "Grace Kelly," that earned him international fame. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart in January 2007. Since then, Mika has enjoyed a tremendous following in the United States and Europe, where his concerts draw thousands of music fans.

 

"Are there any big girls in the crowd tonight?!" Mika shouts at his Beirut audience. Then he bursts into a rendition of "Big Girl," a song about obesity and fat women, accompanied by an inflatable twenty-five-foot-tall woman, rising at the back of the stage.

 

The audience looks on as a group of large women in tight, brightly colored short dresses progress towards them, holding a huge inflated balloon in the shape of soda cup with a straw. Next comes the inflated pizza. Thrown down to the fans, the cup and pizza find themselves bouncing up and down across the whole venue for the next thirty minutes of the show.

 

"I don't speak Arabic very well," the performer says in Arabic, "but I'm trying as best I can." His fans cheer their appreciation.

 

Mika then performs some other pieces from his debut album, such as "My interpretation," and "Billy Brown," a song about a married man who has a gay affair, "Stuck in the Middle" and "Grace Kelly."

 

After hugging a tall skeleton figure, Mika stands with a pink umbrella while confetti pours down on top of him giving the stage an other-worldly feel. The crowd is electrified as he begins to sing "Love Today". Towards the end of the song, the performer whips off his shirt and begins a lengthy drum solo with his drummer, banging against various metallic cans.

 

Though the crowd was obviously pleased with the performance - at least if their shouting and jumping and waving of Mika posters is anything to go by - the singer sometimes seemed to struggle to engage the audience. It wasn't that audience members didn't seem to like him, it simply seemed many did not know his lyrics well enough to sing along.

 

For his last tune, Mika performed "Relax, Take it Easy" one more time and bowed with his band members before taking leave of the stage. No one seemed to care that much. Distracted from Mika, the crowd gasped as a flame shot up slowly into the night sky and exploded in a multi-colored display. The grand fireworks display continuing to dazzle the concert-goers for another seven minutes. The dramatic finish left Mika's fans with more than their ticket's worth.

 

 

that's a great review! i didnt get to read it when it was first posted but now i've highlighted my favorite bits

[marie-andrée de rougemont]

I would hide myself . Poor Meeks . . . I don't wanna him thinking I'm a stalker . . . I would hide myself in the stairs or something like that !! God !! I'm not so stalker !

 

 

Would have been tricky, Mafaaaa, as Mica and his mafia were staying in a private suite, with a private entrance and strict security -although 'strict' mid-eastern style - and the Phoenicia is a huge place anyway so they must have felt quite safe from the most fanatical stalker...

 

I was able to give a letter to Fortuné but not because I was hiding on stairs or in a cupboard, just because they did go out of their lair and walked the 'regular' corridors once in a while, which he happened to do when I was going to hand out my letter to a reception clerk.

 

Marie-Thérèse

[Kumazzz]

Check VIDEO out.

 

MIKATUBE http://mikatube.com/archive/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=56&video_id=222

 

YouTube -- [YOUTUBE]whkJVHAY9_E[/YOUTUBE]

 

ORIGINAL by BBC -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7531444.stm

Edited November 2, 2010 by Kumazzz

[Kumazzz]

Nicoleta uploaded on MIKATUBE

 

2008.07.29 Showbiz Central - Pop star Mika plays gig in Beirut

 

http://mikatube.com/archive/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=56&video_id=286

 

[YOUTUBE]yMpI4_yTzuo[/YOUTUBE]

 

*original link http://mysp.ac/94rwyP

 

*download link http://www.mediafire.com/?npd7e64n9b889ut

 

 

 

Nico, Thanks a lot !

[nicoleta]

:wub2:u're welcome!thanks to you for finding the original video!

[Kumazzz]

I don't know this VIDEO has been posted.

 

Mika rockt Beirut　2008.07.31

 

http://video.de.msn.com/watch/video/mika-rockt-beirut/5o8bomr9

 

Der beliebte Popstar Mika wird am Sonntag ein bereits ausverkauftes Konzert in seiner Heimatstadt Beirut geben.

Nach zwei Jahren politischer Unruhen finden nun wieder Musikfestivals im Libanon statt.

[Kumazzz]

I don't know this VIDEO has been posted.

 

Mika rockt Beirut　2008.07.31

 

http://video.de.msn.com/watch/video/mika-rockt-beirut/5o8bomr9

 

Der beliebte Popstar Mika wird am Sonntag ein bereits ausverkauftes Konzert in seiner Heimatstadt Beirut geben.

Nach zwei Jahren politischer Unruhen finden nun wieder Musikfestivals im Libanon statt.

 

2008.07.31 - MSN.de - Mika rockt Beirut

http://www.mediafire.com/?c5xpyqq9ptmjb

 

 

 

Thanks a lot as always !! Nico

 

MikaTube

 

http://mikatube.com/archive/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=56&video_id=494

 

MP4 DL-link http://www.mediafire.com/?edswd5fo17v633u

 

[YOUTUBE]ngaQbmiS6LE[/YOUTUBE]

[nicoleta]

:wub2:Thank you,Eriko!:wink2:my pleasure,always!

[Louiza]

Thanks a lot as always !! Nico

 

MikaTube

 

http://mikatube.com/archive/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=56&video_id=494

 

MP4 DL-link http://www.mediafire.com/?edswd5fo17v633u

 

[YOUTUBE]ngaQbmiS6LE[/YOUTUBE]

 

Thanks Eriko and Nico for this vid:flowers2:

Adding it to the 2008 interviews list as well:thumb_yello:

[mari62]

Thank you Eriko and Nico for the vids!

[Kumazzz]

Thanks a lot for finding, Lara !! You are amazing !!!!

 

Here's some clips I found:

Let me know if any of you want me to record and upload them for you.

 

The one previously posted of his album release performance/party Feb '07:

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Entertainment-UK-Mika/8599f3c3739bb82b6d11c4b3babab8dc?query=mika&current=1&orderBy=Relevance&hits=350&referrer=search&search=%2fsearch%3fstartd%3d%26endd%3d%26allFilters%3dTrue%253AIsDigitized%26query%3dmika%26advsearchStartDateFilter%3d%26advsearchEndDateFilter%3d%26searchFilterHdSDFormat%3dAll%26searchFilterDigitized%3dTrue%26searchFiltercolorFormat%3dAll%26searchFilteraspectratioFormat%3dAll&allFilters=True%3aIsDigitized&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1

 

Mtv Ema's '07 PR Interview:

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Entertainment-Germany-Mika/84e098f2e11d1d246637d27a58873269?query=mika&current=2&orderBy=Relevance&hits=350&referrer=search&search=%2fsearch%3fstartd%3d%26endd%3d%26allFilters%3dTrue%253AIsDigitized%26query%3dmika%26advsearchStartDateFilter%3d%26advsearchEndDateFilter%3d%26searchFilterHdSDFormat%3dAll%26searchFilterDigitized%3dTrue%26searchFiltercolorFormat%3dAll%26searchFilteraspectratioFormat%3dAll&allFilters=True%3aIsDigitized&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1

 

Beirut Press conference/Performance '08:

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Entertainment-Lebanon-Mika/3d8022afdb2b99d4c9c64da4bd7f519e?query=mika&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=350&referrer=search&search=%2fsearch%3fstartd%3d%26endd%3d%26allFilters%3dTrue%253AIsDigitized%26query%3dmika%26advsearchStartDateFilter%3d%26advsearchEndDateFilter%3d%26searchFilterHdSDFormat%3dAll%26searchFilterDigitized%3dTrue%26searchFiltercolorFormat%3dAll%26searchFilteraspectratioFormat%3dAll&allFilters=True%3aIsDigitized&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1

 

Hong Kong Live & Tofu Dolls '10

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Entertainment-Hong-Kong-Mika/72eda35e8e52390e6d045cef8406d36a?query=mika&current=9&orderBy=Relevance&hits=350&referrer=search&search=%2fsearch%3fstartd%3d%26endd%3d%26allFilters%3dTrue%253AIsDigitized%26query%3dmika%26advsearchStartDateFilter%3d%26advsearchEndDateFilter%3d%26searchFilterHdSDFormat%3dAll%26searchFilterDigitized%3dTrue%26searchFiltercolorFormat%3dAll%26searchFilteraspectratioFormat%3dAll&allFilters=True%3aIsDigitized&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1

 

That's about the only interesting clips I found.

 

 

 

AP archive

 

Pop singer Mika performs in Beirut

 

Beirut - 26/27 July, 2008

 

 

 

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Entertainment-Lebanon-Mika/3d8022afdb2b99d4c9c64da4bd7f519e?query=mika&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=350&referrer=search&search=%2fsearch%3fstartd%3d%26endd%3d%26allFilters%3dTrue%253AIsDigitized%26query%3dmika%26advsearchStartDateFilter%3d%26advsearchEndDateFilter%3d%26searchFilterHdSDFormat%3dAll%26searchFilterDigitized%3dTrue%26searchFiltercolorFormat%3dAll%26searchFilteraspectratioFormat%3dAll&allFilters=True%3aIsDigitized&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1

 

[YOUTUBE]dXuWxwRGPv4[/YOUTUBE]

 

Beirut, Lebanon 27 July, 2008

 

1. Wide of crowds in Martyrs' Square queuing for Mika concert at Beiteddine and Baalbek festival

 

2. Queue at security check

 

3. Statue of Martyrs

 

4. Close of statue

 

5. Various of queue before concert

 

Pool

 

Beirut, Lebanon, 27 July 2008

 

6. Wide of Mika and organisers festival

 

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mika, Lebanese-born pop artist:

 

"This concert has been a long time coming but finally it's taking place. I've tried a couple of times, we've all tried, everyone that's here today has really tried a lot to make this happen. I am really glad that I am in this room and that the concert is tomorrow. And I think we're going to have a lot of fun. I think it's quite a proud moment obviously for me to be back. I am looking forward to it. I'm here to have fun."

 

Pool

 

Beirut, Lebanon, 27 July 2008

 

8. Wide of fans in Martyrs' square before concert

 

9. Entertainers blowing fire

 

10. Crowd before concert

 

11. Banner reading (in English): "Mika, Love, l love me."

 

++NIGHT SHOTS++

 

12. Fans cheering

 

13. Wide of Mika appearing on stage, saying (in Arabic): " Hello, I am very happy to be with you in Beirut."

 

14. Mika performing

 

15. Various of audience

 

16. Various of Mika performing

 

17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Simon Najm, Mika fan:

 

"I think Mika, who is of Lebanese origins, has brought Beirut back to life. Lebanon is a country of beauty and art, not a country of war. I hope Lebanon returns to the way it was before."

 

18. Najm and other fans

 

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Jesse, Mika fan:

 

"I think it's amazing. I think the whole experience is great. It's much better than any other concert I have been to, and I have been to concerts in America and Dubai and this is one of the best."

 

20. Various of Mika performing

 

21. Cutuaway

 

22. Various of Mika performing

 

23. Cutaway of audience

 

MIKA TAKES A BOW IN BERUIT

 

Mika paid tribute to his Lebanese origins by performing to 15-thousand fans in central Beirut on Sunday 27th July.

 

The concert was a bit of a breakthrough as it was one of the first musical events held in Martyrs' Square since an 18-month political opposition protest was dismantled in May.

 

Talking a day before the concert in the Lebanese capital - Mika said the show was a long time coming:

 

"Finally it's taking place. I've tried a couple of times, we've all tried, everyone that's here today has really tried a lot to make this happen. I am really glad that I am in this room and that the concert is tomorrow. And I think we're going to have a lot of fun."

 

The singer was born in Beruit before being raised in England and says being there meant a lot to him:

 

"I think it's quite a proud moment obviously for me to be back. I'm here to have fun."

 

After a gap of more than two years, due to violence and political tensions, summer music festivals have started again in Lebanon.

 

Mika fan Simon Najm says the star has helped to re-introduce culture to the city:

 

"I think Mika, who is of Lebanese origins, has brought Beirut back to life. Lebanon is a country of beauty and art, not a country of war. I hope Lebanon returns to the way it was before."

 

Jesse was also in the audience and says Mika put on a great show:

 

"I think it's amazing. I think the whole experience is great. It's much better than any other concert I have been to, and I have been to concerts in America and Dubai and this is one of the best."

[Kumazzz]

A Newspaper

 

Les Libanais Le Dans Le Monde http://www.rjliban.com/orient2008-pays.htm

 

pdf : http://www.rjliban.com/orient20080804.pdf