Naectegale Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Link to great Oakland review here http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music Even with a couple of newly torn tendons in his foot and numbed by painkillers, the Beirut-born talent turbine known as Mika proved himself one of pop music's most indefatigable showmen Saturday night with a blazing hourlong show at Oakland's Fox Theater. Images View Larger Image Toward the end of the 17-song set, the lanky Londoner was visibly limping, his mop of curls flattened against his forehead by sweat, and the slash of garish red makeup on his cheekbone long melted away. And while he may not have jumped quite as high as when he played the Fillmore on the crest of his 2007 debut album, "Life in Cartoon Motion," he still came back for a three-song encore, with the inevitable "Grace Kelly" and "Lollipop" bringing it all to a thundering close. After a modest opening set by newcomer Gary Go, it took three songs from "Cartoon Motion" - "Relax, Take It Easy," "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" and "Stuck in the Middle" - before Mika (too conveniently likened to Freddie Mercury) lit into "Dr. John" from his new CD, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much." Swinging a ribbon-festooned crutch and donning a series of jackets over his trademark white pants and shirt, he stalked the split-level stage beneath a kind of mini solar system of planetlike orbs that glowed iridescently in the swirling rainbow of stage lights. When he launched into the ridiculously infectious "Blame It on the Girls" from the new CD, he divided the audience into two groups, one side assigned to sing the title lyric, and the other to take the comeback, "Blame it on the boys." At the height of frenzy in "Love Today," he had the virtually the entire Fox audience jumping in unison. The energy level was maximal from the first song through the last, with only a small respite with "Toy Boy" - on the surface a happy children's song, but darkened with lyrics that talk about loss, loneliness and abandonment. More introspective songs in his repertoire would have to wait for another day. Even "Billy Brown," the deceptively chirpy song about a closeted married man, was given a high-octane arrangement. But if anyone missed the quieter Mika, no one was complaining. Even when not dealing with torn tendons, Mika is a trouper, in the old-time showbiz sense of the word. Unlike so many contemporary performers who seem to feel the need to distance themselves from their audience, at almost every turn, you see Mika bending toward his fans, stretching his arms out as if trying to gather them in his embrace. Like an old British music hall star, he's out to entertain and nothing will stop him. At the end of the show, huge white balloons were launched to drift over the heads and waving arms of the audience, as if the "planets" suspended above the stage had been jarred loose from their orbits by the gravity-defying energy and vocal pyrotechnics of the limping, multi-octave singer in white. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music#ixzz0V5Wf4FSN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkly1 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 hasn't this already been posted cos I have already read it somewhere tonight, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 In the gig thread:thumb_yello: great review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Great review, T4P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 hasn't this already been posted cos I have already read it somewhere tonight, I posted in the gig thread, and someone suggested it needed a wider circulation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Angel Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Great review. Thx for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mika_Addiction Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 "Unlike so many contemporary performers who seem to feel the need to distance themselves from their audience, at almost every turn, you see Mika bending toward his fans, stretching his arms out as if trying to gather them in his embrace. Like an old British music hall star, he's out to entertain and nothing will stop him." Oh, I love that! That's just SO Mika! I really like that the writer of the review understands what we all feel when we're going to a Mika gig! Great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiza Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Link to great Oakland review here http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music Even with a couple of newly torn tendons in his foot and numbed by painkillers, the Beirut-born talent turbine known as Mika proved himself one of pop music's most indefatigable showmen Saturday night with a blazing hourlong show at Oakland's Fox Theater. Images View Larger Image Toward the end of the 17-song set, the lanky Londoner was visibly limping, his mop of curls flattened against his forehead by sweat, and the slash of garish red makeup on his cheekbone long melted away. And while he may not have jumped quite as high as when he played the Fillmore on the crest of his 2007 debut album, "Life in Cartoon Motion," he still came back for a three-song encore, with the inevitable "Grace Kelly" and "Lollipop" bringing it all to a thundering close. After a modest opening set by newcomer Gary Go, it took three songs from "Cartoon Motion" - "Relax, Take It Easy," "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" and "Stuck in the Middle" - before Mika (too conveniently likened to Freddie Mercury) lit into "Dr. John" from his new CD, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much." Swinging a ribbon-festooned crutch and donning a series of jackets over his trademark white pants and shirt, he stalked the split-level stage beneath a kind of mini solar system of planetlike orbs that glowed iridescently in the swirling rainbow of stage lights. When he launched into the ridiculously infectious "Blame It on the Girls" from the new CD, he divided the audience into two groups, one side assigned to sing the title lyric, and the other to take the comeback, "Blame it on the boys." At the height of frenzy in "Love Today," he had the virtually the entire Fox audience jumping in unison. The energy level was maximal from the first song through the last, with only a small respite with "Toy Boy" - on the surface a happy children's song, but darkened with lyrics that talk about loss, loneliness and abandonment. More introspective songs in his repertoire would have to wait for another day. Even "Billy Brown," the deceptively chirpy song about a closeted married man, was given a high-octane arrangement. But if anyone missed the quieter Mika, no one was complaining. Even when not dealing with torn tendons, Mika is a trouper, in the old-time showbiz sense of the word. Unlike so many contemporary performers who seem to feel the need to distance themselves from their audience, at almost every turn, you see Mika bending toward his fans, stretching his arms out as if trying to gather them in his embrace. Like an old British music hall star, he's out to entertain and nothing will stop him. At the end of the show, huge white balloons were launched to drift over the heads and waving arms of the audience, as if the "planets" suspended above the stage had been jarred loose from their orbits by the gravity-defying energy and vocal pyrotechnics of the limping, multi-octave singer in white. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music#ixzz0V5Wf4FSN brilliant review!! really love the highlighted parts:wub2: t4p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thank God for that wonderful review from someone who actually GETS Mika and realises that he IS an old fashioned entertainer, a trooper who won't let injury affect the performance and joy he gives us. After the stupid comments of the last few days, I am so grateful to read this review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Aaaawwww!!! I like this person's review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Swinging a ribbon-festooned crutch :roftl: Watta guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodes100 Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thank you Naectegale for posting this great review here. David Wiegand, the writer, gets what Mika is about! This review rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inbar_assaf Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 loving the reporter... loving the review- fantastic! thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineGirl Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I LOVE this review - thanks so much for posting it. The reviewer really seems to 'get' Mika and therefore to really appreciate Mika's art and style of performing. He's got it bang on. I particularly love the bit where he comments upon Mika's seeming to physically draw his fans in by leaning out to them etc rather than distancing himself from them like other performers do. But has he really torn tendons in his ankle/foot? Isn't that much worse than a sprain?? Poor Mika! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lena Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Link to great Oakland review here http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music Even with a couple of newly torn tendons in his foot and numbed by painkillers, the Beirut-born talent turbine known as Mika proved himself one of pop music's most indefatigable showmen Saturday night with a blazing hourlong show at Oakland's Fox Theater. Images View Larger Image Toward the end of the 17-song set, the lanky Londoner was visibly limping, his mop of curls flattened against his forehead by sweat, and the slash of garish red makeup on his cheekbone long melted away. And while he may not have jumped quite as high as when he played the Fillmore on the crest of his 2007 debut album, "Life in Cartoon Motion," he still came back for a three-song encore, with the inevitable "Grace Kelly" and "Lollipop" bringing it all to a thundering close. After a modest opening set by newcomer Gary Go, it took three songs from "Cartoon Motion" - "Relax, Take It Easy," "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" and "Stuck in the Middle" - before Mika (too conveniently likened to Freddie Mercury) lit into "Dr. John" from his new CD, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much." Swinging a ribbon-festooned crutch and donning a series of jackets over his trademark white pants and shirt, he stalked the split-level stage beneath a kind of mini solar system of planetlike orbs that glowed iridescently in the swirling rainbow of stage lights. When he launched into the ridiculously infectious "Blame It on the Girls" from the new CD, he divided the audience into two groups, one side assigned to sing the title lyric, and the other to take the comeback, "Blame it on the boys." At the height of frenzy in "Love Today," he had the virtually the entire Fox audience jumping in unison. The energy level was maximal from the first song through the last, with only a small respite with "Toy Boy" - on the surface a happy children's song, but darkened with lyrics that talk about loss, loneliness and abandonment. More introspective songs in his repertoire would have to wait for another day. Even "Billy Brown," the deceptively chirpy song about a closeted married man, was given a high-octane arrangement. But if anyone missed the quieter Mika, no one was complaining. Even when not dealing with torn tendons, Mika is a trouper, in the old-time showbiz sense of the word. Unlike so many contemporary performers who seem to feel the need to distance themselves from their audience, at almost every turn, you see Mika bending toward his fans, stretching his arms out as if trying to gather them in his embrace. Like an old British music hall star, he's out to entertain and nothing will stop him. At the end of the show, huge white balloons were launched to drift over the heads and waving arms of the audience, as if the "planets" suspended above the stage had been jarred loose from their orbits by the gravity-defying energy and vocal pyrotechnics of the limping, multi-octave singer in white. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/26/DDQI1AAGVQ.DTL&type=music#ixzz0V5Wf4FSN It is so sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunnyangel Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 sweet! (my friend just said, his right arm could be hanging on by a thread, but he'd still be up for a jump about on stage!) x x x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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