REPORTS/PICS/VIDS - Mika in Tokyo, Japan @ Zepp, 8-JUN-2010 (second date)

[Blue Sky]

Looking for your reports, photos and videos from the second Tokyo show!

 

 

 

 

==========

REPORTS

==========

butterflygal: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3029642&postcount=4

sariflor: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3029747&postcount=8

lollipop_monkey: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3029927&postcount=19

 

==========

PHOTOS

==========

tomomi: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3029749&postcount=9

and http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3029834&postcount=16

 

Blue Sky: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3030632&postcount=38

 

MIINA: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3030745&postcount=55

 

==========

VIDEOS

==========

Blue Sky: http://www.youtube.com/user/blueskymika

lollipop_monkey: http://www.youtube.com/conceitedwombat

tomomi: http://www.youtube.com/user/mynameisnottommy1

sariflor: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3031353&postcount=71

Edited June 10, 2010 by dcdeb

[FREDDIESDOUBLE]

Ya ! how did it go

[Mary]

From what I've read on twitter, he did Toy Boy And Over My Shoulder!

 

(still no AOW?! )

 

Tell us everything, peeps!

[butterflygal]

I got back a little while ago. I accidently left the battery for my camera at home, so no pics or videos. Sorry!

But I'll post a report instead:thumb_yello:

 

What an amazing show!!! Mika seemed to really be enjoying himself. I was in a better position than the day before, so I was able to observe his facial expressions and all very well. He was smiling a lot!! And the crowd seemed even more excited than yesterday. Lots of screaming girls:biggrin2:

 

The set list was pretty much like before. EXCEPT he did "Over My Shoulder" and "Toy Boy." OMG, "Over My Shoulder" was sooo beautiful that I got goose bumps on my arms! i was so happy to hear it live. And of course "Toy Boy." No puppet, but he kept on playing the intro while saying "I'm trying to remember the lines." LOL Before singing "Toy Boy," he took out this toy instrument that was shaped like a music note. It made a funny sound and he fiddled around with it for some time. He seemed to really like it, and played it again at the end of Toy Boy. I hope someone has a video cuz it was really cute!

 

I just cannot get enough of the garden outfit that he and the band puts on during the Grace Kelly! The grass sticking out of the hat, the flowers on the vest.....it's a Mika Garden:aah:

 

During Lollipop, he picked up a lollipop girl, and danced around with her in his arms!!! Lucky girl!! I wonder if someone has a video. He also had the bride throw a bouquet into the audience. Of course it was shredded to pieces once the crowd grabbed it:naughty:

 

I really love the mini "dance competition" the band holds while "Kick Ass" is playing. I think it's really cute! When it was Martin's turn to do his dance, everybody in the crowd danced along lol That was really funny!

After "Kick Ass," we (or at least I) thought the show was over, and some people even started to leave, but the everyone kept on clapping and screaming for Mika, and he and his band eventually came out for another encore!! He said "we have to start all over again" and sang "Relax" (one of my faves ) again. That was real treat for us.

 

During the show, he said that this would be his last show in Tokyo for a while. I got a little sad thinking about it, but I guess it means he'll be working on his 3rd album!!

 

I didn't line up for the M&G this time, but I'm curious to know how it went. A report please!!

 

All in all the gig was absolutely FANTASTIC, and I spent the whole 1h40m jumping around, singing and waving my arms. I am also really touched by the way Imma, Cherisse, David, Jimmy and Martin take part in the show. They seem to be having so much fun - It's as if he and the band are one big family.

 

Tomorrow he'll be on a radio show in the afternoon, and then a TV show at night. And then Nagoya on Thursday and Osaka on Friday.

Ahhh, the Mikaful week continues!!!

[Mary]

I got back a little while ago. I accidently left the battery for my camera at home, so no pics or videos. Sorry!

But I'll post a report instead:thumb_yello:

 

What an amazing show!!! Mika seemed to really be enjoying himself. I was in a better position than the day before, so I was able to observe his facial expressions and all very well. He was smiling a lot!! And the crowd seemed even more excited than yesterday. Lots of screaming girls:biggrin2:

 

The set list was pretty much like before. EXCEPT he did "Over My Shoulder" and "Toy Boy." OMG, "Over My Shoulder" was sooo beautiful that I got goose bumps on my arms! i was so happy to hear it live. And of course "Toy Boy." No puppet, but he kept on playing the intro while saying "I'm trying to remember the lines." LOL Before singing "Toy Boy," he took out this toy instrument that was shaped like a music note. It made a funny sound and he fiddled around with it for some time. He seemed to really like it, and played it again at the end of Toy Boy. I hope someone has a video cuz it was really cute!

 

I just cannot get enough of the garden outfit that he and the band puts on during the Grace Kelly! The grass sticking out of the hat, the flowers on the vest.....it's a Mika Garden:aah:

 

During Lollipop, he picked up a lollipop girl, and danced around with her in his arms!!! Lucky girl!! I wonder if someone has a video. He also had the bride throw a bouquet into the audience. Of course it was shredded to pieces once the crowd grabbed it:naughty:

 

I really love the mini "dance competition" the band holds while "Kick Ass" is playing. I think it's really cute! When it was Martin's turn to do his dance, everybody in the crowd danced along lol That was really funny!

After "Kick Ass," we (or at least I) thought the show was over, and some people even started to leave, but the everyone kept on clapping and screaming for Mika, and he and his band eventually came out for another encore!! He said "we have to start all over again" and sang "Relax" (one of my faves ) again. That was real treat for us.

 

During the show, he said that this would be his last show in Tokyo for a while. I got a little sad thinking about it, but I guess it means he'll be working on his 3rd album!!

 

I didn't line up for the M&G this time, but I'm curious to know how it went. A report please!!

 

All in all the gig was absolutely FANTASTIC, and I spent the whole 1h40m jumping around, singing and waving my arms. I am also really touched by the way Imma, Cherisse, David, Jimmy and Martin take part in the show. They seem to be having so much fun - It's as if he and the band are one big family.

 

Tomorrow he'll be on a radio show in the afternoon, and then a TV show at night. And then Nagoya on Thursday and Osaka on Friday.

Ahhh, the Mikaful week continues!!!

 

 

Thanks for the report! Loved it!

 

And second encore?? You lucky ducks! He's so sweet! You guys must have been an incredible audience!

[Sabine64]

Thank you for your report, I love it

[LilStar]

awwwwww thanks for the report!!

(is the lollipop girl he picked is still alive??)

[sariflor]

I got back a little while ago. I accidently left the battery for my camera at home, so no pics or videos. Sorry!

But I'll post a report instead:thumb_yello:

 

What an amazing show!!! Mika seemed to really be enjoying himself. I was in a better position than the day before, so I was able to observe his facial expressions and all very well. He was smiling a lot!! And the crowd seemed even more excited than yesterday. Lots of screaming girls

 

The set list was pretty much like before. EXCEPT he did "Over My Shoulder" and "Toy Boy." OMG, "Over My Shoulder" was sooo beautiful that I got goose bumps on my arms! i was so happy to hear it live. And of course "Toy Boy." No puppet, but he kept on playing the intro while saying "I'm trying to remember the lines." LOL Before singing "Toy Boy," he took out this toy instrument that was shaped like a music note. It made a funny sound and he fiddled around with it for some time. He seemed to really like it, and played it again at the end of Toy Boy. I hope someone has a video cuz it was really cute!

 

I just cannot get enough of the garden outfit that he and the band puts on during the Grace Kelly! The grass sticking out of the hat, the flowers on the vest.....it's a Mika Garden:aah:

 

During Lollipop, he picked up a lollipop girl, and danced around with her in his arms!!! Lucky girl!! I wonder if someone has a video. He also had the bride throw a bouquet into the audience. Of course it was shredded to pieces once the crowd grabbed it:naughty:

 

I really love the mini "dance competition" the band holds while "Kick Ass" is playing. I think it's really cute! When it was Martin's turn to do his dance, everybody in the crowd danced along lol That was really funny!

After "Kick Ass," we (or at least I) thought the show was over, and some people even started to leave, but the everyone kept on clapping and screaming for Mika, and he and his band eventually came out for another encore!! He said "we have to start all over again" and sang "Relax" (one of my faves ) again. That was real treat for us.

 

During the show, he said that this would be his last show in Tokyo for a while. I got a little sad thinking about it, but I guess it means he'll be working on his 3rd album!!

 

I didn't line up for the M&G this time, but I'm curious to know how it went. A report please!!

 

All in all the gig was absolutely FANTASTIC, and I spent the whole 1h40m jumping around, singing and waving my arms. I am also really touched by the way Imma, Cherisse, David, Jimmy and Martin take part in the show. They seem to be having so much fun - It's as if he and the band are one big family.

 

Tomorrow he'll be on a radio show in the afternoon, and then a TV show at night. And then Nagoya on Thursday and Osaka on Friday.

Ahhh, the Mikaful week continues!!!

 

Lovely report, Naoko . It was great seeing you before the show again.

 

I agree, tonight was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ! The energy was just mental. One thing I will say is that, until these Japanese gigs, I had never been in such a crazy gig audience. Not only were people going totally mad, but also the way they just squash against eachother is just nuts ,everyone just ends up majorly crushed. It's madness. Totally.

 

Anyway, Mika was in an incredible mood-He was having a lot of fun, and it's one of the gigs at which I've seen him more animated and just generally happy and relaxed. The whole band were also having a lot of fun, and the atmosphere was electrical. It felt like the crowd and the performers were feeding off eachother's vibe, and the energy just went back and forth from stage to room and room to stage, bouncing and accumulating, and going up a notch each time. Mad, mad, mad.

 

He had a few random little moments, like when he started playing that instrument before ToyBoy, where and he got totally confused. He asked: "what was I doing now?" And we shouted: "singing Toyboy!!" and he said:" I have forgotten the first lyrics" so Iona shouted out the first line: "I'm a wiiind up toy!" so he looked at her and said: "I can't believe you flew all the way from Australia!" which was pretty cool .

 

Anyway, the whole gig had these little humorous moments, and it was a LOT of fun. You could tell how much fun he was having (and all the rest of the band too) by the way they were being so spontaneous. Oh and of course he came back for the Encore, which is always a bit of a giveaway. He did Relax again and the whole place was BOUNCING.

 

I love the little choreographed dance that the band do for KickAss, it's fabulous. Martin has been particularly animated these two gigs, and he's been very funny, doing all sorts of weird moves and dances. Cute.

 

Andy was taking care of the animations for these shows,from the control/mixing desk, and he told us yesterday how exciting it all was, so today after the gig we had a lovely chat with him again, and he was asking us how we had found the gig, etc... I think that he was amazed by the whole madness and crazed vibe of the crowd and the whole thing .

 

He said that when Mika did the second Relax, he thought "Sara will be very happy now". How cute is that? I seriously love Andy, he's such a gentle, sweet guy .

 

Anyway, after the gig, Mika came out for longer than yesterday, and despite the fact that they said that he was saving his voice, he ended up chatting quite a bit to people .

He said a couple of things about the Tofu doll, and he just generally seemed in great spirits. I know that I've said this before, but I really think that we couldn't have picked a nicer popstar to follow. He's definitely one of a kind, and I'm really "proud" of him and how far he's come since the start. That, and the fact that despite everything, he's remained so genuine and just so nice. I have very deep respect and admiration for him, it has to be said, and I know that this is a stupid thing to say here in the report, and that it's totally out of the blue and unrelated to the report, so I will leave it now

 

All in all, it was a super amazing day. I can't believe that it's only Tuesday,and that we still have 4 days to go. I'm loving Tokyo as well, so tomorrow we get to do some more sightseeing and then off to Nagoya for the gig in Thu, and Osaka on Friday.

 

Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tomomi]

Here you go!

 

[nikjass]

Thanks for the reports Love the fact he exclaimed about Iona on stage!!! FABBY

Edited June 9, 2010 by Blue Sky
typo

[guylainem123]

lovely reports

 

and you are right sara... we chose the right popstar

 

now go back on that trampoline

[sariflor]

lovely reports

 

and you are right sara... we chose the right popstar

 

now go back on that trampoline

 

 

Too tired for the trampoline now It's nearly 3 am and I am freaking knackered .

[guylainem123]

Too tired for the trampoline now It's nearly 3 am and I am freaking knackered .

 

alright then... first thing in the morning then!

[Nightbird]

Wonderful, wonderful reports @ butterflygal and sariflor!!!

Thank you so much, i loved reading them and i feel somehow very touched now (awww, silly, i know )

[huikings]

I got back a little while ago. I accidently left the battery for my camera at home, so no pics or videos. Sorry!

But I'll post a report instead

 

What an amazing show!!! Mika seemed to really be enjoying himself. I was in a better position than the day before, so I was able to observe his facial expressions and all very well. He was smiling a lot!! And the crowd seemed even more excited than yesterday. Lots of screaming girls

 

The set list was pretty much like before. EXCEPT he did "Over My Shoulder" and "Toy Boy." OMG, "Over My Shoulder" was sooo beautiful that I got goose bumps on my arms! i was so happy to hear it live. And of course "Toy Boy." No puppet, but he kept on playing the intro while saying "I'm trying to remember the lines." LOL Before singing "Toy Boy," he took out this toy instrument that was shaped like a music note. It made a funny sound and he fiddled around with it for some time. He seemed to really like it, and played it again at the end of Toy Boy. I hope someone has a video cuz it was really cute!

 

I just cannot get enough of the garden outfit that he and the band puts on during the Grace Kelly! The grass sticking out of the hat, the flowers on the vest.....it's a Mika Garden:aah:

 

During Lollipop, he picked up a lollipop girl, and danced around with her in his arms!!! Lucky girl!! I wonder if someone has a video. He also had the bride throw a bouquet into the audience. Of course it was shredded to pieces once the crowd grabbed it:naughty:

 

I really love the mini "dance competition" the band holds while "Kick Ass" is playing. I think it's really cute! When it was Martin's turn to do his dance, everybody in the crowd danced along lol That was really funny!

After "Kick Ass," we (or at least I) thought the show was over, and some people even started to leave, but the everyone kept on clapping and screaming for Mika, and he and his band eventually came out for another encore!! He said "we have to start all over again" and sang "Relax" (one of my faves ) again. That was real treat for us.

 

During the show, he said that this would be his last show in Tokyo for a while. I got a little sad thinking about it, but I guess it means he'll be working on his 3rd album!!

 

I didn't line up for the M&G this time, but I'm curious to know how it went. A report please!!

 

All in all the gig was absolutely FANTASTIC, and I spent the whole 1h40m jumping around, singing and waving my arms. I am also really touched by the way Imma, Cherisse, David, Jimmy and Martin take part in the show. They seem to be having so much fun - It's as if he and the band are one big family.

 

Tomorrow he'll be on a radio show in the afternoon, and then a TV show at night. And then Nagoya on Thursday and Osaka on Friday.

Ahhh, the Mikaful week continues!!!

 

Lovely report, Naoko . It was great seeing you before the show again.

 

I agree, tonight was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ! The energy was just mental. One thing I will say is that, until these Japanese gigs, I had never been in such a crazy gig audience. Not only were people going totally mad, but also the way they just squash against eachother is just nuts ,everyone just ends up majorly crushed. It's madness. Totally.

 

Anyway, Mika was in an incredible mood-He was having a lot of fun, and it's one of the gigs at which I've seen him more animated and just generally happy and relaxed. The whole band were also having a lot of fun, and the atmosphere was electrical. It felt like the crowd and the performers were feeding off eachother's vibe, and the energy just went back and forth from stage to room and room to stage, bouncing and accumulating, and going up a notch each time. Mad, mad, mad.

 

He had a few random little moments, like when he started playing that instrument before ToyBoy, where and he got totally confused. He asked: "what was I doing now?" And we shouted: "singing Toyboy!!" and he said:" I have forgotten the first lyrics" so Iona shouted out the first line: "I'm a wiiind up toy!" so he looked at her and said: "I can't believe you flew all the way from Australia!" which was pretty cool .

 

Anyway, the whole gig had these little humorous moments, and it was a LOT of fun. You could tell how much fun he was having (and all the rest of the band too) by the way they were being so spontaneous. Oh and of course he came back for the Encore, which is always a bit of a giveaway. He did Relax again and the whole place was BOUNCING.

 

I love the little choreographed dance that the band do for KickAss, it's fabulous. Martin has been particularly animated these two gigs, and he's been very funny, doing all sorts of weird moves and dances. Cute.

 

Andy was taking care of the animations for these shows,from the control/mixing desk, and he told us yesterday how exciting it all was, so today after the gig we had a lovely chat with him again, and he was asking us how we had found the gig, etc... I think that he was amazed by the whole madness and crazed vibe of the crowd and the whole thing .

 

He said that when Mika did the second Relax, he thought "Sara will be very happy now". How cute is that? I seriously love Andy, he's such a gentle, sweet guy .

 

Anyway, after the gig, Mika came out for longer than yesterday, and despite the fact that they said that he was saving his voice, he ended up chatting quite a bit to people .

He said a couple of things about the Tofu doll, and he just generally seemed in great spirits. I know that I've said this before, but I really think that we couldn't have picked a nicer popstar to follow. He's definitely one of a kind, and I'm really "proud" of him and how far he's come since the start. That, and the fact that despite everything, he's remained so genuine and just so nice. I have very deep respect and admiration for him, it has to be said, and I know that this is a stupid thing to say here in the report, and that it's totally out of the blue and unrelated to the report, so I will leave it now

 

All in all, it was a super amazing day. I can't believe that it's only Tuesday,and that we still have 4 days to go. I'm loving Tokyo as well, so tomorrow we get to do some more sightseeing and then off to Nagoya for the gig in Thu, and Osaka on Friday.

 

Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE REPORTS!!!! Your words touch my heart. Seriously they reallly do. He's 5000% the right one:blush-anim-cl:

[tomomi]

Some more pics

 

 

 

 

 

Good night!

[sariflor]

Some more pics

 

 

 

 

 

Good night!

 

 

GO TO BED, woman!!! You have work in the morning!!

[DANI56]

GO TO BED, woman!!! You have work in the morning!!

 

hi, Sara! ....how I envy you!

 

please say CIAO to MIKA from me!

 

have a great days!

[lollipop_monkey]

Tonight was freakin' fantastic.

 

It sort of feels like yesterday was a glorified dress rehearsal for today, because today was just off the charts. I think that's half to do with Mika and half to do with me; at the first show I was just wholly unprepared for how insane the Japanese crowds were! Before the show (there's no opening act here) everyone was chill and there was room to move and breathe. The moment Mika came onstage, though, it was seriously a tsunami. The whole crowd just shoved forward in a way I've never, ever experienced in all the gigs I've been to. So today, I was prepared for it and braced myself against the barrier so that they couldn't crush my poor fragile body against it. I've got bruises on my knees as battle wounds from yesterday.

 

One thing though, these Tokyo crowds are just phenomenal. Yes, they're pushy and they like to scream - like actually screech, not just loudly singing or anything - but they're SO enthusiastic. And from the moment Mika walked on stage it was like everyone on the floor of that venue was ready to party. And of course Mika feeds off that, the band feeds off that, and then the crowd goes even more mental and the energy just keeps flowing in this endless cycle.

 

I'm not sure if videos have surfaced yet, but he's now opening the show with the WAG intro that starts with "running, running around, sick of acting the clown..." Then he gets to "bleed me dry" - and then launches into Relax. I would be very curious to hear what someone who has never been to a Mika show before thinks of that, because quite honestly I don't think it's very strong. That being said, I wonder if that's my own conditioning - I've done so many gigs where that WAG intro leads into, well, WAG, and having it segue into Relax instead just makes my brain hiccup. That and I don't think it flows well to go from that "bleed my dry" lyric and then into that keyboard solo that opens Relax.

 

Either way, the crowd were lapping it up right from Relax. Next was Big Girl where he tossed a pizza box into the crowd. Stuck in the Middle is really a highlight. He's still doing the trumpet solo, but when the band do their bits there's actually a track of music playing so it sounds like they're actually "playing" these invisible trumpets. Was that already in place for the arena leg of the tour? Anyhow, Martin's "trumpet" plays the melody of the WAG chorus, and it's just so freakn' funny. And then Sunshine's trumpet is a horse whinnying.

 

During one of the songs - Billy Brown? - the guy behing me took off his bowler hat and passed it to Mika. Mika then wore it for a song before passing it back to the guy, which made his night. The fact that he and his friends were going so mental really spread like a warm wave to us and everyone around us. Probably the best rendition of that song I've heard.

 

Hmm, other highlights... he's still shooting people before Love Today. . Today was funny as hell because Martin had his back to Mika and then Mika made the shooting noise, which Martin heard and then fell to the ground - but Mika was actually shooting someone in the crowd. . So he walks over to Martin and said something like "I know you're only pretending to be dead, 'cause I didn't even shoot you!" in this little singsong voice - and then he shot him, too.

 

He was such a ham this whole show, and so were the band. Martin was really shining tonight, laughing and playing around. At one point Mika did this hilarious random dance thing that I can only equate to some sort of robot move - hilarious. He then had the band all give it a go, doing a random dance-off in the middle of the show. LOL!

 

Blue Eyes is always another massive highlight for me. No matter how many times I hear it that intro it sends me into total fangurl mode. And tonight, Martin and Mika happened to be right in front of me for that portion, which was just so fantastic.

 

Happy Ending tonight was off the freakin' charts. He's changed it so that he's playing the keys on the first part himself, which I love - I just wish he would intro it like he did on the early dates of the acoustic tour, starting with just him on keys playing the melody of the chorus. But, I have never heard him do such a great vocal on Happy Ending, especially the verses (rather than just those famous money notes). The ending was especially strong - as he does, he sang "This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending, no hope no love no glory, no happy ending" again - but it was just SO strong and so pure and so well controlled that I just had to close my eyes for a minute to process it.

 

<classic Mana fangurling>

Over My Shoulder nearly killed me (in a good way). I really think it's ideal that he's including that song in his set because it really, really serves to showcase his amazing vocal ability and classical training in a way that isn't quite so apparent in his pop songs. Every time I hear it I'm just truly spellbound, and just so deeply and profoundly thankful that I'm getting the chance to experience something that's just so damn precious - and live, right in front of me. There were 2,000 Japanese girls trying to climb on top of my head, but as soon as he started OMS it was like they just disappeared. The sound of his voice on those notes in that song... I don't know how to describe it. Sappy, but it really is like it's so damn beautiful that it should be outside the range of what I can actually process as a human being. As though having five senses isn't quite enough; like I need another sense or two with which to process it, because sight and sound just aren't enough.

 

The control he has over his voice is just astounding, and the way he sings those notes makes me forget how to think, how to breathe. The past 14 months were playing in my mind like a movie reel, all these images of the wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experiences I've had because of him, and it brought tears to my eyes.The next song was Rain and for the first 30 seconds I couldn't even get "into" it because OMS had left me so utterly enraptured. </fangurl>

 

Hmm, other highlights... WAG is great, but I do have a nitpicky complaint about the opening. Previously the arrangement was such that the drums came in on the first "Teenage dreams in a teenage circus", right after the intro. Now that part starts with just other instruments, but without the drums it's more of a slow build rather than a smack-you-upside-the-head ball of intensity - which I think detracts from the overall vibe of the song. It's sorta anticlimactic, at least to me anyhow.

 

He did Toy Boy, Grace Kelly and Lollipop for encores, again whipping out his woodland fairy outfit. Toy Boy was really hilarious because he was just chattering to the crowd before launching into the song.

 

After the encore Mika ran off and again the band hung around because Kick Ass was being played. They've really got that routine polished with all their dance-offs and such - it's all well coordinated and downight hilarious. Major kudos to everyone for that.

 

On that note, I'm off to bed since I'm about to do a face plant on this keyboard. Yay jetlag!

[willywonka]

Tnx for reports and pics, can't hardly wait for more...

[Nightbird]

Tonight was freakin' fantastic.

 

It sort of feels like yesterday was a glorified dress rehearsal for today, because today was just off the charts. I think that's half to do with Mika and half to do with me; at the first show I was just wholly unprepared for how insane the Japanese crowds were! Before the show (there's no opening act here) everyone was chill and there was room to move and breathe. The moment Mika came onstage, though, it was seriously a tsunami. The whole crowd just shoved forward in a way I've never, ever experienced in all the gigs I've been to. So today, I was prepared for it and braced myself against the barrier so that they couldn't crush my poor fragile body against it. I've got bruises on my knees as battle wounds from yesterday.

 

One thing though, these Tokyo crowds are just phenomenal. Yes, they're pushy and they like to scream - like actually screech, not just loudly singing or anything - but they're SO enthusiastic. And from the moment Mika walked on stage it was like everyone on the floor of that venue was ready to party. And of course Mika feeds off that, the band feeds off that, and then the crowd goes even more mental and the energy just keeps flowing in this endless cycle.

 

I'm not sure if videos have surfaced yet, but he's now opening the show with the WAG intro that starts with "running, running around, sick of acting the clown..." Then he gets to "bleed me dry" - and then launches into Relax. I would be very curious to hear what someone who has never been to a Mika show before thinks of that, because quite honestly I don't think it's very strong. That being said, I wonder if that's my own conditioning - I've done so many gigs where that WAG intro leads into, well, WAG, and having it segue into Relax instead just makes my brain hiccup. That and I don't think it flows well to go from that "bleed my dry" lyric and then into that keyboard solo that opens Relax.

 

Either way, the crowd were lapping it up right from Relax. Next was Big Girl where he tossed a pizza box into the crowd. Stuck in the Middle is really a highlight. He's still doing the trumpet solo, but when the band do their bits there's actually a track of music playing so it sounds like they're actually "playing" these invisible trumpets. Was that already in place for the arena leg of the tour? Anyhow, Martin's "trumpet" plays the melody of the WAG chorus, and it's just so freakn' funny. And then Sunshine's trumpet is a horse whinnying.

 

During one of the songs - Billy Brown? - the guy behing me took off his bowler hat and passed it to Mika. Mika then wore it for a song before passing it back to the guy, which made his night. The fact that he and his friends were going so mental really spread like a warm wave to us and everyone around us. Probably the best rendition of that song I've heard.

 

Hmm, other highlights... he's still shooting people before Love Today. . Today was funny as hell because Martin had his back to Mika and then Mika made the shooting noise, which Martin heard and then fell to the ground - but Mika was actually shooting someone in the crowd. . So he walks over to Martin and said something like "I know you're only pretending to be dead, 'cause I didn't even shoot you!" in this little singsong voice - and then he shot him, too.

 

He was such a ham this whole show, and so were the band. Martin was really shining tonight, laughing and playing around. At one point Mika did this hilarious random dance thing that I can only equate to some sort of robot move - hilarious. He then had the band all give it a go, doing a random dance-off in the middle of the show. LOL!

 

Blue Eyes is always another massive highlight for me. No matter how many times I hear it that intro it sends me into total fangurl mode. And tonight, Martin and Mika happened to be right in front of me for that portion, which was just so fantastic.

 

Happy Ending tonight was off the freakin' charts. He's changed it so that he's playing the keys on the first part himself, which I love - I just wish he would intro it like he did on the early dates of the acoustic tour, starting with just him on keys playing the melody of the chorus. But, I have never heard him do such a great vocal on Happy Ending, especially the verses (rather than just those famous money notes). The ending was especially strong - as he does, he sang "This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending, no hope no love no glory, no happy ending" again - but it was just SO strong and so pure and so well controlled that I just had to close my eyes for a minute to process it.

 

<classic Mana fangurling>

Over My Shoulder nearly killed me (in a good way). I really think it's ideal that he's including that song in his set because it really, really serves to showcase his amazing vocal ability and classical training in a way that isn't quite so apparent in his pop songs. Every time I hear it I'm just truly spellbound, and just so deeply and profoundly thankful that I'm getting the chance to experience something that's just so damn precious - and live, right in front of me. There were 2,000 Japanese girls trying to climb on top of my head, but as soon as he started OMS it was like they just disappeared. The sound of his voice on those notes in that song... I don't know how to describe it. Sappy, but it really is like it's so damn beautiful that it should be outside the range of what I can actually process as a human being. As though having five senses isn't quite enough; like I need another sense or two with which to process it, because sight and sound just aren't enough.

 

The control he has over his voice is just astounding, and the way he sings those notes makes me forget how to think, how to breathe. The past 14 months were playing in my mind like a movie reel, all these images of the wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experiences I've had because of him, and it brought tears to my eyes.The next song was Rain and for the first 30 seconds I couldn't even get "into" it because OMS had left me so utterly enraptured. </fangurl>

 

Hmm, other highlights... WAG is great, but I do have a nitpicky complaint about the opening. Previously the arrangement was such that the drums came in on the first "Teenage dreams in a teenage circus", right after the intro. Now that part starts with just other instruments, but without the drums it's more of a slow build rather than a smack-you-upside-the-head ball of intensity - which I think detracts from the overall vibe of the song. It's sorta anticlimactic, at least to me anyhow.

 

He did Toy Boy, Grace Kelly and Lollipop for encores, again whipping out his woodland fairy outfit. Toy Boy was really hilarious because he was just chattering to the crowd before launching into the song.

 

After the encore Mika ran off and again the band hung around because Kick Ass was being played. They've really got that routine polished with all their dance-offs and such - it's all well coordinated and downight hilarious. Major kudos to everyone for that.

 

On that note, I'm off to bed since I'm about to do a face plant on this keyboard. Yay jetlag!

 

THANKS A MILLION for taking the time to write such a fabulous detailed report!!! Highly appreciated

 

Good night and sweet dreams Glad you had such a fantastic time and thanks again for sharing your impressions with us "stuck at home"rs

[Blue Eyes]

I know that I've said this before, but I really think that we couldn't have picked a nicer popstar to follow. He's definitely one of a kind, and I'm really "proud" of him and how far he's come since the start. That, and the fact that despite everything, he's remained so genuine and just so nice. I have very deep respect and admiration for him, it has to be said, and I know that this is a stupid thing to say here in the report, and that it's totally out of the blue and unrelated to the report, so I will leave it now

 

Awwwwwww

 

You fangurl away Sara - I absolutely agree with you, he's one of a kind

 

hi, Sara! ....how I envy you!

 

Me too - it's just lovely to hear everyones reports - it's almost like being there... if only, sigh...

[Ordinary Clown]

 

Wish i could hug this 14 stripes guy right now....

 

 

And thanx everybody for the reports!!Actually,due to the time difference,it's hard for me to believe that this is really happening.A Mika gig while here it was only lunch time....So weird and funny.And odd.

[kath]

Thanks for the extremely detailed reports. Sounds amazing. The Japanese crowds sound totally crazy

[Mary]

 

I know that I've said this before, but I really think that we couldn't have picked a nicer popstar to follow. He's definitely one of a kind, and I'm really "proud" of him and how far he's come since the start. That, and the fact that despite everything, he's remained so genuine and just so nice. I have very deep respect and admiration for him, it has to be said, and I know that this is a stupid thing to say here in the report, and that it's totally out of the blue and unrelated to the report, so I will leave it now

 

Awww... We know what you mean!

 

 

 

This one is craving a Wonka caption!

 

 

Thanks for the great reports and pics, everyone!