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2012 - The Vic, Chicago, USA - October 18: REPORTS / PICTURES / VIDEOS

guylainem123

By guylainem123
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Pandora_Z

Pandora_Z

Posted
Posted

The concert was simply amazing! It was so exciting to see him again after three years.

 

We sat up in the first row in the balcony. I know Mika waved a few times in my general direction because I was standing and screaming out the lyrics to every song. (Along with everyone else!). I tried to take a couple pictures but I was just a smidgen too far away for them to turn out decently.

 

I wish I could have stayed after and met everyone. I really wanted to but after waiting for 45 minutes in the rain, the opening act and then almost two straight hours of Mika, my husband had exhausted his supply of patience. There was no way I could stay any longer. I had even brought my TOOL CD for Mika to sign but that didn't happen. Oh well, we all do what we can to keep our significant other happy. :)

 

But I was walking on air when we left. Mika's shows are nothing short of amazing!

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Haley & Megan Meyer

Haley & Megan Meyer

Posted
Posted (edited)

After 8 hours of driving yesterday and a day trip to Indiana today with our family we are burning the candles at both ends but we will eventually get a story up and pictures but we had to upload the only video we took of "Popular". Front row never gets old at a Mika concert and neither does the sweetness and kindness of MFC'ers. This has to be one of the best fan clubs out there.

 

The Meyer Twins

 

3:14 in the video Mika sings to us, lol.

 

 

Edited by Kumazzz
adding a YouTube link
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Scififilmnerd

Scififilmnerd

Posted
Posted
After waiting for 45 minutes in the rain, the opening act and then almost two straight hours of Mika, my husband had exhausted his supply of patience.

 

But I was walking on air when we left. Mika's shows are nothing short of amazing!

 

Great to hear that you had an amazing experience. :thumb_yello:

 

What was the opening act and how long did it last?

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Mocha

Mocha

Posted
Posted

I have no words to express how I feel, but this emoticon will do quite nicely until I can find some

:mikalove:

 

I cried 3 years ago when I couldn't attend his Chicago Riviera Theatre concert due to extreme illness. Thursday evening's show at the Vic all made up for it. We missed the opening act The Dolls, but came with a few minutes to spare & then the most INCREDIBLE 1 3/4 hours happened before us. Mika has so much energy! Seeing the show & the enthusiastic audience beam out all his lyrics and jump on command etc.....so much positive energy....did not want the night to end.

 

Thanks everyone for posting all the pics and links to great videos. that one guy Edwin filmed most of the show (which helps because from the back it was hard to catch Mika's banter in between the songs).

 

Chimacuito, your Peruvian hat that you gave Mika was awesome. Glad he kept putting in back on throughout the show!

 

I'm still on a MIKA high......and the day just got better.....the postman just brought a large package to the front door & I got a SIGNED CD booklet from MikaSounds!!! Oh happy day!!! :mika3:

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Pandora_Z

Pandora_Z

Posted
Posted
Great to hear that you had an amazing experience. :thumb_yello:

 

What was the opening act and how long did it last?

 

The opening act was "The Dolls". I hadn't heard of them before. They didn't play very long, maybe 20 - 30 minutes. They were not bad and they exuded abundant energy. I didn't mind them though they weren't necessarily my cup of tea but my husband didn't care for them at all.

 

It's funny, I asked my husband what he thought of MIKA after the show. Keep in mind that my husband does not listen to MIKA at all and has never even seen a video of MIKA performing. He said he actually liked MIKA's music but that MIKA reminded him of a little boy. I didn't know what to make of that!

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mandilambi

mandilambi

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's a few days after the show and I am still in "Mika Mode" and having fun reliving the night! I knew the show was going to be amazing, especially after having waited three years to see him again, but his performance was better than any previous concert I had seen!

 

I got in line around 11AM and the weather was much more bitter than I had anticipated (thank goodness my brother was kind enough to let me use his humongous coat or else I would have been in bad shape!) I think everyone was nearly ready to riot to get in the venue because it was so cold. It felt so good to be able to feel my legs once we got inside! LOL

 

Getting to hang out with other MFCers while lining up was such a treat. It was nice to meet Christine, Mana, Kourtney, and Catherine after all this time, as well as see the Meyer Twins and other fans once again. I swear, lining up with all of you is just part of the Mika magic! I'm glad to know such fun people and great fans.

 

I loved the opening act and regretted not filming a little of their performances. I was completely mesmerized by the violist and kept finding myself just staring in amazement of her talent. The whole vibe, violinist + DJ was really fun and different. They suited very well as an opener!

 

My favorite performances of the night would be Stardust (of course), Rain, and We Are Golden. There is nothing like being in a room with a large amount of people and having the sense that you are feeling exactly how they are. I always get that feeling with We Are Golden....the entire room was right there in that moment with Mika of pure elation and happiness... I just loved it! I also loved how Elle me dit was received, just singing along as if it wasn't in a different language!

 

I was so happy to see Catherine (Kasia) enjoying herself in the choir! I was bouncing with joy every time she came on stage and I know she was thrilled to pieces!

 

I was able to give Mika a cross stitch I made him. He actually tried to sign it when I handed it to him and I told him not to and that it was for him. I said, "I don't know if you remember me, but I've given you cross stitches before." He looked straight at me and said, "Yes, I remember you! I have actually kept every one you made for me." Gosh, that was nice! When you put a lot of work into something it certainly makes you feel like all the hard work was worth it. I appreciate his graciousness some much...coming out in the cold when he really didn't need to... He continually reminds me why I love being his fan. Wonderful music, wonderful performer, wonderful man!

Edited by mandilambi
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BiaIchihara

BiaIchihara

Posted
Posted
Also I have photos, but I can't remember how to post them! :-/

 

post them in your FB if you have one and the link to the album, or in a place like photobucket, imageshack and copy the URL and post here ;)

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Louiza

Louiza

Posted
Posted

Thanks for your reports everyone! Really enjoyed reading everything :)

 

Stardust :wub2:

 

[YOUTUBE]Gm5GPO8413I&feature[/YOUTUBE]

 

what a magical performance, what a beautiful voice:wub2:

 

I was able to give Mika a cross stitch I made him. He actually tried to sign it when I handed it to him and I told him not to and that it was for him. I said, "I don't know if you remember me, but I've given you cross stitch's before." He looked straight at me and said, "Yes, I remember you! I have actually kept every one you made for me." Gosh, that was nice! When you put a lot of work into something it certainly makes you feel like all the hard work was worth it. I appreciate his graciousness some much...coming out in the cold when he really didn't need to... He continually reminds me why I love being his fan. Wonderful music, wonderful performer, wonderful man!

 

very well said, I feel the same way!!

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sookiee

sookiee

Posted
Posted
Omg omg omg i have to sleep now i have to wake up at 4 am! So i will just say a couple of things and will later write a full report:

- mik wore the hat i gave him

Yes!!! at the end of Blue eyes you can see him picking up the hat from

the crowd and wearing it whiles he play the piano

:wub2:

 

[YOUTUBE]Xxw-VVxSs5E&feature=plcp[/YOUTUBE]

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kasia87

kasia87

Posted
Posted (edited)

So, I had a dream last thursday. A polka dotted, musical, Mika themed dream.

Wait a second, that was no dream. It was all reality. You'll be getting quite the Polkadotted review here, so bear with me!

 

First off, this show was a complete blessing for me. When I found out Mika was coming to Chicago in October, I knew I needed to act fast. There was no way I was missing this show. I stupidly waited to see if a friend was going to accompany me and when I logged on to the Vic website to buy tickets, I watched as the screen turned from "On Sale!" to "Sold OUT" :shocked:

Literally didn't know what to do. said I was going to cry from now until October! Shamefully did a post of lamenting on the Chicago pre-gig thread...

 

Pandora_Z contacted me through this forum a little later and stated she had an extra ticket. Mika angel, I tell you. HALLELUJAH!

 

Then a while later, through a facebook post, I read that Mika was giving fans the opportunity to sing with him on stage for the US shows. I've always been a singer, and I thought long and hard about this. I figured I had nothing to lose. Either way I was seeing him live. Did one take of me singing "Happy Ending." not even the whole song. Paced my living room for an hour debating whether or not to send it. My dad held my shaky hand as I sent it off, closed the laptop and went to bed. Tossed and turned ALL NIGHT.

 

The day after the Sunday deadline, I got an e-mail from Team Mika stating they couldn't open my submission because it was listed under private. Quickly reuploaded it, but I thought I had blown it because why the HELL would they take the time to go over it again? Tuesday was another anxiety laden day filled with more hole-in-the-floor-pacing. I figured it was over. Wednesday morning, first thing I did was check my e-mail.

 

And I got in!

 

Literally screaming, I called MandiLambi to tell her! It was amazing! I got a list of songs to know and what to wear, where to be, etc. Pinched myself repeatedly because I could not wrap my head around this!

 

After roughly 2 hrs of driving, I got to Chicago around 12-ish. I kept getting text messages from co-workers telling me to breathe! My sister took my ticket so it did't go to waste. Met up with Amanda (MandiLambi)

 

60651_10101102616993660_1184391869_n.jpg

 

I had rehearsals at 3, soundcheck 4:30. The other members of the choir were so genuinely nice! 5 girls 1 boy. One from as far as San Antonio Texas. Meeting Mika's band was brilliant. Joy, Tim, Max, and Curtis all rehearsed and helped us learn our parts in Mika's dressing room. Harmonies blended perfectly within our group. Tim flubbed the lyrics to "GK" at one point and I go "have I been singing this wrong for the past 6 years?!" :aah:

 

The harmonies that they taught us for Underwater were particularly gorgeous. Joy's voice is phenomenal. Learned Celebrate, Underwater, Happy Ending, Popular Song, Origin of Love, Grace Kelly, Lollipop, We Are Golden & Big Girl.

 

Got to watch the band sound check and were given choir passes to be able to walk around backstage and everything. Tim told us Mika would direct us how he wanted and to be prepared for anything and everything on stage. Mika was our conductor. Our choir went to rehearse on stage with the band. One of Mika's sound managers looks at me and goes "You look like you're absolutely s@#ttig yourself" Um..Not scared, just couldn't believe what was happening. :blush-anim-cl: and the we went to our room to rehearse in the hallway. Again, perfect blending.

 

A little later, they called us back on stage and there is the man himself. I literally forgot my first name when he asked. :doh:

He put us on stage and immediately started directing how he wanted. He started "Relax" and I had a moment of bliss. :aah: He had us sing our harmonies and jumped off stage to see how it sounded in the front. Then he ran to the back to see how it sounded there. His complete attention to detail was mesmerizing. I got to watch his gears grind in his head as he was choreographing us and staging us exactly where he wanted. as he was walking the venue, we kind of joked "he's thinking where the hell did they get this group together?" haha! But everything was pieced together perfectly. There was how he wanted us to snap our fingers during Popular Song and how he wanted us to curl up in a ball during "Lollipop" because he was going to "shoot" us and we were to "die" on stage. Yes that's right. Amazing, I tell you. Every aspect was covered.

 

You can watch anyone perform, but when you get the rare opportunity to watch someone " create" and how they piece it all together, it really is something else!

 

We had a break to be able to go eat dinner and so we went as a choir to the Potbelly's shop down the street from the Vic. Figured it would be easier to stay together. We were talking about how we all wanted to know Mika's skincare routine because the man is absolutely FLAWLESS up close. :teehee:

 

After dinner, we were back at the venue backstage and listening to the Dolls warm up. Mika and his band were getting ready. I went to wash my hands in the bathroom and I look in the mirror and Mika's standing behind me getting ready. Literally froze but politely dismissed myself.:wub2: Hahah!

 

Mika's mother and sister Yasmine were the ones getting us ready to go. They gave us our choir robes and everything. Tim joked about how those robes needed to be burned. LOL! Mrs. Penniman was SO very nice to us. We were all cautious as to not be in anyone's way backstage because we were so utterly aware of this out of this world privilege.

 

The BEST MOMENT for me (out of 5,000) was Mika calling us into his dressing room for vocal warm-up with the rest of his band sitting there. He sang "Happy Ending" to us as we sang his backing vocals. CLOUD 9 MOMENT. :mikalove: His vocals were brilliant and I just couldn't believe he was singing to just us. Out of this world moment. It hit me. My vocals alongside his? Magnificet.

And it was showtime! Sold out crowd of over 1800 people, here we come!

And I mean... this was a matured Mika gig. He still was the showman dancing and singing, but stripped down to an emotional cue as well. Got to watch when we weren't on stage from the stage wing like 5 feet away. Brilliant I tell you. Performing with him was phenomenal. I strongly believe Stardust should be released as an acoustic single ASAP and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

404237_10152209690230486_2003454275_n.jpg

 

The lollipop finale was so so so much fun. We got to dance with him and I was to his right. He took his black bowler hat off and placed it on my head! I got to wear it for the whole last number of the finale and all the way off stage!

269454_10151129285893040_1013708086_n.jpg

 

After the show he signed and took photos with us. Curtis said that he and Mika and band were googling "OTP" after the show. One of the other choir girls explained it to him and I replied "See what you learned in the States!?"

 

Best day of my entire life. It was a million times more than I ever expected in the first place. He really does go all out for his fans. Hopefully next tour, he does 2 nights in Chicago.

 

A friend of mine commented "I can't believe you've been on stage with an international pop star. It's like a disney movie." And I replied "Dreams do come true. You just have to dream hard enough." Thank you ever so much again Mika.

Catherine

Polkadot Choir 2012- Chicago

 

12716_4490175289214_1063512465_n.jpg

Edited by kasia87
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dcdeb

dcdeb

Posted
Posted
So, I had a dream last thursday. A polka dotted, musical, Mika themed dream.

Wait a second, that was no dream. It was all reality.

 

Awww, that was fantastic to read. You gave me goosebumps, I can just imagine how you must have felt. And I know what it's like to forget your first name when Mika looks at you! :blush-anim-cl:

 

Thanks so much for sharing your special experience with us! :flowers2:

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cathouzouf

cathouzouf

Posted
Posted
Awww, that was fantastic to read. You gave me goosebumps, I can just imagine how you must have felt. And I know what it's like to forget your first name when Mika looks at you! :blush-anim-cl:

 

Thanks so much for sharing your special experience with us! :flowers2:

 

Sounds like a dream! Thanks for sharing

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Pandora_Z

Pandora_Z

Posted
Posted

A little later, they called us back on stage and there is the man himself. I literally forgot my first name when he asked. :doh:

 

I would have done the same thing!! I probably wouldn't have remembered how to speak English!

 

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It is exciting to hear what goes on behind the scenes. And I am so happy for you to have had this once in a lifetime experience. I screamed extra loud for you when he had the choir introduce themselves! :)

 

The only part that makes me sad was that I was not able to meet you in person and give you a great big hug! Hopefully, we will be able to meet up at a future Mika show when he comes back "to do a proper tour" like he promised. :)

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Christine

Christine

Posted
Posted

Thanks so much for your story Kasia. I was there with Mandi et al after the show when you spoke about not remembering your own name. :roftl: It's been great to hear what it was like from someone who experienced it first hand. I have been so envious of everyone who's been chosen. I have wished I could be a singer since I was a very young girl but alas I have no talent :aah:

 

I am also really glad Mika decided to do it because I think it really adds something to the show. I've always thought Mika needs more backup singers and obviously there are several songs that could use a choir so this is a fantastic idea for Mika, for the audience and for you lucky Polka Dot Choir! :wub2:

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Haley & Megan Meyer

Haley & Megan Meyer

Posted
Posted

Great review of your spectacular day!!!!:thumb_yello: He is just one of the most genuine people we have ever met and hearing you describe him and how he helped the choir get ready is just beautiful. Everything went just lovely for you and the rest of the choir on stage and you all were so good. We are so glad we got front row so we could see everything up close and personal. It was a night full of delicious moments, that's for sure.

 

Meyer Twins:wub2::wub2:

 

Here are our pics:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151115547106889.422861.512916888&type=1&l=bd9f7554cf

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Christine

Christine

Posted
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I was up in the balcony for this gig which I really enjoyed and we had a lot of fun dancing and being silly but it's probably not very exciting for others to hear about. :naughty:

 

But one thing I did want to mention is that there was a couple beside us who didn't know a whole lot about Mika but were regular gig goers. Apparently they go to 40 or 50 gigs a year. They left at the end while everyone was still clapping and cheering but the guy made of point of speaking to me before he left and said he couldn't believe he'd bought the tickets on a whim and it turned out to be one of the best concerts he'd EVER seen. :wub2:

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