2012 - Roundhouse, London, UK - 13 December: REPORTS/PICS/VIDS

[Christine]

lucky i didn't say the same thing to him....

 

 

I am prepared to forgive him For Elle Me Dit as I much prefer that version to Emily.

 

I don't like Emily at all. I thought he did a good hybrid in the US with a French chorus and some of the English verses from the original "She Tells Me". The chorus of EMD is very catchy no matter what language you speak but I think for a foreign song to be effective it helps to have some recognizable English for people to latch on to. Even just the few words in Gangnam Style.

[silver]

I just want to say a few words about the queuing yesterday - it was extremely cold but thanks to the numbers system we were able to take breaks to go and get warm. Even the non-MFCers could see the benefits of numbering, especially as we were behind barriers from 4pm. Of course there were the usual few people who abused the system, but generally it was OK.

 

Disappointingly once we were inside the building itself there were people who hadn't been queuing all day but were suddenly in the queue - not sure where they appeared from. And even more disappointingly once we entered the hall itself there were already several people at the front barrier, so some fans who would otherwise have got front row didn't.

[suzie]

..having read the rest of the posts and reviews, a few other interesting points I saw:

I'm a French speaker but I think that he should have skipped 'Comme Soleil Mal Luné in London' ... I love that song but what's the point of singing it in front of people who have NEVER heard it and DONT understand a word of it ? Not the best way to attract the British audience, I think... Even in Brussels, I wondered if he'd sing it as only the UK edition had been released in Vlaanderen. :'>

There are still some songs I wish I had heard at some gigs like Tah Dah, Heroes, Step with me & Kids ... I hope I can hear them live someday

Comme Soleil Mal Luné is the best French song on the French edition of the album. Better than some of the English songs. Still, I just don’t understand the concept. Starting a concert with a slow song is risky to begin with. You need to make the right choice. If it is an acoustic concert, it is fine, of course. At a pop concert you start with an exclamation mark that may either be the level of energy the song has (not quite this one) or the meaning of the song (about which the audience had no clue this time). Ultimately, it can be a breath taking vocal performance that I have yet to check although I doubt his vocal chords were in that condition yesterday.

I am not English, so I can’t comment on the cultural rivalry not making it a good decision (I personally think that it should not matter), but last night was the case of an English speaking popstar singing to an English audience on a tour that was meant to promote his English album, so I guess the last thing they’d want to hear from him is songs in a foreign language instead of Happy Ending for example, or other great songs from the current album. In the continent it may not matter that much. In countries where EMD was a success (in mine it has never even been played) , he may want to sing that and at an acoustic gig he may want to sing that beautiful 'Comme Soleil Mal Luné, but I don’t understand the choice last night, really. It seems like he did not care.

If Mika was just oblivious I wouldn't even comment on it because obviously it's not that big of a deal but when he goes out of his way to cater to local audiences I don't understand it. He had only been in Canada for 2 days the first time I saw him and he made a joke with the punchline of "Montréalers can go f*ck themselves". Mika loves Montréal as we all know now, but just in his short time in this country he picked up on the rivalry between Toronto and Montréal and used it to his advantage to win over the Toronto audience.

Yes, that is why I find it odd, too. On the previous tour he rehearsed lines in the language of the country to greet the audience, in interviews he has always added some comment that appreciates the culture of the country or shows his knowledge and interest in that nation…etc. and now he does not even seem to ‘get’ where he is. Honestly, he seems a bit lost to me, like no longer in touch with reality. .. or sabotaging himself, like you suggested earlier.

Surely, it is up to him to decide, and here is the result in the gig review published in the Evening Standard. It comes to the point right at the beginning:

Evening Standard Review:

http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/mika-roundhouse-nw1--review-8414051.html

Critic Rating 3 stars

He's big in the Benelux region and a chart topper in France but Mika’s latest album stalled outside the UK top 20. Singing two songs in French at this homecoming suggested a change in career priorities; it also confirmed Mika’s ability to be a bit irritating in more than one language.

[basicamenteyo]

Whoa... I had no idea how the gig had been

 

I felt odd when someone tweeted he started with a French song... and no, that song is not in his setlist, he didn´t play it in Madrid... and there, he even almost asked for permission to sing EMD.

 

I would´t complain for his voice. He is ill and we already know it. But I find it even more weird that he hadn´t talk to the audience during half first gig? That IS odd. I´ve been to 8 gigs and he always found the way to chat...

 

Is it possible that still he feels the most nervous at home? He said in an interview he locked himself up in a bathroom in Heaven last summer because he thought the press was going to "kill" him... Maybe this fear makes his mood change so much...

[sariflor]

..having read the rest of the posts and reviews, a few other interesting points I saw:

 

Comme Soleil Mal Luné is the best French song on the French edition of the album. Better than some of the English songs. Still, I just don’t understand the concept. Starting a concert with a slow song is risky to begin with. You need to make the right choice. If it is an acoustic concert, it is fine, of course. At a pop concert you start with an exclamation mark that may either be the level of energy the song has (not quite this one) or the meaning of the song (about which the audience had no clue this time). Ultimately, it can be a breath taking vocal performance that I have yet to check although I doubt his vocal chords were in that condition yesterday.

I am not English, so I can’t comment on the cultural rivalry not making it a good decision (I personally think that it should not matter), but last night was the case of an English speaking popstar singing to an English audience on a tour that was meant to promote his English album, so I guess the last thing they’d want to hear from him is songs in a foreign language instead of Happy Ending for example, or other great songs from the current album. In the continent it may not matter that much. In countries where EMD was a success (in mine it has never even been played) , he may want to sing that and at an acoustic gig he may want to sing that beautiful 'Comme Soleil Mal Luné, but I don’t understand the choice last night, really. It seems like he did not care.

 

Yes, that is why I find it odd, too. On the previous tour he rehearsed lines in the language of the country to greet the audience, in interviews he has always added some comment that appreciates the culture of the country or shows his knowledge and interest in that nation…etc. and now he does not even seem to ‘get’ where he is. Honestly, he seems a bit lost to me, like no longer in touch with reality. .. or sabotaging himself, like you suggested earlier.

Surely, it is up to him to decide, and here is the result in the gig review published in the Evening Standard. It comes to the point right at the beginning:

 

 

Well, that is the thing, Suzie. The Evening Standard is read by thousands of people every day, after work. It was a good chance to make a good impression, his ONE chance here in London, so why potentially ruin it by such a random and seemingly pointless choice?

If he's being defiant, then I don't think it will get him anywhere, and if he's being ignorant...I really don't think he can be, as he's usually so in tune with the local quirks, as we know, so what is the answer? Does he not care anymore?

I just don't get it

[sariflor]

Oh, something else I wanted to comment on. Silver I think, and perhaps Enigma too? Sorry, I forget who but anyway, someone commented on the sound being a bit poor, and I totally agree.

The sound was kinda muffled from the start, like it wasn't clear, a bit too basey or something like that, and his voice was definitely not loud enough on many of the songs. You could hardly make out what he was singing in the songs that were not slow, which is a shame, because that was just down to the poor sound quality and tuning or balancing, and had nothing to do with his voice being in good shape or not. In fact, I thought that on the slow songs he sounded great, and far better than in many of the faster ones

I didn't remember the Roundhouse having such a poor sound from last time I was there, but I definitely felt it, and that was one of the first comments that my partner made when it started. He said that the sound was very bad and it was a shame that we could not hear clearly what Mika was singing. On the positive though, he did think that the gig was great and he loved him (it was his first Mika gig), despite everything.

[Sarina]

There is a political thing between English and French and it's just stupid to sing it in London. Mika has to have some awareness of this or why did he record an English version in the first place? He is endlessly pandering to French audiences and now he is starting to pander to Italians as well with Italian lyrics. But he is a British artist with an entire repertoire of English songs that he could never squeeze into one set list and he goes out of his way to alienate English audiences by singing French songs in lieu of HIT songs and new English songs in London. It's crazy.

 

I see your point...

 

Whoa... I had no idea how the gig had been

 

I felt odd when someone tweeted he started with a French song... and no, that song is not in his setlist, he didn´t play it in Madrid... and there, he even almost asked for permission to sing EMD.

 

I would´t complain for his voice. He is ill and we already know it. But I find it even more weird that he hadn´t talk to the audience during half first gig? That IS odd. I´ve been to 8 gigs and he always found the way to chat...

 

Is it possible that still he feels the most nervous at home? He said in an interview he locked himself up in a bathroom in Heaven last summer because he thought the press was going to "kill" him... Maybe this fear makes his mood change so much...

 

maybe to "save" his voice to sing better?

[luvin mika 4eva]

Think it's time for a choir member to stick up for herself! (This is hrbrox from twitter btw) Bear with, this is gonna be a loooong post!

 

I had an amazing day. I got to meet Mika for the first time, he told me off for looking nervous during our soundcheck!

 

I got there about 3:30, met Rose and a few others (didn't catch names, apologies if it was you) then Rose took me round to the stage door where I met a few more choir members. We got a tiny bit lost trying to find where we were supposed to go! Security was extremely helpful 'left, then left, then through the door.' All the doors we could see were firmly shut and had FIRE EXIT on them. Eventually I saw one open and we went in, stood around awkwardly for about 10 minutes until someone noticed us and took us round to the other choir members. We all got stickers to put on to show we were part of the show XD http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268667101

 

We started getting to know each other, asked what songs we'd auditioned with and were surprised that we'd all done different songs. After about half an hour 3 of Mika's band came up to see us and went through what we were supposed to do. It was really fun but quite quick, they left us to rehearse on our own and try and come up with some dance moves and we were just trying to remember when they'd told us to sing!

 

Then the soundcheck started up downstairs, they spent ages on Popular which was one of ours so we sang along in the right bits then they did Relax, it was really loud so we just abandoned our practise and sang along with that! After a while we shut ourselves in the toilet in an attempt to block it out a bit so we could rehearse Origin of Love. Then I heard Mika at the soundcheck so we all rushed to the gaps in the curtains to try and see him, eventually we walked round to the bar bit and all stood there watching him and singing in our bits for Popular. After a while he spotted us and goes 'come on down' so we were all tripping over each other to get there!

 

We got on stage and they arranged us by height, Mika came over, first thing he said was 'Are any of you actually from England?' I was like 'Yes! Me!' He laughed and goes 'just one?' then I said Lucy was from England too. He went round all of us asking where we were from (and rested his arm on my shoulder when he was pointing to the boys at the back!), didn't ask our names though? I didn't realise that until later. He showed us how far away from the mics we needed to be then went into Popular again so we could practise.

 

Best moment of my life so far, he came over and told me off for holding my hands awkwardly in front of me 'If you look nervous and awkward we all do and it looks crap' He was looking right into my eyes then he kind of pushed my head back/ruffled my hair

 

After a few minutes someone came in with Melachi! I was so distracted I just wanted to jump off stage and give her a cuddle, never mind Mika! After a few minutes Mika noticed her and in a gap between songs went up to the mic and softly called 'Mel?' It was so cute! Her ears pricked up straight away, he was whistling to her and calling her through the mic, he tried to get her to sit but she wasn't having any of that!

 

It was really hard to hear what he was singing from on stage, it was really odd, because of all the speakers and things we could barely hear him and were relying on singing it through ourselves away from the mics until our parts when we leaned in. He showed us a few hand signals to watch for as well.

 

We rehearsed a few more then he told us we could go and to be back by 8:15, this was a bit before 7 I think. We all went back upstairs and kept going with singing, trying to figure out some dance moves. We also got fitted for our choir robes and Mel was backstage so I got to give her a cuddle!

 

At 8:15 we went back down and were given a setlist (I think it's already posted)

We were told we could watch from the side but not in our robes, so had to keep an eye on the setlist and leave during the song before ours.

Then Mika came down and started stretching, he called us over and we went into the little backstage corridor and he led us in a warm up, showed us a few moves, went through Celebrate and then came round to each of us and gave us a high-5!

 

I got a few videos and some pictures from the side of the stage, mostly with Mika's back to me Then it was time for our first song!

 

We all rushed on stage and took our places, I spotted Daisy and Rose straight away, front row centre! Heard Daisy yell my name and waved to her, then straight into Popular. The rest of the gig was a blur of on and off-stage. With the dancing, we were following the 2 who'd been in the choir before, pretty much making it up on the spot.

 

During Origin of love where he undid his shirt, he came over to us and was singing at us, god that was distracting! He's just perfect. And he was all glittery from the sign he took from the front row!

 

At the end when we all lined up at the front, I was on Mika's left hand side, had his arm round me and mine round him! I just about died! So tempting to squeeze his bum

 

When we went off we all went up took off our robes and just sat there, completely dazed. It was amazing to be on stage singing with Mika in front of a sold out show. I thought I was gonna have to leave because my friend in the concert was giving me a lift and I felt guilty making them wait!

 

Went downstairs to give my robe back and chatted to a few of the band members, they were all so lovely about us, I talked to the person who had emailed us asking if there was going to be a picture or anything because I had to leave and they said yes and someone went off to hurry Mika up a bit (They told him I had a train to catch, not really a lie, I did have an hour on the tube before driving home!) So they gathered us all up and took us down for a picture! While they were organising camera's he asked me where I was from and if I had somewhere to stay if I got stuck, I told him I didn't and he said 'You really should've sorted that!'

 

After the pictures he told me to grab my ticket and he would sign it http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268855624 I just remembered as he was signing it to show him my phone case (http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268942405) I had it made and he said it was amazing and thanked me for coming.

 

Then I grabbed my stuff and had to head home

 

So yeah, best day of my life ever.

[cathouzouf]

Think it's time for a choir member to stick up for herself! (This is hrbrox from twitter btw) Bear with, this is gonna be a loooong post!

 

I had an amazing day. I got to meet Mika for the first time, he told me off for looking nervous during our soundcheck!

 

I got there about 3:30, met Rose and a few others (didn't catch names, apologies if it was you) then Rose took me round to the stage door where I met a few more choir members. We got a tiny bit lost trying to find where we were supposed to go! Security was extremely helpful 'left, then left, then through the door.' All the doors we could see were firmly shut and had FIRE EXIT on them. Eventually I saw one open and we went in, stood around awkwardly for about 10 minutes until someone noticed us and took us round to the other choir members. We all got stickers to put on to show we were part of the show XD http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268667101

 

We started getting to know each other, asked what songs we'd auditioned with and were surprised that we'd all done different songs. After about half an hour 3 of Mika's band came up to see us and went through what we were supposed to do. It was really fun but quite quick, they left us to rehearse on our own and try and come up with some dance moves and we were just trying to remember when they'd told us to sing!

 

Then the soundcheck started up downstairs, they spent ages on Popular which was one of ours so we sang along in the right bits then they did Relax, it was really loud so we just abandoned our practise and sang along with that! After a while we shut ourselves in the toilet in an attempt to block it out a bit so we could rehearse Origin of Love. Then I heard Mika at the soundcheck so we all rushed to the gaps in the curtains to try and see him, eventually we walked round to the bar bit and all stood there watching him and singing in our bits for Popular. After a while he spotted us and goes 'come on down' so we were all tripping over each other to get there!

 

We got on stage and they arranged us by height, Mika came over, first thing he said was 'Are any of you actually from England?' I was like 'Yes! Me!' He laughed and goes 'just one?' then I said Lucy was from England too. He went round all of us asking where we were from (and rested his arm on my shoulder when he was pointing to the boys at the back!), didn't ask our names though? I didn't realise that until later. He showed us how far away from the mics we needed to be then went into Popular again so we could practise.

 

Best moment of my life so far, he came over and told me off for holding my hands awkwardly in front of me 'If you look nervous and awkward we all do and it looks crap' He was looking right into my eyes then he kind of pushed my head back/ruffled my hair

 

After a few minutes someone came in with Melachi! I was so distracted I just wanted to jump off stage and give her a cuddle, never mind Mika! After a few minutes Mika noticed her and in a gap between songs went up to the mic and softly called 'Mel?' It was so cute! Her ears pricked up straight away, he was whistling to her and calling her through the mic, he tried to get her to sit but she wasn't having any of that!

 

It was really hard to hear what he was singing from on stage, it was really odd, because of all the speakers and things we could barely hear him and were relying on singing it through ourselves away from the mics until our parts when we leaned in. He showed us a few hand signals to watch for as well.

 

We rehearsed a few more then he told us we could go and to be back by 8:15, this was a bit before 7 I think. We all went back upstairs and kept going with singing, trying to figure out some dance moves. We also got fitted for our choir robes and Mel was backstage so I got to give her a cuddle!

 

At 8:15 we went back down and were given a setlist (I think it's already posted)

We were told we could watch from the side but not in our robes, so had to keep an eye on the setlist and leave during the song before ours.

Then Mika came down and started stretching, he called us over and we went into the little backstage corridor and he led us in a warm up, showed us a few moves, went through Celebrate and then came round to each of us and gave us a high-5!

 

I got a few videos and some pictures from the side of the stage, mostly with Mika's back to me Then it was time for our first song!

 

We all rushed on stage and took our places, I spotted Daisy and Rose straight away, front row centre! Heard Daisy yell my name and waved to her, then straight into Popular. The rest of the gig was a blur of on and off-stage. With the dancing, we were following the 2 who'd been in the choir before, pretty much making it up on the spot.

 

During Origin of love where he undid his shirt, he came over to us and was singing at us, god that was distracting! He's just perfect. And he was all glittery from the sign he took from the front row!

 

At the end when we all lined up at the front, I was on Mika's left hand side, had his arm round me and mine round him! I just about died! So tempting to squeeze his bum

 

When we went off we all went up took off our robes and just sat there, completely dazed. It was amazing to be on stage singing with Mika in front of a sold out show. I thought I was gonna have to leave because my friend in the concert was giving me a lift and I felt guilty making them wait!

 

Went downstairs to give my robe back and chatted to a few of the band members, they were all so lovely about us, I talked to the person who had emailed us asking if there was going to be a picture or anything because I had to leave and they said yes and someone went off to hurry Mika up a bit (They told him I had a train to catch, not really a lie, I did have an hour on the tube before driving home!) So they gathered us all up and took us down for a picture! While they were organising camera's he asked me where I was from and if I had somewhere to stay if I got stuck, I told him I didn't and he said 'You really should've sorted that!'

 

After the pictures he told me to grab my ticket and he would sign it http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268855624 I just remembered as he was signing it to show him my phone case (http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268942405) I had it made and he said it was amazing and thanked me for coming.

 

Then I grabbed my stuff and had to head home

 

So yeah, best day of my life ever.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[isabellarosie123]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

Think it's time for a choir member to stick up for herself! (This is hrbrox from twitter btw) Bear with, this is gonna be a loooong post!

 

I had an amazing day. I got to meet Mika for the first time, he told me off for looking nervous during our soundcheck!

 

I got there about 3:30, met Rose and a few others (didn't catch names, apologies if it was you) then Rose took me round to the stage door where I met a few more choir members. We got a tiny bit lost trying to find where we were supposed to go! Security was extremely helpful 'left, then left, then through the door.' All the doors we could see were firmly shut and had FIRE EXIT on them. Eventually I saw one open and we went in, stood around awkwardly for about 10 minutes until someone noticed us and took us round to the other choir members. We all got stickers to put on to show we were part of the show XD http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268667101

 

We started getting to know each other, asked what songs we'd auditioned with and were surprised that we'd all done different songs. After about half an hour 3 of Mika's band came up to see us and went through what we were supposed to do. It was really fun but quite quick, they left us to rehearse on our own and try and come up with some dance moves and we were just trying to remember when they'd told us to sing!

 

Then the soundcheck started up downstairs, they spent ages on Popular which was one of ours so we sang along in the right bits then they did Relax, it was really loud so we just abandoned our practise and sang along with that! After a while we shut ourselves in the toilet in an attempt to block it out a bit so we could rehearse Origin of Love. Then I heard Mika at the soundcheck so we all rushed to the gaps in the curtains to try and see him, eventually we walked round to the bar bit and all stood there watching him and singing in our bits for Popular. After a while he spotted us and goes 'come on down' so we were all tripping over each other to get there!

 

We got on stage and they arranged us by height, Mika came over, first thing he said was 'Are any of you actually from England?' I was like 'Yes! Me!' He laughed and goes 'just one?' then I said Lucy was from England too. He went round all of us asking where we were from (and rested his arm on my shoulder when he was pointing to the boys at the back!), didn't ask our names though? I didn't realise that until later. He showed us how far away from the mics we needed to be then went into Popular again so we could practise.

 

Best moment of my life so far, he came over and told me off for holding my hands awkwardly in front of me 'If you look nervous and awkward we all do and it looks crap' He was looking right into my eyes then he kind of pushed my head back/ruffled my hair

 

After a few minutes someone came in with Melachi! I was so distracted I just wanted to jump off stage and give her a cuddle, never mind Mika! After a few minutes Mika noticed her and in a gap between songs went up to the mic and softly called 'Mel?' It was so cute! Her ears pricked up straight away, he was whistling to her and calling her through the mic, he tried to get her to sit but she wasn't having any of that!

 

It was really hard to hear what he was singing from on stage, it was really odd, because of all the speakers and things we could barely hear him and were relying on singing it through ourselves away from the mics until our parts when we leaned in. He showed us a few hand signals to watch for as well.

 

We rehearsed a few more then he told us we could go and to be back by 8:15, this was a bit before 7 I think. We all went back upstairs and kept going with singing, trying to figure out some dance moves. We also got fitted for our choir robes and Mel was backstage so I got to give her a cuddle!

 

At 8:15 we went back down and were given a setlist (I think it's already posted)

We were told we could watch from the side but not in our robes, so had to keep an eye on the setlist and leave during the song before ours.

Then Mika came down and started stretching, he called us over and we went into the little backstage corridor and he led us in a warm up, showed us a few moves, went through Celebrate and then came round to each of us and gave us a high-5!

 

I got a few videos and some pictures from the side of the stage, mostly with Mika's back to me Then it was time for our first song!

 

We all rushed on stage and took our places, I spotted Daisy and Rose straight away, front row centre! Heard Daisy yell my name and waved to her, then straight into Popular. The rest of the gig was a blur of on and off-stage. With the dancing, we were following the 2 who'd been in the choir before, pretty much making it up on the spot.

 

During Origin of love where he undid his shirt, he came over to us and was singing at us, god that was distracting! He's just perfect. And he was all glittery from the sign he took from the front row!

 

At the end when we all lined up at the front, I was on Mika's left hand side, had his arm round me and mine round him! I just about died! So tempting to squeeze his bum

 

When we went off we all went up took off our robes and just sat there, completely dazed. It was amazing to be on stage singing with Mika in front of a sold out show. I thought I was gonna have to leave because my friend in the concert was giving me a lift and I felt guilty making them wait!

 

Went downstairs to give my robe back and chatted to a few of the band members, they were all so lovely about us, I talked to the person who had emailed us asking if there was going to be a picture or anything because I had to leave and they said yes and someone went off to hurry Mika up a bit (They told him I had a train to catch, not really a lie, I did have an hour on the tube before driving home!) So they gathered us all up and took us down for a picture! While they were organising camera's he asked me where I was from and if I had somewhere to stay if I got stuck, I told him I didn't and he said 'You really should've sorted that!'

 

After the pictures he told me to grab my ticket and he would sign it http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268855624 I just remembered as he was signing it to show him my phone case (http://pics.lockerz.com/s/268942405) I had it made and he said it was amazing and thanked me for coming.

 

Then I grabbed my stuff and had to head home

 

So yeah, best day of my life ever.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing I sooooooo wanted to be part of the choir though im not tall enough to pass for 18 !

[BiaIchihara]

Michèle ‏@MineMichele

 

Mika hier soir à la sortie de Roundhouse pic.twitter.com/JIdg5u7z

 

[DerMoment1608]

Since I'm not French,nor English,and I like some of his french songs,I can't give a fair opinion about it,but somehow I'm glad he did that,I think he was brave(and maybe he had his reasons) What I don't get is why he's not trying to insert more of his new material

 

I share your opinion. But I'm neither French nor English, either And I don't get the message that the English audience doesn't matter. The message for me is more one of braveness and of being a "out of the box" and a many-sided artist.

 

And is it really such a big thing for Brits to hear songs in another language than English? Don't you have hits from outside from time to time? And when a song is good it is good. Why not play it even if it is in another language?

 

Maybe it's really because I'm not from the UK, but I just tried to image how I would feel if a German (singing) band would sing a French Song (or a Italian one or Spanish or whatever) - and I wouldn't felt any offence at all, I would just think "It's great, they look over the rim of a tea cup".

 

However, I agree that he should play more of the new songs. But that is a criticism of the whole tour, not especially for London.

[Kasia_xxx]

My three friends went with me to see Mika live for the first time and all of them agree he's a great artist and like no other. That's a good thing to hear from people who haven't seen him live before. The gig itself was good. In my opinion Mika is the kind of artist who ALWAYS delivers, even when he's not feeling 100% into it. I guess that was the case yesterday. Not too much talk from the stage in the first half, which was a bit disappointing (I was thinking: Come on Mika, show this crowd what you really can do with the audience and how u can interact with fans. Well, anyway... His voice was MUCH better than I thought it'd be (after all the online drama). I liked the French beginning, although , as Sariflor mentioned it wasn't really applicable for a London show. I will always Love Mika and at the moment I'm on a post-gig high but I realise there were a lot of new people attending yesterday and, as much as we -hard-core fans did enjoy it, I'm not sure Mika threw the rest of the crowd on their knees.

[Kasia_xxx]

I share your opinion. But I'm neither French nor English, either And I don't get the message that the English audience doesn't matter. The message for me is more one of braveness and of being a "out of the box" and a many-sided artist.

 

And is it really such a big thing for Brits to hear songs in another language than English? Don't you have hits from outside from time to time? And when a song is good it is good. Why not play it even if it is in another language?

 

Maybe it's really because I'm not from the UK, but I just tried to image how I would feel if a German (singing) band would sing a French Song (or a Italian one or Spanish or whatever) - and I wouldn't felt any offence at all, I would just think "It's great, they look over the rim of a tea cup".

 

However, I agree that he should play more of the new songs. But that is a criticism of the whole tour, not especially for London.

 

I've been in the UK for over 4 years and what I've noticed the Brits can be a bit funny about other languages (most people don't speak any foreign language as they don't feel the need to) and really... I haven't heard of a different language hit song here... Yes, audience here is specific and Mika didn't seem to take it into consideration. I was really pleased to hear Soleil and Elle Me Dit yesterday but at the back of my head I was thinking: most of the audience are not enjoying it.

[luvin mika 4eva]

Just uploaded all my photos to my facebook and photobucket

[Kasia_xxx]

Evening Standard Review:

 

http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/mika-roundhouse-nw1--review-8414051.html

 

Mika, Roundhouse, NW1 - review

Big, loud and energetic, but Mika still remains a mystery

Critic Rating 3 stars

 

He's big in the Benelux region and a chart topper in France but Mika’s latest album stalled outside the UK top 20. Singing two songs in French at this homecoming suggested a change in career priorities; it also confirmed Mika’s ability to be a bit irritating in more than one language.

 

The new record does at least develop a grown-up pop sound though you’d hardly know it from this over-the-top performance, which felt like stumbling into a Christmas party with a compulsory Seventies-style disco theme. “You need a drink,” he told fans and that’s probably the best way to enjoy 90 minutes of Mika.

He unleashed his terrifying falsetto on 2007 number one Grace Kelly and the pumping disco of Relax, Take it Easy, while bouncing around, clambering onto a piano and demanding the audience sing along.

 

Origin of Love showed he can make smart, captivating tunes and Popular Song had some of Robbie Williams’s self-aware swagger.

 

Yet for all his effort and natural ability, there was a surprising lack of personality from a pop star whose debut album sold 5.6 million. Mika remains something of a mystery, which might explain his career setback on this side of the Channel.

 

 

What an idiot! I really shouldn't have read this before going to sleep...

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

Edited December 15, 2012 by dcdeb

[Christine]

I've been in the UK for over 4 years and what I've noticed the Brits can be a bit funny about other languages (most people don't speak any foreign language as they don't feel the need to) and really... I haven't heard of a different language hit song here... Yes, audience here is specific and Mika didn't seem to take it into consideration. I was really pleased to hear Soleil and Elle Me Dit yesterday but at the back of my head I was thinking: most of the audience are not enjoying it.

 

This is just the way it is and I find the same with all English speaking populations (generally of course - not every individual thinks the same, but this is the typical mentality especially in areas that are not very cosmopolitan or are highly segregated from non English speakers). There is simply no reason for English speakers to consume non English pop music, books, TV, movies, etc. because they are bombarded with more English stuff than they can deal with as it is. Like there is so much American rap music for instance that people in North America don't even know that there is a whole rap scene in the UK. It was the same with boy bands in the 90s and I had never even heard of Robbie Williams until I moved to the UK.

 

We can debate all day about whether this is reasonable or if people should be more open minded but it doesn't change the reality. Perhaps Mika is just totally sheltered from it because all his friends and family are multilingual and he grew up going to school with rich kids who travelled extensively, etc. I also think it's crazy that he goes to the US emphasizing that he's an Arab instead of talking about being American. Maybe he doesn't realize how alienating it is but it's just common sense to me that if a song like EMD becomes a massive hit in French markets precisely because it's in French that it's really not going to be something a typical English audience is going to appreciate. It's two sides of the same coin. If the French like it because it's French then the English are not going to like it because it's not English

[jemmalee]

So maybe he just wasn't living up to the standards *we* all know hes capable of.

 

Finally a really pos. and good report, which point at some essensial things about this gig - MIKA did his very best, even he's sick, and his voice needs rest and healing!! The last thing he wants is to let his fans down and cancell, that should be highly appreciated!!! Maybe he just wanted to tease UK a bit by his choice of EMD instead of Emily - as a reminder that he's huge in France! To me it sounds quite strange to be that aware of his songchoice - something he really should be able to do freely, without fans being upset about it !? I think MIKAs fans are sooo spoiled by his excellent liveshows for many years now, after all he's a normal person, who can't be on top of the world - non stop...

Even I was not there

MB

 

There were lots of posts that I wanted to quote but for now I will just pick these ones about his performance.

Now I'm going to compare this to my favourite chocolate brand Cadbury's. I have always bought and enjoyed this brand of chocolate, especially Dairy Milk. I know exactly what to expect from this quality product. Cadbury's may come out with new chocolate bars which I will try and enjoy but I always go back to Dairy Milk. If I bought a bar of Dairy Milk which wasn't up to the high quality I expect I'm going to be disappointed and complain. I'm sure Cadbury's won't respond with "We're very sorry but you have been spoiled in the past with out excellent chocolate. This is just the way it is, get over it".

I feel it's very important to have constructive criticism, how else can you improve? Thursday was such a big let down for me. I have followed MIKA for nearly 6 years and he has always been consistent. This is why I am disappointed. You kind of know what you're going to get at a MIKA gig. I am normally on such a high. The girls in my office yesterday knew something was wrong as they expected me to be beeming.

Re the French stuff. 6 years ago I heard a British guy singing an English song on the radio. I then found out all this other stuff about him on the journey and it was exotic and new and I loved it all. I've been to France to see him and don't mind him speaking French because that's what I expect, even though I don't understand a bloody word. This is also the main reason I don't go to French gigs anymore but if I go back I would expect him to sing in French.

I have also seen him in many other countries and he always tries to speak the local language. Now I haven't got a foggiest about what he is talking about but it's what I expect. What I expected on Thursday is not what I got. This is why I was frustrated.

I like watching forgein films, The Hate is a particular favourite of mine. I enjoy some forgein music but then I'll know what to expect. I want to understand what MIKA is saying. Him singing in French at a British show is not what I expect. I want the British MIKA who I first fell in love with 6 years ago. The one who says trousers, munter and braces.

I'm just gutted.

[mine]

It was a great show!

some of my pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[French Deb]

OMG, I do have sooooo many things to say after reading this thread. I wasn't there, but wanted to react.

 

First of all, so happy he did sang Make you happy, and with not the "robot" voice I hope I can hear it live one day.

 

Then :

 

- I totally understand many of you were kind of surprised when you heard "Un soleil mal luné" as the opening song Even if I'm French, even if absolutly love this song, I think it's a strange choice too.

As Tiibet said, this song and "Elle me dit" are part of his setlist. You're right, but it wasn't the case everywhere, as Rosa said. I think it's nice that he sings a couple of French songs abroad, but not as opening songs.

Londoners didn't expected that, and I think many people of the crowd was very stunned and unsettled so not very receptive for the next following songs...

I think he could have sang this wonderful song, which shows a lot of his talent, later in the show, it would have been more "welcomed".

 

- Anyway, someone talked about this song as not a good choice for an opening song, generally speaking and not for the UK gig, because it's too slow.

Well I don't agree. The French audience really apreciated him to start with this song. I spoke with non Mika fans after the Nantes gig, and a girl told me she was so surprised he could sing this kind of deep and moving song in French, only with piano and voice, which is different from the easy "Elle me dit".

He really amazed the French audience with "Un soleil mal luné" as an opening song, because it was audacious and wonderful. He won lot of "respect" and "credibility" for being an amazing singer, doing that. Even the press was impressed !

But it was an audacious choice to make in France and in french-speaking country, not in London, especially with the special situation of his popularity here... But maybe he did that on purpose, as a thumb nose at all this It was his choice... and he did not the same the next day in Manchester, so why only London ?

 

- I don't think the fact he wasn't very chatty and not very well during this gig is only due to his voice problems.

He did have voices problems when he did the Nantes gig and he was sooooo chatty, sooooo relaxed, sooooo perfect !! Honestly, it was one of the very best gigs of him I attended to. And even if his voice cracked up sometimes, he felt well. So I'm sure there was something else...

 

- I totally share some of your point of views about the choir. It's an amazing experience for fans and I'm so glad many Mika fans can experience such amazing times, but because of a lack of training and a lack of time, I don't think the choirs I saw really bring something "vocally" speaking.

 

- Sara, I felt the same about he sound and the fact we didn't heard his voice that much in Nantes... And it wasn't only because the voice problem, but it was the same, we couldn't hear him enough on the "fast" songs. I think it was a shame, and I was first row Sometimes, he had to scream.

 

 

Well, that what I mainly wanted to say.

I'm sad that some of you didn't get the gig you were expected, and I'm sad to read some press review as the Evening Standard's one. It must be very hard for Mika to read this kind of reviews

I'm sad this gig didn't get the effect it should have : showing the Londoners/UK how amazing Mika is and that it's a waste he's not having the succes he deserves here...

Edited December 15, 2012 by French Deb

[Marilyn Mastin]

I share your opinion. But I'm neither French nor English, either And I don't get the message that the English audience doesn't matter. The message for me is more one of braveness and of being a "out of the box" and a many-sided artist.

 

And is it really such a big thing for Brits to hear songs in another language than English? Don't you have hits from outside from time to time? And when a song is good it is good. Why not play it even if it is in another language?

 

Maybe it's really because I'm not from the UK, but I just tried to image how I would feel if a German (singing) band would sing a French Song (or a Italian one or Spanish or whatever) - and I wouldn't felt any offence at all, I would just think "It's great, they look over the rim of a tea cup".

 

However, I agree that he should play more of the new songs. But that is a criticism of the whole tour, not especially for London.

I agree with you that singing the occasional French song should NOT offend UK people. Look how popular Gangnam Style is (not that I'm comparing it to a Mika song) but its been a huge hit!

I actually thought he should have released EMD over here. It could have done well and the crowd did seem to know the porquoir bits (appologies to the French if I've spelt porquoir wrong)

[French Deb]

I agree with you that singing the occasional French song should NOT offend UK people. Look how popular Gangnam Style is (not that I'm comparing it to a Mika song) but its been a huge hit!

I actually thought he should have released EMD over here. It could have done well and the crowd did seem to know the porquoir bits (appologies to the French if I've spelt porquoir wrong)

 

You're right Marylin.

But Mika is not seen for British as a singer who spent his childhood in France, who loves this country and who sings so well in French.

He is seen as a British pop singer.

This guy singing Gangnam Style" song is Korean, so if people in UK go to see him on stage, they won't be surprised he sings in other languages than English.

But in the Mika case, I think it's not what they came for... That's why some people could have been surprised, especially because he opened with that.

 

I agree, it should not offend, but maybe it's because France and England have special history There are always some "teasings" between the 2 countries. As when France and England playing in a football or rugby competition : it's always special

 

I'm sure he would have sing this French songs in the US, it wouldn't have made the same effect... Look, even Celine Dion sings some French songs when she plays in Las Vegas, and the audience love that !

 

 

ps : the correct word is "pourquoi"

Edited December 15, 2012 by French Deb

[krysady]

You're right Marylin.

But Mika is not seen for British as a singer who spent his childhood in France, who loves this country and who sings so well in French.

He is seen as a British pop singer.

This guy singing Gangnam Style" song is Korean, so if people in UK go to see him on stage, they won't be surprised he sings in other languages than English.

But in the Mika case, I think it's not what they came for... That's why some people could have been surprised, especially because he opened with that.

 

I agree, it should not offend, but maybe it's because France and England have special history There are always some "teasings" between the 2 countries. As when France and England playing in a football or rugby competition : it's always special

 

I'm sure he would have sing this French songs in the US, it wouldn't have made the same effect... Look, even Celine Dion sings some French songs when she plays in Las Vegas, and the audience love that !

But he's always saying he's Lebanese,and lately,on the Telethon France,he said he's Lebanese and Syrian

And about EMD,it seems that people all over the world are enjoying this song live,even in the US:

[French Deb]

But he's always saying he's Lebanese,and lately,on the Telethon France,he said he's Lebanese and Syrian

And about EMD,it seems that people all over the world are enjoying this song live,even in the US:

 

Yes he is But even if he said a lot in interviews that he is half lebanese, I think people forget and I think in the UK, he seems more British...

For the second part of your post, it's exactly what I wanted to say : in other countries, the French songs are more welcome, like in the US (as we can see on your vid )

Edited December 15, 2012 by French Deb

[krysady]

Yes he is But even if he said a lot in interviews that he is half lebanese, I think people forget and I think in the UK, he seems more British...

For the second part of your post, it's exactly what I wanted to say : in other countries, the French songs are more welcome, like in the US (as we can see on your vid )

yes,I understood,I just wanted to point it out for the people who said EMD is wel received only in French-speaking countries.