2013 - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington DC, USA - 10 April - REPORTS/PICS/VIDEOS

[Kumazzz]

A pic from Facebook

 

 

ORIGINAL

 

[natalie923]

I just watched stardust and Lola without the mic and they were both SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! I can really feel his emotions without the mic! I'm so sad I missed out on this! But thanks for all your reviews! It's sounds like an amazing time!

[Christine]

When he sang Happy Ending he did the last bit off mic which was absolutely brilliant of course but I expected it to just be a brief moment in the gig as he has done at some others.

 

He did the same thing he's done at many gigs and spoke to the people in the front apologizing for their view of him obstructed by the piano. He said something along the lines of "we're going to make up for it later" which I took to mean he was going to modify some things and spend more time at the fromt and away from the piano.

 

To that end I was expecting Lola instead of Century Man but never dared to hope he would do it off mic. He said that he'd never performed unplugged in front of an audience which wasn't strictly true as I'd seen him do so at the points gig but I can imagine he hadn't done it in a room this size. He asked people if they could hear at the back and better speak up now before it's too late. Then a few people were being too noisy and he stopped to try to get them to shush and I was just hanging on pins and needles praying that he would not decide it wasn't going to work and abandon the idea.

 

Of course you could tell from the video he carried it all the way through and it was just amazing. He closed his eyes and got lost in the sound of his own voice. His phrasing, his gestures were so different from a typical rendition of the song and the audience played their part with a perfectly timed, soft and in-tune answer to his calls that sounded more like a hired chorus than some random audience members just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

 

Later he did Stardust which has become my favourite at every gig. I feel such a personally connection after the New York gig in October and feel like Mika is always connecting with the audience with this beautiful and slightly heartbreaking acoustic version. But for him to sing it off mic and just a metre away was almost paralyzing. You didn't even want to breathe lest it somehow shattered the moment. The rest of the audience ceased to exist and it felt like he was singing for maybe 10 people at most. It was everything the points gig should have been but wasn't quite as he exercised perfect control and abandon at the same time. Truly one of the greatest moments at any gig I've ever seen and I hope some closer up videos surface so you can all see for yourselves.

 

We were of course encouraging him after that so sing everything off mic and he laughed and said of course you want that, you're in the front row! But I hope that everyone in the room was able to hear him and feel how special it was.

 

Continued...

[dcdeb]

OK, this is nice, even though they got the order wrong -- he sang Lola first, then Stardust several songs afterward. But still...

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/mika-goes-unplugged-at-dcs-6th-and-i-synagogue

 

Mika Goes Unplugged At DC's Sixth & I Synagogue

 

WASHINGTON — Mika fell in love with the acoustics at DC's Sixth & I Historic Synagogue Wednesday night, which led to two performances off the mic — something he said he'd not done in public since he was a child.

 

Asking if the audience would be quiet — and could still hear him — before doing so, Mika pushed away the mic for a performance of "Stardust." After that, he mused that he could sing the rest of the show without a mic — but decided it was better kept in use for some of the rest of the set.

 

Later, however, he pushed the mic away again for "Lola."

 

In the run up to Wednesday's show, the out gay artist spoke with Metro Weekly's Doug Rule about the impact of his being more open about his sexuality recently.

 

Your last album, last year's great The Origin of Love, seemed a little lighter and sunnier and happier than the first two. I wondered if becoming more explicit about being gay had any bearing on that.

 

MIKA: I actually have to agree with you — I think that it probably does. It's a kind of fearlessness, right? There's less deflection. You get this much more candid — yet sometimes quite brutal, and brutally optimistic — un-judgmental way of writing lyrics. Which is kind of what happened.

 

My albums are a reflection of my life at this time, which for some reason in pop music people find that hard to believe. It's like you assume that pop records are just these constructs from the back of [super-producer] Dr. Luke's empire. Some think that seems to be where pop comes from. But it's not, actually.

 

Pop can be brutally honest and very reflective of the life of the artist. It was totally a reflection of that. The more brutal and honest and open and candid we are with what we write, the more potential we have to actually be moving or to say something that makes you feel something.

 

 

[Christine]

After the gig I was expecting chaos as there were many people there and even when they told everyone to line up a lot of people were grouped around the path from the entrance to Mika's waiting car. I thought he'd be mobbed and eventually jump into the car rather than come down the line.

 

A girl who was unable to get tickets to the gig had come to meet Mika before the show. He walked in through the entry doors so we all saw him but he did not stop and his crew said people would have to wait for him after the show to speak to him.

 

The girl came back afterwards and I wanted to make sure she got in there to see him as she seemed to be getting pushed outside of the group and it would have been such a shame for her to spend all this time just trying to see him and be robbed at the last minute. Anyway I checked with her after he came out and she got his autogrpah and later I saw him hugging her and telling her if she comes to Brooklyn he could get her into the gig. I don't think that was an option for her but she still seemed over the moon to be able to have a conversation with him. I was really pleased to see it. He is such a good pop star!!

 

He also did something incredibly sweet for an absent MFCer and as Nas says we can't really talk about it because I think it's still a surprise.

 

He had been in such a great mood right from the start of the gig and it carried to the interaction with fans outside. We waited at the end thinking he would never come and initially I didn't really want to try to speak to him anyway. It was very difficult for me to speak clearly with my voice and I knew if it was chaotic he wouldn't know wtf I was saying and I didn't want to get physically close to him because I am probably horribly contagious.

 

When one of the crew members came out we had a quick moment of banter and he put a folded piece of paper in my hand and said, here this is for you. Which was all very intriguing for a moment until I saw the date in the corner and realized it was just a setlist. Anyway I thought I may as well get Mika to sign it since I had it and it seemed like he was going to come to us after all.

 

Fortunately because we were at the end and everyone else had started drifting away it was quiet enough for me to speak to him. For the first time ever I got a truly unqualified moment of recognition from him and he said "Hi, it's so nice to see you! How are you doing?" I reflexively handed him the setlist and said "fine" in a croaky voice. So then I corrected myself and said "Actually I have a bad cold."

 

Then he said "Get the f*ck away from me!" which made me howl. I wish I had it on video and could put it on an endless loop. As always, coming from Mika, a sign of affection or at least familiarity when he says something so rude.

 

I thanked him for singing off mic and said how wonderful it was.

 

So aside from my hideous cold it was a perfect day from start to finish. I'm so glad I chose this gig. I had very high expectations and they were still surpassed by a mile. I want to thank our amazing Mama Mod for inviting me to her home and hometown gig and taking such good care of me like she does for all of Mika's fans whenever she has the opportunity.

[IngievV]

Sounds like a dream gig and his voice is just sublime! Aaah I can't wait for Summer now. I miss him:wub2:.

[lollipop161]

Ok that's it, I died.

[stelly78]

Thanks a a lot!!!

Damn guys I really envy you!!! Mika singing without micro!!...

I guess it was a very magical moment!!...

Beautiful pics he is very cute with his curls!!!

[krysady]

I guess this is the girl that Christine was talking about:

 

KgaleL94 KristenLaFleche 19m

@mikasounds thank you for making my dreams come true:) This picture makes up for not having a ticket last night! pic.twitter.com/Sed4ox8IEl

 

[stelly78]

She is very lucky!!

[devon314]

...Then it was Lola. He started off singing with a mic and then switched it off...then had a sudden inspiration to take the mics off the piano as well. He said we'll try this experiment but had no idea if it would work then a girl yelled that yes it would, we would all be absolutely silent. He looked at her and teased 'who you?!' 'Is that the voice of someone who could be absolutely silent?' But try it he did. I was shocked at how obedient and silent the crowd was. It was the definition of people enraptured. And I thought it was the best sounding crowd ever too; when we had to sing back it sounded almost like an angelic chorus. Listening to Mika sing without a mike was...fdidigpjdgsudtu... It was an emotional fulfillment I didn't know I craved until then to be honest...

After Lola the crowd went WILD.

I'm so sorry I can't embrace the order of songs, but after he did stardust acoustically too ( a few songs after Lola) it was obvious the script was out the window and he said as much. He was thinking on the fly. At one point someone asked for his hand, and he was like why? I should give u my hand *just* because u asked?! Then added that he has done worse just because some asked however that cracked us up! Then he said his family visiting from Virginia and in the audience must think him such a rogue ...

i was in chills reading this part!! sounds like you had such a great time - thanks for sharing

[dcdeb]

I guess this is the girl that Christine was talking about:

 

KgaleL94 KristenLaFleche 19m

@mikasounds thank you for making my dreams come true:) This picture makes up for not having a ticket last night! pic.twitter.com/Sed4ox8IEl

 

 

Yes, she was very sweet, we were so happy for her!

[kreacher]

Amazing pics Deb!!!

 

There's not a lot i can add to the gig details so i'll just post my own thoughts and feels and babbles and experiences.

i got to the queue at a bit after 10 & found only Psychokitten was waiting there. OMG #2 IN THE QUEUE WTF! i was so nervous about talking to a stranger that i'd forgot to ask her real name but thankfully when Nas got there like an hour later she remember to find out her real name

The security was cool. One guy asked us to put out cones when some cars moved so the tour bus could park there. omg we helped with Mika's tour, so that makes us roadies right? crap i should've asked him for backstage passes Also Raquel and i were walking back from Walgreens and Mika's mum stopped us to ask for directions to Chinatown! uh-oh, i forgot to check last night. someone saw her post-gig right? we were so worried she'd get lost cuz of us

Then Cath & her friend (which i didn't catch the name of cuz their accents were so cute that i felt bad asking her to repeat it 5 times) stopped by before they went to eat and then Deb & Christine came so there was a nice little group of us & that made queuing not feel so long like i thought it would. the ever growing queuing line was in the shade until like maybe 3 or 4ish then the shade crept away and i got more sunburned than i already was (worth it though!)

The venue was beautiful inside & out and very clean like Mika said. He told us some venues have cockroaches so bad you have to kill them to keep them from getting in the clothes wardrobe. I ended up right in the seat i wanted (first row, in direct sight of the side of his perfect face) though i later switched w Raquel when we were all standing.

 

i think i got a video of most of the mikeless end of Happy Ending. i was so thrilled about that, i wouldve been content w/ just that bit of mikelessness cuz thats like my fave song However, then he did Lola WOW it was completely mind-blowing. guess i never realized how much the microphone distorts. gosh his pure voice and all his emotion matched with acoustics of that venue and how quiet the crowd was sltakfmjolginj! omg i think everyone there knew how this treat was just magical. ... But then it happened again with Stardust. I was like 'omg i think Mika killed me w Lola and now this is heaven'

crap, just thinking about this has me all giggly and fangurly like i feel soooooo lucky to have been there!

*composes self and continues on* So yeah, post gig... they moved the fan mass so they could unload gear and somehow when middle of the pack became the end of the pack. once the mob started i was sure we wouldn't get to meet him. for once i wasn't soooo abject about it since i'd met him the previous two nights and omg he'd just like given me the treat of my life with his voice. But as he saw to each of then the crowd cleared out once he'd seen to them and voila there i was in front of him. i gave him smth to sign & made a fool of myself explaining it and prolly didnt tell him thank you for the special night. As he stood there looking at me and i talked i had to fight back the urge to shove all my money into his hands (i had at least a handful of crumpled up bills in my purse from all the buying of reasons to use public restrooms during the queue times xD) to begin to start repaying the debt i owe him for that great gift.

 

one more thing, when Deb & Christine found out i was just gonna go hang out in the train station for 4 hours until my train left they were willing to stay around and we went out for a drink (and ofc fangurled) thanks so much, that really meant a lot!

Edited April 11, 2013 by kreacher

[nas]

Yes, she was very sweet, we were so happy for her!

 

Yes! She was so patient and sweet! Before the gig I was just shocked she was only going to hang around outside but after the gig I felt so bad she was so close but still missed something so amazing I really wanted her to get some quality time with him... Seems she did

 

Amazing pics Deb!!!

 

The venue was beautiful inside & out and very clean like Mika said. He told us some venues have cockroaches so bad you have to kill them to keep them from getting in the clothes wardrobe. I ended up right in the seat i wanted (first row, in direct sight of the side of his perfect face) though i later switched w Raquel when we were all standing.

 

i think i got a video of most of the mikeless end of Happy Ending. i was so thrilled about that, i wouldve been content w/ just that bit of mikelessness cuz thats like my fave song However, then he did Lola WOW it was completely mind-blowing. guess i never realized how much the microphone distorts. gosh his pure voice and all his emotion matched with acoustics of that venue and how quiet the crowd was sltakfmjolginj! omg i think everyone there knew how this treat was just magical. ... But then it happened again with Stardust. I was like 'omg i think Mika killed me w Lola and now this is heaven'

crap, just thinking about this has me all giggly and fangurly like i feel soooooo lucky

 

. i gave him smth to sign & made a fool of myself explaining it and prolly didnt tell him thank you for the special night. As he stood there looking at me and i talked i had to fight back the urge to shove all my money into his hands (i had at least a handful of crumpled up bills in my purse from all the buying of reasons to use public restrooms during the queue times xD) to begin to start repaying the debt i owe him for that great gift.

 

one more thing, when Deb & Christine found out i was just gonna go hang out in the train station for 4 hours until my train left they were willing to stay around and we went out for a drink (and ofc fangurled) thanks so much, that really meant a lot!

 

I HATE roaches! Esp flying ones - they might what the demons in hell are - so when he said 'and when they start flying , that's when it's really trouble' or to that effect I felt we bonded in mutual flying roach issues

 

I love ur description of the mikeless-ness

 

OMG afterwards I felt like bowing or kissing his ring or some huge extravagant gesture in gratitude!!

[Zimwana]

Wow wow!! Thank you for these heartfelt reports, we can really feel how special it was!

 

And thank you for the vids

[candboys2]

Mika was really spectacular this show! Here is my video of Stardust. I was in the front row next to Nas.

 

 

Christina

Edited April 11, 2013 by candboys2

[cathouzouf]

Mika was really spectacular this show! Here is my video of Stardust. I was in the front row next to Nas.

 

 

Christina

 

you witnessed that and survived? Wow! you're tough:wub2: THanks for sharing:huglove:

[candboys2]

you witnessed that and survived? Wow! you're tough:wub2: THanks for sharing:huglove:

 

It was truly amazing!

 

Here is my video of Celebrate.

 

 

 

Christina

[dcdeb]

Cristina! Thank you thank you thank you!

 

Amazing. Abso****inglutely amazing!

 

This is Over My Shoulder.

 

I apologize for the shaky start -- I was being jostled by the crowd and also trying to get back to where I could see Mika. Bear with it for the first few seconds - it gets better, I promise!

 

[YOUTUBE]_tQyZlX9fOo[/YOUTUBE]

[krysady]

Oh,my,this thread is not healthy for me

[Sabine64]

Thank you all for your great reports and vids. Exactly what I needed to cheer me up a little bit after a terrible day.

[stelly78]

Mika was really spectacular this show! Here is my video of Stardust. I was in the front row next to Nas.

 

 

Christina

Woow you were so close!!

 

Thanks a lot dcdeb:blush-anim-cl:

[krysady]

Some beautiful pictures here:

 

[stelly78]

Woow very beautiful pics!!

[mamiam]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences after this truely amazing gig - it's almost too much of a good thing!! And these photos - omg, as beautiful as I could imagine, and even more - I really don't know what to say, except that you all were extremely lucky with it all - I suppose nothing can top this night ...

 

Love,love

me