Les Ardentes Festival, Liège, Belgium - 12 July 2013 -- REPORTS/PICS/VIDS

[ilseh1983]

So, decided to write a little report from this gig

 

I arrived on thursday with Camille. We met Danielle at the the trainstation close to the city centre. We (Camille and i) first went to the hotel. Was a quite nice hotel, close to the venue. After installing our stuff in the room we went to centre of the city where we met Jolanda, Annemaaike, Navah, Rian and Saskia. We had dinner togehter. Was nice to see them again and to meet Saskia. After dinner we went to 'le pot au lait" to see if there were some other mfc'ers there. And yes we did find some

It's a nice little bar "le pot au lait" tried to take some pics but they're not very good.

After a good night's sleep, the day of the festival arrived

I had a really good time with my fellow mfc'ers waiting for Mika. Must say the bands before Mika weren't exactly to my liking. Alex Hepburn was ok. There also was a band i've been hearing talking about for a few weeks over here now, so i thought they'd be good, but ... well they were very boring

 

It was all worth it though once Mika came on! He was just perfect. I get the feeling he's only getting better and better and i already thought he was perfect the very first time i saw him about 3 years ago.

Don't know quite what to say, but Mika being perfect. The crowd seemed to go crazy again. Everyone seemed to have a great time

 

When the crew started setting up the stage, there were these big beach balls thrown in to the crowd from somewhere at the back. Some got on the stage and some people from the crew started to have fun with them, shooting them into the crowd like they were giant footballs. that was fun

 

so Mika started with "un soleil mal luné" . i really loved the way he sang the song! Then on the "relax"

i really like how he made little changes to some of the songs now. Like how he started big girls for example.

It's hard to tell much about it, because i can still see it before me, but not in the right order and stuff (i'm not a good report writer )

 

At a certain point he went to the left of the stage and came back with a huge balloon. throwing it in to the crowd, and other balloons soon followed, smaller ones and ones as big as the first one. And the confetti, i always like the confetti at the end as well. It can look very beautiful when it's all coming down.

 

I saw him come out, but sadly couldn't get to say something or get anything signed. Cause at my side we had to move a bit for a car to get through and somehow i ended up behind other people ah well maybe next time (one day i hope to have a perfect little meet & greet after the show waiting for him to come out. I always say the gig is the most important thing and the little meet and greet is just an extra bonus. I still stand by that, but that doesn't mean i can't hope for a nice little moment/meet and greet afterwards, right? , so fingers crossed, i'll get that some day)

 

I also want to say i had a great time talking to mfc'ers while waiting for Mika to come out. some people i talked to before, and some i hadn't before friday. It was great to meet you all!

I know i haven't talked to everyone i see here or on twitter. Maybe next time. but when there's some people around i sometimes get to shy to go talk to something i haven't talked to in real life yet. Allthough i must say it gets better with every time i go to a gig and see lovely mfc'ers

 

don't know what else to say, there's so much and i'll just leave it to people who write better then i do

 

just wanted to share that i had an amazing time during Mika's gig and i can't wait to see him again as soon as possible

Edited July 14, 2013 by ilseh1983

[ilseh1983]

i didn't make any vids, but take a lot of pics here are some of them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and if you want to see them all, here's the link: http://s738.photobucket.com/user/ilseh1983/library/MIKA%20at%20Les%20Ardentes%2012%20july%202013?sort=3&page=1

[ilseh1983]

setlist:

 

[Littlelady]

Wow, great pics Ilseh:huglove:

[ilseh1983]

Wow, great pics Ilseh:huglove:

 

thanks :

was nice to meet you

[vanessa-love-mika]

It was amazing !

 

We arrived at about 3.30p.m. I was front row on the left.

He began with Un Soleil Mal Luné, it was the first time that i heard it live

Sadly he didn't sing Live Your Life

At the end of the gig, we waited about 1h30 but Mika wasn't here so we left. my father was tired and we had 2 hours of road.

 

I didn't take pictures or videos because the barriers weren't really near the stage and my phone is not good enough to take pictures/videos from as far.

 

I can't wait to be the 4th august

[Treasa]

Love your pics Ilse

[Yuna]

It was all so great once again

 

I'm really happy with how things went. I spent a very nice time in Liège on Thursday and on the day of the gig, with people I know and meeting new people. I've never felt so much part of this community than at this gig, so thanks everybody

 

The gig in itself was fantastic. I had a very nice spot in the front row middle for the first time, without even coming the earliest at all, it was just luck and people around me being very nice. I think this is the gig I found the shortest ever.. It was not in reality but it means I really had the time of my life. Couldn't stop singing and dancing on every single song. (Like most people apparently, as I could see when I sometimes turned around) I agree that Mika wasn't as chatty as I've seen him before, but he was still in a great mood and gave us his best. I loved all of the gig but I have stuck in my memory the image of him throwing the light bulb ahead of him singing Underwater while we were all shouting out the chorus with him... Beautiful

 

I waited for him after the gig too, it was a long wait but at least we knew this was the right place to be and we knew he was still there as the kind security guy told us. When Mika arrived I was really happy that it went well with everybody waiting for their turn. I got the Korean fan club calendar (that I got as a gift from a Korean fan) signed and Mika even asked me what it was, how I got it and said it's cool. As far as I remember he asked me the questions in English and I answered in French but never mind we both seemed to understand each other He looked amazing once again. I have a few pics and vids that I will post as soon as they are uploaded.

 

haha you're so lucky!

when I showed him that one, he said nothing but just signed and gone.. when the designer of that calendar did that to him and said she made that , he said just quick 'amazing' and quickly gone... and when you show him that one he got interested finally

He likes you.... LOLLL

Edited July 14, 2013 by Yuna

[cathouzouf]

Lovely pics and report Ilse!

 

You're all a very lucky bunch I so wished I could have been there:shocked:

[ilseh1983]

just realized i forgot to post the pic from the beach balls

 

[ilseh1983]

Love your pics Ilse

 

Lovely pics and report Ilse!

 

You're all a very lucky bunch I so wished I could have been there:shocked:

 

thanks both of you

[~Wicky~]

Ow, I just loved Mika’s performance at the Les Ardentes festival! So many thanks to the MFC moderators... due to the competition you organized, I could go with my best friend (I bought one ticket for myself already, but after I won the tickets I could surprise my friend too)!

 

I always love to read the reports from others, so this time I'll do my best to share my festival experiences with you all.

 

The festival day started with packing all my stuff (oh my, my bag was heavy), picking up Patricia4you from the train station and dropping the sleeping gear at my house. Cause I live close to Liege, we decided to go quite early and try to get a place front row. After picking up my friend, we arrived at the festival just before the gates opened. When we arrived, there was already a bunch of people in front of the festival site (I guess Mika fans, cause they were wearing numbers on their hands?). Because I had to collect my tickets at a desk at the entrance, I couldn’t get in when they actually opened the gates (they couldn’t find my name on the guest list *aaah*). So when the gates opened, Patricia went in and my friend and I waited till they contacted someone about the guest list. When we arrived at the Open air stage, Patricia managed a front row place at the left side of the stage. Then the waiting began....

 

Thanks to Patricia (she made the letters M-I-K-A out of foam) we had some nice pillows to sit on during the day! The fact that we “sat on MIKA”, provided a nice subject for a few hilarious conversations . As the day wore, a lot of Mika fans arrived. It was lovely to speak with some of them, even though I didn't talk too long.... (unfortunately I didn’t catch Jolanda; so no stories for me about her baking experiences, broadcasted on the Dutch television). My friend and I, spent some time wandering around the festival (it’s such a nice and relaxed festival) and Patricia tried to learn me juggle in front of half of the festival crowd (I really suck at it). I enjoyed the music of the other artists, even though their music was not really my cup of tea. I just enjoyed the festivaI day as a whole! One hour before Mika was on, there was a change of security guys. The two security men in front of us were really nice; they were fooling around a lot with us and the Mika accessories.

 

At eleven O’clock Mika’s performance started *Wow, Boom, Tingling*! I must admit that I missed the first few minutes of the performance, cause a lot of photographers wanted to photograph us while we were holding the MIKA letters up in the air. I was a bit afraid that Mika would be really tired in this busy festival period... but when the performance started, the opposite was the case. He was so energetic and put down an amazing show. We held up the MIKA letters a couple of times (sorry for those people standing behind us, we really tried to limit it) and as far as I can judge, Mika noticed them during the concert (he smiled at once, when he looked to our side of the stage). At one point the security man asked Patricia to hand over the Mika letters and he placed them at the stage (where they were taken off after two songs... after the concert nobody knew where the letters were gone to, so Mika has a nice set of pillows now ).

 

I really loved the way Mika re-arranged the old songs (he adds so many styles of music to it now)! I’m not sure about the order of the songs, but I do remember that he sang the following songs: Un soleil mal luné, Relax, Blue eyes, Billy Brown, Love you when I’m drunk, Big girl, Rain, Happy ending, Grace Kelly, Underwater, Elle me dit, Origin of love, Celebrate, Popular song, Stuck in the middle, Love today, We are golden and Lollipop (don’t know if I did forget one...). In my experience, he didn't chat that much, but I'm okay with that: I just love the music! I danced my ass off and sung along a lot (my throat still hurts).

 

After the concert we decided to stay at the backstage entrance till two O’clock (my friend had to work in the early morning). The band left quite fast, but Mika didn’t came out till (from what I’ve heard) half past three. I’m really glad that a lot of fans got the chance to meet him and that Jolanda had such a nice meeting with Mika’s mom (that story made me glow inside ).

 

Hope to see all of you again at one of Mika's concerts!

 

Edit: I just noticed, that the setlist is already posted, so just forget my whole song-enumeration.

Edited July 14, 2013 by ~Wicky~

[~Wicky~]

I saw him come out, but sadly couldn't get to say something or get anything signed. Cause at my side we had to move a bit for a car to get through and somehow i ended up behind other people ah well maybe next time (one day i hope to have a perfect little meet & greet after the show waiting for him to come out. I always say the gig is the most important thing and the little meet and greet is just an extra bonus. I still stand by that, but that doesn't mean i can't hope for a nice little moment/meet and greet afterwards, right? , so fingers crossed, i'll get that some day)

 

Sorry to hear that Ilseh! I'm not sure, but I guess you are the girl I talked to very shortly, while waiting at the backstage entrance (about Belgian girls being to gentle when it comes to 'defending' a spot). You're right that the place wasn't ideal for waiting; you can't stay on your spot when a truck is going to override you.

 

I really hope that you will have your moment with Mika another time!

[ilseh1983]

Sorry to hear that Ilseh! I'm not sure, but I guess you are the girl I talked to very shortly, while waiting at the backstage entrance (about Belgian girls being to gentle when it comes to 'defending' a spot). You're right that the place wasn't ideal for waiting; you can't stay on your spot when a truck is going to override you.

 

I really hope that you will have your moment with Mika another time!

 

thanks

 

edit: i think it was indeed me, you were there with Patricia right?

Edited July 14, 2013 by ilseh1983

[Littlelady]

It was so great to have that experience together with some of you, a perfect day. Sometimes it would be nice to have a time-machine and to repeat it again and again:wink2: But I swear I will be there in future ever it is possible for me:naughty::naughty:

[macboll]

Hi! I arrived in Liège for the festival around 5pm and ended up 3rd row, in the middle, just behind sabine and graciosa (I was very pleased to see Renate again: the last time we saw each other was at Bercy, and to meet Sabine, whom I knew from the Oldlings thread, for real). I knew there was no need to queue early to secure a good spot as I already went to Les Ardentes 2 years ago. I love this festival: no stress, nice place with trees, good vibes.

Mika's voice was perfect last night and I loved the show. I expected "Live your life" as an encore but he didn't sing it, unfortunately. It would have been perfect to end the gig.

He sang lots of songs, he was energic and improved his swearing in French...

Before "Elle me dit", he made an intro and sang "Elle me dit 'danse' Je la dis (grammar mistake here) Je sais pas danser'/ "Elle me dit'danse' Je la dis "fais pas chier" (which means "p*ss off/ f*ck off).

Sorry it's too busy at work to do a proper report

[ilseh1983]

It was so great to have that experience together with some of you, a perfect day. Sometimes it would be nice to have a time-machine and to repeat it again and again:wink2: But I swear I will be there in future ever it is possible for me:naughty::naughty:

 

exactly what i've been thinking for the whole day today

[~Wicky~]

thanks

 

edit: i think it was indeed me, you were there with Patricia right?

 

That's right! I wasn't sure either, but I remembered your name...

[cathouzouf]

Hi! I arrived in Liège for the festival around 5pm and ended up 3rd row, in the middle, just behind sabine and graciosa (I was very pleased to see Renate again: the last time we saw each other was at Bercy, and to meet Sabine, whom I knew from the Oldlings thread, for real). I knew there was no need to queue early to secure a good spot as I already went to Les Ardentes 2 years ago. I love this festival: no stress, nice place with trees, good vibes.

Mika's voice was perfect last night and I loved the show. I expected "Live your life" as an encore but he didn't sing it, unfortunately. It would have been perfect to end the gig.

He sang lots of songs, he was energic and improved his swearing in French...

Before "Elle me dit", he made an intro and sang "Elle me dit 'danse' Je la dis (grammar mistake here) Je sais pas danser'/ "Elle me dit'danse' Je la dis "fais pas chier" (which means "p*ss off/ f*ck off).

Sorry it's too busy at work to do a proper report

 

I loved that intro!

 

 

And I never thought I would day that, as I always said I hate Big Girls, but the new version is really good:mf_rosetinted:

[camille*]

Here are some of my pics (the rest here http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/camille_427/library/Facebook/Mika%20Les%20Ardentes%20Lige%2012072013) and my shaky vids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YOUTUBE]l9K7GuKy6Bs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]XQXIDrRPf1c[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]VpMjT_CtLow[/YOUTUBE]

 

I hope to see better videos than mine pop up soon

[Zimwana]

Thank you everyone for your detailed reports

 

After Werchter Classic (where I was a Big Girl for the second time and I had a nice chat with Mama P.) I know that Mama P. knows me. Which is nice. Last night she was in the car waiting for Mika to finish the m&g. I saw her sitting in the front seat, next to the driver.

I didn't think too long, and wanted to greet her. Since the window was closed on her side, I went to the side of the driver, who had the window open. As soon as I showed my face in the window, Mama P. saw me and recognized me straight away. She started to smile, and greeted me. We had a short chat, and I gave her some Dutch stroopwafels (a Dutch cookie) which she loved. Then she thanked me for being at her sons gig. I reacted with the words: I loved to see your boy again! At the same time Mika entered the car and heard me saying that! and gave me a big smile! That was the best moment of the whole day!

 

Aww what a nice story!

 

He sang lots of songs, he was energic and improved his swearing in French...

Before "Elle me dit", he made an intro and sang "Elle me dit 'danse' Je la dis (grammar mistake here) Je sais pas danser'/ "Elle me dit'danse' Je la dis "fais pas chier" (which means "p*ss off/ f*ck off).

Sorry it's too busy at work to do a proper report

 

I noticed he's been saying that (Je la dit danse) a few times in the past weeks and wondering when someone woud tell him it's a mistake But anyway I think it's a cute mistake

[dcdeb]

Love your photos, Ilse -- especially the confetti one! Thanks for sharing them.

 

ah well maybe next time (one day i hope to have a perfect little meet & greet after the show waiting for him to come out. I always say the gig is the most important thing and the little meet and greet is just an extra bonus. I still stand by that, but that doesn't mean i can't hope for a nice little moment/meet and greet afterwards, right? , so fingers crossed, i'll get that some day)

 

Aww, hope you get that special moment -- you're responsible for capturing one of my favorite moments with Mika, I'd really like you to have the same.

 

And thanks everyone for all the photos and reports -- as much as I don't care for festivals, I really wish I'd been at this one! I'm glad you've all been so generous with sharing, allowing me to feel like I was there.

[macboll]

Thank you everyone for your detailed reports

 

 

 

Aww what a nice story!

 

 

 

I noticed he's been saying that (Je la dit danse) a few times in the past weeks and wondering when someone woud tell him it's a mistake But anyway I think it's a cute mistake

 

Exactly! I hope nobody tells him .

[ilseh1983]

Love your photos, Ilse -- especially the confetti one! Thanks for sharing them.

 

 

 

Aww, hope you get that special moment -- you're responsible for capturing one of my favorite moments with Mika, I'd really like you to have the same.

 

And thanks everyone for all the photos and reports -- as much as I don't care for festivals, I really wish I'd been at this one! I'm glad you've all been so generous with sharing, allowing me to feel like I was there.

 

i am?

[dcdeb]

i am?

 

Oh yeah, that little video from Edinburgh in 2010. You caught Mika speaking to me.