2013 - Faroe Islands Summer Festival - 8 August - REPORTS/VIDS/PICS

[Mikasister]

Ok, I'm exhausted but it's time for a review before it's too late.

This was one of the most pleasant trips I've taken overseas and I enjoyed seeing the Faroe Islands with Nina even more than seeing Mika live again to be honest. This is my only Mika gig this year and it was enough until the next one (hopefully soon). Anyway, the Faroe Islands were absolutely stunning. It's a peaceful, spiritual, beautiful and enchanting place where all you can see are mountains, farm animals, waterfalls and an untouched beauty of nature.

I couldn't imagine how incredible it would be when I booked the flight with Nina earlier this year and I'm so happy we decided to see this show together.

Travelling with Nina was an absolute pleasure because as you all know she's very sweet and kindhearted and easy to get along with; So thank you for being my travel buddy, Nina; Lets do it again soon!

Before we got on the plane, I bought a coke bottle randomly and the name 'Jacob' was on it. By a strange twist of faith, we sat next to a man named 'Jakob' on the plane and he was going to Klaksvik! He was very helpful and helped us take the right buses to the town and was very friendly like most of the people on the Islands. Very down to earth, simple living people; Which I absolutely adored because it reminded me of my childhood and growing up in a small town with friendly neighbors. The only downside to the Faroe Islands is that it is absolutely FREEZING COLD there. I was naive and wore my sandals and leather jacket and it lead to me having to purchase a winter coat just to survive. Nina bought some shoes for her cold feet.

When we arrived in Klaksvik, the tourist information desk alarmed us that our previously booked room at a nearby the festival bed and breakfast was cancelled, so they had booked us an apartment in a house about fifteen minutes away from the festival area. Here's a photo of the (red) house that I took

It was actually much nicer than the B&B because it was located in the mountains with an absolutely breathtaking view of Klaksvik's mountains and rivers, so we didn't mind that it was a bit far away that much.

About our festival experience; Everybody who worked at the festival, from the security to the volonteers, seemed very confused and laid back about the information about opening hours and rules, etc; And we weren't sure when or even if the doors ever opened because people were inside the festival even before and no one bothered to check wristbands.

It was difficult to find a restaurant in Klaksvik as well so me and Nina starved until right before Mika got onstage and we felt very weak.

About the show: The only downside was the crowd because it was pretty much only children and teenagers watching the concert; Which made me, Nina and Yulia feel old and ridicilous in a way.

They all went beserk as soon as Mika got onstage and started to push and shove and act violent; And that made us feel not only uncomfortable but also concerned (as the grown women we are) about the little children's safety. A lot of kids had to be taken out of the crowd by security which reminded me of Michael Jackson's concerts (where girls and boys would faint just from seeing him), except these girls and boys were really really young people who were about to faint. It was all very discomforting and they shouldn't had been allowed to be there by their parents but let me just say that I saw a little girl smoke a cigarette carelessly and was shocked, after the show. I think these parents are okay with their kids having fun once a year or something at this festival but it still concerned us. It was also very difficult to enjoy Mika's show when you constantly had to fight for yours and others' safety because security at the show just didn't seem to care; Except for a few times when they carried the kids out of the audience and another (funny) time when a horrible, teenage boy, who had been drinking too much and was yelling for Mika to do 'RELAX!!! RELAX!!!' throughout the show, started to knock Nina from behind on her head; Which worried me. We called the security and they were just ignoring us, but then, all of the sudden, one came up to us, looking furious at the boy, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer in a threatening manner, between Nina, then simply pushed him back into the crowd: It was crazy! Funny but crazy. And sometimes, a group of ten of them would come to us in a big mob and point their flashlights into the front row but without doing anything else but distract us from Mika lol

It was almost impossible to actually watch the show like we normally would because there were constant distractions and discomforts going on in the front row. The kids would try anything to get to the front row, so they would all push and push and push throughout the show. Nina tried to distract herself by taking photos with the professional camera she managed to be able to use inside and I was too, but the photos didn't turn out as good as they usually would because of the white balance and light on the stage.

I only filmed two songs; Rain & She Tells Me / EMD and a bit of Lollipop, which was the last song he did. As for what I managed to see from Mika; He was in top form and full of energy. He was obviously in love with the Faroe Islands and kept telling the audience that it was the most beautiful place he has ever been to, which we agreed with of course. Everyone should visit the Faroe Islands because it is truly stunning. The stage was perfect for a Mika show I thought, because he had a giant ramp/cat walk to walk down and pose and dance on. As naive as I am I actually thought he would perform 'Overrated' because they played it during soundcheck, but Nina told me he had done that before many times and it didn't mean he would perform it.

I wish he would change his setlist because I'm actually growing weary of hearing the same songs live over and over again; Although I must say that 'Underwater' was amazing, echoing through the mountains. I also enjoyed 'LYWID' and 'Elle Me Dit'. I know he's supposed to please the mainstream crowds with his old classics but as a long term fan I wish he would trade in one or two songs at least every now and then for new songs like 'Overrated'; Yes I love that one; But it really would be amazing live; He could even open up a show with that song it's so powerful. I just don't understand why he's settling with the same stuff live over and over again. I would go mad if I had to perform the same songs month after month at gigs. Yes, the band did alter some of the songs and I did enjoy Mika's piano intros but I guess I'm just one of those demanding fans; I want a new concert set and new songs; Even if it's just one or two; Or I'll grow weary of seeing him perform I'm afraid.

But like I said; He's one of the greatest live acts I've ever seen so it's always worth it to see his shows. He's Mika after all and a very unique and free artist. I would just like him to shock us a little more; Suprise us long term fans; Which he does do sometimes but I want it more often.

Now it sounds like I'm putting Mika down but I'm not; I have faith in him that he will surprise us with his next album and future projects, I really do; That's why I'm still his fan; And because he's not full of himself and stays humble to his fans; Which he proved to us again after the show. We gave him some birthday presents as he was being driven out of the festival area with the always lovely Mrs Penniman, and he seemed happy to see us.

We also bumped into him by a coincidence at the airport just as me and Nina had checked in and he seemed happy to say goodbye and chat a bit to us, as he was swarmed by little children (again) asking for autographs, which was really cute to see actually The little girls were so adorable.

So, to end this review; It was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life travelling to the Faroe Islands with Nina and it felt really intimate to be one of the few long term Mika fans who were there amongst all of those teenagers and children. Don't worry; We were careful so they wouldn't harm themselves during the show.

I would love to go there again some day and go hiking for a week or something. Thank you to Nina & Yulia (and of course Mika) for contributing to this very special experience; 'Til next time

 

MY PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laramay/sets/72157635000916559/

MY VIDS (more soon):

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?feature=addto&list=PLtLnnppEMa7QHt8SpytBEJRKUUeEhIEnE

 

 

 

It must have been a pleasure to visit a place like that. I really envy you,Nina and Yulia. I almost had in my eyes reading your report and seeing your pics Thanks so much Lara for this detailed report!

[LaraMay]

Aww thank you everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my review

[kath]

Thank you Lara and Nina for your very detailed reports - and all the lovely photos. It sounds as though you had a very special time. Great

[A. Clay]

TWITTER :

 

https://twitter.com/BjorkB/status/366662193330130945/photo/1

[Louiza]

Facebook

 

LARGE size http://imageshack.us/a/img4/6329/mav9.jpg

 

 

love the messages!!

[Kumazzz]

Facebook : OFFICIAL pics

 

one of the album

 

( 2048 x 1366 ) http://imageshack.us/a/img21/6701/wuzq.jpg

 

[LaraMay]

Lots of photos here (sorry if posted already) So many kids lol (and us)

 

http://nordlysid.fo/mika+tok+ahhoyrarnar+vid+storm+tad+svingadi+a+vagsbo.html

 

And some meet n greet while me and the girls were freezing outside

 

http://nordlysid.fo/pol+eydfinn+og+rogvi+hittu+mika.html

[Kumazzz]

Lots of photos here (sorry if posted already) So many kids lol (and us)

 

http://nordlysid.fo/mika+tok+ahhoyrarnar+vid+storm+tad+svingadi+a+vagsbo.html

 

And some meet n greet while me and the girls were freezing outside

 

http://nordlysid.fo/pol+eydfinn+og+rogvi+hittu+mika.html

 

Thanks a lot for posting Lara !!

 

http://nordlysid.fo/pol+eydfinn+og+rogvi+hittu+mika.html

 

 

I can't believe it's a SUMMER festival !!!

 

 

[snowli]

ahha,he's charming in those pics:)

[LaraMay]

Yes it was FREEZING cold there, Eriko I wore three dresses on top of eachother, one jacket, one leather jacket and a winter coat all at once lol And I'm from Sweden so I'm supposed to be used to cold weather.

[mellody]

thanks for the reports/pix!

 

tbh, from my personal point of view i can't understand why everyone loves this place so much. maybe you need to have been there to understand, but for me it has nothing appealing, except maybe that you have a lot of space and quietness. but seeing those photos from the island, it just feels cold and lonely to me. i get the same feeling from this place that i get from the song over my shoulder, and that's one of my least fave mika songs. but i also know that lots of people love this song, so i just find it fascinating again how different people's tastes are. personally, i think i'd prefer some tropical island over the faroe islands anytime.

 

anyway, lara i agree about the setlist. i love the tweaks in the songs, and i love that he sings songs from all 3 albums... but basically it feels like the shows from 2007, just with a few more songs and a lot less costumes. don't get me wrong, i do love the balloons and confetti, and i guess for anyone who has seen mika live for the first time, it might've been just as thrilling as it was for me in 2007. and during the show i'm too caught up in the moment to worry about it, but sometimes i wonder where mika's creative ideas for his shows have disappeared to. i'd have loved to see one of the us shows, judging from the videos i'd say this was something different, something new and exciting... like i'd expect it from mika. but at the summer festivals, just minor changes. hadn't he said once when ool was released, that he had enough songs to choose from now so he could decide anew for each show which songs to play? i wish he had done that, just tried out some things instead of always performing basically the same setlist.

but then, maybe i've just been to too many of his gigs already.

[LaraMay]

Thanks for reading my report, Karin!

I didn't expect to be all that impressed from seeing the Faroe Islands compared to a tropical island at first either, but once we arrived there, you could feel a special and peaceful atmosphere there for some reason. It's not for everyone and I told my friend, who also loves to travel, that she probably wouldn't like it because there's not much to do there really, except for walking around and enjoying the scenery, so I can understand that not everybody would enjoy going there. Personally, everything captured my heart about the Faroe Islands except for the extreme cold weather there.

And yes, I also hope Mika brings his creativity back for his next tour.

[krysady]

Thanks for the reports and pix! I loooove the message for Krista ....well I love all the messages

[Kumazzz]

Photos from Facebook

 

https://www.facebook.com/bjarturvest/media_set?set=a.10151631694117198.1073741837.727317197&type=3