2015 - Adelphi Theatre, London 18 October - REPORTS/PICS/VIDS

[Christine]

Maybe to him playing a french song in the uk is as "punk" as playing billy brown in russia... if he ever got bullied as a kid in the uk for his french accent or french background, this might be his way to say 'see, i can get away with it!'. - it might not be what most of his uk audience likes, but i'm sure he knows this (last time at the roundhouse i wasn't sure, but now i am), and that he does it anyway probably means that he won't listen, whatever some people might say. For some reason, it's more important to him than the risk of disappointing anyone in the audience.

 

He wouldn't have had a French accent as a child. He would have learned English from his American parents which is why he has a slight American accent even now. We had an MFCer in a similar situation except that he remained in Paris until he was 17 or 18 and he had no trace of a French accent when speaking English. If I was going to guess on some kind of subversive motivation it would be to say f*ck you to the British media. At least that's what I would have said in 2012. I don't think he cares anymore and the real issue is he's just being self-indulgent as Camille says. I think a song like OOL is also totally self indulgent and there's not much reason to have a song like that on the setlist when he has pretty much jettisoned the entire TBWKTM album even though it was more successful than TOOL everywhere except possibly Italy.

 

What you were saying about the German in Zurich, I don't find it hurtful or a betrayal exactly and I have no illusions that Mika is not spending the vast majority of his time being a non-English artist. He is in Italy or France 90+% of his working time and I accepted it long ago. What I'm not going to accept (ie keep travelling around to gigs at great expense or buying French and Italian editions of albums) is that on the ONE day out of 365 or 1000 that he is actually in New York or London he can't indulge the audience instead of himself. That he can't be fully present and we can't have him back as an English artist for ONE BLOODY DAY. In New York he's tweeting about X Factor. In London he's singing French songs in lieu of old favourites. English speakers bought these albums by the millions and all we ask for is ONE BLOODY DAY that he puts his Italian and French business on hold. He was in Paris the night before. He was in Italy the next day. Why can't he cater to English fans for one night out of 3 entire years?

 

Anyway rhetorical question obviously since you are right he does not care.

[Gabry74]

The concert at the Adelphi Theatre in London is in the first place on my personal placement about the Mika's concerts! ❤ I was in the dress circle in front of him and near the mum, the grandma, Yasmine and Andy! ❤ When has sang Happy Ending without music, "a cappella", Over my shoulder and Hurts, in remix version, for the first time for me, it was really exciting! ❤ It'll be forever in my heart! I stayed in London for 4 days with my family and my friends and I love this city! ???? The meeting at the pub near the theatre, before the show, was a really good idea! I was very happy to see old and new members of the MFC! ???? ❤

Edited October 23, 2015 by Gabry74

[Jonc]

I am a bit behind (as usual!) and as I am heading to work soon, I don't have time to quote everyone but I want to thank everyone who participated in the Fan Action - and I don't feel like I should be granted any thank yous because without all of you, participating, there would be no fan action, so I am just a small part of this amazing machine called Mika Fan Club! I just shared my vision and it was nothing without your help. I also want to thank everyone, who had fun because of the Action and just I want to thank everyone for being there and for all of the reviews and pictures and videos here and for having an opportunity to meet you and I am just generally filled with love and joy at the moment, because I genuinely forgot, how amazing it is to be part of such a creative society as this fandom truly is. 

I've heard that Yasmine was filming the audience during TAY. That makes me very happy as well! 

I really, really hope we'll meet soon. 

[maggie112]

I can just say it was a perfect night for me   and thanks to MFC for organizing the pub meeting 

I'm uploading my videos on my Youtube account. I know they are not perfect, but it's nice for me having them as my personal memories of the night

Happy ending acappella

a bit of Staring at the sun

a bit of Boum Boum Boum

a bit of talk about you

a bit of No place in heaven 

Lollipop

We are golden

Relax

Hurts Edited October 23, 2015 by maggie112

[maggie112]

 I think a song like OOL is also totally self indulgent and there's not much reason to have a song like that on the setlist when he has pretty much jettisoned the entire TBWKTM album even though it was more successful than TOOL everywhere except possibly Italy.

 

 

I was expecting him to keep at least Rain in the setlist, now he does just WAG from the second album 

But I love OOL, if he has to remove some songs, please leave OOL there 

[crazyaboutmika]

I was expecting him to keep at least Rain in the setlist, now he does just WAG from the second album 

But I love OOL, if he has to remove some songs, please leave OOL there 

 

I was expecting him to keep at least Rain in the setlist, now he does just WAG from the second album 

But I love OOL, if he has to remove some songs, please leave OOL there 

I love Origin Of Love too It's always been one of my very fav  In Rennes he sang both Origin Of Love and Rain ... 

[mysti1990]

^ I also love OOL

[Marilyn Mastin]

A few words from me about the BBB discussion. In one point I agree with Christine: that Mika does everything to please the crowd in most countries. In amsterdam he sang in dutch, in france, italy and spain he speaks the language at gigs (at least a little bit in spain). Tbh, i was disappointed that at the only gig in the german speaking area, in zurich, he didn't even know the german words for "my german is not so good" anymore, which i think he has said at every gig in german-speaking areas so far. In the earlier days, he always said a few sentences in the local language, wherever it was. But in zurich now he chose to speak a mix between english and french, sometimes saying everything in both languages, sometimes using just one. I felt betrayed, because i had hoped (and knew from previous german-swiss gigs) he wouldn't speak french in an area where it isn't the main language. No idea if the german-swiss people minded, i don't know any except daeni, and she wasn't there. Anyway, french or not, i hated it that he hadn't even bothered to learn that one german sentence again for the gig, if he has forgotten it.

 

Now back to the topic, london... i'm not british and i've accepted over the last few years that mika isn't just a british artist anymore but that it makes my life as a fan easier to accept him talking and singing in other languages too, instead of trying to fight or to ignore it. Which ofc isn't the case for everyone, especially those who are not that interested in following most of his interviews etc.. so i understand jemma's point that if you still see him as a british artist, you won't be happy about a french song in london. There are british fans tho who didn't mind, or even liked, him doing BBB, and i don't think all of them follow his international career as closely as i do. You could also say about promiseland that it's just a bonus track, so why does he do it. He knows many of his fans like it, and maybe hopes other random gig-goers might like it too, when they hear it live. I don't know what his obsession with BBB is, but ever since it was released, tho it wasn't really a hit even in france, i got the impression that he loves this song for some reason. Maybe it's what camille said in her post above, that he likes the idea so much that "boum boum boum" has such an international meaning, in his opinion (but tbh, without the context of the other french words in the song, or his performance, cover artwork or videoclip, i'm not sure i'd have understood it...). Don't know if there was any gig since the release of the song where he didn't play it? at least he did at all the gigs i went to, including italy, where i wouldn't have expected any french songs either.

 

Maybe to him playing a french song in the uk is as "punk" as playing billy brown in russia... if he ever got bullied as a kid in the uk for his french accent or french background, this might be his way to say 'see, i can get away with it!'. - it might not be what most of his uk audience likes, but i'm sure he knows this (last time at the roundhouse i wasn't sure, but now i am), and that he does it anyway probably means that he won't listen, whatever some people might say. For some reason, it's more important to him than the risk of disappointing anyone in the audience.

 

Personally, i don't mind bbb - although there are a lot of songs i'd prefer to hear instead of it, but the same goes for over my shoulder. For me, it's just a question of my personal perfect setlist, which even might include 1-2 french songs, but not bbb. I'm just glad he didn't do that l'amour song - which might have nice lyrics, but the music is just... well, he even had to defend the song in luxemburg, guess that says it all.

As a British fan, it isn't that he has songs in French that sometimes bugs me, nor is it that he has an international career. He has to find his career where he can, and at least the foreign shows keep him going strong. I'm not so interested in the foreign shows, but I've always understood why he does them.

What gets to me is that he never mentions the UK, and all we have had is this one London gig. He must know that his UK fans still love him and want him to do more over here. I know there has to be invitations for him to do certain things, but do they even know he'd like to do, maybe, an advert on TV, or some TV work?

When he was on The One Show, the hosts seemed really enthusiastic about him, talking about how he speaks so many languages and seemed enthusiastic about his album. but there wasn't really enough UK publicity, only that brief week with a couple of radio shows on Radio 2, not radio one.

But then there was this announcement that he would be starting some radio work in the UK. That would have been awesome! But it's come to nothing.

I come on here in the vain hope of something being announced. Some radio in the UK, some TV, or some more UK gigs? I hope against hope, and Mika remains silent.

If only he would say something. Just to let his UK fans know he hasn't forgotten us, even if it is such that it would be next year before we get him back. He announces when his book is out in Italy, he announces a gig for Korea, and nothing for the UK.

This is why being his fan these days, in the UK, is so disappointing.

Besides, if he had tried to get EMD or BBB on the radio in the UK, maybe people would have liked the songs. He never gave them a chance to be liked. Maybe he should have done. . 

Edited October 24, 2015 by Marilyn Mastin

[teenagedreamer98]

As a British fan, it isn't that he has songs in French that sometimes bugs me, nor is it that he has an international career. He has to find his career where he can, and at least the foreign shows keep him going strong. I'm not so interested in the foreign shows, but I've always understood why he does them.

What gets to me is that he never mentions the UK, and all we have had is this one London gig. He must know that his UK fans still love him and want him to do more over here. I know there has to be invitations for him to do certain things, but do they even know he'd like to do, maybe, an advert on TV, or some TV work?

When he was on The One Show, the hosts seemed really enthusiastic about him, talking about how he speaks so many languages and seemed enthusiastic about his album. but there wasn't really enough UK publicity, only that brief week with a couple of radio shows on Radio 2, not radio one.

But then there was this announcement that he would be starting some radio work in the UK. That would have been awesome! But it's come to nothing.

I come on here in the vain hope of something being announced. Some radio in the UK, some TV, or some more UK gigs? I hope against hope, and Mika remains silent.

If only he would say something. Just to let his UK fans know he hasn't forgotten us, even if it is such that it would be next year before we get him back. He announces when his book is out in Italy, he announces a gig for Korea, and nothing for the UK.

This is why being his fan these days, in the UK, is so disappointing.

Besides, if he had tried to get EMD or BBB on the radio in the UK, maybe people would have liked the songs. He never gave them a chance to be liked. Maybe he should have done. . 

 

I know.  Sometimes I really wish I lived in France, or Italy, or even Korea...  I really want to read his book, but I don't expect it will be translated to English.

[DerMoment1608]

Better late than never my report from London

I had 3 amazing days in London   Everything started in the Eurostar and luckily everything went well (I was a bit as some people had tickets from me...). And after first running past my hostel and later past the Smollensky's  I did finally arrive at the MFC meet up. And did enjoy that one very much I was happy to get to know some more MFCers - and to meet two fellow subtitling team members finally for real And I didn't feel out of place like it often happens for me if I'm at a party with so many people. It was just really nice to see people you know from MFC & Twitter in reality and talk to some of them. Yet I had the feeling I missed so many ones as I still don't know that many faces and as I'm a bit shy, so I'd suggest name tags for the next time.

Sadly we couldn't stay that long as we had to collect our tickets. Luckily everything went well in the end, even if Seeticket tried their best with messing up with some tickets Than we started to distribute the houses, clouds & stars. Which wasn't as easy as thought as we couldn't get into the circles. And my pronunciation must be so bad , every time I asked someone if he is dress circle or upper circle people where like " "" Luckily in the end we could find some people who did get what we wanted and agreed to take a pile for distributing them at the people around them, and we could go to our places.

The Citizens started and I did like the songs more. The effect of hearing them twice live But nonetheless I couldn't really enjoy the performance because I felt like I was in chains, being forced to sit on that chair. And I was worried what would happen when Mika would start, if I'd have to stay seated again. It's just impossible for me to sit a Mika gig, I have to move and dance and clap and sing   But I didn't want to block the view of the people behind me neither. So I just hoped for a collective stand up. And luckily we had it most of the time! I was so happy when everybody jumped up at Big Girl   And than at Good Wife, too, although it was not a totally fast song   And from that point on at every song that was a bit faster.

I'm very happy he did play OMS and Hurts as he didn't play them in Paris. OMS is just one of THE most perfect songs for this kind of setting and indeed it was beautiful    I did also enjoy the “mid-fast” (Good Wife, BBB, SATS…) songs very much, somehow they did work better for me than in the arena. I especially did love Lollipop, too, seeing it from so close by. And of course Promiseland is just a highlight all the time! And I did like the division into angels-purgatory-hell in Underwater - hearing the people above you singing in a choir... I was very eager to hear the a capella part of Happy Ending, too, this is just perfect for a theater. Strangely I thought that the acoustics in Paris were better, and I was 20th row there

But aside from single songs, the most important thing for me at a gig is that I’m totally “captured” and it happened again for me in London. Aside from the times when I was mulling over if I can get up or not    At this point a thank you to the girls in row E or F on the left for making a start and being the first one to get up very often! But otherwise I was just “into the gig”. I didn't even realize part of his family was there until WAG

And I was very happy that I could understand the things he said this time.

It was a unique concert and day. I think I wouldn't want to have it all the time, I prefer "normal" concerts, but as a special gig it was fantastic. And personally I was very happy that I did Paris and London, as a package it was amazing: The full stage design and energy and "crowd feeling" of a standing gig in Paris and the experience of being in a theatre, seeing him from near, having a lot of space, hearing Hurts and OMS - and seeing so many MFCers and experiencing the gig together with them - in London

And taking a look at shiny Big Ben & London eye afterwards you can’t have anywhere else, too   (Thanks Vv for suggesting to do this stroll afterwards )
 

[iadoremika]

 

Anyway rhetorical question obviously since you are right he does not care.

 

To some degree, he shouldn't care. It's his music, and his art, after all. But he's starting to annoy people. I don't find it annoying, but I've definitely lost all interest in his music. I thought the one-off French songs were nice, ah the days of those YouTube videos. But then it got to a point where I felt like his music was no longer accessible and, to some extent, interesting for me. It's not that I don't like French music (Coeur de Pirate = ), but the Mika I used to love has changed too much for my liking.

[Christine]

To some degree, he shouldn't care. It's his music, and his art, after all.

I would have agreed with that several years ago, but in the interim he has rented out his art to corporations, TV stations, etc. There is no artistic integrity in ignoring your audience when choosing a setlist and instead conspicuously inserting BMWs into your music videos. Fans have bought millions of albums and are spending £48 per ticket to see him perform - in other words more money than he ever receives from BMW, Swatch, Valentino and others who are influencing his choices all the time. Influencing choices in things that are ostenibly made for his audience. We deserve even more consideration than these corporations, not less. If Mika just wants to please himself and his corporate sponsors then he's going to have to get my £48 from someone else. I am not a charity. I spend my money on things I want, not what works for Valentino or a pop star's French market.

 

I don't find it annoying, but I've definitely lost all interest in his music. I thought the one-off French songs were nice, ah the days of those YouTube videos. But then it got to a point where I felt like his music was no longer accessible and, to some extent, interesting for me. It's not that I don't like French music (Coeur de Pirate = ), but the Mika I used to love has changed too much for my liking.

Yes sadly this is the case for so many and why funding from BMW and a collaboration with an Italian rapper is now necessary. It's an endless downward spiral.

[iadoremika]

If Mika just wants to please himself and his corporate sponsors then he's going to have to get my £48 from someone else. I am not a charity. I spend my money on things I want, not what works for Valentino or a pop star's French market.

Would you look at that, I am way more out of the loop than I thought.    I had no idea the corporate sponsorship was so strong. I think the Italian rapper collaboration is particularly strange (and I'm only basing my opinion off of the Mika music I used to listen to) because that doesn't seem like his type of music. Then again, didn't Mika learn Italian? Anyway, I think part of the reason why he focuses so strongly on non-English speaking audiences is because maybe he didn't find the success he wanted with the English speaking market. But then again, that's just...my interpretation.

[mine]

late late late!!!!!!

but here are my pics

 

[Kumazzz]

Periscope Clips　

taken by Grazia Tillymilo recorded by  Lucrezia

Thanks a million for sharing !!!

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxtyZuo401xaUnZrSWpjblQ0bzg&usp=sharing

[Menthe]

I would have agreed with that several years ago, but in the interim he has rented out his art to corporations, TV stations, etc. There is no artistic integrity in ignoring your audience when choosing a setlist and instead conspicuously inserting BMWs into your music videos. Fans have bought millions of albums and are spending £48 per ticket to see him perform - in other words more money than he ever receives from BMW, Swatch, Valentino and others who are influencing his choices all the time. Influencing choices in things that are ostenibly made for his audience. We deserve even more consideration than these corporations, not less. If Mika just wants to please himself and his corporate sponsors then he's going to have to get my £48 from someone else. I am not a charity. I spend my money on things I want, not what works for Valentino or a pop star's French market.

 

 

Yes sadly this is the case for so many and why funding from BMW and a collaboration with an Italian rapper is now necessary. It's an endless downward spiral.

I don’t think that BBB was composed for any commercial purpose (publicity or other), that’s why I don’t understand what is your point here. Thinking that Mika performed it just because he doesn’t care anymore of his english speaking fans is exaggerated. You can be disappointed by his career and music, but it’s a pity that you give so much importance to a song (only one of 17 others) because you also wrote that you enjoyed the gig very much. It can give to this experience a bitter taste and BBB isn’t worth it  .

For example, I didn’t like L’amour fait ce qu’il veut in Luxembourg, but perhaps some other fans liked it and it’s OK for me. In the end, it is a matter of personal taste and there can’t be only one right point of view.

On the other hand, Sariflor wrote, that apart from the hard core fans, the local crowd doesn’t know BBB and it wasn’t on the NPIH version sold in UK.  I understand from that point of view that the song isn’t perhaps the best choice for promoting his music there.

[Cil]

Thanks to everyone who posted their photos/videos/reports. I was trying to look for streamers on Periscope but that never did work out. Sad, considering this is one of the last stops of the tour (or is it?), but oh well <3

 

Quick sidenote, I find some of the overreactions in here are a bit worrying... performing one French song = alienating an entire subsection of a fan base, apparently? Mild product placement = a total lack of artistic integrity? Sorry, I just don't understand that train of thought.

[Christine]

I don’t think that BBB was composed for any commercial purpose (publicity or other), that’s why I don’t understand what is your point here. Thinking that Mika performed it just because he doesn’t care anymore of his english speaking fans is exaggerated. You can be disappointed by his career and music, but it’s a pity that you give so much importance to a song (only one of 17 others) because you also wrote that you enjoyed the gig very much. It can give to this experience a bitter taste and BBB isn’t worth it  .

 

I think BBB was composed entirely for commercial purposes, but in any case I'm not talking about BBB here, but just generally. At some gig or another I think I have had to listen to almost every French song he's ever recorded even though I have only seen Mika in Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland and Japan. In other words, not France.

[EuJeong]

mika - Lollipop

https://youtu.be/XsEMrfO1CcA

Edited October 27, 2015 by EuJeong

[RainbowGirl]

oh, i hope i didn't block your view too much with my jumping and filming and taking pix.

 

deb, there was a girl from australia at the meetup, she asked for an australian flag (and then decided to draw one with the markers, as i didn't have one), that's why i know. i think she said she lives in the UK (at least atm), but she's from australia, so she wanted to show her flag. don't know her name tho, or if she's even on mfc or was just a +1 of someone else (she was with 2 UK girls).

 

No of course not! Wonderful to see you, you kept me getting up and dancing!

 

I loved the gig. Abby and I were in row C dress circle ( thanks Theresa for the tickets which turned out to be great ) Melody had a very tall person in Front of her and so did I, Mika's brother! Although he swapped seats and was then in front of Abby. Yes, the rest of the family were in a box to the side of the stage.

 

Rosie and I thought we saw Mika's brother arrive but after the show I ended up talking to a guy who looked almost exactly like him so I thought maybe we'd seen him enter instead!

 

Secondly, I was in purgatory, i.e. the dress circle. NEVER AGAIN! For the first third of the show no-one stood up. I mean, how can you SIT during BG, for goodness sake? Eventually when everyone did get up (forgotten what song it was), they all sat down again at the end of the song leaving just four of us standing, at which point the person behind started 'tut-tutting', so we had to sit again. It was indeed purgatory for me until towards the end of the show when the rest of the dress circle finally discovered that they actually had feet and stood up (especially when I could see lots of people I knew in the stalls having a much better time ) 

 

 

The Fortune-looking guy I made friends with (as above!) said the same thing! He was also jealous of the people in the stalls

 

I know.  Sometimes I really wish I lived in France, or Italy, or even Korea...  I really want to read his book, but I don't expect it will be translated to English.

 

In the Le Divan interview (so thankful for translators on here!) there is mentioned of a 'title in English' so I would've assumed it would be published in English???

[jemmalee]

So apparently according to Mika I need some BBB in my life. How insulting. I am so disappointed and upset by this. So low.

[maggie112]

I try to express myself better than on twitter (too few characters and I'm not a native english speaker, so,  sorry in advance!)

I know that saying "you should do more BBB" ,or other phrases which mean the same thing, it's not a really polite way of expressing (well, not at all!)

 I heard it many times, when someone makes too much drama about something that doesn't deserve it, in the opinion of the person who says.  for example , I heard it about "fan drama" (for example about M's career choices, or setlist choices, or troubles with other fans...) said by other people who only think that making drama was exaggerate or not worth the argument ...

I'm really sorry if people involved in this "joke" in particular feel offended, imho he didn't think about how much this phrase could be rude and offending people and meant it just as "a bit" vernacular joke 

[EuJeong]

18.10.2015 London Gig

 

Edited November 4, 2015 by EuJeong

[silver]

Nice pics, EuJeong   I especially like his expression in the last one

[mellody]

there are 7 pix from adelphi on the new mikasounds website, i think i've seen one or two of them already - but not this one with the flags yet: