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


crazyaboutmika

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Hello :biggrin2:

RL has been very busy for me since Sunday so this is my first visit to MFC.

Great to read all the reports and see the pics. Will catch up on the vids when I can. Thanks to everyone for sharing :huglove:

This was the first Mika tour that I have had to wait until the very last gig to see the show and it was driving me nuts. But it was fantastic.

So great to see so many old faces... But was sad to miss some too.

Thanks so much to Deb for organising the meet up... It was great.

Thanks also to everyone who organised the fan actions - they were very successful.

Thanks to Marilyn for the badges... Very kind of you. :huglove:

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.

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Mika's back catalogue is now huge with 4 albums worth of non-French songs and the fact he chose to sing in French, I find a little insulting. Go and do that in France, not here.

I really enjoyed the show and loved the changed arrangements of the classics (wow that sounds weird). I love Mika. I think he's ####ing fantastic.

I love French people, I love France and I appreciate their culture. This is no way me hating on France. In London I want the London Mika. I hope you understand.

To be fair Mika can do what he likes, but I can't follow up every path and enjoy it.

 

I totally get you, Jemma. And I respect your opinion -- I hope that everyone else here does, as well. He could have easily done an all-English set. It's not like he wasn't customizing the setlist throughout the tour -- Stardust in Italy because of its success with Chiara, Live Your Life in Spain because of the beer commercial. I happen to like Boum Boum Boum, so I didn't mind it, but if he'd skipped it I wouldn't have missed it. I'd have been just as happy to hear some other uptempo song -- he's got plenty to choose from, as you say. Maybe Rain. :dunno:

 

 

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).

 

I see, thanks, Karin. So she didn't come from Australia just to see Mika.

 

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.

 

:lmfao: Kath, I was looking at Abby's pics and yours on FB, and I could see Fortune's hair in every one. Made me chuckle.

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Firstly, what a great set - good mix of old and new, and OMS  :wub: - LOVE that song!

 

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 :() 

 

And finally, I can't believe anyone is moaning about him doing a song in French. Most people in non-English-speaking countries have to attend concerts by artists who speak English all the time, and I don't hear them complaining. It wasn't like he did the whole gig in French - just the one song!

 

And now, all I want is another gig! Anywhere I can stand up and dance. And afford to get to. Not much to ask! :teehee:   

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And a bunch of thank you's:

to Deb for organizing the MFC meetup

to everyone who was at the meetup for making it such a fab event - also to Smollensky's

to Jonc for the fan action - and to everyone who helped with it

to Marilyn for the fantastic glittery badges

to whoever had the idea with the flags

to Christine for the lovely gift for my son

and to Mika and his band and crew and all of MFC, because without all of these people, this fab weekend wouldn't have happened. :group_hug:

 

I'll thank you Karin for printing the "Thank you flags" at the very last hours because Daeni, who had they printed the day and night before, couldn't come because of personal circumstances. It was Corinne from France and me who had the idea with the "Thank you flags". Corinne had the idea to write Thank you in every own language and then we added the idea with the different flags to show Mika how big is his whole fan family. :thumb_yello: 

And this we showed very impressive with our fan action during Talk about you.  :)  :wub:

 

And thank you all for your reports and who share their videos from this evening  :wub: 

 

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I love Live Your Life. Would have much preferred that or something like Rain.

I didn't know what to expect tbh as I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought over my shoulder was fantastic. I've always loved that live.

Edited by jemmalee
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And finally, I can't believe anyone is moaning about him doing a song in French. Most people in non-English-speaking countries have to attend concerts by artists who speak English all the time, and I don't hear them complaining. It wasn't like he did the whole gig in French - just the one song!

 

That's not the point I was trying to make. Non-English speaking countries have a choice to listen to English artists & attend their concerts. They would expect them to sing in English because that's what they have invested in. If I was interested in a South American artist for example I wouldn't be annoyed if they sang in their native language, I would expect it.

Maybe I should have lowered my expectations.

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I just keep remembering things about this gig - it definitely was one of the better ones, mainly I think because Mika was putting so much into the songs and seemed to be enjoying himself.

 

I think I will be looking at the videos for some time :naughty:

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Hi everyone,

 

It was my first gig after 3 years (with the last 2 being only festival appearances), so I feel I need to post a short review as well. 

 

To be honest my expectations from the gig were more related to a kind of nostalgy and was more excited about meeting my friends than attending the gig. I still looked forward to it, of course, but not with great excitement. Someone even asked me beforehand: 'What if he disappoints? ' to which  I responded confidently: 'he would not - he can't do wrong with a live show'. He proved me right, of course. I can't say it was one of his best shows ever etc, but it was as enjoyable as most of the other nearly 20 I attended several years ago.

The reason it is always worth attending his shows are still the same: great songs, extreme energy, unbelievable stage presence and continuous effort to improve / change the performance a bit. For the old songs, like Lollipop and GK, I must say I appreciated the effort more than the end result, but still, I'd rather listen to him experimenting than being stuck with past sound. The most 'annoying' innovation I found was the acapella elements put at the end or sometimes even to the beginning of the songs. It's not that I don't like the idea, but it was just added to too many songs. Even if all those bits had been sung perfectly it would have been too much / 'too theatrical' for my taste, but as a couple of these went rather off, my conclusion  is that less is usually more.

Anyway, it did not impact my overall gig experience as I really enjoyed the show. For me, the way I measure the most outstanding songs of the night is to list the one I recall right after the gig and the ones that 'get played' in my head in the coming hours and days... So using these indicators, the best songs for me were Over My Shoulder, Promiseland, Hurts and Staring at the Sun. (The latter a funny choice as otherwise I never liked that song.  :teehee: ) 

One change also noticeable for me vs previous years is his confidence on stage and interaction with the audience. It was a gradual change, I know, but most likely these tv talent shows he is doing must have added to it. (So one positive aspect of him becoming a tv star noted ​ :naughty:  ) Let me note, though, that when he split the audience into three I expected we'd sing in 3 parts, so after all that long preparation and just that simple task made me slightly disappointed  :P.

If I needed to take one song out to replace with another one, for me it would have been BBB as well, since I can't sing along to that. I really don't understand why he chose to sing it despite knowing right from the start it won't go down well with most people. Most likely he did that 'just because he can' and because he had no more other songs in his current repertoir to add. To me, it was still a better choice than EMD.

So, my overall experience reassured me it will be worth booking a ticket for the London show when album No 5 comes out , or, hopefully-  if his busy tv star life allows -, if and when he does something special sooner. 

Edited by suzie
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I had an absolutely wonderful few days in London. I haven't been to a full Mika gig in Europe in almost 6 years so it was a chance to see some I hadn't seen in many years or those who became fans more recently.

 

Thanks to Deb for organizing Smollenskys. The mojitos appealed to me far more than Citizens so we ended up closing the place down (they kicked us out not long before Mika's set started!) :teehee:

 

I was a few rows back but it was so small it didn't matter and the best part was I was on the aisle so my view was totally unobstructed. I have been avoiding all gig reports, pics and videos since the start of the tour so I could get a fresh perspective but it seems like a wasted effort since there was no set :aah:

 

I was very happy to hear Good Wife and Promiseland however so that was fab. Other highlights for me were Underwater, Last Party, NPIH and I found OMS especially good this time around. Probably because Max's voice works better with Mika's falsetto than anyone else that has ever done backing vocals. I was almost wincing with the off mic bit of Happy Ending it started off so shaky but Mika quickly reined it in and it finished off stunning.

 

With regards to Boum Boum Boum or any French song, let's talk about Promiseland instead. Why have we all been clamouring for this song? I'll tell you why I wanted to hear it. Because I knew it would be a massive hit with the audience, particularly with an English one. And it is for that reason I do not want to go to a gig in the UK and hear a song that has never been released there and that no one in the audience will understand and therefore connect with. If it was still 2007 and Mika needed to do covers to fill out a set because he doesn't have enough songs then fine. But where are other UK singles like Rain and Blame it on the Girls? Why sacrifice that for something that is not going to strike the same chord with the audience and can't even be purchased in the UK? It is ridiculous to me. As soon as it started I went to the toilet since it did not work in Brooklyn and I didn't even enjoy it in Montreal. From all the complaints I heard afterwards I think I didn't miss much.

 

Mika bends over backwards to cater to foreign markets and local audiences. He has gone so far as to learn an entire language to that end. But he performs in the UK once every 3 years and for some reason that I cannot fathom, expresses zero cultural sensitivity and desire to connect with the audience on their own level the way he does in every other country. I don't understand it. It is bad enough that I had to go to the UK and get an English CD from a German fan because there are none available in Canada but while I am at the gig I am still subjected to a French single in lieu of many UK singles and favourites missing from the setlist. It's absurd to compare that experience to the experience of non English speakers listening to English music. Mika didn't come out with French songs for 4 years. I didn't sign up to be a fan of a French artist and neither did the other 8 million people who bought LICM and TBWKTM. Anyway...

 

I do not think that was Mika's granny rocking out in the box seats but whoever she was she was sure having a good time. :lmfao: I noticed Yasmine was very excited when everyone held up the buildings, stars, etc. and took lots of photos (or maybe video). I am glad it was such a success for everyone who planned it and participated. And obviously the flags were a big hit too.

 

Unless Mika comes to Toronto again I think it will be my last gig for a very long time so I am glad so many people I wanted to see turned up and I had an unforgettable time all weekend. From an Oscar Wilde play to Carmen at the ROH and of course Mika, from shopping in Chelsea to a ride on a ferris wheel to hanging out at the Facebook offices, along with plenty of meals and gossip and laughter. It was simply brilliant. Thanks to all I had the pleasure to speak to or even just share the energy at the Adelphi theatre :)

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Well it's still a bit of a blur but I really enjoyed it - much more than I expected :teehee:

 

I don't understand a word of French, but I really like Boum Boum Boum and I'm glad he sang it. I think you can just enjoy the spirit of the song without needing the words. I'm no linguist, but I am used to hearing/ singing opera and choral music in all sorts of languages. For me, it is the music that is magic, not the words. And mostly I want to hear Mika sing, not sing along with him ( although I did sing along enough to make my voice go very deep the next day :aah:) so the language is less Important to me than for some, I suppose.

 

Mika comes from a well travelled family of multi linguists.When he was a kid singing at the ROH, he would have been working with people who usually sang in Italian, French or German and most top opera singers understand the languages they are singing in. I don't think Mika understands why people would only want to hear their own language all the time. What was it he said when introducing BBB? Something like " philosophy= philosophie - it's not so hard" :bleh:

 

We know from long experience of MFC that Mika can't please everybody here all the time. So he might as well please himself and sing what he likes :yes:

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Now I wanted to write my report and ended up on writing about BBB instead :naughty:

 

I get it when people personally don't like the French songs. It's okay, everyone has his preferences, and like it's okay that Suzie for example didn't like the acapella parts, it's okay that Jemma doesn't like French songs. But what I don't get is the "he shouldn't do French songs in the UK".

 

People may don't get the exact lyrics. But it's not like you can't enjoy a song in a lot of other ways. And from the crowd reaction it's not like it went wrong in general, at least not around me. Most people did move and later did laugh at his "showing" how to do BBB.

 

French songs are part of his musical identity now. And why should he deny this part of him to the UK fans? You could easily turn the tables as well: if he wouldn't do French songs in the UK at all, other UK fans would ask why it's being denied to them to hear songs that are huge crowd pleasers in all other countries just because of the language. Mika is such a versatile artist. And why shouldn't he show all of his sites to everyone?

 

And I think it's something different to especially play a song that was released in a special country in that same country than to "withdraw" songs for a special country. Especially as he plays EMD/BBB outside of France, live they aren't songs "targeted" to a country. And most people in Spain, Germany or Italy for example don't understand French neither, they get as less from the lyrics as British people. And still 'no one' complains about BBB or EMD, people just party. It just works. Why should he assume it can't work for the UK either?

 

And doing what he wants to do even it's a bit out of the box is part of him since the beginning. Why should he stop at the language? And imho he's totally alright with that, an artist should do what he wants to do. You can't please everyone anyway. And as well as some people won't like it you'll have people who will appreciate exactly that, who will like hearing something different or who will like a "man of world".

 

So, my point is not that you shouldn't personally don't like it, just that I don't see why it should be such a bad decision to play one French song in the UK and if it would really be a "more right" decision for the crowd as a whole to leave them out.

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From the Facebook Page of Dr. Brian May:

 

**Tue 20 Oct 15**

MIKA SINGS A HOMAGE TO FREDDIE MERCURY ON TOUR - 'LAST PARTY'

 

On 18 Octobe 2015, Mika wrapped his latest tour at the Adelphi Theatre....

 

Dressed in a black suit embroidered with glittery fireworks, the singer expressed his happiness to be performing at the Adelphi Theatre and reminded the audience that he could see each and everyone of them. Playing the piano, dancing, singing and interacting with the public, Mika pleased everybody by performing his hits (Grace Kelly, Lollipop, Relax, Happy Ending) but also tracks from his most recent album: the catchy Talk About You, Good Guys and Last Party, an homage to Freddie Mercury and a very moving and beautiful song.

Unfortunately no footage of this song from the last show, but here it is from earlier in the tour... Touching.

 

https://www.facebook.com/BrianMayCom/posts/1066260233387240

http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsoct15c.html#35

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I totally get you, Jemma. And I respect your opinion -- I hope that everyone else here does, as well. He could have easily done an all-English set. It's not like he wasn't customizing the setlist throughout the tour -- Stardust in Italy because of its success with Chiara, Live Your Life in Spain because of the beer commercial. I happen to like Boum Boum Boum, so I didn't mind it, but if he'd skipped it I wouldn't have missed it. I'd have been just as happy to hear some other uptempo song -- he's got plenty to choose from, as you say. Maybe Rain. :dunno:

 

 

 

 

I see, thanks, Karin. So she didn't come from Australia just to see Mika.

 

 

 

:lmfao: Kath, I was looking at Abby's pics and yours on FB, and I could see Fortune's hair in every one. Made me chuckle.

Yes, I agree re French songs.... But at least he didn't open with a French song like he did at the Roundhouse three years ago which was a total no brainier!

 

Yep.... fourtunè was certainly an obstruction!

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I think you can just enjoy the spirit of the song without needing the words. I'm no linguist, but I am used to hearing/ singing opera and choral music in all sorts of languages. For me, it is the music that is magic, not the words.

Of course. I went to see Carmen at the Royal Opera House the following night and it goes without saying that the music is absolutely spectacular. To be honest I enjoyed it more than Mika's gig. Because Boum Boum Boum is total rubbish in comparison. With the exception of EMD, Mika's French songs are not relevant contemporary pop like Stromae or Coeur de Pirate or Christine and the Queens. The fact that they do not do well as singles in France should be the first indication that pop music fans in English speaking markets are not going to like them as much as his UK singles either.

 

We know from long experience of MFC that Mika can't please everybody here all the time. So he might as well please himself and sing what he likes :yes:

This gig isn't for MFCers, it was for 1500 British fans. And come on, no one in such an audience is going to be dissatisfied if he plays a single that they know versus one they've never heard of, cannot buy and do not understand. In New York the audience clearly did not have any familiarity with the song at all and it sucked all the energy out of the room whereas they went absolutely mad for Popular, WAG and even Last Party. To imagine that the audience could have gone away dissatisfied for not hearing a song they didn't know existed and they didn't connect with at all is ridiculous. Perhaps that was not the case in London, as I said I went to the toilets. But I tend to side with Jemma and everyone else who complained about it since I was standing sidestage in NYC and saw how BBB went over with an English audience versus the reception it received in Montreal where he got a deafening ovation instead of bored looks.

 

And I think it's something different to especially play a song that was released in a special country in that same country than to "withdraw" songs for a special country.

But the songs have already been withdrawn for the UK. They are not available on UK albums. Why would you remove popular songs from your setlist to add one that is inaccessible to the audience in every sense of the word? To "please himself"? If Mika is just there for that purpose he should give me my ÂŁ48 back since he is having such a great time at my expense.

 

Yep.... fourtunè was certainly an obstruction!

Oh gosh I feel your pain. That happened to me at Sadlers Wells. He was knelt down so thankfully not obstructing my view but because his legs were on the floor I was terrified of stepping on them and had to stand a metre back while everyone else in the front row was pressed against the stage, jumping, dancing, etc. :naughty:

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That's not the point I was trying to make. Non-English speaking countries have a choice to listen to English artists & attend their concerts. They would expect them to sing in English because that's what they have invested in. If I was interested in a South American artist for example I wouldn't be annoyed if they sang in their native language, I would expect it.

Maybe I should have lowered my expectations.

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

It was my first gig after 3 years (with the last 2 being only festival appearances), so I feel I need to post a short review as well. 

 

To be honest my expectations from the gig were more related to a kind of nostalgy and was more excited about meeting my friends than attending the gig. I still looked forward to it, of course, but not with great excitement. Someone even asked me beforehand: 'What if he disappoints? ' to which  I responded confidently: 'he would not - he can't do wrong with a live show'. He proved me right, of course. I can't say it was one of his best shows ever etc, but it was as enjoyable as most of the other nearly 20 I attended several years ago.

The reason it is always worth attending his shows are still the same: great songs, extreme energy, unbelievable stage presence and continuous effort to improve / change the performance a bit. For the old songs, like Lollipop and GK, I must say I appreciated the effort more than the end result, but still, I'd rather listen to him experimenting than being stuck with past sound. The most 'annoying' innovation I found was the acapella elements put at the end or sometimes even to the beginning of the songs. It's not that I don't like the idea, but it was just added to too many songs. Even if all those bits had been sung perfectly it would have been too much / 'too theatrical' for my taste, but as a couple of these went rather off, my conclusion  is that less is usually more.

Anyway, it did not impact my overall gig experience as I really enjoyed the show. For me, the way I measure the most outstanding songs of the night is to list the one I recall right after the gig and the ones that 'get played' in my head in the coming hours and days... So using these indicators, the best songs for me were Over My Shoulder, Promiseland, Hurts and Staring at the Sun. (The latter a funny choice as otherwise I never liked that song.  :teehee: ) 

One change also noticeable for me vs previous years is his confidence on stage and interaction with the audience. It was a gradual change, I know, but most likely these tv talent shows he is doing must have added to it. (So one positive aspect of him becoming a tv star noted ​ :naughty:  ) Let me note, though, that when he split the audience into three I expected we'd sing in 3 parts, so after all that long preparation and just that simple task made me slightly disappointed  :P.

If I needed to take one song out to replace with another one, for me it would have been BBB as well, since I can't sing along to that. I really don't understand why he chose to sing it despite knowing right from the start it won't go down well with most people. Most likely he did that 'just because he can' and because he had no more other songs in his current repertoir to add. To me, it was still a better choice than EMD.

So, my overall experience reassured me it will be worth booking a ticket for the London show when album No 5 comes out , or, hopefully-  if his busy tv star life allows -, if and when he does something special sooner. 

 

 

I had an absolutely wonderful few days in London. I haven't been to a full Mika gig in Europe in almost 6 years so it was a chance to see some I hadn't seen in many years or those who became fans more recently.

 

Thanks to Deb for organizing Smollenskys. The mojitos appealed to me far more than Citizens so we ended up closing the place down (they kicked us out not long before Mika's set started!) :teehee:

 

I was a few rows back but it was so small it didn't matter and the best part was I was on the aisle so my view was totally unobstructed. I have been avoiding all gig reports, pics and videos since the start of the tour so I could get a fresh perspective but it seems like a wasted effort since there was no set :aah:

 

I was very happy to hear Good Wife and Promiseland however so that was fab. Other highlights for me were Underwater, Last Party, NPIH and I found OMS especially good this time around. Probably because Max's voice works better with Mika's falsetto than anyone else that has ever done backing vocals. I was almost wincing with the off mic bit of Happy Ending it started off so shaky but Mika quickly reined it in and it finished off stunning.

 

With regards to Boum Boum Boum or any French song, let's talk about Promiseland instead. Why have we all been clamouring for this song? I'll tell you why I wanted to hear it. Because I knew it would be a massive hit with the audience, particularly with an English one. And it is for that reason I do not want to go to a gig in the UK and hear a song that has never been released there and that no one in the audience will understand and therefore connect with. If it was still 2007 and Mika needed to do covers to fill out a set because he doesn't have enough songs then fine. But where are other UK singles like Rain and Blame it on the Girls? Why sacrifice that for something that is not going to strike the same chord with the audience and can't even be purchased in the UK? It is ridiculous to me. As soon as it started I went to the toilet since it did not work in Brooklyn and I didn't even enjoy it in Montreal. From all the complaints I heard afterwards I think I didn't miss much.

 

Mika bends over backwards to cater to foreign markets and local audiences. He has gone so far as to learn an entire language to that end. But he performs in the UK once every 3 years and for some reason that I cannot fathom, expresses zero cultural sensitivity and desire to connect with the audience on their own level the way he does in every other country. I don't understand it. It is bad enough that I had to go to the UK and get an English CD from a German fan because there are none available in Canada but while I am at the gig I am still subjected to a French single in lieu of many UK singles and favourites missing from the setlist. It's absurd to compare that experience to the experience of non English speakers listening to English music. Mika didn't come out with French songs for 4 years. I didn't sign up to be a fan of a French artist and neither did the other 8 million people who bought LICM and TBWKTM. Anyway...

 

I do not think that was Mika's granny rocking out in the box seats but whoever she was she was sure having a good time. :lmfao: I noticed Yasmine was very excited when everyone held up the buildings, stars, etc. and took lots of photos (or maybe video). I am glad it was such a success for everyone who planned it and participated. And obviously the flags were a big hit too.

 

Unless Mika comes to Toronto again I think it will be my last gig for a very long time so I am glad so many people I wanted to see turned up and I had an unforgettable time all weekend. From an Oscar Wilde play to Carmen at the ROH and of course Mika, from shopping in Chelsea to a ride on a ferris wheel to hanging out at the Facebook offices, along with plenty of meals and gossip and laughter. It was simply brilliant. Thanks to all I had the pleasure to speak to or even just share the energy at the Adelphi theatre :)

 

 

Of course. I went to see Carmen at the Royal Opera House the following night and it goes without saying that the music is absolutely spectacular. To be honest I enjoyed it more than Mika's gig. Because Boum Boum Boum is total rubbish in comparison. With the exception of EMD, Mika's French songs are not relevant contemporary pop like Stromae or Coeur de Pirate or Christine and the Queens. The fact that they do not do well as singles in France should be the first indication that pop music fans in English speaking markets are not going to like them as much as his UK singles either.

 

 

This gig isn't for MFCers, it was for 1500 British fans. And come on, no one in such an audience is going to be dissatisfied if he plays a single that they know versus one they've never heard of, cannot buy and do not understand. In New York the audience clearly did not have any familiarity with the song at all and it sucked all the energy out of the room whereas they went absolutely mad for Popular, WAG and even Last Party. To imagine that the audience could have gone away dissatisfied for not hearing a song they didn't know existed and they didn't connect with at all is ridiculous. Perhaps that was not the case in London, as I said I went to the toilets. But I tend to side with Jemma and everyone else who complained about it since I was standing sidestage in NYC and saw how BBB went over with an English audience versus the reception it received in Montreal where he got a deafening ovation instead of bored looks.

 

 

But the songs have already been withdrawn for the UK. They are not available on UK albums. Why would you remove popular songs from your setlist to add one that is inaccessible to the audience in every sense of the word? To "please himself"? If Mika is just there for that purpose he should give me my ÂŁ48 back since he is having such a great time at my expense.

 

 

Oh gosh I feel your pain. That happened to me at Sadlers Wells. He was knelt down so thankfully not obstructing my view but because his legs were on the floor I was terrified of stepping on them and had to stand a metre back while everyone else in the front row was pressed against the stage, jumping, dancing, etc. :naughty:

 

 

Well...I haven't posted here for a while and I've obviously forgotten how long your posts can get when you start quoting people, as I have just realised how many I had picked up now when I opened this window to comment!!  :naughty: 

 

So I think that, rather than commenting on them individually, I will do a general post.

 

I really, really, enjoyed this gig. I knew that I would enjoy it because I have never not enjoyed a Mika gig, and throughout the years I have been to many (possibly too many?? :wink2: ) and I have never walked away bored or tired of it, but this one was my first after 3 years (the last one being the Roundhouse in Dec 2012) and I had a front row spot without having to queue for hours,  so I had really been looking forward to it. As everyone else has already said, he was really happy and energetic, and he seemed to be having a great time, which is always a good start. He seemed recovered from his recent health problems and it all went smoothly. I enjoyed hearing new songs live, such as Staring at the Sun and Last Party, and despite general opinions I didn't much care for Promiseland myself  :teehee: .

 

Another thing that I did really like the fact that there was no 'set' though, as for me the simple shows are always the best. Since it had been such a long time without being at one of his gigs, and the fact that I had not been even close to the front at the two 2012 London shows, this was my first front row since 2010 and I relished every single moment of it. It was great seeing all the little details, and just being able to absorb it all.

 

Over my Shoulder was a nice surprise, and so were the changes to the old (and one could say also tired :wink2: ) songs like Lollipop and Grace Kelly, so I liked that.

 

Now to the controversial topic du jour...(see what I did there? :fisch: ) I must admit that I did not appreciate him doing Boum Boum freaking Boum at all. It's got nothing to do with me not liking French. I do, actually, and I also understand it so it's not a case of it sounding alien to me or not knowing what he is singing. I totally appreciate what people say about languages being a richness, and eveyrthing else, and I doubt that one could find someone more language oriented and loving than me, but this is different.

 

As others have said, he is a British artist, whose last British record does not have these songs, yet there are so many other great songs of his in English which he left out in order to perform BBB. This is what I have a problem with. If he had done Rain for example, that is an example of a great one that we haven't heard in a while and that always goes down incredbily well. Or so many others! I find it ridiculous that he left so many songs out (as it's obviously impossible to do them all) and chose to perform this one instead. Sorry but this makes no sense to me, and in my eyes was a mistake. I don't think that, for his first and only show in London after 3 years (and who knows for how long now) it's a good idea that he chooses to do a French song which is unknown to the local crowd instead of so many good other options in English that people would have actually heard and know (and like). The average UK Mika fan is not the MFCer who follows all his other shows and watches videos, etc, and hence knows all these other songs, and I don't understand why Mika can't see that and tailor his home shows to this. 

 

Anyway, to wrap this up -as I go on and on- this was a fantastic long weekend filled with some memorable times with friends who I hadn't seen in years, and I loved every second of it!! I really had an incredible time (as we always do!) and hope to be doing it again sometime not too far in the future.

 

It was also lovely to see some MFCers who I hadn't seen for years in some cases, and who I bumped into at the gig.And of course, many thanks to Deb for her efforts to sort everything out and for booking that bar! I was also more pro cocktails than Citizens so it was a miracle that we actually made it to the Mika set on time, haha!! Maybe the bar guys knew all along and this is why they chucked us out  :doh: 

Edited by sariflor
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Of course. I went to see Carmen at the Royal Opera House the following night and it goes without saying that the music is absolutely spectacular. To be honest I enjoyed it more than Mika's gig. Because Boum Boum Boum is total rubbish in comparison. With the exception of EMD, Mika's French songs are not relevant contemporary pop like Stromae or Coeur de Pirate or Christine and the Queens. The fact that they do not do well as singles in France should be the first indication that pop music fans in English speaking markets are not going to like them as much as his UK singles either.

 

 

This gig isn't for MFCers, it was for 1500 British fans. And come on, no one in such an audience is going to be dissatisfied if he plays a single that they know versus one they've never heard of, cannot buy and do not understand. In New York the audience clearly did not have any familiarity with the song at all and it sucked all the energy out of the room whereas they went absolutely mad for Popular, WAG and even Last Party. To imagine that the audience could have gone away dissatisfied for not hearing a song they didn't know existed and they didn't connect with at all is ridiculous. Perhaps that was not the case in London, as I said I went to the toilets. But I tend to side with Jemma and everyone else who complained about it since I was standing sidestage in NYC and saw how BBB went over with an English audience versus the reception it received in Montreal where he got a deafening ovation instead of bored looks.

 

 

But the songs have already been withdrawn for the UK. They are not available on UK albums. Why would you remove popular songs from your setlist to add one that is inaccessible to the audience in every sense of the word? To "please himself"? If Mika is just there for that purpose he should give me my ÂŁ48 back since he is having such a great time at my expense.

 

 

This is exactly my point. BBB wasn't released here. In 2012 at the Roundhouse he started his show off with that awful French song, as I was in the middle of the floor and not towards the front, I didn't even realise he had started the show. It really didn't go down well. He also played EMD, which again apart from the Hard Cores at the front didn't go down well. I would have told him this in 2012 but after waiting in the freezing cold for an hour after the show, I gave up.

I had really hoped that this show would be different and he had picked up on the vibes. He knows French songs don't go down well in the UK. I offered free tickets to my friends who declined as they wouldn't know any of his new songs. Can you imagine what they would have thought about French songs?

As an english fan, I wanted english songs not some french crap.

Now enough of BBB-Gate and on with the rest of the reviews.

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This is exactly my point. BBB wasn't released here. In 2012 at the Roundhouse he started his show off with that awful French song, as I was in the middle of the floor and not towards the front, I didn't even realise he had started the show. It really didn't go down well. He also played EMD, which again apart from the Hard Cores at the front didn't go down well. I would have told him this in 2012 but after waiting in the freezing cold for an hour after the show, I gave up.

I had really hoped that this show would be different and he had picked up on the vibes. He knows French songs don't go down well in the UK. I offered free tickets to my friends who declined as they wouldn't know any of his new songs. Can you imagine what they would have thought about French songs?

As an english fan, I wanted english songs not some french crap.

Now enough of BBB-Gate and on with the rest of the reviews.

 

 

 

BBB-Gate   :biggrin2:

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I really, really, enjoyed this gig. I knew that I would enjoy it because I have never not enjoyed a Mika gig, and throughout the years I have been to many (possibly too many?? :wink2: ) and I have never walked away bored or tired of it,

I was well and truly bored at the Montreal gig this summer, something I never thought possible. But the sad reality for me now is that unless Mika starts collaborating with some great French pop songwriters instead of Doriand then a large chunk of any setlist catering to a French market is going to bore me. It is not my taste in music and bears no resemblance at all to Mika's other songs regardless of the language. (Blame it on the Weather is a case in point.)

 

I am very happy that the London setlist added a couple of the new songs that I really love and he dumped Billy Brown, but BBB should have also gotten the axe. From the fan's perspective the point of the gig is to hear your favourite songs and from the artist's perspective the point is to support the album. This serves neither purpose in English markets aside from perhaps Toronto and Vancouver where the French editions of the albums are available.

Edited by Christine
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It was amazing! I think all of the songs were discussed so far, but can we appreciate the moment when he was singing unplugged once again? Magic. I was stunned. 

 

That was a HUGE highlight for me. I've seen Mika a bunch of times, but when he went off-mic for the end of Happy Ending I was spellbound, freaking out on the inside like it was 2007 again. Just magical.

 

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.    

 

I recently saw another upbeat, dancey artist with the same kind of tut-tutty crowd. It really ruins the experience to be made to sit quietly in a plush theatre seat while a dance song plays. Sorry you were stuck in purgatory.  :(

 

I'll thank you Karin for printing the "Thank you flags" at the very last hours because Daeni, who had they printed the day and night before, couldn't come because of personal circumstances. It was Corinne from France and me who had the idea with the "Thank you flags". Corinne had the idea to write Thank you in every own language and then we added the idea with the different flags to show Mika how big is his whole fan family. :thumb_yello:

 

The flags were absolutely brilliant! Well done to everyone who was involved. It was so heartwarming to see the look on Mika's face when he saw the flags and realized what they symbolized.  :wub:

 

Overall I thought the gig was amazing, and I love the new arrangements on some songs. The drums seem way more thumping and insistent than every before, and it works so well. I was never a huge fan of the studio recording of Promiseland, but the live version was perfect. And the dance version of Hurts is spectacular. That song made it feel more like an EDM show than a Mika gig  :teehee:

 

I loved the acapella bits he included in some of the songs. In We Are Golden he closed it out by repeating the bridge over and over again (now I'm sitting alone...), which I loved. He also seemed to be really connecting with the audience, laughing and cracking jokes. At one point he stole someone's beer, walked around with it for a few minutes, took one sip and gave it back.  :naughty: It was also a treat to hear Over My Shoulder again. In the heart of my 2009-era fangurl days I'd have waxed about how that song is so beautiful it defies comprehension - and quite frankly, I'd still agree. 

 

As far as the French thing goes, imagine you're American and you fall in love with Katy Perry, an English-speaking American singer. You go to see her in America and instead of Firework or Teenage Dream or something, she sings some obscure song in a foreign language that you've never heard of. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with Mika recording and performing French music, but simply that at a show in London he's got many other options that would better resonate with that particular audience. 

 

Thanks to Deb for organizing the pub party. It was amazing to see so many MFCers in one place.  :hug:

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In defence of the "French crap" that I (dutch) happen to like a lot :dunno: : BBB worked very well in Amsterdam even if the song isn't on the CD versions that are available in Holland. In fact the clip of that performance is second best in hits (of the Amsterdam gig videos) on YouTube.

And I believe the song was a big succes at all the European concerts (and in Korea/Japan?).

 

So why not take a chance that it could work in London as well?  I'm sure there were also people in the Adelphi who were very glad that they could hear a live performance of BBB (as I was in Amsterdam).

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