2022 - Mika@ Nimes Festival, France - 7 July REPORTS/PICS/VIDS

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

mikainstagram story

Before the show

Aftershow

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

Midi Libre

https://www.midilibre.fr/2022/07/07/nimes-les-images-du-concert-petillant-et-explosif-de-mika-10422564.php

Nîmes : les images du concert pétillant et explosif de Mika

"C’est la troisième fois qu’on se retrouve dans ce qui est probablement le plus beau lieu du monde pour faire un concert et pendant deux ans, il y avait du silence", explique Mika, qui rêve de revenir aux arènes pour chanter au centre de la piste. Comment ne pas embarquer le public nîmois avec une telle déclaration ? Mais le chanteur, qui se produisait ce jeudi soir, au festival de Nîmes a d’autres arguments, une forme athlétique et une bonne dose de folie.

Enchaînant avec Big Girl You Are Beautiful, il descend pour se mêler à la foule. Dans son costume rose bonbon, il saute au même rythme que le public puis embarque définitivement les fans dans son cabaret pop multicolore avec son tube Take It Easy.
Mika n’a peur de rien…

Repérant au premier rang une jeune fille avec un panneau lui demandant de monter sur scène pour l’accompagner au piano sur Underwater, il invite Maréva, jeune fille de 20 ans, originaire de Lyon, à se joindre à ses musiciens pour un moment inoubliable et hors du temps. "Avant ça, c’était quoi ton plus grand public ?", lui demande-t-il. "Mes parents", sourit la jeune fille, devant un public en totale communion avec un artiste dont la générosité et la sincérité ont emporté les arènes.

:uk: Google translator

Spoiler

Nîmes: images of Mika's sparkling and explosive concert

"This is the third time that we have found ourselves in what is probably the most beautiful place in the world to do a concert and for two years there was silence", explains Mika, who dreams of returning to the arenas to sing. in the center of the track. How not to embark the Nîmes public with such a statement ? But the singer, who was performing this Thursday evening at the Nîmes festival, has other arguments, an athletic form and a good dose of madness.

Continuing with Big Girl You Are Beautiful, he descends to mingle with the crowd. In his candy pink suit, he jumps to the same rhythm as the public then definitely takes the fans into his multicolored pop cabaret with his hit Take It Easy.
Mika is not afraid of anything...

Spotting a young girl in the front row with a sign asking her to go on stage to accompany her on the piano on Underwater, he invites Maréva, a 20-year-old girl from Lyon, to join his musicians for an unforgettable and out of time. “Before that, what was your biggest audience?” he asks her. “My parents”, smiles the young girl, in front of an audience in total communion with an artist whose generosity and sincerity won the arenas.

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

INSTAGRAM

VIDS by @tiibet

Thanks a lot for sharing !! :flowers2:

Elle Me Dit ( Dancing with Beauregard ) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfuhhteL4Mi/
Rain https://www.instagram.com/p/CfujPFWr8wh/
Underwater ( Piano by Maréva ) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfux7CDj5Mx/

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

YouTube

Underwater

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

INSTAGRAM by fannyspina14

Relax https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfu3QLcKtLp/

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

ObjectifGard

https://www.objectifgard.com/2022/07/08/festival-de-nimes-mika-voulez-vous-danser-chanter-jouer-avec-moi-ce-soir/

Dernière mise à jour: 8 juillet 2022

FESTIVAL DE NÎMES Mika, voulez-vous danser, chanter, jouer avec moi ce soir ?

Et de trois. Encore une fois, Mika chantait à Nîmes ce jeudi soir, dans les arènes. Juste avant, le groupe parisien L’Impératrice jouait le rôle de chauffeur de salle en plein air, avec beaucoup de talent.

Le Gard avait la tête ailleurs ce jeudi soir, préoccupé par les flammes qui dévoraient ses terres. Un sujet lourd et inquiétant que nos lecteurs ont pu suivre sur nos pages. En parallèle de cette actualité dramatique, un vent plus léger soufflait sur les arènes de la cité des Antonin, des rafales musicales pour une nouvelle soirée du festival de Nîmes. Les invités de ce jeudi soir : L’Impératrice et Mika.

Le groupe parisien L’Impératrice d’abord, a été à la hauteur d’une première partie et le public nîmois s’y est laissé prendre, quoi que frileux au départ. Mais Flore Benguigui et ses cinq co-équipiers ont fait le show et de belle manière, les cris sur Peur des filles, en témoignent. Le groupe nommé dans la catégorie « Révélation » aux dernières Victoires de la musique, a prouvé sa force de conviction au fil de chorégraphies millimétrées sur un son pop, électro et nu-disco.

Il y en a un autre qui s’est mis à nu, enfin presque. Peu de temps après son entrée sur la scène des arènes de Nîmes, Mika s’est vite dévêtu. Une façon comme une autre de démontrer sa générosité au public nîmois qu’il rencontre pour la troisième fois. Mais sans jamais s’en lasser, on a pu le voir. Alors certes, dans la fosse il ne manquait pas d’espace pour danser, mais cela n’a pas empêché l’ex-juré du télé-crochet The Voice et dernier animateur de l’Eurovision, de donner de la voix et toute son énergie ce jeudi soir. Trop heureux de retrouver son public, il l’a rejoint dans la fosse au moment de chanter l’un de ses tubes : Big Girl (you are beautiful).

Cet artiste est plein de surprises. Après cette échappée dans la foule, on ne pouvait imaginer un autre élan de générosité. On se trompait forcément. Car Mika a invité sur scène une jeune spectatrice qui lui avait fait savoir son souhait de jouer avec lui, pour lui. « Ma maman m’a toujours dit qu’il fallait toujours faire attention à ce qu’on demandait et aux conséquences que ça pouvait avoir », a lâché le chanteur avant de tendre la main à Mareva, 20 ans, venue de Lyon.

Il pensait l’impressionner mais à la question : « Est-ce que tu as peur ? » Elle a répondu en toute décontraction : « Ça va ! » Et sans trembler, malgré quelques fausses notes de son propre aveu, elle a accompagné Mika sur la chanson Underwater.

Et si on pensait en avoir terminé là pour les invités surprises, encore une fois on avait tout faux car l’interprète de Elle m’a dit, a partagé quelques pas de danse avec son petit neveu, « il est timide ». Sur le piano, l’enfant âgé de 8 ans a balancé ses hanches aux côtés de son oncle, jusqu’à ce que des feux d’artifice viennent perturber le duo dans sa chorégraphie. « C’était pour qu’il soit moins timide, il le sera jusqu’à ses 38 ans ! », s’est amusé Mika. Et le même d’enchaîner ses succès pour le plus grand plaisir de son public.

:uk: Google translator

Spoiler

FESTIVAL DE NÎMES Mika, would you like to dance, sing, play with me tonight?

And three. Once again, Mika sang in Nîmes this Thursday evening, in the arenas. Just before, the Parisian group L'Impératrice played the role of open-air room driver, with great talent.

The Gard had its head elsewhere this Thursday evening, concerned about the flames which devoured its land. A heavy and disturbing subject that our readers have been able to follow on our pages. In parallel with this dramatic news, a lighter wind blew on the arenas of the city of Antonin, musical gusts for a new evening of the Nîmes festival. The guests of this Thursday evening: The Empress and Mika.

The Parisian group L'Impératrice first, was up to a first part and the public of Nîmes let themselves be taken in, although hesitant at the start. But Flore Benguigui and her five teammates put on a show and in a beautiful way, the cries on Peur des filles, testify to it. The group, named in the "Revelation" category at the last Victoires de la Musique, has proven its strength of conviction through precise choreography on a pop, electro and nu-disco sound.

There is another who has laid himself bare, well almost. Shortly after entering the arena scene in Nîmes, Mika quickly undressed. A way like any other to demonstrate his generosity to the Nîmes public he is meeting for the third time. But without ever getting tired of it, we could see it. So certainly, in the pit there was no shortage of space to dance, but that did not prevent the ex-juror of the tele-hook The Voice and last Eurovision host, from giving voice and all his energy this Thursday evening. Too happy to find his audience, he joined them in the pit when singing one of his hits: Big Girl (you are beautiful).

This artist is full of surprises. After this escape in the crowd, one could not imagine another surge of generosity. We were definitely wrong. Because Mika invited on stage a young spectator who had let him know her wish to play with him, for him. "My mom always told me that you always had to be careful about what you asked for and the consequences it could have," said the singer before reaching out to Mareva, 20, from Lyon.

He thought he would impress her but when asked: “Are you afraid? She replied casually, “It’s okay! And without shaking, despite a few false notes by her own admission, she accompanied Mika on the song Underwater.

And if we thought we had finished there for the surprise guests, once again we were all wrong because the interpreter of Elle Me Dit, shared a few dance steps with his little nephew, “he is shy”. On the piano, the 8-year-old rocked his hips alongside his uncle, until fireworks disrupted the duo in their choreography. “It was to make him less shy, he will be until he is 38! “, had fun Mika. And the same to chain his successes to the delight of his audience.

FACEBOOK VIDEOS

Big Girl

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=738459470602332

Mika dans les arènes de Nîmes trop heureux de retrouver le public nîmois, jusqu’à quitter la scène et le rejoindre dans la fosse.

Underwater

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2963245670632463

Festival de Nîmes. Mika invite Mareva, 20 ans, de Lyon, à jouer sur scène sa chanson Underwater.

Peu impressionnée, elle a assuré et a reçu une ovation du public.

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

TikTok

MIKA sortie de concert 07/07/2022

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

5 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

INSTAGRAM

VIDS by @tiibet

Thanks a lot for sharing !!

Elle Me Dit ( Dancing with Beauregard ) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfuhhteL4Mi/

Rain https://www.instagram.com/p/CfujPFWr8wh/

Underwater ( Piano by Maréva ) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfux7CDj5Mx/

YouTube by @tiibet

Tiny Love

Ice Cream

Yo-Yo

Underwater

Twitter

Elle Me Dit

Dancing with Beauregard

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

TikTok

Relax

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

Gazette Live de Nimes

https://www.lagazettedenimes.fr/live/62c7f0d34125c36cf6f41b06/festival-de-nimes-mika-un-pied-sur-scene-l-autre-dans-la-fosse

#Société #Culture

Publié le vendredi 8 juillet 2022 17:55 - Joséphine Ortuno

Festival de Nîmes.

Mika : un pied sur scène, l’autre dans la fosse

Mélangez des cotillons à un piano à queue illuminé, rajoutez une pincée de folie et un costume rose, vous obtiendrez la recette d’un concert de Mika. Dans les arènes de Nîmes le 8 juillet, le chanteur libanais a partagé sa bonne humeur et son envie pressante de danser.

Proximité. Pour sa troisième fois dans ce qu’il considère comme "le plus beau lieu du monde", Mika met l’accent sur la relation avec son public. Pour la chanson « Underwater » il invite même sur scène une spectatrice prénommée Maréva. La jeune fille originaire de Lyon est passée de la fosse au piano pour accompagner l’artiste le temps de la chanson. Autre moment émouvant, Mika invite son neveu à le rejoindre. Le petit garçon de 8 ans grimpe alors sur le piano et se met à danser encouragé par son oncle.

Britannique. Mika est un citoyen du monde, avec une double nationalité britannique et libanaise, on peut deviner alors que ses influences musicales sont diverses. Des chansons colorées comme « Ice Cream », « Lollipop » ou « Relax, Take it Easy » sont chantées en anglais, d’autres, toujours dans une ambiance festive comme « Boum Boum Boum », sont chantées en français. Sur quelques chansons, si nous tendons l’oreille, c’est aussi le groupe de rock Queen qui nous vient à l’esprit. Sur le style vestimentaire, l’énergie et le côté complétement décalé du personnage, c’est le chanteur anglais Harry Styles que l’on aperçoit.

La première partie a été assurée par le groupe L’Impératrice. Mené par la chanteuse Flore Benguigui, la formation pop-électro parisienne a une énergie débordante. Les bassistes s’adonnent à des chorégraphies, le batteur incite le public à danser, la chanteuse s’amuse avec ses musiciens. Le groupe n’a fait qu’annoncer la couleur pour le reste du concert.

Google translator

Spoiler

Nimes Festival.
Mika: one foot on stage, the other in the pit

Mix party favors with an illuminated grand piano, add a pinch of madness and a pink costume, you will get the recipe for a Mika concert. In the arenas of Nîmes on July 8, the Lebanese singer shared his good humor and his pressing desire to dance.

Proximity. For his third time in what he considers "the most beautiful place in the world", Mika emphasizes the relationship with his audience. For the song “Underwater” he even invites on stage a spectator named Maréva. The young girl from Lyon went from the pit to the piano to accompany the artist during the song. Another moving moment, Mika invites his nephew to join him. The 8-year-old boy then climbs on the piano and begins to dance, encouraged by his uncle.

British. Mika is a citizen of the world, with a dual British and Lebanese nationality, one can guess then that his musical influences are diverse. Colorful songs like “Ice Cream”, “Lollipop” or “Relax, Take it Easy” are sung in English, others, always in a festive atmosphere like “Boum Boum Boum”, are sung in French. On a few songs, if we listen, it is also the rock band Queen that comes to mind. On the clothing style, the energy and the completely offbeat side of the character, it is the English singer Harry Styles that we see.

The first part was provided by the group L’Impératrice. Led by singer Flore Benguigui, the Parisian pop-electro band has boundless energy. The bassists engage in choreography, the drummer encourages the audience to dance, the singer has fun with her musicians. The group only announced the color for the rest of the concert.

©Jean-Claude Azria

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

YouTube

Pierre-Sacha Baglione

Tiny Love

Relax

Kumazzz · July 8, 2022

YouTube by @Chriss-MikaFan Thank you very much for sharing ! :flowers2:

Yo-Yo

Relax

Kumazzz · July 9, 2022

Happy Ending

YouTube

Pierre-Sacha Baglione

Kumazzz · July 9, 2022

lereveildumidi.fr

Festival de Nîmes : soirée

Deux ans d'attente n'ont fait que magnifier ces soirées dans ce sublime lieu que sont nos arènes. Jeudi soir, c'était au tour de Mika de faire vibrer l'amphithéâtre...

Dès son entrée en scène, l'énergie est bien là, il donne le ton de la soirée, en quittant sa veste et en se fondant dans la foule. Une soirée de folie, sincère, un piano à queue féerique, les cotillons, la bonne humeur et le côté décalé que l'artiste transmet dans son costume rose soutenu, son envie de faire la fête, de danser, de communier avec le public, dans « le plus beau lieu du monde ».

Mika, "généreux, et athlétique"

Avec « Underwater », il invite Maréva qui avait émis l'envie de jouer avec lui, brandissant un panneau. Originaire de Lyon, elle a 20 ans et l'accompagnera au piano. « Ma maman m'a « toujours dit qu'il fallait faire attention à ce qu'on demandait et aux conséquences que ça pouvait avoir. » Pas émue le moins du monde, « ça va », elle sera passée de la fosse à la scène en moins de deux. Ensuite, son neveu montera sur la scène, puis le piano et dansera avec Mika au milieu du feu d'artifice. Et il accompagnera ces deux invités de phrases amicales, voire un peu intimidantes. Un artiste généreux et athlétique.

Mika a la double nationalité britannique et libanaise, ce qui explique ses diverses influences musicales, Big Girl, You are Beautiful, Ice Cream, Lollipot, Take it easy, Boum Boum Boum... certaines chansons en anglais d'autres en français, une soirée cabaret et une dernière chanson au milieu de la fosse pour embarquer son public.

En première partie, le groupe L'Impératrice et la chanteuse Flore Benguigui, une formation popo-électro parisienne pleine d'énergie qui a été nommé dans la catégorie « Révélation » aux dernières Victoires de la musique. Le concert était lancé et promettait d'être animé et joyeux.

:uk: Google translator

Spoiler

Nîmes Festival: evening

Two years of waiting have only magnified these evenings in this sublime place that are our arenas. Thursday evening, it was Mika's turn to rock the amphitheater...

As soon as he enters the stage, the energy is there, he sets the tone for the evening, taking off his jacket and blending into the crowd. A crazy, sincere evening, a magical grand piano, the party favors, the good humor and the quirky side that the artist transmits in his deep pink costume, his desire to party, to dance, to commune with the public, in "the most beautiful place in the world".

Mika, "generous, and athletic"

With “Underwater”, he invites Maréva who had expressed the desire to play with him, brandishing a sign. Originally from Lyon, she is 20 years old and will accompany him on the piano. “My mum always told me that you had to be careful about what you asked for and the consequences it could have. “Not moved in the least, “I’m fine”, she will have gone from the pit to the stage in less than two. Then his nephew will take the stage, then the piano and dance with Mika in the middle of the fireworks. And he will accompany these two guests with friendly, even a little intimidating phrases. A generous and athletic artist.

Mika has dual British and Lebanese nationality, which explains his various musical influences, Big Girl, You are Beautiful, Ice Cream, Lollipot, Take it easy, Boum Boum Boum... some songs in English others in French, a cabaret evening and a last song in the middle of the pit to get the audience on board.

In the first part, the group L'Impératrice and the singer Flore Benguigui, a Parisian popo-electro formation full of energy which was nominated in the category "Revelation" at the last Victoires de la Musique. The concert was launched and promised to be lively and joyful.

Camus · July 9, 2022

i'm a bit late (I'm sorry, I was tired and it was very long to write), here my lengthy review of the Nîme concert:

After a bit of complications getting there (I seem to be in the habit of complications getting to a Mika concert but seriously, a fire :blink: ), i finally entered in the magnificent Arènes de Nîmes (a roman amphitheater for those of you who don’t know it) to see my second Mika concert (and my second concert overall).

I will be brief on the warm-up and first part. The warm-up was a DJ (DJ Mads). I don’t know much about DJs so I can’t really juge his work. I liked his first few songs because it was remixes of old songs like Just an Illusion (Imagine) of Freed from Desire (Gala). Special kudos to him for choosing to remix Andy by Les Rita Mitsouko. I’m surely not the only fan that laughed at that. The first part was the group L’Impératrice. Their style was modern electro music. Not my cup of tea but the main singer’s voice was nice and they knew how to liven things up.

A few things on the installation time between L’Impératrice and Mika. I noticed that while L’imperatrice played on a very cluttered stage (they had a lot of instruments and electro devices), the stage was largely cleared up for Mika. Seems like someone need space to dance (and indeed he does!). Also noticed they stuck 4! setlists on stage (one on the piano, one on the left of the stage and two around the main micro stand). They clearly thought (or Mika clearly think of himself) he’s a goldfish! During this time, the audience warmed up with a few Mexican waves. Just before Mika came on stage, I saw near one of the entrance to my part of the amphitheater (far right of the scene, second balcony), a man filming the arena with two kids. At first, I thought it was just random people and then had a double take: “Wait, is the man filming Mika’s father and one of the kid Beauregard?” I didn’t had time to confirm this as Mika’s musicians were coming on stage but Mika himself (partly) confirmed it later.

So, after his musicians (all in white), Mika entered stage (all in black) and after greeting everyone (even the wind and the appearing half-moon), Mika began with Lollipop. He explained that after two years, we had lost habit of singing, dancing, making love (everyone in the audience protested by big “no”s to this three assertions, even the two ten years old next to me :blink: but Mika responded he had to the third one :shocked: ). He then said that since we had lost habit, he had to take things back to the beginning and then explained the story of Lollipop Girl (a sad gray girl who had lost habit of loving). The song was perfect to put us in the mood for the rest of the concert.

Then the second song came and so came the tears in my eyes: Origin of Love! Nothing compare to hearing your favorite song live! During Origin of Love, he removed scratched fabric on his leg to reveal the body part costume and at the end, he removed his jacket and ended bare-chested.

Before the beginning of Big Girls, while Max was handling the show, Mika had a change of cloths to a beautiful pink suit, saying when he came back on stage that a special occasion needed a special suit. He then explained that after two years of silence in the amphitheater (no singing, no gladiators, no lions eating the gladiators :lmfao: no Max), we forgot how to dance next to other people. To remind us, he brought us in this special place in Costa Mesa, a club smelling of perspiration, hope and old cold beer, where everyone danced next to each other. Then Big Girls began and Mika, working by example, danced in the middle of the parterre.

He then pursued with his first piano ballad, Tiny Love! During that song, he opened his suit jacket to reveal his heart tee-shirt.

After that, there was Relax. I think that’s when he said that when trying to explain to people and other artists out of France why Les Arènes de Nîmes were the best stage, he always talked about the disposition of the arena that mixed all the voices in the arena together. He then tested his theory by making us sing very loudly on Relax choruses.

The next song was Ice Cream. He said something at the beginning about the heat of the day (and hot it was) but I don’t remember it, I’m sorry!

Then came Yoyo with a new acoustic piano intro that gave me a new appreciation for this song (and I thought I would never love it :sweatdrop: . He dedicated the song to a girl named Geraldine who screamed during the intro. He made her scream again but judged her scream sounded like someone being eaten by a lion.

He then continued with Boum Boum Boum (during which he received a yoyo from the public).

Then came the (excellent) surprise: Rain! And I was not the only one delighted by this one as the audience sang very loudly.

He pursued with Underwater. During the intro, he explained that his mother always told him to be careful what he wished for as it could be granted. He then invited on stage Mareva from Lyon who asked for it via a sign to play piano on Underwater. He asked her if she was afraid and she responded “I’m fine” to which Mika’s response was “You’re crazy!”. After a bit of preparation, Mareva accompanied Mika while he was singing Underwater and she was excellent. :thumb_yello: She said she made false notes but I didn’t heard them. I only heard a different way to play piano than Mika, not bad just different at one point in the song. The rest of the song, I was totally transported as if Mika himself was playing. Near the end of the song Mika asked her if it was her first time playing in the Arènes de Nîmes and she responded yes. He then asked her what was her biggest public until then and her response was “My parents”. Then, Mika made her direct audience with piano (soft then loud), declared she was amazing but boring (in a less polite way) and made us sing to her to see if she could handle it. After a big deserved ovation, Mareva returned in the audience.

Mika then sang Happy Ending. At the end, he improvised? lyrics. I don’t remember everything but I heard : now I close ma eyes/ at least I sing/.../with a little bit of love). Globally, the song was wonderful, particularly his highs which were prolonged by the acoustic of the arena. :cloud:

The next song was Elle me dit. The audience got particularly loud on this a-one. At the end, he talked to us about a shy boy who liked to dance in his room but did stop as soon as someone opened the door. But that boy is now eight and eight is no more an age for shyness. He then invited the said shy boy on stage : his nephew Beauregard! He went up on the piano with him and they both danced on Elle me dit until Beauregard got a bit afraid because of the fireworks which went off on the piano. Beauregard still got an ovation and the beginning of a curtain call from the audience while he was going out of stage. Mika then explained the fireworks got counterproductive as now “Beauregard will be shy until he is 38 years old! He then promised Beauregard next time there will be no more fire, at least on the piano as he couldn’t control fire from audience.

The following song, Grace Kelly was classical but the audience, still hyped up by Elle me dit and very happy to hear it were also very loud on that one.

We are Golden was the last song of the main setlist. Once again very hyped up crowd and Mika wore a white suit trouser to which he added at the end of the song his cape and crown at the end. He then thank us and said he missed us! We missed you too Mika!

For the encore, Mika sang Love Today. At some point during the concert, he said next time he wanted to play in the middle of the circle of the arena (the stage was at one side of the arena and the stands behind it were closed). But, at the beginning of Love Today, he decided he didn’t want to wait to sing in the middle of people and asked the parterre to make a circle for him to perform in. Well, the circle never formed and it ended rather like a crowd singing (like in Big Girls) but it was very cool! Another thing happened which wasn’t by Mika (well, he had something to do about it). As usual, near the end of the song Mika began to prepare the audience for the jump session. The scene went that way:

Mika (on stage): On the count of three, do you know what you have to do?

Audience: Yeees!

Panicked ten years old near me: What do we have to do?

My screamed response over the noise: JUMP!

And jump, she did with all her heart!

After Love Today ended, Mika thanked us again and bowed alone and with his musicians. He then said “Good bye and see you soon” and all I could think was “Yes, see you soon in Toulon, Mika, with, I hope an as warm welcome!”

Mika then asked the sound technician to put on Yoyo and danced on stage for a moment (with his cape) before disappearing backstage.

No meeting or signing as I’m still a shy idiot thinking she has nothing interesting to say to Mika but i came out of this concert with Yoyo stuck in my head and so high that back in my hotel, it took me a good minute to realize I was trying to open the door to a room that wasn’t mine and on the wrong floor! :doh:

Once in my room, I had to pinch me twice: Once to realize I had indeed seen Mika and the second to realize I’m gonna see him again in less than two month. And, God, I can’t wait!

krysady · July 9, 2022

51 minutes ago, Camus said:

After a bit of complications getting there (I seem to be in the habit of complications getting to a Mika concert but seriously, a fire)

I hope it was nothing serious :blink:

52 minutes ago, Camus said:

everyone in the audience protested by big “no”s to this three assertions, even the two ten years old next to me

:lmfao:

53 minutes ago, Camus said:

but Mika responded he had to the third one

:lmfao: :lmfao:

57 minutes ago, Camus said:

He made her scream again but judged her scream sounded like someone being eaten by a lion.

:lmfao:

Thanks, great report! :flowers2: And thank you for writing down his speech, it's always a funny part of his shows :original:

Anna Ko Kolkowska · July 9, 2022

1 hour ago, Camus said:

i'm a bit late (I'm sorry, I was tired and it was very long to write), here my lengthy review of the Nîme concert:

After a bit of complications getting there (I seem to be in the habit of complications getting to a Mika concert but seriously, a fire), i finally entered in the magnificent Arènes de Nîmes (a roman amphitheater for those of you who don’t know it) to see my second Mika concert (and my second concert overall).

I will be brief on the warm-up and first part. The warm-up was a DJ (DJ Mads). I don’t know much about DJs so I can’t really juge his work. I liked his first few songs because it was remixes of old songs like Just an Illusion (Imagine) of Freed from Desire (Gala). Special kudos to him for choosing to remix Andy by Les Rita Mitsouko. I’m surely not the only fan that laughed at that. The first part was the group L’Impératrice. Their style was modern electro music. Not my cup of tea but the main singer’s voice was nice and they knew how to liven things up.

A few things on the installation time between L’Impératrice and Mika. I noticed that while L’imperatrice played on a very cluttered stage (they had a lot of instruments and electro devices), the stage was largely cleared up for Mika. Seems like someone need space to dance (and indeed he does!). Also noticed they stuck 4! setlists on stage (one on the piano, one on the left of the stage and two around the main micro stand). They clearly thought (or Mika clearly think of himself) he’s a goldfish! During this time, the audience warmed up with a few Mexican waves. Just before Mika came on stage, I saw near one of the entrance to my part of the amphitheater (far right of the scene, second balcony), a man filming the arena with two kids. At first, I thought it was just random people and then had a double take: “Wait, is the man filming Mika’s father and one of the kid Beauregard?” I didn’t had time to confirm this as Mika’s musicians were coming on stage but Mika himself (partly) confirmed it later.

So, after his musicians (all in white), Mika entered stage (all in black) and after greeting everyone (even the wind and the appearing half-moon), Mika began with Lollipop. He explained that after two years, we had lost habit of singing, dancing, making love (everyone in the audience protested by big “no”s to this three assertions, even the two ten years old next to me but Mika responded he had to the third one ). He then said that since we had lost habit, he had to take things back to the beginning and then explained the story of Lollipop Girl (a sad gray girl who had lost habit of loving). The song was perfect to put us in the mood for the rest of the concert.

Then the second song came and so came the tears in my eyes: Origin of Love! Nothing compare to hearing your favorite song live! During Origin of Love, he removed scratched fabric on his leg to reveal the body part costume and at the end, he removed his jacket and ended bare-chested.

Before the beginning of Big Girls, while Max was handling the show, Mika had a change of cloths to a beautiful pink suit, saying when he came back on stage that a special occasion needed a special suit. He then explained that after two years of silence in the amphitheater (no singing, no gladiators, no lions eating the gladiators no Max), we forgot how to dance next to other people. To remind us, he brought us in this special place in Costa Mesa, a club smelling of perspiration, hope and old cold beer, where everyone danced next to each other. Then Big Girls began and Mika, working by example, danced in the middle of the parterre.

He then pursued with his first piano ballad, Tiny Love! During that song, he opened his suit jacket to reveal his heart tee-shirt.

After that, there was Relax. I think that’s when he said that when trying to explain to people and other artists out of France why Les Arènes de Nîmes were the best stage, he always talked about the disposition of the arena that mixed all the voices in the arena together. He then tested his theory by making us sing very loudly on Relax choruses.

The next song was Ice Cream. He said something at the beginning about the heat of the day (and hot it was) but I don’t remember it, I’m sorry!

Then came Yoyo with a new acoustic piano intro that gave me a new appreciation for this song (and I thought I would never love it . He dedicated the song to a girl named Geraldine who screamed during the intro. He made her scream again but judged her scream sounded like someone being eaten by a lion.

He then continued with Boum Boum Boum (during which he received a yoyo from the public).

Then came the (excellent) surprise: Rain! And I was not the only one delighted by this one as the audience sang very loudly.

He pursued with Underwater. During the intro, he explained that his mother always told him to be careful what he wished for as it could be granted. He then invited on stage Mareva from Lyon who asked for it via a sign to play piano on Underwater. He asked her if she was afraid and she responded “I’m fine” to which Mika’s response was “You’re crazy!”. After a bit of preparation, Mareva accompanied Mika while he was singing Underwater and she was excellent. She said she made false notes but I didn’t heard them. I only heard a different way to play piano than Mika, not bad just different at one point in the song. The rest of the song, I was totally transported as if Mika himself was playing. Near the end of the song Mika asked her if it was her first time playing in the Arènes de Nîmes and she responded yes. He then asked her what was her biggest public until then and her response was “My parents”. Then, Mika made her direct audience with piano (soft then loud), declared she was amazing but boring (in a less polite way) and made us sing to her to see if she could handle it. After a big deserved ovation, Mareva returned in the audience.

Mika then sang Happy Ending. At the end, he improvised? lyrics. I don’t remember everything but I heard : now I close ma eyes/ at least I sing/.../with a little bit of love). Globally, the song was wonderful, particularly his highs which were prolonged by the acoustic of the arena.

The next song was Elle me dit. The audience got particularly loud on this a-one. At the end, he talked to us about a shy boy who liked to dance in his room but did stop as soon as someone opened the door. But that boy is now eight and eight is no more an age for shyness. He then invited the said shy boy on stage : his nephew Beauregard! He went up on the piano with him and they both danced on Elle me dit until Beauregard got a bit afraid because of the fireworks which went off on the piano. Beauregard still got an ovation and the beginning of a curtain call from the audience while he was going out of stage. Mika then explained the fireworks got counterproductive as now “Beauregard will be shy until he is 38 years old! He then promised Beauregard next time there will be no more fire, at least on the piano as he couldn’t control fire from audience.

The following song, Grace Kelly was classical but the audience, still hyped up by Elle me dit and very happy to hear it were also very loud on that one.

We are Golden was the last song of the main setlist. Once again very hyped up crowd and Mika wore a white suit trouser to which he added at the end of the song his cape and crown at the end. He then thank us and said he missed us! We missed you too Mika!

For the encore, Mika sang Love Today. At some point during the concert, he said next time he wanted to play in the middle of the circle of the arena (the stage was at one side of the arena and the stands behind it were closed). But, at the beginning of Love Today, he decided he didn’t want to wait to sing in the middle of people and asked the parterre to make a circle for him to perform in. Well, the circle never formed and it ended rather like a crowd singing (like in Big Girls) but it was very cool! Another thing happened which wasn’t by Mika (well, he had something to do about it). As usual, near the end of the song Mika began to prepare the audience for the jump session. The scene went that way:

Mika (on stage): On the count of three, do you know what you have to do?

Audience: Yeees!

Panicked ten years old near me: What do we have to do?

My screamed response over the noise: JUMP!

And jump, she did with all her heart!

After Love Today ended, Mika thanked us again and bowed alone and with his musicians. He then said “Good bye and see you soon” and all I could think was “Yes, see you soon in Toulon, Mika, with, I hope an as warm welcome!”

Mika then asked the sound technician to put on Yoyo and danced on stage for a moment (with his cape) before disappearing backstage.

No meeting or signing as I’m still a shy idiot thinking she has nothing interesting to say to Mika but i came out of this concert with Yoyo stuck in my head and so high that back in my hotel, it took me a good minute to realize I was trying to open the door to a room that wasn’t mine and on the wrong floor!

Once in my room, I had to pinch me twice: Once to realize I had indeed seen Mika and the second to realize I’m gonna see him again in less than two month. And, God, I can’t wait!

Thank you so much for your report. I love reading about how fans reacted and seen Mika during the concert :clap:

Camus · July 9, 2022

11 minutes ago, krysady said:

1 hour ago, Camus said:

After a bit of complications getting there (I seem to be in the habit of complications getting to a Mika concert but seriously, a fire)

I hope it was nothing serious

Oh no, don't worry! I wasn't implied in the fire. I wanted to be short but maybe I should have explain more! There was a big fire in Arles (a city in south of France), near the road I had to take to go to Nîmes. It created a stressful delay in my arrival at the concert.

Fortunately, no one died in the fire but some people lost their houses! It actually makes my delay unimportant! Sorry! :stifle: