2023 - Mika @ Sonic Park, Matera, ITALY - 15 July REPORTS/VIDEOS/PICS

[Kumazzz]

INSTAGRAM

Rita Di Cugno

 

rayta_daycu

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuv30KiAeve/

 

I still can’t believe it but now I’m sure that dreams can come true…🥺

@mikainstagram you taught me to “relax and take it easy”, that even after difficulties there will be an “happy ending”, that I should “love today”, everyday, that even if I don’t know it “I’m golden”, that even if “it’s raining” there will be the rainbow with its beautiful colours that you showed to me…

I asked you to sing Stardust together just cuz I wanted to thank you for always putting stardust in my life…💜💜

I’m so glad @mikainstagram, you made my dream come true and I’ll bring this moment forever in my heart! 💜💜

@mikafanclub

#mika #mikatour2023 #mikastardust #mikafans #mikaconcert #faninteraction #stardust #mikalive

 

 

( cropped video file )

 

[SusanT]

On 7/19/2023 at 12:01 PM, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

Yesterday I finished my report about Matera gig for my website.

So I would like to share it here with you.

 

After three days spent in Rome, the day of the concert in Matera arrived.

The heat is present all over Italy. And it's getting even worse in the south. The temperature reaches 40 degrees.

I got to Matera in the evening the day before the concert. And even when I went for a walk around 9:00 p.m. to explore this amazing city a bit, after half an hour I already wanted to go back to my air-conditioned room in the B&B.

The concert was to start the next day at 9 pm and I was hoping that the temperature would drop from the 38 degrees Celsius. Especially since Cava Del Sole is a former quarry. Tickets this time were not numbered. The only division was the PIT, i.e. a separate part in front of the stage and the rest further behind.

I had a PIT ticket and the heat made that I did not have the strength to queue for many hours at the doors. I decided to use a special shuttle bus at 6:00 p.m., which transported in (and back after the concert) the spectators from the city center.

 

 

 

I wasn't expecting a place at the first row. With the constant heat, I have become completely indifferent to where I would be.

It turned out that the gate opened one hour later then scheduled and when the shuttle bus stopped outside the gate, people were still waiting to get in. At 7 pm the gates opened and we were able to enter the quarry. The place is really very original and beautiful.

When I entered the PIT sector, of course, the best places in front of the stage were already taken. However, I spotted one small empty place at the barrier on the right side and this is from where I could watch the whole concert! In addition, my place was right in front of the stairs that Mika was supposed to take to go down to the audience!

I had Italian fans on both sides, and two girls from France behind me 🙂

 

From what I've observed so far, Mika starts the show with either Lollipop or Love Today.

In Matera, we heard an introduction to Lollipop at the beginning. Mika took the stage in his beautiful white suit.

 

 

 

During Origin Of Love, he even joked that he was dressed as for a wedding. Of course, immediately someone in the audience shouted: Marry me!!!!!

Mika also joked about thousands of mosquitoes flying around his face. Though it probably wasn't so funny to him.

 

 

 

Fans who have seen this year's concerts know that with the song Big Girl Mika goes down to the audience and drives people crazy 🙂 So even if you are somewhere in the back of the audience, it may turn out that Mika will stand in front of you and invite you to dance with him 🙂

 

 

Tiny Love - Mika always tells a story at the beginning or during the song. And it's often associated with his mom. This time Mika referred to Big Girl, a song he dedicated to his mother and his aunt. Both were "big girls". Mika recalls the moment he presented the song to his mother for the first time. For several minutes he didn't know if he was going to get a big kiss or a slap. After four minutes she said: not bad. And she left the room 🙂 Then she listened to this song for many years standing in the audience and dancing like crazy. This was her real answer.

I've seen already several times the blooming piano during Tiny Love. And every time I can't take my eyes off it 🙂

 

 

As usual, when I hear the first sounds of Relax, I take out my Polish flag. That's why I haven't recorded this song for almost a year now.

Mika noticed it (after all, I was in the front row!). And a big smile appeared on his face. Then I showed him the V sign with my fingers and Mika replied the same 🙂

At the end of the song, when Mika sat at the piano, I turned on the camera and recorded this funny moment when Mika says that men sing something poorly tonight. He chose one man from the audience and said that he was the captain of the men's crew. And all guys are to do as he says. And Mika sang in his low voice: RELAX, TAKE IT EASY 🙂

 

 

Mika now sings Overrated at every concert. I've always liked this song and now I listen to it with a great pleasure, although the lyrics are not optimistic, and Mika becomes very emotional while singing it.

It's hard for me to record this song with a good sound. The bass and drums are very loud and the sound in my videos is almost always distorted. I post the link just for the record.

 

 

 

Before Mika started singing the next song, he noticed that there were flashes in the sky. At first I thought it might be a storm approaching. But it was fireworks! Only they were not visible in the quarry. We were surrounded by high rocks from three sides. And as Mika said, even though we can't see them, even if we are in the gutter, we still can look at the stars. And so he referred to the Good Guys song ('cause some of us in the gutter, are looking up at the stars).

I just recorded a short intro with this moment. Then Mika stepped into the audience.

 

 

Practically at every concert, Mika reads banners prepared by fans and invites one person on the stage. Often it is someone who wants to play the piano. But lately they are some who want to sing. Mika joked that he often forgets his lyrics because he reads the inscriptions on the banners 🙂

This time Mika chose the banner of Rita, who wrote that she would like to sing Stardust. Mika did it in the middle of the Stardust song and that's how we practically heard the song twice 🙂

It turned out that Rita has vision problems. Mika noticed it immediately when the girl was passing through the barrier and immediately called the security guards to help her. It was so touching moment.

I recorded the whole thing starting in the middle of Stardust and then when Mika started talking about the banners and then he invited Rita. So you can learn what people write on banners 

 

 

In Italy, Mika sings two songs in French: Boum, Boum, Boum and Elle Me Dit. Two girls from France standing behind me were singing very loudly🙂

And when Mika invited us to choose someone we don't know to dance with during Elle Me Dit, me, two French girls and two Italian girls formed a circle and danced together holding hands!

 

 

I really like again Happy Ending on stage. Mika no longer has problems with his voice and his improvisations at the end are very touching.

 

Now I interpret the lyrics differently.

Mika often stands near the piano, and in Matera he sat on it with Clement, and I think he sings to his mum now.

This garden represents her. It has the banner "May Your Head Always Bloom".

And the flowers bloom at the end of the song.

 

"This is the way that we love, like it's forever
Then live the rest of our life, but not together"

 

It wasn't until I watched the video at home that I noticed Mika was wiping his eye at the end. Was it sweat or a tear?

 

 

The standard finale is Grace Kelly, We Are Golden and Love Today.

 

 

 

For Love Today, Mika wore a purple suit with a big flower that we first saw in Bristol. Of course, he quickly took off his jacket to put on a green cape and a tiger mask. I love this moment!

 

 

The energy is going up until the cape dance and the tiger mask. Love Today's ecstasy meets Yo-Yo's remix. It's a brilliant way to end the concert in a way where everyone dances and then slowly leaves the venue in good mood. Though sometimes I would liked to stay longer. Maybe Mika will come to us again? But considering that the concert lasted exactly two hours, I know that Mika must be very tired after his performance, especially on such a hot evening. He gave his all. Time to relax.

 

 

I know that after the show Mika came to meet waiting group of fans for a moment.

I reposted a short video on Instagram (the link below)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cuy09HcNYyr/

 

But I had my shuttle bus back to the city center. And in the morning my coach to Chieti.

And just in the morning a very pleasant surprise awaited me. But it's a story for my next report 

To Anna:

A month has passed since Mika's gig in Matera. I reread your report tonight  and watched again a few videos. It was my first Mika gig and I loved it!  I looked for you in the crowd that evening  thinking I might be able to recognize you ( I also remembered that you  carry a flag with you), but from what you wrote I realize that we were in different parts of the pit. I was right in front of the piano bench in the third row, which gave me a good view of the stage.

 

To everyone:

I filmed just a few short videos ( which are not very good quality compared to what other fans have posted) because I had decided that I just wanted to watch the show and enjoy the moment. However, later I realized that it would be nice to have a memory of that special night so I have started to download videos that several MFCers and others have posted on FB, Instagram and this forum. So thank you to everyone who shared their images or videos found on the Internet. 😊

[SusanT]

Intro to Tiny Love 

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno

 

https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/matera/1408814/mika-un-acuto-per-matera-il-concerto-alla-cava-del-sole.html

15 Luglio 2023

• Matera

Musica

Mika, un acuto per Matera: il concerto alla Cava del Sole

Stasera lo show: è l’unica data italiana nel Mezzogiorno

 

MATERA - Solo sei date in Italia per il suo World Tour 2023. Di queste, l'unica per il Mezzogiorno è stasera a Matera per il festival Sonic Park. Mika, la popstar internazionale, è pronta ad accendere la notte nella «Cava del Sole – David Sassoli» (SS7, via Appia) col suo concerto-evento che si preannuncia come momento memorabile e con il quale si dà il via alla rassegna alla seconda edizione in città.

 

Che l'attesissimo ospite apra in maniera significativa il cartellone, organizzato da AC Phoenix e Fondazione Reverse (col sostegno di Comune e il patrocinio della Provincia di Matera), è una certezza ed è caccia agli ultimi biglietti disponibili, la sorpresa è ciò che potranno scoprire i tanti fan di Mika che saranno tra i fortunati spettatori del suo show.

 

L'artista di origini libanesi per ognuna delle tappe della sua tournée propone delle scalette di brani, tra i suoi tanti successi pensate per la location dove si esibisce, così come lo sono le sontuose scenografie create pure queste ad hoc, così che ognuno dei suoi show siano concerti-evento che promettono di offrire un’esperienza unica ai fan italiani.

 

La particolarità del luogo che lo vedrà in scena a Matera, una ex cava dove sino agli anni '50 si è estratto il tufo col quale sono costruiti gli edifici del centro storico, può soltanto lasciare libera l'immaginazione di pensare a ciò che sorprenderà il pubblico con uno spettacolo realizzato su misura e per il quale l'eclettico artista si avvale della collaborazione di artigiani delle zone della Penisola che toccherà nel suo viaggio ce la vedrà percorrere su e giù.

 

A fare un po' da slogan all'intero percorso, è l'augurio dal quale trae ispirazione e cioè «may your head always bloom» ovvero «che tu possa fiorire sempre». E a quanto pare, ci limitiamo a fare solo piccolissime indiscrezioni, sul palco dovrebbero fare bella mostra proprio dei fiori di imponenti dimensioni, insieme a un grande pianoforte dalle zampe leonine e ci sarà pure una suggestiva testa di tigre, mentre la pop star indosserà un abito dello stilista Pierpaolo Piccioli e sfoggerà anche una collezione di 60 capi disegnati da lui stesso.

 

Non resta che partecipare assolutamente allo show, tanto colorato quanto gioioso, per ascoltare e lasciarsi trascinare dalle tante hit che da oltre quindici anni fanno del cantautore libanese innamorato dell'Italia (ha una casa in Toscana dove trascorre parecchio del suo tempo quando non è in tour), uno dei più originali e venerato della sua generazione. E se dalla musica si passa ai numeri, anche questi ci dicono di un personaggio e artista da record: ha venduto finora oltre 10 milioni di album, raggiungendo 3 miliardi di stream e oltre 1 miliardo di visualizzazioni video, ha ottenuto dischi d'oro o di platino in ben 32 Paesi.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CuuW1E9teaa/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuui9ZEgya1/

 

 

https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/video/video/1409985/matera-duetta-da-brividi-tra-mika-e-la-tranese-rita-di-cugno.html

20 Luglio 2023

 

 

 

 

Matera, duetto da brividi tra Mika e la tranese Rita di Cugno

 

Il cantante si è accorto solo dopo che la bravissima cantante che ha diviso con lui il palco fosse cieca

 

MATERA - Un duetto da brividi all'insegna della musica e dell'inclusività. Ecco una delle scene più toccanti dell'ultimo concerto di Mika a Matera. Il cantante ha esaudito il desiderio della giovanissima Rita Di Cugno, una ragazza di Trani che aveva mostrato un cartello in cui chiedeva di cantare con lui una delle sue hit, Stardust.

 

Richiesta ovviamente accolta dall'artista libanese, per un duetto improvvisato. Ma solo una volta salita sul palco Rita ha mostrato un altro lato di sé: la ragazza è cieca, ma questo non ha minimamente inficiato la performance che ha emozionato tutto il pubblico e anche Mika. «È un sogno che si avvera» scrive lei sui social dopo che la performance sul palco della Cava del Sole David Sassoli, in occasione del festival Sonic Park ha fatto il giro del web.