MIKA @ Gramercy Theatre, New York City, NY (3/29/07)
I know I've already mentioned this before but it has to be said again...this show was nothing but fun!! I don't believe I can say it enough I had so much fun and such a great time at this show - even though I pretty much went alone. Yeah, I'm cool. But I don't care. I had a wonderful time!
I suppose I'll begin with all of my boring details leading up to the show that no one particularly cares about besides myself. But this is my personal review/experience. So, if you don't wish to read about how my day began,arriving in NYC, waiting in line, and all of that type of "stuff" then by all means skip ahead to the actual review of the show.... never mind the typos.
Since I don't have a car or even license to drive (yet) my My mom and step-dad graciously offered to drive me to NYC. Originally my sister was going to take and actually accompany me to the show but she ended up having to work at the last minute. That last minute plan alteration turned out to be completely in my favor. My sister's music tastes are waaaay different from mine anyway. She's mostly into to hip-hop, r&b and even country. My tastes are more or less polar opposites from hers. I know she probably wouldn't have enjoyed the show. I bet my sister would have probably complained or have another fight via cell phone with her husband like at the Mraz show she took me to in October. (She ended up not even seeing the show after I paid for her ticket. She just sat in the car all night arguing.) My parents of course had no intention of going to the show. Instead they dropped me off in front of the theater and hung around other parts of NYC (Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy) until the show was over. I was perfectly fine with this! I actually prefer going to shows solo anyway. It makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. I hardly have any friends who are into the same music as me. And this way I don't have to worry whether or not my accomplice(s) is having a good time. Besides I knew I'd be fine. I wasn't going anywhere and I was going to be surrounded by fellow fans and forum members. I've been to enough concerts and stood in line long enough to know how things operate. But because I had planned for someone to go to the show left me with an extra ticket that just went to waste...too bad I didn't have anyone willing to come to the show with me purely because I had a free ticket.
My day began around 7:30am. I know. I know. Why was I awake before 8am when I didn't have to be? Well, the answer is very simple Mika was performing live on Good Morning America and I just had to be sure I didn't miss his performance. Besides I didn't exactly get much sleep the night before since I was buzzing with excitement. Day light couldn't come soon enough. A still very sleepy and groggy me waited a whole fifteen minutes to try and catch a glimpse of Mika and listen in for even a slight mention of his name by stuffy news casters. After that amount of time passed and I heard nothing aside from uninteresting news reports I grew bored and a little irritated. So, then I nodded off to sleep. I should have known music performances aren't usually shown until the very end anyway. Luckily I didn't fall into a deep sleep and woke up only minutes before Mika was set to appear on stage. I perked right up when I saw Mika finally on the screen. The performance was just great! He sang Grace Kelly (of course) while bursting with tons of energy for an early morning set. Not a bad way for me to start my day. Watching Mika perform live on GMA in NYC only added to my anticipation and excitement. I couldn't wait to see Mika live before my very eyes in NYC later that night!
After watching the awesomness that was Mika on live television and feeling quite happy with myself and life in general; I went downstairs and got some yogurt to eat for breakfast. I think the yogurt might have been expired though. It tasted horrible! I couldn't eat more than a few bites and I usually love cherry flavored yogurt. Oh well. I didn't let it bother me since I was in such a good mood. After the mild yogurt mishap I went to my computer and proceeded to check the usual online spots - gmail, myspace, livejournal, and last.fm. Nothing really interesting to note. Then I hit up Mika's unofficial fan forum (mikafanclub) to read the latest news on (who else?) Mika and review the New York show thread. I wanted to see who else was going to the show, when they were arriving, etc.. After I was satisfied and made a few public posts once again exclaiming my excitement for the good time I was bound to have later that night and how I was possibly looking forward to seeing some other members later; I received an IM from Alex. The message was brief, completely unexpected but really very nice. All he simply said was "enjoy mika tonight" followed by some "xxxx." I was surprised he had messaged me at all. Usually he waits until the evening to message me. But no matter. I sent him a reply message saying "thanks" followed by a wish that he would have a nice birthday celebration later that evening. I would say while I was at the show but that probably wouldn't have been accurate because of the time difference. Not that it really matters. He quickly replied back (again to my surprise) with a "thanks" and "have fun." Then he said he had to go. I sort of figured he wasn't really there cause he almost never replies instantly - especially that early in the day. It takes him at least a minute or two to reply. So much for instant messaging. Still, it was a nice surprise. It made me smile. I'm not sure if that was his intention or not but I'm glad for it. After all he is the one who originally introduced Mika (and quite possibly a bit more) to me in the first place. Without him I probably wouldn't even have been at this show. ;)
Following the messages, I put Life In Cartoon Motion on repeat and began to cheerfully get dressed/prepared for the show! Sure it was only 10:30am-ish at that point and we weren't leaving for NYC until 1pm-ish but I didn't care. I like to be prepared in advance. I'm kind of a dork in that sense. In fact, I had already packed a bag with a couple books to read to occupy me on the ride to the city since I am still without iPod. I also had already made sure my digital camera was fully charged and in my purse along with the Life In Cartoon Motion CD booklet and a couple sharpie minis just in case I should happen to meet Mika after the show... A girl can never been too prepared.
While I was getting dressed I got a call from Jean (as per usual - she always seems to call when I'm getting dressed). She asked why I was getting dressed so early and I reminded her for the hundredth time that I was going to see Mika in NYC. When I told her who I was going to see,she asked "Who?" rudely. Then when I explained it to her she laughed just as I had expected. After several minutes of mindless chatter she said she'd let me go - "so you can get ready for your gay concert,loser." Nice. She is always so pleasant. She really does not like Mika's music. I think she's verging on hatred. But whatever. I love his music. It makes me really happy. Close to none of my friends actually like Mika's music. Sad really. Mandi may be the only exception. I am slowly whoring him to her and it may be working..she did ask for me to send her his entire album... That's a start!
Once I had gotten dressed (dark jeans and my cute red short-sleeved top with white polka dots) and applied a little make-up I checked my computer again to see if there was anything new or worth noting online this time. There wasn't. I still had a few hours to go before we were set to leave so I ended up listening to Mika's album a bit more and watching some TV. Finally 1pm strolled around and it was time to leave! Although of course we didn't actually leave the house until twenty minutes after the hour. My Mom and step-dad couldn't stop chatting and making their last minute preparations. But even with all of their last minute preparations Mom still ended up forgetting her camera. Once we were on the road we stopped at Wawa to buy some drinks and snacks for the trip. I knew that if I didn't eat something on the way I wouldn't have anything else to eat until well after the show. I've tried that approach at previous concerts and I wound up getting sick after the show. It's not fun. And also really gross.
The drive to NYC was pretty easy and relaxing. We only live a little under three hours away. It's not really that far. There wasn't a hint of trouble and we made good time. There was hardly any traffic until we crossed the bridge into Manhattan of course. This was only the second time I've ever been to NYC and I loved every second in the city. The only other time I've ever been to NYC was way back in 8th grade when I was but a child at 14. I went for chorus/band field trip. I wasn't in the band...but I was in chorus that year. We saw Footloose on Broadway. lol. I really hope to visit again soon! It was much more fun now that I'm an adult. But I really didn't get to do anything this time I was in the city. I didn't get to visit Times Square or anything like that. My purpose was simply to attend a concert and nothing more. The only portion of NYC I saw were the streets we drove past and the block where the theater was located. Still it was verrry interesting though - to watch all of the people. I really, really, want to go back there this summer for a couple nights.
Anyway, I arrived in front of the theater forty minutes after 4pm. To my delight and surprise there wasn't a line of people at all! In fact I noticed there really weren't anyone waiting for the show aside from two guys who looked about my age. I ended up befriending the two guys (Greg and Timothy) while waiting in line. They said they had only arrived ten minutes before I did. I learned that they both lived in NYC and went to school there. One of the guys (Greg) was an arts major which I thought was pretty neat. Both guys were clearly gay. It was apparent in how they presented themselves and their speech. Still they were a lot of fun and really very sweet and nice. They joked and fooled around a lot and were a great deal of fun to chat with before,during and even briefly after the show. They noticed how I was waiting in line alone and started talking to me. They made with the small talk and asked where I was from/how far I traveled to the show, how I got into MIKA, and how much I paid for my tickets etc.. I told them how I drove three hours from Delaware. I was surprised they actually knew were Delaware was. It's deeply pathetic how many people don't know that Delaware is even a state! I told them my little story about how "my friend from England" introduced me to his music a few months ago. They found out about Mika through perezhilton.com. I didn't even know who that was before I started reading mikafanclub. I added to my story how I bet my friend in England is jealous I'm at this show tonight and he isn't. One of the guys (Timothy) retorted with "as he should be!" Apparently the guys were shocked to learn that I had only paid $15 for each of my tickets. They had to buy theirs off ebay for $60 a piece. I explained to them that I bought my tickets before the show was officially announced. Then they thought I was pretty clever when actuality I just like to be on top of things. We chatted a bit more and somehow got on to the subject of another musical love of mine; Jason Mraz. I mentioned how I was such a huge fan of his and been to a few of his shows and met him finally last May. Timothy and Greg both exclaimed how much they love Jason Mraz too! Clearly gay men have excellent taste in music. Then Timothy removed something from his pocket to show and said "Oh you'll appreciate this then!" It was a pink iPod shuffle with an engraving of "Geek In The Pink" on the back. It was pretty awesome! I certainly did appreciate it.
After chatting with Timothy and Greg for a while more people began to join the line. I recognized one person from the forum (Giedrusia_NY). She was very nice and I ended up befriending her a bit as well. She was very nice and friendly. She wanted to take pictures of everything though. She even took pictures of a Mika look-alike. But it was a little difficult to understand her since she had a thick accent. I forgot what nationality she said she was originally from but to me her accented sounded like it came from Poland or Russia but that was not the country she said she was from. She kept me company quite a bit at the show too.
Around 6pm the few of us that were waiting in front of the venue got our first sighting of Mika. Almost everyone else was a too preoccupied and debating if whether Mika had even arrived at the theater or not. So, it was completely unexpected for all of us to see Mika walking towards us and then right past us to the theater entrance. He did stop momentarily to greet us cheerfully with a lovely "Hello, everyone!" before dashing into the theater. It was a very nice surprise! After he went inside everyone was then exclaiming and complaining how no one snapped a photo. It caught us off-guard. The people towards the back on the line didn't even know Mika just went past. Oh the perks of being in the front of the line! Shortly after Mika arrived I could hear sound check beginning. I couldn't hear very well unless the theater staff opened the doors. But I was able to make out Love Today and Relax, Take it Easy.
After Mika had entered the building and sound check was on going the venue security guards made us line up away from the theater. We no longer were allowed to be leaning on the walls next to the door. Of course once the line had moved more people showed up and it began to grow. We also got a lot of gawk-ers. People kept asking "What are you waiting for?" and "Who is playing tonight?" Two other gay men (there were quite a few at the show I noticed) in line behind us shouted "Beyonce! Jay-Z!" when a group of young African-American children walked by us. It was a bit rude but funny. To keep us entertained and ensure our spirits remained brightened two circus performers came out. Both performers were pretty dismal. One was a man with pink hair walking on stilts and the other was a clown who made balloon hats. I would say he made balloon animals but he didn't. Hats only. The man with pink hair on stilts was extremely annoying and downright creepy. He reminded me of that annoying comedian Carrot Top. He mention to us all that he tried out for Last Comic Standing and didn't make it. I joked with Greg and Timothy that he didn't make it because he had no talent. We amused ourselves. The man who made the quirky balloon hats was a nice guy but he was pretty terrible with the balloons. A lot of his designs looked remarkably like a penis. The gay men around me found it to be remarkably amusing. I admit I did too. They cracked jokes like "I wish I could whip in out that quick." or "pump as hard." While the two clowns distracted everyone else waiting in line my new gay friends and I were graced with another sighting of Mika. Being in the front of the line truly does rock. Only this time Mika was leaving the theater! He darted right past the crowd and straight into a black van parked right very close to where I was standing. Lots of people seemed to notice and were better prepared for an appearance. The girl from the forum (Giedre) snapped a few photos of Mika getting into the van. Us fans talked amongst ourselves and decided Mika must be going out to eat before the show. It was already 7pm and doors would be let in soon. Surely he wouldn't just abandon everyone waiting for his show. Maybe he just wanted to relax,take it easssssy (haha) before the show took place.
There was some concern over cameras before the doors were to open. I just love how relevant information is always posted/addressed at the last minute. Some of us were fretting the barely noticeable "Photography Not Permitted" signs with tiny lettering. I was one of them at first. But I was so determined to take some photos that I wasn't going to pay any mind to those stupid little signs. The guards said that if we had cameras we had to take them to our cars or check them once we get inside. I didn't do either of those things. My digital camera is fairly discreet so I just hid it in my not so discreet chest. You couldn't tell I was concealing a very cold digital camera in my chest. I guess my chest is good for some things. The security guards didn't pat me down or anything like that like some speculated. When they did check my purse it was very brief. A quick flick of the flashlight and that was it. I was in!
I was lucky enough to be the first person to enter the stage area. I didn't even notice anything else when I entered. My eyes were fixated solely upon the stage. I scrambled towards it and securely locked positioned my legs at the spot where I believed was the most coveted: front row center. If the guy in front of me/fellow wait-in liner, Timothy hadn't been delayed with jacket/camera checking and over 21 ID checking for drinks I'm sure he would have been the first officially inside. But he actually ended up standing one person away from me on my right. The other guy,Greg, was right behind me in line and the next to enter the stage room. He ended up standing next to me and the other people who I waited in line with all evening surrounded me. I think I was in pretty good company. All of us sort of bonded while we waited together. And then we all waited some more for Mika to perform. Only this time the wait didn't feel as long. All of us were smiling and anticipating the start of the show.
The show began around 9pm with an opening act focusing on a female singer-songwriter playing the keyboard. I don't remember her full name. She did say it a couple times but even though I was so close it was a little difficult to hear. All I remember her saying was that her name was Sarah B. She was joined on stage with a guitarist and a man playing a wooden box. Alright I don't think it was an actual wooden box. I'm sure it was a highly sophisticated musical instrument. But since I don't know many wooden instrument names that happen to be square I'm calling it like I see it - a wooden box with holes. I thought their set was pretty good! I was into it. I was just really glad they didn't suck. All of Sarah B.'s songs were based on the keys. She reminded me a bit of Rachael Yamagata. Her set lasted about 45 minutes and after her set ended everyone started to go crazy with shouts for Mika. I'm pretty sure after Sarah B.'s set I noticed a man in rainbow suspenders sucking on a rainbow penis shaped spinning lollipop. Oh god!
While waiting for Mika's set the sound guy was playing a mix of the weirdest hear songs ever before a concert. I'm pretty sure it was part of Mika's request and helped to ensure the light-spirited feel of the night. I remember hearing "We're Off To See The Wizard" and "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees. Surprisingly every. one It was was singing a long to The Monkees. It was kind of neat. I didn't think many people my age knew that song. The last song I remember hearing was Dolly Parton's "9-5. Ever! OMG! Everyone around me was exclaiming "What? It this Dolly Parton? and laughing. Haha in fact while that song was still playing the lights dimmed and I could see Mika's band mates taking the stage followed by Mika himself...... the show had begun. Finally!
Mika's set only last for about an hour. He played from 10 until nearly 11pm. But it definitely wasn't disappointing at all. It was incredible. He played all of the songs I wanted to hear and then some.
I did meet Mika very briefly after the show. He was actually in the van getting ready to leave the theater when one of the much more outgoing girls standing next to me at the time flagging him down and asked him to stop. He was very kind to me and everyone else waiting even though you can tell her was in a rush. While he was getting ready to sign someone's CD I remember him saying "Oh they are going to kill me for this." After he signed this one girls' CD he turned to me and asked "Want me to sign that for you,love?" with a smile. I looked up at him and very graciously said "OH yes! Thanks so much!.: He signed the set list I had taken with my mini pink sharpie, it pays to be prepared for such chance meetings. . His hands were all over it and he didn't give it back to me right away. He continued to sign other people's items before he realized it was mine and returned it.
Set List:
RELAX - I love Relax! It was the second song I heard by Mika aside from Grace Kelly. It's a total dance type of song and was amazing live! I thought it was a great way to begin the show. It really set the tone of the evening and what was in store: fun and high pitched-wailing. I just loved screaming TAKE IT EASSSSY as loud as I could.
RELAX INTRO
BIG GIRL - This song and silly and fun no matter what so you can imagine how fantastic it was to be heard live! The crowd was definitely into it. The gay men next to me were going crazy! Mika was jumping around the stage even more intensely. Things were heating up and he removed his sweatshirt. At one point Mika and his guitarist Michael Chao turned their backs to the audience and shook their asses. Nice.
MY INTERPRETATION - One of my favorites since I first heard Life in Cartoon Motion in January. It was nice hear live! Mika still retained a ton of energy even while sitting down at his keyboard.
BILLY BROWN - I admit I never cared for this song all that much before I heard it live. There was just something about it that is a little off on the studio recording. It is a hundred times better live! I could definitely tell it is a crowd favorite. The two gay men to my right (and nearly everyone else at the show) sang BROOOWN, OH BILLLY BROOOWN like it was their anthem. While it was lots of fun shouting Billy Brown at the top of my lungs I particularly loved at the very end of the song when Mika paused slightly just before singing the last line and gestured to us (the crowd) to sing the last line of MAN in unison. I'm probably not making it sound like it but it was awesome. I'd have say this song was one of the highlights of the show for me.
OVER MY SHOULDER - Incredible to hear live! It was just very emotional and definitely showcased more of Mika's serious side and vocal abilities. Before singing he made quieting gestures to the crowd to settle everyone down and prepare for a more intimate performance. Mika didn't play the keyboard on this live, one of his bandmates did.
EVERYBODY'S TALKIN - Harry Nilsson cover. Mika back at his keys. I was hoping this was going to be played. I've been listening to it frequently and really love it. This was an awesome performance!
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE - Another upbeat song with lots of energy again. Mika transitioned very well from the previous songs which were played on low energy to match the tone of the ballads. The best part of this performance was the scatting/ vocalizing at the end. I'm always a sucker for crazy vocalizing and scatting. Could be why I love the intro to Love Today far too much...
RING RING - I've loved this song ever since Alex sent it to me a couple months ago! Soo glad I got to hear it live. It was very catchy and sounded funky.
JOHNNY - Entirely new song. I never heard it before this night. I couldn't really make out a lot of the words but the beat was nice. It wasn't slow. It was poppy. And I remember Mika making a lot of crazy hand gestures and singing something about "holy johnny." I hope a recording surfaces of this song. I'd love to hear it again.
LOVE TODAY - My favorite performance of the night, only fair since it is one of my favorite songs. I loved how Mika began slowly with an introduction before really building and picking it up and getting crowd going with the verses. This was a real highlight of the night for me. The crowd was really into it too and everyone was jumping up and down and clapping! It was amazing!!
GRACE KELLY - I knew this was going to be played and not because I was reading it off of the set list in front of me. This song HAD to be played and will probably be played for the rest of Mika's career. That's alright by me. I don't think I'll ever tire of it. It's amazing and so excellent to hear live. I couldn't stop smiling and singing along to this one. This was the song that everyone at the show was at the very least familiar with!! So you can imagine all of the participation and liveliness brought on by the crowd.
encore:
LOLLIPOP - This was completely insane and lots of fun!! Mika and the band came out on stage wearing animal costumes. Mika was a bear. But there was also an elephant, bunny, donkey, and crocodile. Before signing and playing though they did this little skit. The bunny (Cherisse, the drummer) was standing up with a club in hand while everyone else was crawling on the floor, circling her. She then started to hit them all on the head with her club. It was cute and very funny. Oooh also once things really started to pick in the song all of these giant balloons were thrown into the crowd and bouncing around! It was very cool. But you may have to question my idea of cool...
Pictures:
Shot of the the marquee displaying the lovely "Sold Out" notice.
A quick shot of the clown making one of his lame balloon hats. I sort of wanted one even if I wouldn't dare to actually wear it....
The set list directly in front of me that I ended up taking home! I loved knowing what would be played and when before the show started. I was so determined to get this set list. I had eye balled it since I watched the roadies tape it to the stage floor.
The first few photos of Mika in his unusual brown hoodie were taken during Relax.
The couple shots under the red lighting were taken during Over My Shoulder...
The signed set list plus one of the super cool rosette buttons/pins I bought!!! :D
I didn't post all of the pictures I took. I figured I took up enough space already. I only selected some of my favorite shots. If you want to view all of my photos you can at my photobucket account.
Video Clips:
I took seven clips!! My view may have been amazing but unfortunately the sound quality isn't the greatest on a lot of my clips. In fact I think it sucks. You can definitely hear people singing around me. And the singing (of course) is not great at all. I know you can not hear me singing on the clips I took. I know better than to sing while I'm recording. It is disappointing since normally the sound is my camera's best feature when it comes to videos. I think I must not have have the volume turned up all the way or was blocking the mic with my finger as I was jumping up and down and trying to enjoy the performances while I was videoing. Oh well. My clips are still worth a view.
RELAX (Take It Easy)
http://www.youtube.com/v/J3ImPD5FjI0
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)
http://www.youtube.com/v/FY9MifJn_60
My Interpretation
http://www.youtube.com/v/AtVQ2qNb1zg
Stuck In The Middle
http://www.youtube.com/v/e2R1k5hJb1k
Ring Ring
http://www.youtube.com/v/uOHgsfBLo4k
Love Today
http://www.youtube.com/v/_g-iC0lSDSg
This is my favorite, favorite, favorite, video clip that I shot. The sound quality is actually decent. I just looove it. Too bad I wasn't able to capture more of the performance. But someone else got all of it!! But I have to say my view was much better....much much better. ;)
Grace Kelly
http://www.youtube.com/v/Re67_9DFhsA
Very, very short. I was running out of memory by the time this song was performed. I was hoping someone else would video this song and they did. Luckily it was the same person who shot all of Love Today as well as the encore ,Lollipop, which was absolutely insane!!
Lollipop
http://www.youtube.com/v/UDbT-AQHIJE
Not my clip but I HAD to post it. It's too awesome not too!! I love the animal costumes. Mika had a tough time getting his bear costume off towards the end. I watched him struggle...it came off eventually.
I suppose I'll begin with all of my boring details leading up to the show that no one particularly cares about besides myself. But this is my personal review/experience. So, if you don't wish to read about how my day began,arriving in NYC, waiting in line, and all of that type of "stuff" then by all means skip ahead to the actual review of the show.... never mind the typos.
Since I don't have a car or even license to drive (yet) my My mom and step-dad graciously offered to drive me to NYC. Originally my sister was going to take and actually accompany me to the show but she ended up having to work at the last minute. That last minute plan alteration turned out to be completely in my favor. My sister's music tastes are waaaay different from mine anyway. She's mostly into to hip-hop, r&b and even country. My tastes are more or less polar opposites from hers. I know she probably wouldn't have enjoyed the show. I bet my sister would have probably complained or have another fight via cell phone with her husband like at the Mraz show she took me to in October. (She ended up not even seeing the show after I paid for her ticket. She just sat in the car all night arguing.) My parents of course had no intention of going to the show. Instead they dropped me off in front of the theater and hung around other parts of NYC (Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy) until the show was over. I was perfectly fine with this! I actually prefer going to shows solo anyway. It makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. I hardly have any friends who are into the same music as me. And this way I don't have to worry whether or not my accomplice(s) is having a good time. Besides I knew I'd be fine. I wasn't going anywhere and I was going to be surrounded by fellow fans and forum members. I've been to enough concerts and stood in line long enough to know how things operate. But because I had planned for someone to go to the show left me with an extra ticket that just went to waste...too bad I didn't have anyone willing to come to the show with me purely because I had a free ticket.
My day began around 7:30am. I know. I know. Why was I awake before 8am when I didn't have to be? Well, the answer is very simple Mika was performing live on Good Morning America and I just had to be sure I didn't miss his performance. Besides I didn't exactly get much sleep the night before since I was buzzing with excitement. Day light couldn't come soon enough. A still very sleepy and groggy me waited a whole fifteen minutes to try and catch a glimpse of Mika and listen in for even a slight mention of his name by stuffy news casters. After that amount of time passed and I heard nothing aside from uninteresting news reports I grew bored and a little irritated. So, then I nodded off to sleep. I should have known music performances aren't usually shown until the very end anyway. Luckily I didn't fall into a deep sleep and woke up only minutes before Mika was set to appear on stage. I perked right up when I saw Mika finally on the screen. The performance was just great! He sang Grace Kelly (of course) while bursting with tons of energy for an early morning set. Not a bad way for me to start my day. Watching Mika perform live on GMA in NYC only added to my anticipation and excitement. I couldn't wait to see Mika live before my very eyes in NYC later that night!
After watching the awesomness that was Mika on live television and feeling quite happy with myself and life in general; I went downstairs and got some yogurt to eat for breakfast. I think the yogurt might have been expired though. It tasted horrible! I couldn't eat more than a few bites and I usually love cherry flavored yogurt. Oh well. I didn't let it bother me since I was in such a good mood. After the mild yogurt mishap I went to my computer and proceeded to check the usual online spots - gmail, myspace, livejournal, and last.fm. Nothing really interesting to note. Then I hit up Mika's unofficial fan forum (mikafanclub) to read the latest news on (who else?) Mika and review the New York show thread. I wanted to see who else was going to the show, when they were arriving, etc.. After I was satisfied and made a few public posts once again exclaiming my excitement for the good time I was bound to have later that night and how I was possibly looking forward to seeing some other members later; I received an IM from Alex. The message was brief, completely unexpected but really very nice. All he simply said was "enjoy mika tonight" followed by some "xxxx." I was surprised he had messaged me at all. Usually he waits until the evening to message me. But no matter. I sent him a reply message saying "thanks" followed by a wish that he would have a nice birthday celebration later that evening. I would say while I was at the show but that probably wouldn't have been accurate because of the time difference. Not that it really matters. He quickly replied back (again to my surprise) with a "thanks" and "have fun." Then he said he had to go. I sort of figured he wasn't really there cause he almost never replies instantly - especially that early in the day. It takes him at least a minute or two to reply. So much for instant messaging. Still, it was a nice surprise. It made me smile. I'm not sure if that was his intention or not but I'm glad for it. After all he is the one who originally introduced Mika (and quite possibly a bit more) to me in the first place. Without him I probably wouldn't even have been at this show. ;)
Following the messages, I put Life In Cartoon Motion on repeat and began to cheerfully get dressed/prepared for the show! Sure it was only 10:30am-ish at that point and we weren't leaving for NYC until 1pm-ish but I didn't care. I like to be prepared in advance. I'm kind of a dork in that sense. In fact, I had already packed a bag with a couple books to read to occupy me on the ride to the city since I am still without iPod. I also had already made sure my digital camera was fully charged and in my purse along with the Life In Cartoon Motion CD booklet and a couple sharpie minis just in case I should happen to meet Mika after the show... A girl can never been too prepared.
While I was getting dressed I got a call from Jean (as per usual - she always seems to call when I'm getting dressed). She asked why I was getting dressed so early and I reminded her for the hundredth time that I was going to see Mika in NYC. When I told her who I was going to see,she asked "Who?" rudely. Then when I explained it to her she laughed just as I had expected. After several minutes of mindless chatter she said she'd let me go - "so you can get ready for your gay concert,loser." Nice. She is always so pleasant. She really does not like Mika's music. I think she's verging on hatred. But whatever. I love his music. It makes me really happy. Close to none of my friends actually like Mika's music. Sad really. Mandi may be the only exception. I am slowly whoring him to her and it may be working..she did ask for me to send her his entire album... That's a start!
Once I had gotten dressed (dark jeans and my cute red short-sleeved top with white polka dots) and applied a little make-up I checked my computer again to see if there was anything new or worth noting online this time. There wasn't. I still had a few hours to go before we were set to leave so I ended up listening to Mika's album a bit more and watching some TV. Finally 1pm strolled around and it was time to leave! Although of course we didn't actually leave the house until twenty minutes after the hour. My Mom and step-dad couldn't stop chatting and making their last minute preparations. But even with all of their last minute preparations Mom still ended up forgetting her camera. Once we were on the road we stopped at Wawa to buy some drinks and snacks for the trip. I knew that if I didn't eat something on the way I wouldn't have anything else to eat until well after the show. I've tried that approach at previous concerts and I wound up getting sick after the show. It's not fun. And also really gross.
The drive to NYC was pretty easy and relaxing. We only live a little under three hours away. It's not really that far. There wasn't a hint of trouble and we made good time. There was hardly any traffic until we crossed the bridge into Manhattan of course. This was only the second time I've ever been to NYC and I loved every second in the city. The only other time I've ever been to NYC was way back in 8th grade when I was but a child at 14. I went for chorus/band field trip. I wasn't in the band...but I was in chorus that year. We saw Footloose on Broadway. lol. I really hope to visit again soon! It was much more fun now that I'm an adult. But I really didn't get to do anything this time I was in the city. I didn't get to visit Times Square or anything like that. My purpose was simply to attend a concert and nothing more. The only portion of NYC I saw were the streets we drove past and the block where the theater was located. Still it was verrry interesting though - to watch all of the people. I really, really, want to go back there this summer for a couple nights.
Anyway, I arrived in front of the theater forty minutes after 4pm. To my delight and surprise there wasn't a line of people at all! In fact I noticed there really weren't anyone waiting for the show aside from two guys who looked about my age. I ended up befriending the two guys (Greg and Timothy) while waiting in line. They said they had only arrived ten minutes before I did. I learned that they both lived in NYC and went to school there. One of the guys (Greg) was an arts major which I thought was pretty neat. Both guys were clearly gay. It was apparent in how they presented themselves and their speech. Still they were a lot of fun and really very sweet and nice. They joked and fooled around a lot and were a great deal of fun to chat with before,during and even briefly after the show. They noticed how I was waiting in line alone and started talking to me. They made with the small talk and asked where I was from/how far I traveled to the show, how I got into MIKA, and how much I paid for my tickets etc.. I told them how I drove three hours from Delaware. I was surprised they actually knew were Delaware was. It's deeply pathetic how many people don't know that Delaware is even a state! I told them my little story about how "my friend from England" introduced me to his music a few months ago. They found out about Mika through perezhilton.com. I didn't even know who that was before I started reading mikafanclub. I added to my story how I bet my friend in England is jealous I'm at this show tonight and he isn't. One of the guys (Timothy) retorted with "as he should be!" Apparently the guys were shocked to learn that I had only paid $15 for each of my tickets. They had to buy theirs off ebay for $60 a piece. I explained to them that I bought my tickets before the show was officially announced. Then they thought I was pretty clever when actuality I just like to be on top of things. We chatted a bit more and somehow got on to the subject of another musical love of mine; Jason Mraz. I mentioned how I was such a huge fan of his and been to a few of his shows and met him finally last May. Timothy and Greg both exclaimed how much they love Jason Mraz too! Clearly gay men have excellent taste in music. Then Timothy removed something from his pocket to show and said "Oh you'll appreciate this then!" It was a pink iPod shuffle with an engraving of "Geek In The Pink" on the back. It was pretty awesome! I certainly did appreciate it.
After chatting with Timothy and Greg for a while more people began to join the line. I recognized one person from the forum (Giedrusia_NY). She was very nice and I ended up befriending her a bit as well. She was very nice and friendly. She wanted to take pictures of everything though. She even took pictures of a Mika look-alike. But it was a little difficult to understand her since she had a thick accent. I forgot what nationality she said she was originally from but to me her accented sounded like it came from Poland or Russia but that was not the country she said she was from. She kept me company quite a bit at the show too.
Around 6pm the few of us that were waiting in front of the venue got our first sighting of Mika. Almost everyone else was a too preoccupied and debating if whether Mika had even arrived at the theater or not. So, it was completely unexpected for all of us to see Mika walking towards us and then right past us to the theater entrance. He did stop momentarily to greet us cheerfully with a lovely "Hello, everyone!" before dashing into the theater. It was a very nice surprise! After he went inside everyone was then exclaiming and complaining how no one snapped a photo. It caught us off-guard. The people towards the back on the line didn't even know Mika just went past. Oh the perks of being in the front of the line! Shortly after Mika arrived I could hear sound check beginning. I couldn't hear very well unless the theater staff opened the doors. But I was able to make out Love Today and Relax, Take it Easy.
After Mika had entered the building and sound check was on going the venue security guards made us line up away from the theater. We no longer were allowed to be leaning on the walls next to the door. Of course once the line had moved more people showed up and it began to grow. We also got a lot of gawk-ers. People kept asking "What are you waiting for?" and "Who is playing tonight?" Two other gay men (there were quite a few at the show I noticed) in line behind us shouted "Beyonce! Jay-Z!" when a group of young African-American children walked by us. It was a bit rude but funny. To keep us entertained and ensure our spirits remained brightened two circus performers came out. Both performers were pretty dismal. One was a man with pink hair walking on stilts and the other was a clown who made balloon hats. I would say he made balloon animals but he didn't. Hats only. The man with pink hair on stilts was extremely annoying and downright creepy. He reminded me of that annoying comedian Carrot Top. He mention to us all that he tried out for Last Comic Standing and didn't make it. I joked with Greg and Timothy that he didn't make it because he had no talent. We amused ourselves. The man who made the quirky balloon hats was a nice guy but he was pretty terrible with the balloons. A lot of his designs looked remarkably like a penis. The gay men around me found it to be remarkably amusing. I admit I did too. They cracked jokes like "I wish I could whip in out that quick." or "pump as hard." While the two clowns distracted everyone else waiting in line my new gay friends and I were graced with another sighting of Mika. Being in the front of the line truly does rock. Only this time Mika was leaving the theater! He darted right past the crowd and straight into a black van parked right very close to where I was standing. Lots of people seemed to notice and were better prepared for an appearance. The girl from the forum (Giedre) snapped a few photos of Mika getting into the van. Us fans talked amongst ourselves and decided Mika must be going out to eat before the show. It was already 7pm and doors would be let in soon. Surely he wouldn't just abandon everyone waiting for his show. Maybe he just wanted to relax,take it easssssy (haha) before the show took place.
There was some concern over cameras before the doors were to open. I just love how relevant information is always posted/addressed at the last minute. Some of us were fretting the barely noticeable "Photography Not Permitted" signs with tiny lettering. I was one of them at first. But I was so determined to take some photos that I wasn't going to pay any mind to those stupid little signs. The guards said that if we had cameras we had to take them to our cars or check them once we get inside. I didn't do either of those things. My digital camera is fairly discreet so I just hid it in my not so discreet chest. You couldn't tell I was concealing a very cold digital camera in my chest. I guess my chest is good for some things. The security guards didn't pat me down or anything like that like some speculated. When they did check my purse it was very brief. A quick flick of the flashlight and that was it. I was in!
I was lucky enough to be the first person to enter the stage area. I didn't even notice anything else when I entered. My eyes were fixated solely upon the stage. I scrambled towards it and securely locked positioned my legs at the spot where I believed was the most coveted: front row center. If the guy in front of me/fellow wait-in liner, Timothy hadn't been delayed with jacket/camera checking and over 21 ID checking for drinks I'm sure he would have been the first officially inside. But he actually ended up standing one person away from me on my right. The other guy,Greg, was right behind me in line and the next to enter the stage room. He ended up standing next to me and the other people who I waited in line with all evening surrounded me. I think I was in pretty good company. All of us sort of bonded while we waited together. And then we all waited some more for Mika to perform. Only this time the wait didn't feel as long. All of us were smiling and anticipating the start of the show.
The show began around 9pm with an opening act focusing on a female singer-songwriter playing the keyboard. I don't remember her full name. She did say it a couple times but even though I was so close it was a little difficult to hear. All I remember her saying was that her name was Sarah B. She was joined on stage with a guitarist and a man playing a wooden box. Alright I don't think it was an actual wooden box. I'm sure it was a highly sophisticated musical instrument. But since I don't know many wooden instrument names that happen to be square I'm calling it like I see it - a wooden box with holes. I thought their set was pretty good! I was into it. I was just really glad they didn't suck. All of Sarah B.'s songs were based on the keys. She reminded me a bit of Rachael Yamagata. Her set lasted about 45 minutes and after her set ended everyone started to go crazy with shouts for Mika. I'm pretty sure after Sarah B.'s set I noticed a man in rainbow suspenders sucking on a rainbow penis shaped spinning lollipop. Oh god!
While waiting for Mika's set the sound guy was playing a mix of the weirdest hear songs ever before a concert. I'm pretty sure it was part of Mika's request and helped to ensure the light-spirited feel of the night. I remember hearing "We're Off To See The Wizard" and "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees. Surprisingly every. one It was was singing a long to The Monkees. It was kind of neat. I didn't think many people my age knew that song. The last song I remember hearing was Dolly Parton's "9-5. Ever! OMG! Everyone around me was exclaiming "What? It this Dolly Parton? and laughing. Haha in fact while that song was still playing the lights dimmed and I could see Mika's band mates taking the stage followed by Mika himself...... the show had begun. Finally!
Mika's set only last for about an hour. He played from 10 until nearly 11pm. But it definitely wasn't disappointing at all. It was incredible. He played all of the songs I wanted to hear and then some.
I did meet Mika very briefly after the show. He was actually in the van getting ready to leave the theater when one of the much more outgoing girls standing next to me at the time flagging him down and asked him to stop. He was very kind to me and everyone else waiting even though you can tell her was in a rush. While he was getting ready to sign someone's CD I remember him saying "Oh they are going to kill me for this." After he signed this one girls' CD he turned to me and asked "Want me to sign that for you,love?" with a smile. I looked up at him and very graciously said "OH yes! Thanks so much!.: He signed the set list I had taken with my mini pink sharpie, it pays to be prepared for such chance meetings. . His hands were all over it and he didn't give it back to me right away. He continued to sign other people's items before he realized it was mine and returned it.
Set List:
RELAX - I love Relax! It was the second song I heard by Mika aside from Grace Kelly. It's a total dance type of song and was amazing live! I thought it was a great way to begin the show. It really set the tone of the evening and what was in store: fun and high pitched-wailing. I just loved screaming TAKE IT EASSSSY as loud as I could.
RELAX INTRO
BIG GIRL - This song and silly and fun no matter what so you can imagine how fantastic it was to be heard live! The crowd was definitely into it. The gay men next to me were going crazy! Mika was jumping around the stage even more intensely. Things were heating up and he removed his sweatshirt. At one point Mika and his guitarist Michael Chao turned their backs to the audience and shook their asses. Nice.
MY INTERPRETATION - One of my favorites since I first heard Life in Cartoon Motion in January. It was nice hear live! Mika still retained a ton of energy even while sitting down at his keyboard.
BILLY BROWN - I admit I never cared for this song all that much before I heard it live. There was just something about it that is a little off on the studio recording. It is a hundred times better live! I could definitely tell it is a crowd favorite. The two gay men to my right (and nearly everyone else at the show) sang BROOOWN, OH BILLLY BROOOWN like it was their anthem. While it was lots of fun shouting Billy Brown at the top of my lungs I particularly loved at the very end of the song when Mika paused slightly just before singing the last line and gestured to us (the crowd) to sing the last line of MAN in unison. I'm probably not making it sound like it but it was awesome. I'd have say this song was one of the highlights of the show for me.
OVER MY SHOULDER - Incredible to hear live! It was just very emotional and definitely showcased more of Mika's serious side and vocal abilities. Before singing he made quieting gestures to the crowd to settle everyone down and prepare for a more intimate performance. Mika didn't play the keyboard on this live, one of his bandmates did.
EVERYBODY'S TALKIN - Harry Nilsson cover. Mika back at his keys. I was hoping this was going to be played. I've been listening to it frequently and really love it. This was an awesome performance!
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE - Another upbeat song with lots of energy again. Mika transitioned very well from the previous songs which were played on low energy to match the tone of the ballads. The best part of this performance was the scatting/ vocalizing at the end. I'm always a sucker for crazy vocalizing and scatting. Could be why I love the intro to Love Today far too much...
RING RING - I've loved this song ever since Alex sent it to me a couple months ago! Soo glad I got to hear it live. It was very catchy and sounded funky.
JOHNNY - Entirely new song. I never heard it before this night. I couldn't really make out a lot of the words but the beat was nice. It wasn't slow. It was poppy. And I remember Mika making a lot of crazy hand gestures and singing something about "holy johnny." I hope a recording surfaces of this song. I'd love to hear it again.
LOVE TODAY - My favorite performance of the night, only fair since it is one of my favorite songs. I loved how Mika began slowly with an introduction before really building and picking it up and getting crowd going with the verses. This was a real highlight of the night for me. The crowd was really into it too and everyone was jumping up and down and clapping! It was amazing!!
GRACE KELLY - I knew this was going to be played and not because I was reading it off of the set list in front of me. This song HAD to be played and will probably be played for the rest of Mika's career. That's alright by me. I don't think I'll ever tire of it. It's amazing and so excellent to hear live. I couldn't stop smiling and singing along to this one. This was the song that everyone at the show was at the very least familiar with!! So you can imagine all of the participation and liveliness brought on by the crowd.
encore:
LOLLIPOP - This was completely insane and lots of fun!! Mika and the band came out on stage wearing animal costumes. Mika was a bear. But there was also an elephant, bunny, donkey, and crocodile. Before signing and playing though they did this little skit. The bunny (Cherisse, the drummer) was standing up with a club in hand while everyone else was crawling on the floor, circling her. She then started to hit them all on the head with her club. It was cute and very funny. Oooh also once things really started to pick in the song all of these giant balloons were thrown into the crowd and bouncing around! It was very cool. But you may have to question my idea of cool...
Pictures:
Shot of the the marquee displaying the lovely "Sold Out" notice.
A quick shot of the clown making one of his lame balloon hats. I sort of wanted one even if I wouldn't dare to actually wear it....
The set list directly in front of me that I ended up taking home! I loved knowing what would be played and when before the show started. I was so determined to get this set list. I had eye balled it since I watched the roadies tape it to the stage floor.
The first few photos of Mika in his unusual brown hoodie were taken during Relax.
The couple shots under the red lighting were taken during Over My Shoulder...
The signed set list plus one of the super cool rosette buttons/pins I bought!!! :D
I didn't post all of the pictures I took. I figured I took up enough space already. I only selected some of my favorite shots. If you want to view all of my photos you can at my photobucket account.
Video Clips:
I took seven clips!! My view may have been amazing but unfortunately the sound quality isn't the greatest on a lot of my clips. In fact I think it sucks. You can definitely hear people singing around me. And the singing (of course) is not great at all. I know you can not hear me singing on the clips I took. I know better than to sing while I'm recording. It is disappointing since normally the sound is my camera's best feature when it comes to videos. I think I must not have have the volume turned up all the way or was blocking the mic with my finger as I was jumping up and down and trying to enjoy the performances while I was videoing. Oh well. My clips are still worth a view.
RELAX (Take It Easy)
http://www.youtube.com/v/J3ImPD5FjI0
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)
http://www.youtube.com/v/FY9MifJn_60
My Interpretation
http://www.youtube.com/v/AtVQ2qNb1zg
Stuck In The Middle
http://www.youtube.com/v/e2R1k5hJb1k
Ring Ring
http://www.youtube.com/v/uOHgsfBLo4k
Love Today
http://www.youtube.com/v/_g-iC0lSDSg
This is my favorite, favorite, favorite, video clip that I shot. The sound quality is actually decent. I just looove it. Too bad I wasn't able to capture more of the performance. But someone else got all of it!! But I have to say my view was much better....much much better. ;)
Grace Kelly
http://www.youtube.com/v/Re67_9DFhsA
Very, very short. I was running out of memory by the time this song was performed. I was hoping someone else would video this song and they did. Luckily it was the same person who shot all of Love Today as well as the encore ,Lollipop, which was absolutely insane!!
Lollipop
http://www.youtube.com/v/UDbT-AQHIJE
Not my clip but I HAD to post it. It's too awesome not too!! I love the animal costumes. Mika had a tough time getting his bear costume off towards the end. I watched him struggle...it came off eventually.