dcdeb Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 (Follow the link, there are lots of great photos!) A bit of Freddie Mercury, a bit of Wham!, some of Elton’s glitter, heartfelt power ballads, maybe some Flaming Lips big balloon showmanship and effortless, fervent crowd interaction, a Tron jacket, dayglo clothing, trashcan drumming, a giant teacup, marionettes—you couldn’t really ask for all that in one night out, especially one that gets you home by 10:30? Could you? Twenty-six year old pop star Mika (raised in Beirut and London) strutted, scissor-kicked, wore a dayglo feather hat and sang high notes all over the place at the Riviera—all the while sincerely convinced that this was the best American audience he’d ever had the pleasure (or “honor”) of dazzling. But I got the feeling he’d dazzled a few. Late in the set, he said his band was playing bigger venues every time it came through “to the surprise even of my record company.” I wouldn’t doubt it—the crowd sang along—and generally freaked out in near Beatlemania-style hysteria to every electricity-charged move he made—and at about 13 moves per second that’s a lot of freaking. Like someone who’s been practicing pop star moves in his parent’s full-length mirror since he was out of diapers, every cut and turn, kick, pop, smile and banter from Mika seems like it was designed for maximum entertainment. But just as practiced and deftly executed were Mika’s songs—as he soared into vocal stratospheres, cruised the falsetto register, the guy never slips or struggles. That’s entertainment. The singer’s ambiguous sexuality plays to a large cross-section of pop fan’s fantasies—young ladies and grown gay men seemed equally enraptured with his dramatic dance pop. One couple arrived at 4:30pm to get a place at stage front. Try finding Mika on the radio and you’ll come up empty—but last night’s gig felt like a sign that this singer’s moment has come—at least in Chicago, his popularity is soaring. Around 8:30pm, after peeling himself out of a white spacesuit, the slim singer rushed the stage moments later in all-white—probably the greatest stage entrance I’ve seen this year. Early in the set, “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)” got the disco dance party going—like Boney M chomping on a plate of baklava—outdoing the entire Scissor Sisters catalog in just a few minutes. Mika opened his suitcase during “Dr. John.” “Blue Eyes,” which has an Afropop rhythm, came soon after—complete with big blue eyed props. After a marionette interlude, the band threw current single “Blame It On the Girls” at us. The theatricality included more than Mika’s spacesuit, and entrance and exit with a suitcase full of props and designer suit jackets—with a subtle (the only subtlety of the night) reference to the Music Man. And tunes like “Billy Brown,” a flippant pop number a married guy who falls for another fellow, was particularly theatrical—like a West End musical erupting in the middle of Uptown. Mika’s diva ballad “I See You” came next—with spotlights and strings schmaltzing things up—it might have been a bit too much even for Mika, almost too straight-faced, perhaps, except that it ended with a confetti cannon storm on stage, which made it strangely okay. The regular keys and bass-heavy set (with Mika taking to electric piano and singing horn solos) climaxed with the magnificent “We Are Golden” from The Boy Who Knew Too Much before Mika took his showman’s suitcase away, but soon he and his five-piece band were back with the less-charming cabaret-inspired “Toy Boy,” then his should-have-been-a-hit-here UK number one “Grace Kelly,” then whacking trash cans for a chaotic farewell “Lollipop.” Like a party ending at just the right time, Mika, like an expert host—threw us out thoroughly dazzled. The only trouble will be topping show number three the next time around. Maybe Dick Van Dyke has some suggestions for that one. Photos: Amy Mokris Posted in Music by John Dugan on October 21st, 2009 at 1:06 am Read more: http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/out-and-about/2009/10/mika-at-riviera-theatre-live-review-and-gallery/#ixzz0UZHRVHA9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANI56 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 ops! http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2601085&postcount=50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thats the first time Ive ever ever seen Deb do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thats the first time Ive ever ever seen Deb do that It's buried in the MFC reports, and not everyone will read it there. I thought it deserved to stand alone since it was such a good review! and the photos are So I'm reopening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 ok I cant keep track , gone are the days when I could read all posts in 10 minutes:roftl: Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodes100 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks Deb & DANI56 for posting this enthusiastic & glowing review. John Dugan gets what Mika is about - like we do. "Twenty-six year old pop star Mika strutted, scissor-kicked, wore a dayglo feather hat and sang high notes all over the place at the Riviera—all the while sincerely convinced that this was the best American audience he’d ever had the pleasure (or “honor”) of dazzling. But I got the feeling he’d dazzled a few!" I think that says it all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Sky Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I was going to make a thread for this one too a few hours ago, but I saw Dani posted...we are all tripping over each other in our Mika-love/enthusiasm:wub2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omdeliom Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Holy Moly - what a beautiful (and spot-on!) review! Thanks SO much for posting it Deb! I'm also loving reading posts from MFC'ers who went to recent concerts and write about how generous and giving Mika is to his fans - often allowing photos to be taken with him after security has said "no more"... When I read that, I love him even more (as if that's possible!). He's SO genuinely grateful for his fans, and it's thrilling to see the concert clips and witness the energy that he gets from them - and that the fans get from him! Being there in person and directly experiencing that 'back-and-forth' energy is MAGIC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mine Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thank you very much Deb:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Angel Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Angel Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Angel Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thx dcdeb for posting the review. amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I was going to make a thread for this one too a few hours ago, but I saw Dani posted...we are all tripping over each other in our Mika-love/enthusiasm:wub2: I know, it's hard not to! Oh that photo again! I just love it! Thanks for pulling the photos out of the slideshow, DA -- when it's flash like that was, I'm not sure how to get to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Great review, a pleasure to read a reviewer who really gets Mika but not in a sycophantic way. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 It's a brilliant review! I would have left a comment but it wouldn't let me. I love how he says that Mika is getting popular in Chicago! Let's hope his hard work is paying off BIG TIME, and he's getting popular in all of America! T4P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineGirl Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 This is such a fantastic review - total, genuine admiration from the critic for Mika's showmanship and music. Thank you so much for posting this - it was such a pleasure to read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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