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REPORTS/PICS/VIDS: Mika at O2 Academy, Sheffield, 2010-FEB-18

Blue Sky

By Blue Sky
in Concert Reviews

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alice.loves.mika

alice.loves.mika

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Lovely Alice!!! And thanks for that beautiful pic you've posted bellow.:wub2: And you had your Mika moment. Amazing!:biggrin2:

You're welcome :biggrin2: I had a really great time :wub2:

Jerry came out when we were waiting and asked us we wanted to be a big girl or a lollipop girl. Jo and I declined, as we wanted to see the show.

Gosh I feel so empty now! I've only eaten three meals in the past four days :aah:

 

I managed to capture the fireworks that went off whilst we were waiting:

 

IMG_0747.jpg

 

 

I have so many more photographs but my laptop keeps going slow and freezing :aah: I'll keep trying...

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Sam7413

Sam7413

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They are some reallyyy nice photos Alice !!! (: Thanks for posting.

I have like 150 odd pictures, so I will post some more up after I've uploaded them to Photobucket.

 

May I also just say thanks to the guys from here for making it a great time. The queue, even though it was freezing and my feet went numb hehe, was part of the great experience and it made it go by quicker too. (: Hope to see some of you again if I ever go to another gig (which I am bound to do) !

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Shine

Shine

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You're welcome :biggrin2: I had a really great time :wub2:

Jerry came out when we were waiting and asked us we wanted to be a big girl or a lollipop girl. Jo and I declined, as we wanted to see the show.

Gosh I feel so empty now! I've only eaten three meals in the past four days :aah:

 

I managed to capture the fireworks that went off whilst we were waiting:

 

IMG_0747.jpg

 

 

I have so many more photographs but my laptop keeps going slow and freezing :aah: I'll keep trying...

 

I think you did the right thing. Keti and I really want to enjoy every minute of the show, so as for her to be Lollipop girl -some other time.:thumb_yello:

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Ruth

Ruth

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My report and fairly rubbishy pictures!

http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z101/rvleevee/Sheffield%20O2%20Feb%2018th%202010/

I had a long but uneventful journey over to Sheffield; the Pennines looked lovely and white.

I joined the queue at 12 o’clock and was number 17, just the same as Dublin but with two hours less to sit and freeze. The car park and the O2 building had the same postcode because the car park was directly underneath the venue, so that was handy. We also had steps which made the sitting much more comfortable, and Silver provided us with thick dishcloths to insulate our backsides. It was cold though!

I sat with a mother and daughter called Sarah and Carolyn who were seasoned queuers and fans of McFly, Pink and many others. I decided to suss out the stage door so that we would know where he would come out but the ticket office insisted that there wasn’t one. That was a problem for anyone who wanted to be a Big Girl or a Lollipop Girl as the arrangements said go to the stage door at 6. (Although in Dublin, John came to the line at 5:15 and 5:30, and in Manchester he took people at 5 o’clock!) Anyway I was considering being a big girl as it was my middle gig – I wouldn’t want to miss a lot of the show if I hadn’t seen it before and I didn’t want to go for it in Manchester as that’s home ground.

We also found out that there were no toilets at the box office – Vicky (Mikafish) and I barged in, realised it was the stage and retreated before we were thrown out!

We let each other go off in shifts for food and drink, the numbering and queuing works well as long as no-one abuses it and the staff respected it here. There was no hot drink from the management – they were delayed.

We saw Erik Hassel’s tour bus and he was standing around a bit.

I had problems again with my camera battery and someone said it was because of the cold. That made sense, so I’ve taken to wearing it closer to me. There was also the issue of O2 priority queuing which worried us. A lot of us had got O2 handsets or Sim cards, but in the event the queuers were let in first (I think)

 

We were shaking with the cold and it had begun to rain when John came out ‘Big Girls, Lollipop Girls’ and I asked if I was too old but he said there was no age barrier. A security man unfastened the real barrier and let me out of the queue. Vicky (LovesMika) and Kath were going for it too. And Darklight, but I didn’t know then that she was an MFCer. There were 11 of us and they were worried from the start that that was too many as the stage was small. They were also running behind schedule as they’d had a long and horrendous journey up from London. (possibly nearly as bad as poor bab) So, once fitted with wristbands, we were taken, by Yasmine, through the main room, where the band and crew were eating and the engineers were setting up, to look at us and our sizes. They wanted people to drop out but we all hung on in there! Yasmine was asking if we could dance and if we could keep a steady beat and we practised going on and off stage in a ‘day of the dead’ sort of way! Mika walked past and said hello, so we were all very happy. We had our heads fitted in the room right next to Mika’s dressing room so we could watch all the comings and goings. One of the big girls had the screaming abdabs when her head was put on, so she and her friend backed out. I was surprised at the smell (spray paint) and how secure it was (built on a cycle helmet with a strap). Mine was a pink skull. We trailed upstairs and were fitted into costumes – laced in tightly by Mrs P. She said it gave me a really nice shape. Odd, but yes, quite nice :) My corset was yellow with yellow and green knickers and sparkly black tights. At one point security got stressed when Mrs P had come into the room and asked us who she was. She was totally unconcerned as was Yasmine :) We laughed as the woman was told it was Mika’s mum. I should mention the state of the floor. I’m guessing it was covered nightly with beer that had nearly dried. Or glue! It was gross.

So, when we were in our costumes Yasmine practiced a revised dance; we were dropped altogether from Love Today because the stage was too small. I would have sent on 4, but they decided against it. We were allowed to take photos but not of crew or family and I was asked to delete a photo if I’d taken one of Yasmine, but I hadn’t. I had a practice of my conversational French with Mrs P. I don’t think she was impressed!

Then, with Erik Hassel already playing, we were led down to the mixing desk where all the sounds are controlled. We squeezed in between the barriers with a few VIPs and were left to watch the show. It was very different, seeing the show from a greater distance. I got a better overview of the book and the effects as I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off Mika in Dublin. From a bit further away you can see him and the rest of the stage in one eyeful. It was also strange to be laced up in a BG costume. It is brilliant for posture but does nothing for breathing, bending or relaxing. Added to which, we had our coats over the top – our nice warm queuing coats! So it was ridiculously hot. I knelt up on one of the boxes to watch until my knees could take it no more. I’m sorry if people behind me couldn’t see, but if I sat down, I couldn’t see either, so I’m afraid I did kneel up. It did cross my mind that I might faint with the heat and the lack of breathing, but I decided that would not be a good idea.

At the end of the show, we went backstage and collected our head from the costume room. We saw Mika dash from the stage to his dressing room and then back to the stage. The Dr John feather sack was there and as I was keeping my phone down my corset, I got a photo of it! I was last but one on the back row and we were told to do big actions, have some fun and go for it, and interact with the band. Yasmine said to tease Mika. Then we had to freeze as the music stopped, and go wild when it started again. I could see a bit – I saw that there was no-one to interact with, Mika motioned me to go forward but then bumped into me when he went past. I pointed down at Vicky (Mikafish) who I could see, but she didn’t notice. I danced in a circle to scope out the whole stage. And then it was over. Mika and most of the others took a bow, iMMa got me to the line just too late and then we went off.

It was really busy in the room we were supposed to change in, we were taken upstairs to the room next to the support band’s area and we took a few pictures of each other. There was a full length mirror so I got to actually see what I looked like! When we were taken downstairs we were expected just to leave, but Vicky (LovesMika) spoke long and hard to the men till they let us go back inside and wait for Mika. He posed for one or two group pictures and then signed things and talked to someone on crutches who had played LiCM to her unborn baby to make it kick, and to a boy in a wheelchair and his parents. Vicky had given me an ‘in’ with a conversational gambit, so I talked about how I had given him the gold star in Dublin and did I deserve one for being a Big Girl. He laughed and said ‘I had it on at the airport and everyone was looking at it as if I was a ****er’ I guess it went in an airport bin then, but at least he remembered it and me. (In Dublin I felt that he didn’t know me at all)

Then he posed for a fabulous photo with Kath (she may tell you more) and off he went outside.

I have never seen such a small group of fans! I think it was snowing as most people came out, so hardly anybody lingered.

– video link

He was nice and smiley but then went, to be followed by a few fans chasing after his car. I do think that once the car door closes, he is off duty, but they get over excited.

Then I went to get my bag from the car and we went to the Travelodge, chatted for a while to come down from the excitement, slept well and had a huge lovely breakfast to set me up for the journey home.

The plan was for Kath and Vicky to drive in convoy, with me leading because we were going to my house. I’m thinking that setting off before me was probably not the best way to start, and it didn’t get much better!

 

Many, many thanks to (obviously) Mika for the show and letting me be a part of it – I’d advise anyone to think carefully about it if you’re thinking of volunteering. What you get depends on luck and our experience in Sheffield does not compare to the fun and contact Bianca and Vicky (Mikafish) had in Dublin. But if I didn’t know about that, I’d be more than happy and I don’t regret it at all. But it is not for everybody.

 

Thanks too for the company of fans, both MFCers and non-MFC. To Jazzy and others for the videos and wonderful photos, Vicky (Mikafish) for her numbering system and Silver for the bed for the night and easy company.

Last but not least to Vicky (LovesMika) and Kath for their company backstage!

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Ruth

Ruth

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Ruth!!!! I didn't know you were taking video of the m&g. You caught me talking to him! You're a star!

 

I cringed all over again at the hoody moment though.

 

Mika: LOLKTHNXBYE

 

I do my best to please :) Glad you like it even with a cringe. You look so happy :)

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Jazzy

Jazzy

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No, they're not working for me either. :blink:

 

I do my best to please :) Glad you like it even with a cringe. You look so happy :)

 

Goddddd it was so embarrassing. He did so well. And I was mega happy. It's always nice when I can speak to him without giggling or being silly. XD

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Ruth

Ruth

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This is probably the best picture I took of the evening:

 

IMG_08551.jpg

 

Don't want to sound snobby or whatever, but please don't use any of my pictures without my permission. :wink2:

 

And this is just excellent. What clarity!

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mellody

mellody

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thanx for that detailled report ruth, loved reading it! :wub2: interesting to hear about the BG experience, and good to know that it's not always like it was in dublin, so hopefully ppl won't expect too much if they decide to do it. :thumb_yello: also thanx for the m+g video! :biggrin2:

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Ruth

Ruth

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He said it :naughty: We have the first bit of the video :teehee: aftewards he asked me about when I saw him @ Doncaster Dome.

 

Mika - "Oh, how do they compare?"

Me - "They were both fantastic... but they just keep getting better and better" :teehee:

 

:wub2:

 

That's on my vid, too :)

 

 

Love the M&G sweater:fangurl:

 

Astronauts!

 

 

And the setlist and my ticket: :fangurl:

 

IMG00083.jpg

 

Ah, fetti :) I was covered with it!

 

If kath has been a LG /BG , so i also can even if i am soooooo old?

i'll try to convince john and Mrs P at London?

Heu, i am becomming shy suddenly.:blush-anim-cl:

 

I bet you I'm older than you. By a mile! And I did it :)

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Jazzy

Jazzy

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*bows perfessionally* Why thank you :biggrin2:

 

And thanks for the gig report and vid of the m&g. I can see myself at the very beginning getting my shirt signed! :aah:

 

 

Just uploaded: Mika's trumpet solo featuring Jimmy :wink2:

 

You're amazing! I kicked myself for not filming SITM, so I'm majorly glad you got it!

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Ruth

Ruth

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Those Day of the Dead head things sound like such a hassle. Almost an insurance incident waiting to happen.

 

Oh absolutely.

 

I forgot that bit. We have to sign away our rights to compo. They are supposed to pay us a Euro or a pound and it makes a contract. They however do not seem to pay - not in Dublin, not in Sheffield :biggrin2:

 

There are doorways to duck under, wires to trip over - they're covered but make the floor bumpy, there's always the stage to fall off. And being mostly blind, it's an accident waiting to happen!

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mellody

mellody

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Oh absolutely.

 

I forgot that bit. We have to sign away our rights to compo. They are supposed to pay us a Euro or a pound and it makes a contract. They however do not seem to pay - not in Dublin, not in Sheffield :biggrin2:

 

There are doorways to duck under, wires to trip over - they're covered but make the floor bumpy, there's always the stage to fall off. And being mostly blind, it's an accident waiting to happen!

 

at least you're wearing a cycle helmet and a huge head, that might protect you if you fall off stage! :lmfao: or it might break your neck. :fisch:

btw, how heavy are those heads? what are they made of?

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Ruth

Ruth

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at least you're wearing a cycle helmet and a huge head, that might protect you if you fall off stage! :lmfao: or it might break your neck. :fisch:

btw, how heavy are those heads? what are they made of?

 

You are tempted aren't you? :wink2:

 

They are polystyrene, not heavy exactly, but bulky. Weird.

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