He’s got looks that books take pages to tell, he’s got a face to make you fall on your knees.
Yes. Yes he does.
The promise of Mika’s first visit back to the states in four years brought out everyone and their mother (literally) to the Vic Theatre on a rainy Chicago Thursday. An 8 year old boy in his light up shoes and his Mom rocked out in close proximity to a bearded and tattooed twenty-something who was stepping on the toes of a middle aged man and his partner who both had their hands in the air the entire show. And they were all just so happy to be there.
The show started out with a quick but delightful set by The Dolls: Mia Moretti & Caitlin Moe. Basically, Mia Moretti DJs while Caitlin Moe accompanies on her electric violin. Sound awesome? That’s because it is. And then let me also add that Moretti has a star shaped tambourine and Moe wears a skin tight, floral, backless, maxi dress and a ribbon in her hair. I’ll just stop there because really there’s nothing more to say.
Shortly after the two ladies left, Mika flowed, danced, paraded, wiggled and strutted his way onto the stage and basically owned the venue for the next two hours. He unashamedly played all his biggest hits one after another after another – Blue Eyes followed by Billy Brown followed by Big Girl followed by Love Today followed by Elle me dit followed by Grace Kelly and on and on and on. And the crowd ate it up and asked for seconds.
I’ve never seen a concert where the back of the auditorium had their hands up, dancing just as hard as the fans in the front row getting sprayed in sweat by their idol, but Mika managed it. The man was intensely, electrifying energetic at the same that he was languid, he was coy while also being brazen and he was obviously delighted to be amongst his fans while also totally making fun of the lot of us the entire time, and through all of it his falsetto never wavered.
Four years ago I was turned away from a sold out Mika show in Boston, and every passing year my expectations for his show have grown until even I had to realize that there was no way they were going to be met. Leaving his show tonight and getting on to the El I realized my face was aching because I had actually just smiled for two hours straight. Expectations exceeded.