We got back to the apartment around 2:30 am, and I fell asleep around 3:30 utterly exhausted. Then inexplicably I was awake at 7am and unable to fall back asleep. A quick browse of the internet and MFC showed that indeed, Mika was supposed to be on CNN right then! I was wary of putting on the TV but by then everyone else had awakened for one reason or another so we turned on the idiot box. While we waited (it would turn out to be an hour plus wait) some dozed off again but I couldn’t. Then there he was! Walking into the room to be interviewed by Soledad O’Brien and almost tripping on some cables on the floor (le gasp!) To fully understand the excitement in the room you have to realize that this is the first time 3 of us had seen him live on a TV screen – everything else prior had been streamed online and it had been that long since he’d been on american TV.
Several plans got switched/aborted that day, such as meeting up with my friend from NY, or again with the one from Vancouver. Also, two of the roomies were not going to the second concert since they couldn’t get tickets.
The morning had a molasses-like quality – everything took forever to do – like packing and getting ready to post stuff to the other oddlings, but eventually we made it to the post office and back. Before heading off to the venue I had some amazing pho from the cafe right below the apartment. That day was starting out, and predicted to remain chilly so this southern girl had to fortify herself.
We parted ways at the subway station – 2 off to the statue of liberty and 2 off to see Mika…again XD. We got to Webster Hall around 1pm and there were about 10 people in line ahead of us, including a couple who was there from 3 am (!) Brave, but not the smartest planners, especially since they booked their return bus at 11 pm and would thus have to leave the concert even before it had ended.There was a very specific moment about half an hour into sitting on the cold steps,the chilly wind penetrating to my bones and staring at the very monotonous stone facade facing us that I wanted to chuck it all in. I was in the capital of the world, my friends scattered within miles and there I was sitting on my frozen ass bored to death.On reflection I guess I also felt the absence of some super fun people I’d met for the first time the night before and who couldn’t make it to this gig for various reasons. Fortunately I got distracted from that plan and eventually forgot about it, especially as we started to engage in conversation with the other queue-ers.
Time was passed by eating sushi, frequent bathroom trips, hilarious conversation and watching the band et al. to-ing and fro-ing. By 7 pm we were allowed in and it was a painless entry. There was no nervous anxiety on my part this time, since everyone had actual tickets. The cold had then numbed all my nerves anyways. I got a much better spot to the right of the stage, just about 5 persons to the center and the barrier was even closer to the stage. Touching it only required extension of the arm. I was standing next to my roomie and an MFC-er I first met in Montreal, and who had quickly become one of my favorite people. My feet felt almost normal. All of this portended very good vibes already for this concert.
The opening act was the same and they did the same routine as far as I could tell, but the crowd didn’t seem as enthusiastic as the night before. They built up a momentum though, and I eventually felt as if I was in a groovy trance club. They had added bunches of small roses and daisies to the ‘altar’ the DJ spun her grooves on and I was sorely tempted to take the roses as a memento after their set, but alas I wasn’t close enough to grab them since they were to my left. Luckily, a girl 2 persons to my left had the same idea so she got a big bunch and shared a smaller bunch with me. She said she was going to give Mika the roses during a song and I had the immediate idea to shower him with petals from mine at that same moment XD. It needs to be noted that I think of petal showers very highly, and would sometimes do it to myself for no other reason than to feel fabulous 🙂 This needs noting, because I was to learn later that people in the balcony thought I ‘threw’ petals at Mika’s face (!)
The lights dimmed, band entered, then the man himself. After singing Relax, he sat down at the piano and looked transported by bliss. He said he was in a very good mood and though I confess I initially thought the reason was amorous (I can’t help my dirty mind XD) I quickly figured out it was likely because the album had ended its first day of release #1 on the iTunes pop charts. The setlist was the same as the previous day but it felt like a very different concert. During the slow songs I felt as if he was singing in my living room, just for a select group of us – the feeling was that intimate. I felt no other pressure than to fold my arms over the barrier and let the melody wash over me. This was alternated by periods of the best damn club ever, when the floor was shaking and I was raving. Though he was constantly over us, and easily within grab no one touched him gratuitously and I didn’t even feel the need to look at him all the time; full measure was taken of the band at various moments and there were lots of eye closing on my part to fully savor the moment. It was a roller coaster gig filled with a full spectrum of emotions and sensations that left me incredulous by the end. This was the best I’ve ever experienced thus far.
The (in)famous Perez Hilton was in the audience (balcony) and several times during the concert I watched up at him to see he was having an amazing time! After the show he was even tweeting to the Fan club Administrator about ‘arranging’ something :). There was word about us getting to meet Mika or something similar, so we stuck around to see what would play out. Turns out we were ushered up to the VIP area where we had a little chat with one of his U.S PR people and then with the man himself. It was short but sweet.
When we left the Hall we noticed a great many more people than the previous night gathered outside waiting for him to come out, and felt fairly lucky that we didn’t have to compete with them. We went to grab a bite again but in greatly reduced numbers and then sadly and wearily parted ways to various destinations. Safe to say, the people who were going on to the Chicago gig were the envy of the group! XD
We got back to the apartment around 3:30 am and my airport pickup was at 4:15am, so I stayed awake. The rest – trip to the airport, the sleepy sad hugs goodbye and the zombie trek through the airport – was a blur. But I made it home safely later that day, semi catatonic but happy as f**k!
Amazing memories, no regrets and can’t wait for my next trip!!
Nasx.