Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Samantha Blee Mika returned to Philadelphia on his second North American tour in support of his new album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much".

You're standing in the restless crowd at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia last Sunday the 18th, waiting for the anticipated Mika concert to start. An orange, beat-up looking couch sits in the middle of a closed-curtain, empty stage, accompanied by a shabby lamp and a flat-screen TV.

Cue the entrance of four oddly dressed characters, wearing face paint and severely unmatched, patterned clothing. "Tom and Jerry" cartoons play on the TV screen as the friends drink tea and flip through the pages of a book.

Without warning, the television program flashes to a newscaster, and you're wondering why you're reminded of Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings. That's because British actor Sir Ian McKellen is now your host, and he's enthusiastically reporting to you about the recent lift off of NASA's space shuttle. What a great day for man kind indeed!

Suddenly, images of the shuttle exploding consume the TV screen as the lights in the Electric Factory begin to flicker and smoke pours from the sides of the stage. The curtains slide open to reveal dozens of white orbs suspended from the ceiling, hanging between the band's instruments, which have now been occupied by the odd group of friends.

The sounds of the "2001: A Space Odyssey" theme song echo through the room as a tall, slim figure dressed in a space suit slowly walks across the back of the stage. As the music grows more dramatic, the "mysterious" figure (come on, Mika, you can't fool us!) removes his helmet, and those familiar brown curls spring out as the main event makes his grand entrance.

But would the Mika we know and love stop here? Always one to cause a scene, Mika continues to strip down out of his space suit until the audience is greeted by his spotlessly white boxers. The lights go out, revealing the glow-in-the-dark feature of the floating orbs, and Mika returns fully clothed (complete with glow-in-the-dark face paint) to kick off the concert with "Relax, Take It Easy".

And that is simply a small glimpse into the outrageously creative mind of Mika, who returned to the US in support of his new album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much." Because for this unique musician, a concert is not just a concert; it's a performance.

Continued...

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