“Let it be a mantra, a melody, a form of poetic resistance.”
The greatest form of resistance is joy and there was a surplus to be found at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles this week. Mika’s Spinning Out Tour packed the opulent room, decorating the stage with clockwork cogs lit with whirling neon lights to illuminate the ecstatic faces of the audience as he brought his latest album to life.
The crowd was on its feet as Mika emerged, decked in a plush velvet jacket and dripping in gold tassels to kick off a whirlwind performance starting with “Modern Times” and “Eleven” from Hyperlove. “Relax (Take It Easy)” had the fans dancing as Mika extended the outro as everyone delightedly sang along to a few extra choruses- and the night had barely begun.
“We Are Golden” had become the unofficial song of the tour and those first notes introduced an element of euphoria to an already elated audience. The sing-a-long that ensued reached the rafters of the theatre and spread even more joy to every corner of the room. As is tradition, Mika bounded out of sight, only to emerge in a blinding magenta suit before turning the Orpheum into the bygone Butterfly Lounge for “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)”. In a serendipitous twist, the founder of said club was in the audience and Mika pointed her out with a shout and a smile before leaving the stage to dance with the audience for the duration of the song.
A quiet moment in the set followed, as Mika caught his breath and waxed poetic about the city of Los Angeles and the memories that have followed him through the years of touring and recording music there. In that vein, he dedicated his acoustic piano rendition of “Popular Song” to the city and those hometown representatives in the room returned that love and more. Songs from Hyperlove continued to get their moments to shine, including “Science Fiction Lover” and “Immortal Love” (are you seeing the theme here?). Midway through the set, an enormous rainbow inflated from inside the piano and both Mika and the fans insisted that it remain onstage past its allotted time- all in the spirit of adding even more joy to the performance.
While “Lollipop” has been in rotation for two decades, Mika shook things up with a slowed down performance of the bouncing pop anthem, a surprise that charmed longtime fans. He also insisted that L.A. would be able to hold their own with the French lyrics of “Elle me dit” and the fans did their best to not disappoint. By this point, Mika had changed into a glittering deep blue suit, sparkling under the stage’s flashing production, flirting with the fans in the balcony and bringing the night to an unwanted close with a giant inflatable megaphone from which to shout the words to “Grace Kelly”. The final song was a soft rendition of “Happy Ending”- a fitting choice for the fans to expend the rest of their energy and give Mika the standing ovation he fully deserved.
Naturally he wasn’t ready to relinquish the night, returning with his incredible band (and one last stunning red outfit change) to send everyone home to “Love Today”. As the group took their final bows, the applause was deafening, bringing a glowing smile to Mika’s face that was reflected on the faces of the audience. The night was an homage to pure love, gratitude and- yes- joy and for a theatre full of diehard fans, no experience could possibly be brighter. We are golden, indeed.
