After a forgettable opening act and an entertaining, but unnecessary dance off, Mika finally took the stage before his sold out crowd. He began his set with his club ready dance hit “Relax (Take It Easy),” and unlike the title suggests no one was calming down. The soaring energy of the crowd and performer only intensified with the funky- pop “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful),” in which Mika was joined onstage by two humanized versions of the “big girl” illustrated in his album art.

With most of the crowd on their feet and singing just about every lyric, Mika dazzled with stage presence and talent. Even when the tempo of the set briefly slowed down, the intensity of the crowd remained. Moving behind his keyboard for a four song set, including “My Interpretation,” “Billy Brown,” “Any World,” and “Stuck In The Middle,” Mika kept a close connection with his audience. Telling stories and expressing thanks throughout his show, Mika showcased an artistic maturity and intimacy not found in some of the world’s most established acts.

Playing every song except one from his debut album, Life In Cartoon Motion , Mika also covered two fitting popular songs: Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” and Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Both songs, respectively showcased Mika’s electronic influence, as well as his flair for bubblegum pop.

After performing his two most popular songs, “Grace Kelly” and “Love Today,” Mika’s set ended with a peculiar encore involving Mika and his band returning to the stage in large animal costumes to the tune of the popular children’s song, “Teddy Bear’s Picnic.” The popular children’s tune soon morphed into a colorful and childish dance party as Mika belted out “Lollipop,” while dozes of multicolor and different sized balloons blanketed the crowd. Although the words to the upbeat encore oddly talk about the depressiveness of love, no one left the concert feeling blue.

Official Site www.mikasounds.com