Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): Mika, Summer Nights at the Bandstand, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow. Wednesday 29 July 2026

Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Mika, Summer Nights at the Bandstand, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow. Wednesday 29 July 2026

By the time my wife decided she'd like to see this gig, the tickets had sold out. Alerts on Twickets had proven fruitless, but I luckily searched Ticketmaster at the right time to snag two resales, albeit with service fees adding almost the price of a whole ticket to the cost. It was worth it, though, just to see the big, beaming smile on my wife's face when I told her why we couldn't go to the cinema on Wednesday night. The Odyssey would need to wait.

On Tuesday, the rain was torrential, but we lucked out, and it stayed dry tonight. It was chilly once the sun set, so I was glad I'd worn my jacket. So much for the heatwave.

Confession time: I'm not much of a Mika fan. I can appreciate his art, but musically, it doesn't touch the places that rock music reaches. That being said, his charm and energy won me over. It was a great concert. He loves performing. The fans danced, waved their arms, and sang along in all the right places. My back ached, and I had a giant in front of me, his head higher than my eye level despite me being the next step up.

A special moment occurred during Big Girls (You are Beautiful) when Mika joined us in the audience. He paused a few feet from us to request that everyone let go of their inhibitions and dance like they were at the Butterfly Lounge. Having stoked the crowd, he ran along our row right in front of us to continue singing amongst the crowd.

My wife said it was her best concert of the year so far, even better than her faves, Take That. I couldn't argue - it was her favourite. My only gripe was he didn't play the piano, remaining the frontman for the entire show. And for that reason I preferred his intimate show at SWG3 earlier this year.