Tuesday night at House of Blues Boston felt different from the moment you walked in. The crowd was speaking French. And Italian. And a handful of other languages that made it clear this wasn’t a typical local Wednesday night out. People had clearly traveled far for this one, and MIKA gave them every reason to feel good about the trip.
This was night one of the “Spinning Out Tour,” MIKA’s first North American run in some time, and the energy that comes with a first night was infectious. London DJ, Dilly, opened the evening and got the room moving early, warming up a crowd that was already primed and ready well before the headliner arrived.
MIKA entered with as much bravado as you might expect. He welcomed everyone to his “poetic resistance of weirdos,” which set the tone for everything that followed perfectly. The stage was dressed with large clockwork and gear pieces that framed the performance with a theatrical, almost steampunk quality. The European leg of the “Spinning Out Tour” featured a full spinning hamster wheel that didn’t make the trip across the Atlantic, but the production that did arrive was still visually striking and entirely in keeping with the MIKA aesthetic.
What MIKA does live is hard to categorize. Part concert, part spectacle, part variety show. He danced across every inch of the stage, climbed on top of the piano, and at various points dove into the audience entirely. The bravado was total and completely earned. This is a performer who understands that putting on a show means exactly that.
The setlist moved through nearly two decades of material easily. Newer tracks like “Modern Times,” “Spinning Out,” and “Immortal Love” fit comfortably alongside the catalog deep cuts that longtime fans had been waiting for. “Popular Song,” “Ice Cream,” and “We Are Golden” each landed well, but the older material hit even harder for the crowd that were clearly fans for the long haul. “Elle me dit” gave the French speakers in the crowd their moment, and “Grace Kelly” closed the main set in the only way it could, with a giant inflatable rainbow erupting from his piano to a room that had been waiting for it all night. “Happy Ending” followed before MIKA returned for an encore of “Love Today” to send everyone home.
Seventeen songs, a rainbow, a piano he performed on top of, and a crowd that had flown in from Europe. Night one of the “Spinning Out Tour” checked every box.
MIKA’s “Spinning Out Tour” continues through the next few months. You won’t want to miss this one. Get your tickets here.
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.