This Is It

I came. I saw. I cried. And now I can’t get Michael Jackson’s songs out of my head.

Last night I finally got to catch “This Is It”, the concert film revealing the show rehearsals that gave us a glimpse of what the show would have been like. And it also gave us a look at Michael Jackson behind the scenes and what a perfectionist he was when it came to his art. He knew his music, he was very involved and hands on and he knew exactly what he wanted from sound and lighting to performance, which made me respect him as an artiste even more. He also didn’t throw any diva-like tantrums even when things didn’t go his way.

Not only that, but he let his dancers, his back-up singers and his guitarist, Australian guitar prodigy, Orianthi Panagaris, take center stage and shine. I can’t forget that scene. I just kept thinking “She’s SO cool! She’s SO cool!”. And for Michael to not let it be all about him and let the others show off their individual talents… I take my hat off to him for that.

And before this I used to think that he mimed during his performances. I now know that he was a true performer through and through. Britney, you have a lot to learn.

And we all know MJ loves special effects and with today’s technology, he took full advantage of it with the use of the green screen. In “They Don’t Care About Us”, they got 11 dancers dressed up like soldiers to look like a million soldiers, for “Smooth Criminal” they managed to include MJ running and dancing in the black n white film Gilda, there was a cool new film for “Thriller”… and a whole lot more. And the sets!

No one can move like the King of Pop. Scores of people try to emulate him, but he is a true original. I remember watching the movie and thinking how so much younger all his dancers were and yet there they were, doing all the classic Michael Jackson moves. And that’s when I realized… I don’t know of any other artiste whose dance moves are still being copied around the world.. whose dance moves are recognized to be his own and which create excitement among fans worldwide. Think Beat It.. Thriller.. Bad.. and my personal favourite – Smooth Criminal. Which other entertainer do you know of who has this incredible effect on people?

I was able to hold it all in up until the scene towards the end where MJ is talking to all the crew members and wishing everyone the best for the London performances. I couldn’t take it. Seeing the excitement on their happy faces, seeing how much they were looking forward to doing a show that was never going to happen, knowing that practically a week later, MJ would be gone… the tear ducts just opened up and flowed.

By the end of the movie, I felt the loss of Michael Jackson even more. He had so much talent. He had so much more to give to the world. He had so much more to say and share with his music. And seeing what an amazing concert the show would have been stressed that fact even more…

I need to catch it again and cry some more. Especially since I missed the first 15 mins of it. :P