QuoteA superfan's view on Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour
It might be another Jackson estate moneyspinner, but the Cirque du Soleil show has some moving moments, says superfan Les Slater
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Interview by Laura Barnett
The Guardian, Sunday 21 October 2012 18.00 BST
Confusing ... Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.
I've loved Michael for as long as I can remember. When I was 16, I took a coach from Birmingham to London to camp outside his hotel for three days. Some of us followed him to Hamleys toy shop and spoke to him outside. Michael was always happy to talk to his fans, even when his security guards told him he shouldn't.
And then it just snowballed. I saw Michael live many times, and I now know most of the Jacksons well. Over the years, I've been working on a Jackson Five tattoo – each time I meet one of the brothers, I ask him to autograph my body, then go to the nearest tattoo parlour to have it made permanent. The family know all about it: last year, they invited me to Vegas so I could get Marlon's and complete the set.
So when I heard that Cirque du Soleil was making a show about Michael, I was intrigued: the tabloids always said Michael's life was a circus, so it seemed ironic. I've now seen the show 19 times – starting with the premiere in Montreal last year, then in Las Vegas, now in London. Each time I see it, I find something new to admire.
The last time, I saw Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett – Michael's drummer, who plays in the show – look up, kiss his fingers, and blow a kiss into the sky to Michael. It's a really moving moment. Some fans say they're boycotting the show because it's endorsed by Michael's estate. They feel the estate is just making money out of the fans; they won't buy any records or merchandise released since his death, either. I don't agree with that, which is why I'm not a member of any of the official fan clubs. I think a show like this is a brilliant way of keeping Michael's memory alive.
If you're a fan of Cirque rather than Michael, though, I can see why you might find the show frustrating: the storyline's quite confusing, and there's little in the way of acrobatics. At the last show I saw, someone actually shouted out: "Do some acrobatics!" Really, the show is just about the dancing and the music – which makes sense, because that's what Michael's life was about, too.
• Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour is at the Birmingham NIA and the Manchester Arena in March. Details: cirquedusoleil.com
I'm posting this review because this is a positive review among many biased and rediculous reviews of the O2 shows I've been reading. I agree to most of what she wrote and not just because it's a review from a fan, but more because I think it is unbiased and she has made a true point here: "the show is just about the dancing and the music – which makes sense, because that's what Michael's life was about, too".
I'm just saying that this show was AWESOME, I loved it!!! Even though I watched the show from a very high seat (:errrr: no I've no fear of heights). Even my hubby, who's not a fan but likes his music, was impressed and loved every act and song and was even woohoo-ing :icon_bounce: next to me :icon_lol: I tried to watch with rational "hoaxy" eyes :icon_cool: though that was quite an effort because there were too many breathtaking awe moments which were often heart touching. I felt like I wanted to absorb every act, song, color, effect because this show is created and performed in such MJ detail. Amazing! What was striking is Michael's face on the screen and when a dancer hit the screen his face shattered in pieces. I haven't seen the Giving Tree/Tree of Life :icon_question: which I thought had a quite significant meaning. I don't know about the other shows but in the show on the 19th the song "Gone Too Soon" started and stopped after about 15 sec, followed by the song "I'll Be There" ..."when there is love I'll be there" :icon_cool: which was beautiful and interesting to say the least imho. "Will You Be There" was captivating with all those red lighted hearts in unity and my heart skipped a beat when MJ's hologram appeared on stage. An incredibly amazing show with Michael's presence sensible in every way. I wouldn't have missed it for one bit and I would definitely watch the show again..probably I would see more clues then. Btw, before the show they played songs of the Invincible album :icon_e_biggrin: which was already a good start because it is my fav album. Well, this was my personal review.
