0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

The second-coming of Michael Jackson a real thriller

SHANELLE MILLER
05 May, 2011 09:42 AM
TRIBUTE CONCERT: There is always the underlying fear that a tribute concert is going to fall flat on its face.
The resemblance might not be close enough, the songs might be a little strained or the energy and antics might be lacking.

Walking into the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre last Tuesday night, I felt that familiar trepidation that the Michael Jackson HIStory show would not live up to the hype.

I needn’t have worried.

Las Vegas performer Kenny Wizz is famed to be one of the best MJ impersonators in the world, and I would go as far to say that only the man himself could have done better.

The lights went down, the curtain went up and there before us stood one of the most recognisable figures in international entertainment – or at least, someone who looked exactly like him.

Kenny Wizz has been perfecting the art of “sharing Michael Jackson” for 25 years, and it was immediately obvious he’s got it down pat.

With a full band and a string of dancers behind him, Wizz worked his way through all the biggest hits with the execution that only hours of watching MJ clips could deliver.

It was surprising to learn that Tuesday night’s performance was the very first time the show had come to Australia.

While I wouldn’t describe myself as a die-hard MJ enthusiast, there are certainly a few in Bunbury.

Screams of “I love you Michael!” resonated intermittently through the theatre and a number of enthused ladies jumped out of their seats to get their boogie on.

But Wizz was not afraid to get up close and personal with his audience – he left the stage to weave through the crowd on several occasions and was even lucky enough to score a cheeky bum-squeeze from one excited lady.

There was no question of Wizz’s commitment to his performance.

He put every ounce of energy he had into the two hour show, and kudos to the person behind his stage makeup, which remained perfectly in place as his clothes clung to his sweat-drenched body.

Wizz threw himself on the ground, scaled a teetering stack of speakers, sprinted across the stage and, of course, moon-walked like a pro.
A touching rendition of She’s Outta My Life saw Wizz step into the audience and pull a star-struck lady on to the stage to be serenaded by her hero.

Emotions ran high as Wizz sang a farewell to the most famous Jackson, performing Gone Too Soon with a slideshow of images on screens behind him.

The concert built up to its finale with a show-stopping performance of Billy Jean, followed by an encore call which saw him finish with colossal hit Thriller.

The dance troupe transformed into hideous zombies which lumbered their way through the crowd before taking the stage to knock out the song’s memorable moves.

There was no hesitation to the standing ovation at show’s end, as we saluted a performance that was as close to the real thing as we could have hoped for.

I have to again credit the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre for their ability to draw acts of this calibre to our city.

I hope Bunbury people appreciate these top-class international acts that are continually delivered to our backyard.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Guest
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
pwnt
0
like
0
dislike
0
late
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." – Sir Winston Churchill



 

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal