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Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour - Cirque du Soleil Staples Center January 27, 2012Better than...This Is It in 3DOf course there was a flash mob, superfans in zombie getup busting their best "Thriller" moves outside the Staples Center box office while the crowd filed in. This was a Michael Jackson show, after all. Last night, MJ was present, if in spirit only: like it says in the Bible, where two or three come together in the King's name, there is he with them.The show kicked off in a subtle fashion, with just three dancers (one was the main "ghost of MJ" character, who later proved to be incredible) performing a video game-like dance sequence in front of an LED screen. Latecomers took their seats, and with that segment over we were ready to turn the place out. But instead, the next number was set to "Childhood." Visions of a young Michael set against a Neverland backdrop were simultaneously an homage to his early days and a bit of a downer. Visually stunning, of course, because it's Cirque du Soleil, but oof, such a sluggish opening. "Wanna Be Starting Something?" Yes we do, finally. With that song came uptempo beats and a packed stage. Morphing into a Jackson Five medley, boys in afro wigs the size of beach balls shimmied and shook quite like the original brothers.There were colors everywhere. The choreography was out of this world and the technique impeccable. Michael Jackson had only the best dancers by his side, and this crew easily fit that mold.But where were the acrobatics? At Cirque du Soleil, you expect some death-defying feats by at least 15 minutes in, but as of that point, we'd barely seen any.That changed with "Dancing Machine," which took on a post-apocalyptic industrial theme, and finally gave us a bit of an aerial show. Nothing to write home about, though -- mostly just really elegant Tarzan-like swinging.The dancers waded through "Ben," then kicked it through "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Smooth Criminal," which featured the first serious video tribute. Now, certain performances just shouldn't be reinterpreted, and "Smooth Criminal" is one of them. The original vision was simply too great. But this dance sequence definitely did it justice, and even worked in a few pyrotechnics.Still, we couldn't help ourselves. Where were the trampoline flipturns and spinning wheels of death? We came to see some acrobatics, dammit, and it wasn't happening. We were beginning to think our time would have been better spent at Jumbo's Clown Room.Then, as if Cirque were psychic, a pole appeared, and on it, a woman in a sequined bikini who apparently carries the strength of God in her thighs. Clearly she was put on this earth to blow our minds. And then the star of the show -- a ghostly figure in a white sequined sweatsuit -- dropped our jaws a little further during a solo performance to "Another Part of Me." The man had no bones. He had no limits. He did things no human should be able to do. To watch him dance, even on his own, was worth the ticket price.We got our contortionist fix during "Is It Scary," which led into the macabre "Thriller" sequence -- another homage to the video, rightfully so.After intermission, the acrobatics picked up a bit with a stellar aerial sequence featuring pixilated glowing human bodies. These are the kind of unimaginably fantastic visuals people look to Cirque to provide, and here, they delivered.Robo-soldier dancers marched the crowd toward the end to the tune of "They Don't Really Care About Us," then smoothed things out with "Will You Be There." A fairly long encore followed, featuring a few more aerial tricks and a performance of "Black or White" that included every flag on earth and the spirit of global unity MJ was known for.If you love Michael Jackson, or razor-sharp choreography, or '80s and '90s nostalgia in any way, you will love this show. It's a great way to revisit the King of Pop, because it invokes him, even if, to our dismay, there weren't as many back handsprings as we'd hoped.The crowd: Families rocking sequined MJ jackets and single gloves.Random Notebook Dump: Hold on, is the Bubbles onstage a real chimp? No, no way. Wait, is he?Overheard in the Crowd: MamasaymamasamamakusaSet list below.Working Day and Night Childhood Starting Something Jackson 5 Medley Dancing Machine Ben Heartbreak Hotel Smooth Criminal Dangerous Another Part of Me Human Nature Is It Scary ThrillerIntermissionI Just Can't Stop Loving You Beat It/Bad Medley Jam Earth Song Scream They Don't Really Care About Us Will You Be ThereEncore: Can You Feel It Don't Stop Till You Get Enough Billie Jean Black or White Man in the MirrorYou are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginI hope to see a show one day bounce/L.O.V.E.
Thank you Everlasting..that must be real wonderful mind-blowing experience to see..wish that show will come to Europe, also. bounce/
everlastinglove_MJ - did you write that? If so, you did an excellent job, IMO. Those were all of the feelings and thoughts that I also felt while watching the show last month.It definitely started off slow and had me scratching me head thinking it resembled a great play and then all of a sudden it kicked in and was totally amazing. I know that I could see the show a few more times because it was so packed full of dance, video, etc., that I couldn't take it all in in one show. I'm sure it's designed that way to keep people coming back.It was amazing for sure and I am glad that you were able to go experience this. By the way, did you feel like any of the songs were sung "live" and I'm meaning the main vocals and not the backup singers.Blessings to you
everlastinglove_MJ - did you write that?
I'm sure it's designed that way to keep people coming back.
I AM GLAD THE THREAD IS OPENED. I WAS ATTENDING YESTERDAY, THAT WAS AWESOME! BRILLIANT. THE STAPLES WAS FULL. OUR BELOVED MICHAEL'S SONGS LOUD ALL OVER THE HALL. HIS CHILDHOOD PICTURES AND THE CIRQUE WAS VERY WELL PREPARED; LIGHTS AND CHIMP., MICHAEL'S PHOTOS AND VIDEOS. IT WAS LIKE "I WANT MORE MICHAEL, MORE, MORE MICHAEL." WASN'T ENOUGH OF MJ. WHEN THE SECOND PART STARTED, AUDIENCE WERE STANDING AND DANCING, AND SCREAMING "MICHAEL!" AS IF HE WAS ON THE STAGE. SOME OF THEM, WHOM I COULD NOTICE, WERE CRYING. I COULD FEEL MICHAEL'S PRESENCE. /woohoo/WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE MSG. DISPLAYED A FEW TIMES ON THE LARGE WALL SCREEN: "THIS ISN'T OVER." THEN ALL NEWSPAPER GARBAGE WRITTEN IN THE PAST ABOUT MICHAEL. IT LOOKED LIKE A MESSAGE/SLAP FROM MICHAEL. SHORTLY-MICHAEL IS REALLY LOVED AND HONORED DESPITE A FEW REPTILES AROUND mj_bad/
You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginI AM GLAD THE THREAD IS OPENED. I WAS ATTENDING YESTERDAY, THAT WAS AWESOME! BRILLIANT. THE STAPLES WAS FULL. OUR BELOVED MICHAEL'S SONGS LOUD ALL OVER THE HALL. HIS CHILDHOOD PICTURES AND THE CIRQUE WAS VERY WELL PREPARED; LIGHTS AND CHIMP., MICHAEL'S PHOTOS AND VIDEOS. IT WAS LIKE "I WANT MORE MICHAEL, MORE, MORE MICHAEL." WASN'T ENOUGH OF MJ. WHEN THE SECOND PART STARTED, AUDIENCE WERE STANDING AND DANCING, AND SCREAMING "MICHAEL!" AS IF HE WAS ON THE STAGE. SOME OF THEM, WHOM I COULD NOTICE, WERE CRYING. I COULD FEEL MICHAEL'S PRESENCE. /woohoo/WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE MSG. DISPLAYED A FEW TIMES ON THE LARGE WALL SCREEN: "THIS ISN'T OVER." THEN ALL NEWSPAPER GARBAGE WRITTEN IN THE PAST ABOUT MICHAEL. IT LOOKED LIKE A MESSAGE/SLAP FROM MICHAEL. SHORTLY-MICHAEL IS REALLY LOVED AND HONORED DESPITE A FEW REPTILES AROUND mj_bad/I caught that message at the show in Oakland along with our fave photo of Mike behind the camera. I think it's interesting that you said you 'felt' his presence. Did you notice His voice? How he was sometimes a bit off key? In Oakland the back up singers were a mile away. Was there a reason for that other than keeping them out of the way of the dancers?I thought the last song 'Can You Feel It' was an interesting choice. Can we FEEL his presence even when we're not able to SEE Him?
This def sums a lot up, but what gets me is where was the tree? Also the Beat it version I've seen online had a lot of dancers and a larger guy in the center with a red jacket in the middle but that was not so they had like 3 dancers and it was not even half the song.The part when a large book is on stage and a person in a creepy green suite is in the book, if you were watching the screen would show the words of what was being sung in the song, well what stuck out to me was a line and what looked to be 2 snakes wrapping around the line, which looked just like the medical symbol, I will up load the pic so you can see what I mean.I had friends that were there that had floor seats, and they said and I saw pics on their fb that Chris Tucker, Jackie, the Wayne family, Cedrick the entertainer, Rihanna, Paris Jackson, 3T, Austin Brown and more were there. This was Fri 27th I went.
Citing the history of the caduceus, some physicians are critical of the symbol, because Hermes also happens to be the god that leads the dead to the underworld and is not only associated with wealth and commerce, but happens to be the patron of thieves (he is a classic trickster figure in Greek myths). It only makes sense that doctors wouldn't want to be associated with trickery, death, and the accumulation of wealth! Medical purists suggest we should go back to the staff of Aesculapius, which is depicted as a single serpent coiled around a cypress branch.So the caduceus could be the blueprint for a machine used for mind control and healing, a diagram of how the human body is its own vehicle for transcendence, or merely an accidental symbol for the medical profession. Take your pick, but apply your caduceus wisely; remember that the most important rule for the physician is, "First, do no harm."