
What I saw tonight was a moment… oh, that moment.
I experienced what genius is tonight. I saw beauty. I saw creativity. I saw hard work. I saw FUN. I saw everything life should be about, if one is given the chance.
To quote dear Michael Jackson, it's all for LOVE. Because, after all, what's the point ? What is living about ? The pursuit of happiness, right ? And no, happiness is NOT overrated. Beauty is NOT overrated. Love. is. not. overrated, dang. I rest my case on that. "Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful", said The Little Prince. You just have to let it in. I know too many people who gallop away from that, because they're scared. Yes, sometimes you get burnt. When you fly that close to the sun, you might end up in flames. Life is also about trying, and fighting, and standing up for what you believe in. There was this guy at the beginning of the interview, this guy in tears. He said "Life is hard. I've always wanted an ideal, a goal." And he found it. Everyone should find it. Passion is love. And when everyone seems grey, if you still have that passion remaining, because NO ONE can take that away from you, you can walk on and you can live on. That's the support system and that's the foundation. And that is what will impact the whole of your life elements.
That being said, Michael was stunning on every level I can possibly count.
First of all, there were NO DOUBLES. Not ONE. This was ALL Michael. It's the ONE and ONLY Michael Jackson in This is It.
Second of all, the voice. Oh, that voice. Goosebumps, I tell you. Magic. Beauty. Otherwordly yet universal at the same time. Nor black, nor white, nor female, nor male, it just transcends all that. It transcends the categories, it transcends colour, gender, and all the tangible things.
The dancing? Phenomenal.
Sure, he held back. This was rehearsal footage. He says so himself, he needs to conserve his moves, his energy, even if sometimes, of course, he kinda lets loose a little and loses himself into the music.
He's svelte and full of grace. As you have noticed, there are a ton of increidbly skilled dancers moving behind him. They're obviously extremely well trained, skilful, talented. They're total athletes too. But they're just not like him. He's a DANCER. Not an athlete, not a Malabar guy. A dancer. He's svelte, and fluid and so, oh so, NATURAL. It's in his blood, period. He has "it", whatever "it" means. He has "it" like no other contemporary of his has ever had "it".
What can I add about the songs ? You all know about the songs. I don't have words for that.
He's in charge. He knows what he's doing, been doing it forever now. He knows forward, backwards, left, right, and centre. Every little tempo, every little string, every little note, he just knows. An incredible mind, that is. An incredible vision.
I remember the criticsm about there being too many "yes men". I have a comment about that.
As far the professional aspect of his life goes, well he better damn sure have "yes men" around him. The man ("there's the man ! there's Michael !") does it better than anybody else and he has a very personal vision PLUS an amazing anticipation of what the audience is expecting of a great show. I'm thinking of that scene, when he's doing the soundcheck for "The Way You Make Me Feel". He wants the rhythm down to a tee. No place for aproximation. Genius. Absolute genius. Mozart-like, really.
As far as his personal life goes, well I don't know much about it, no one really does. Too many "yes men", in his personal life, yes, that can be disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. Sometimes, you just need someone to tell you to "cut the crap" basically. But, hey, not the point of my post here.
Moving on, I kinda want to add that he's incredibly cute, lol. When he's on the cherry-picker, and goes "whooo" or "Hello! Hello!". Or "that's why we have rehearsals." Or "more booty… that's funny." Or "but it's all for LOVE !".
The new videos (Smooth Criminal, Thriller, Earth Song) were nothing short of AWESOME. I would love to see a long version of the Smooth Criminal one because MJ being integrated in film noirs of the 40s is simply, just, COOL. The Earth Song speech (when did he record that by the way ?) during the video was moving ; that video was hauntingly beautiful. And he is indeed right in his message. When he says, "We have four years", it doesn't have anything to do with 2012. Scientists have estimated that there's actually a tiny window if we want to avoid the effects of man-made global warming to become irreversible. That's what he's talking about. Saving the planet also means saving ourselves. It starts with us.
The They Don't Care About Us bit with the 1000-men army was impressive. State-of-the-art technology. The choreography rocked.
What else can I say ? Dang, I am quite stunned right now. I mean, of course I expected it to be great, but I didn't expect it to be and feel THAT great. Arts mean everything to me. They do. They're what embellishes life. Makes it brighter. Makes you feel understood. Connected. A part of something bigger. Spiritual. Loved. Angry. It fuels emotions and makes you feel human. Makes you feel what's inside.
Thank you for that great moment. You brought life to the theater's darkness. And wherever you are, whether it's above, or on the ground, I hope and I wish you find a true, genuine, absolute, sense of accomplishment. And satisfaction. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the moments. Thank you for the passion and thank you for sharing your genius and love with us.
Much love to everyone, go see TII if you haven't already. Keep the faith, and hold on to your dreams. What was that cliché saying ? "Always shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you'll land among the stars." Yeah, it's cliché, maybe corny, some would even say "cheesy". Well, you know what ? Sometimes, a cliché is the best way to say it.