On the morning of the 29th of October, 2009, I saw Michael Jackson’s This Is It.
Who would have thunk that for the entire day, every time I thought about it, I’d tear up.
It’s really hard to believe that he was so fit, so beautiful, singing so purely and so perfectly mere weeks before he died. And it’s harder to believe, even after so many months, that he’s no more.
Every minute I saw of the film, I kept thinking, ‘Damn, it would have been so stunning.’ He had thought of everything. There were video clips, special effects, fire works, fire, elevators, cranes, you name it – it would have been the best come-back tour of all time. Would have been. *choke*
He remembered every line, he remembered every beat, he remembered every MOVE… he remembered it all. He perfected it all. He MADE it all perfect. He was kind, he was gentle, he was sweet, and he was loving to his crew. For them, it was the greatest thing imaginable – working, dancing, singing, playing for Michael Jackson. It’s a dream that no one would dare to dream.
He did it all for one thing – for his fans. For the millions of people on this planet who loved him so much, who never doubted him for a single second, who always stood by him as he made his sweet music. He loved them more than they loved him.
There were such wonderful moments in the film – he would do a complicated dance move and smile so brilliantly, a smile that said, “Of course I’ve still got it, what did you think?” He would sing a tough line and close his eyes, taking in the stage, the arena, the adrenaline of being back on stage and entertaining the world.
The practice footage is astounding. It really is. That man practiced and practiced till it was perfect. He was gracious to his dancers and musicians, while they looked like they were in the presence of a God.
I don’t think I should go into even more detail – you should check this movie out yourself. Every MJ fan owes it to themselves to see this movie, to see what a fantastic and wonderful man he was. Anything else I say about him has already been said a million times before, so I won’t touch upon it. But, honestly, do yourselves a favour and watch the footage of that final tour that he was to perform. It’s truly worth it.
PS – I apologize to whoever was sitting next to me. I believe my sobbing during his performance of “I’ll Be There” made it hard for them to hear the song.
