"The Death of Michael Jackson Meant the Death of My Youth"

I remember being on a cab the night Michael Jackson died; I was coming out of the Somerville Theater after seeing Camera Obscura live, heading to the mythical land of Allston.  As we came closer to student turf, I realized that a different Jackson song was being blasted house after house.  They were all mourning the death of the King.  I'm not trying to be melodramatic, it is a brief recollection of what I saw.  


Four months later, the movie This Is It was released.  To be completely honest, I found it morbid and lacking good taste, but consumerist America is not exactly known for being a moral police or an etiquette school.  I figured investors, record labels, et al were rooting for the movie in order to squeeze the last drops from MJ.  Needless to say, I was reticent to see the movie, but who am I kidding?  I'm human, a rather sarcastic, dried humored and, yes, slightly morbid one, so I secretly went (by myself) to the nearest movie theater and paid a student ticket to see what It was all about.


I cannot say it wasn't worth it.  I really enjoyed it actually.  I mean, we, the kids born in the mid-80's, didn't exactly live through his kingdom.  Still, it does not take away the fact that his music is still part of my life's soundtrack - I followed the man at a distance (rumors and scandals, too), know a few of his moves, and can recognize most of his songs before they hit the 10 second mark.

                                            Wall Memorial for Michael Jackson - Apollo Theater, NY

Of course, most of my generation never had the chance to see him on stage and the movie gave a sneak-peek. I will tell you that Michael Jackson had a massive production prepared... choreographers, lighting, musicians, and dancers from all over the world.  All tops.  I mean, as they mentioned, the dancers were an extension of him, standards that applied to all of his staff.  It is clear that he was planning a great come back.


Highlights of the show?  A full remake of Thriller with great costumes and hallucinating 3-D scenes; a mind-blowing mobster scene intertwined with old movies from the 20's for Smooth Criminal; a special set for The Way You Make Me Feel that covered the entire stage and recalled the animation for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue an awesome Australian guitarist that shines in Black or White; and, my favorite, an army dance sequence where 9 dancers were multiplied by hundreds for Bad/They Don't Care About Us.

Almost two hours of footage left me elated, exactly the way I feel when I see an awesome live performance.  I'm still not sure about the intentions behind this project, but as far as I'm concerned... the footage proves once again that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest pop-idols ever seen.


On that cab ride from Somerville to Allston, the driver said he was very surprised I didn't seemed afflicted by Jackson's death.  I answered that I was shocked, but wasn't exactly moved, I even said it might've been my age and the fact I was raised outside of the US.  He said, "You don't understand.  The death of Michael Jackson meant the death of my youth," all of this with tears in his eyes.  I guess that's when it hit me, when I got what Michael meant for his many fans all over the world.  Truthfully, the label "The King of Pop" testifies on his behalf.