"Don't worry ma'am, we have plenty of tickets for the 2:00pm show"
I could not hide my shock and disbelief when the girl at the counter said those words to me. Plenty of tickets to "This is it"? 3 days after it opened worldwide? How can this be?
Maybe it was an odd time. People usually have plans at 2pm on a Sunday and movie watching isn't one of them right? Right?
Anyway, H and I had a great time, sitting in the almost empty theatre, grooving, singing along and dancing in our seats with the man himself.
Michael Jackson. From my very first MJ album (Off the Wall on casette tape, tyvm), I have been a fan. Of his music, his style, his dancing, his quirky sense of humour. I think in a another place and time, Michael and I could have been really good friends.
I was blown away by the man's musical genius. The way he knew his music, the way he got the musicians to get to where he needed, and mostly, the humble, direct and straightforward way he put across his ideas was amazing to watch. It was evident from the movie his dancers, musicians, tecnicians et al absolutely loved this guy.
Just watching the way he was around these people, full of life, energy and hope, it is heartbreaking to know he is no more. I had to hold back tears quite a few times, when it hit me that he would never see the dreams he had for this concert come to pass. That none of them did. The guy who was supposed to stand in the back with a flashlight for Michael after "Smooth Criminal" never got his gig.
But I am glad that Michael was allowed to show us all this side of him. His spirit of excellence, the exactness he extracted from performances. Anyone in the stage business needs to learn that from him.
I loved the movie, but mostly I loved Michael. Rest in peace, man. Rest in peace.
