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He said...

When Michael Jackson died on June 25th of this year, one of the most compelling lives in entertainment came to an end. Since he was a child, most of the civilized world has been fascinated by, adored and in some cases loved Jackson. His ascendancy to the title of the "King of Pop" with the release of 1982's Thriller perhaps marked the height of his popularity, cultural influence and positive public relationship. In many ways, he has been the most compelling tragic figure in modern popular entertainment. Therefore, Michael Jackson's This Is It makes for a fascinating final look into the talent and abilities of the performer.

Michael Jackson's This Is It is behind the scenes footage of rehearsals in Los Angeles for the 50 concerts to have taken place in London. By the looks of it, the goal of the series was nothing less than to revolutionize the concept of the concert experience. They were to integrate 3-D, high definition screens that would have incorporated Jackson's videos with freshly inserted scenes to classic videos such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller". There were elements that would have been much more interactive for the audience, with various pieces of the show actually interspersed amongst the concert-goers. The lighting, pyrotechnics and costume design all were also intended to again push the boundaries of pop music performance. The intent seems to have been a fully immersive, retrospective of Jackson's musical legacy. It was to serve, if rumors were correct, as the final performances before his retirement.

The footage itself shows Jackson as an uncommonly accomplished performer expertly informed in all aspects of what it takes to stage a concert. The audience sees Jackson interacting with musicians, dancers, singers, stage crew, film makers and multimedia producers. His relationship with them all is that of a superior, not simply because of his legacy but his obvious knowledge and talent that fueled his accomplishments long before his reputation was established. He clearly directs every phase of the rehearsals and is seen involved in all manner of the concerts' planning and production. There are fascinating moments where he gently massages out of a performer what he wants and it works every time. He rehearses with the Musical Director to coax out of him a new intro to "The Way You Make Me Feel", which gives the song a slow drawl sensuality intro that then kicks into the familiar drum beat. He is seen rehearsing with another singer for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" in which he guides her through the song and begins singing it closer to performance strength, a distinctly forbidden occurrence until actual shows. But it's a light moment that shows the attraction of the moment for a performer that even after all these years Jackson is drawn to.

He spontaneously begins to sing "Human Nature", and eventually the band joins in and it turns into seemingly a fuller version than intended. He often also remarked that he'll "feel" something, knowing when a right time for something to happen will be and there is a trust from all involved that he will be right. He was also obviously an expert dancer but we are reminded that he was a talented vocal performer as well (provided the vocal performance wasn't cleaned up in post-production).The movie shows Jackson as an unquestionable master of his craft. It was also quietly fascinating to me to watch it with Caroline, a very accomplished vocalist herself. I kept stealing glimpses of her appreciating the craft that, I think, only those like her can really appreciate.

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