Michael Jackson made exactly one concert appearance in Scotland, and I was lucky enough to see him live on that date. This was back in 1992, when he was still at, or very close to, his peak, and it was quite a concert.
(I realised today that at the time of that concert, MJ was the same age I am today. Scary thought, that. However, where MJ suffered a very deep and sad decline, I do firmly believe that my best days are still ahead - what I do doesn't depend on the fickle attentions of the public. But that's an aside.)
Somewhere along the way, Michael Jackson lost the ability to produce the music people wanted to hear. "Thriller" remains an exceptional album, better than virtually anything that has been produced since. But that is 25 years ago now. And in some ways, I'm glad the temptation to try to get tickets to see him again is now gone. I fear the planned concerts would have been a big disappointment: we would have wanted the Michael Jackson of yesteryear, but he was long-gone.
And, of course, if the concerts had been anything less than stellar, you can bet the media would have queued up to take their shots. This being the same media that have run nothing but tributes to a man they hounded, marginalised, or ridiculed for years. The same media that are busy turning his funeral into a circus, rather than letting him rest in peace as they should.
The concert in 1992 ended with "Michael Jackson" flying away into the sunset using a rocket pack.
A few days later, the newspapers were filled with a detailed analysis of just how and when he had switched with a stunt double to safely achieve this. As is so often the case, they felt compelled to rob Peter Pan of his magic.
I don't care. Better to remember him like that.
Much-belated edit: No it wasn't - this is post 599!
No comments:
Post a Comment