Michael Jackson | antakalipa

Michael Jackson

I love Prince but Michael Jackson is the king of popular culture. That’s big, he defined an entire generation and transcended it for future generations. To this day, no one has had a bigger influence. Selling records was easy, literally the best selling artist of all time with sales of over 500 million worldwide. Inducted in the Rock n Roll hall of fame twice, the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame. That’s not all, 15 Grammy Awards, 39 Guinness World Records and lauded as the most Successful Entertainer of all time, period. Over a four decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized public personal life made him a global figure. His songs, stages and fashion proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music. His innovations changed the music video as an art form and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk and the anti-gravity lean. His mere presence would send fans tumbling on the floor in concerts without him doing anything. Before even the shows commenced, paramedics would be heavily staffed and working hard attending to fainting fans tumbling on the floor. Jackson himself would be just standing on the stage like a statue amidst the hysteria and fans screaming at the top of their lungs. He didn’t have to do anything to elict a response from the crowd, his aura was more than enough, it was God-like and when he did perform, you understood why he was hailed the king. My first experience of Michael Jackson was “You Rock My World”, it was paradigm altering, the video with Chris Tucker was the greatest thing ever! It was so cinematic and grand. The story-telling, the fight scenes, the music, the dancing, it blew me away! Hooked, transfixed and mezmarrized with just the first listen. It was a movie. “You Rock My World” was awe-inspiring. It was my standard for a while until I worked backwards and discovered “Thriller”. I love Prince but Michael Jackson is the king of popular culture, the greatest performer period and that’s not even hyperbole. I’d like to go on record and apologize, I was too excited, “Purple Rain” is not better than “Thriller”, they are both art, both exceptional, executed by two of the greatest artists of all time.

I was at the opening of the Micheal Jackson “History show” concert at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City. The lyric theatre is beautiful, those chandeliers take my breath away. Everyone was infected by the spirit of Michael. Gloves, sunglasses and white shirts were the order of the day. Outstanding show, Showtime Australia delivers yet another masterclass. Garth Field is super talented. He is the reincarnation of Micheal Jackson. He has stage presence, his aura is commanding, he moves like Micheal, sings like him, dances like him, drips of the King of Pop – he is the king of pop. Thank you Bronwen for the invite. First Prince and now Micheal Jackson, you have made my year. Never in a million years did I think I’d see Michael on the stage but it happened and it was like a dream. It was glorious. Sam said I’d love this one and she was right. SamSays on the credits. I was excited for this one weeks prior, I mean Micheal Jackson, the greatest performer of all time – it’s not even hyperbole. Garth did Micheal justice. Everything was Micheal Jackson standard, the show was perfection. From the lighting, the band, the stage, the sets, electric guitarist, the costumes, backup singers, Nadine, dancing, singing and the cheography. The dancers on the stage were simply unstoppable! Unbelievable chemistry and high energy, in sync and well coordinated like a military drill. The electric guitarist is legendary, I loved the solos. Everyone was amazing! Now I have the experience of being in a Micheal Jackson concert and there’s nothing like it, it is glorious. Every hit was masterfully executed on the stage by Garth Field and the team, from “Bad”, “Beat It”, “Thriller”, Smooth criminal”, “Don’t stop till you get enough” “Black and White”, “The way you make me feel”, “Human Nature”, “Billie Jean”, “Earth song”, “Man in the mirror”, “Heal the world”, “Rock with you” “and many other classics. We also had Jackson 5 hits. Every performance was my favorite, Garth is incredible, he is Michael Jackson! It was a Rock and Roll day and once again guitars prevailed. The audience loved the performances, we couldn’t stop dancing and singing. I almost died with happiness when I saw the anti-gravity lean, I saw it live but I still couldn’t believe it. The moonwalk is still the most legendary dance move ever! Probably the greatest concert I’ve ever experienced. They left everything out on the stage. Maybe I wasn’t the greatest Michael Jackson fan but I am after today. Congratulations Showtime Australia and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

Beyonce

When Beyonce has you, you are not going anywhere. She has her claws deep in my spirit, she’s incredible, I love her. I was always a JAY-Z guy, sure Beyonce was there and doing great but I never really listened to her music. I am a boy and boys don’t listen to Beyonce, they listen to JAY-Z. I did listen to “Lemonade” when it was released though, I thought it was incredible, undoubtedly the best album when it came out. I loved it, it was raw, inspired, honest, revealing, vulnerable and emotional. It was a journey into Beyonces pysche, her soul was in it. It felt personal and heartfelt. I felt her personality, I felt the words and emotions, her content was grounded in reality. Still, I shyed away from it because I identified with JAY-Z. So when “4:44” dropped, I deleted “Lemonade” and went with JAY-Zs narrative. That “Lemonade” album is the most dangerous thing I have ever heard, worse than “Ether”, JAY-Z was in real danger, cheating on Beyonce is like cheating on the whole world. And so JAY-Z had to explain himself to the world and the album needed to be a classic. Going to No ID for the production of the album was a great idea. “4:44” diffused the situation, JAY-Z had to apologize, a lot could have gone wrong, he almost lost a great appreciating asset there, but praise God, he did the right thing, I was happy and satisfied with “4:44”. I always knew Beyonce was talented beyond words but I never really gave her an audience. This changed a couple of months ago when I finally got the “4” album. The “4” album had “Love on top” and I always loved that song but somehow I never got the album. I didn’t have the confidence to go the music store and purchase a Beyonce album. Years later I finally get the album and the first track of the album is “Love on top”, my brainwaves spiked, it was like I was overdosing on dopamine. The whole album was great and certainly worth the wait. I wanted some more so I got “Lemonade” again. Listening to “Lemonade” this time was like discovering Kanye West for the first time, in the sense that I fell in love again. I had this feeling that I couldn’t explain but I knew it was greatness. It was like a new reality was opening up to me. I felt renewed. My subconscious mind knew the lyrics to the songs so I was pretty much in free flow, I enjoyed my experience. After listening to “Lemonade” that day, I was pretty much hooked, I couldn’t believe a woman like Beyonce existed, I was smitten and hypnotized by her aura, artistry and energy. I got the self-titled album, also a classic, I’ve been in love and obsessed ever since. I love the subjects she covers in her songs, she is the embodiment of femininity, she empowers and she inspires. I saw the Super Bowl performance she did with Bruno Mars and Coldplay in 2016 and it’s the most epic performance ever. In the performance she battles Bruno Mars with the crowd cheering in the background. Bruno Mars is the only person in the world that could rival her greatness and he did it. She’s impossible to beat on an ordinary day with no stakes but this time around she had a point to prove, she was performing for her legacy. She had on an outfit that was inspired by Michael Jackson in the 1993 Super Bowl. While performing she misses a step and almost falls on her ass but she recovers so quickly that her mistake can’t even be seen and continues performing at a high level. The recovery is so quick that you can see it with the naked eye, but I saw it, and yet the narrative is that it was one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history. She’s so professional and amazing. Damn, I was blown away by that performance, it was excellence, a master operating at the peak of her powers. Beyonce can make you go crazy.

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