Salute to Mr.Jackson

Legends typically become legends after they die. Michael Jackson is one example of a guy who was an icon as a child and a full blown legend in his early 20’s. It’s a daunting task to try to imagine all the people that have been inspired by his talent. And yet, I was never a big fan. Sure I liked his music as much as anyone but have never been the kind of guy to be a “fan” of anyone. And so it was… that is until the day I saw Michael Jackson perform live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My first real concert. That night I screamed, cried, lost my inhibitions and for the first time in 16 years of life, I became a fan.

It was 1993… I was waiting in the middle of a crowd of 200,000. It was eerie to hear absolute silence amongst a crowd so big. Cue the smoke, the lights, and the crowd exploded. With a sudden bang MJ is sprung into the middle of the stage. He stands there, frozen for literally minutes, absorbing the energy from the crowd. Imagine 200,000 people almost fainting and the man has done NOTHING. You could only imagine the crowd when he does his infamous spin-to-leg-kick to cue the song “JAM”.

If only for a minute, I realized what it feels like to not be so jaded. To allow the magic of the moment to take me and as gay as it sounds, I was one with the 200 thousand people in attendance… Nearly fainting as he performed a song I didn’t even like that much to begin with. The concert allowed me to feel an euphoria and sense of admiration I hadn’t yet felt in my detached teenage life. I experienced first hand what it was that made this guy one of the greatest artists of our time.

For all the reasons mentioned above, I will be the first to jump in the hypocritical bandwagon to forget his mistakes and remember him for the positive things he contributed to the world… like the moonwalk and the high funny voice… and owning monkeys named bubbles… and naming a child blanket… You know, the good things.

RIP