Last night marked my first visit to Marina Bays Sands, and it was to catch Thriller LIVE, a 2h 20min tribute concert to the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
We got seated just in time for the start of the show. It started with a couple of familiar tunes, as well as a summary of MJ's hits and chart toppers... and then came the Jackson 5 songs. So tickled by the costumes and the amazing voice of 14-year-old Kieran Alleyne. Pity that the crowd was either not quite warmed up or were not quite as familiar with the songs... Felt like I was one of the few who were swaying n synching along to "ABC" :( First half covered hits until the 80s (I think. Not THAT huge a fan that I know which era the songs came from, just enough of a fan to sing along to the the chorus, at least, for most of the songs ;p)
After the intermission, we were treated to hits that I remember hearing over the radio or from my uncle's stash of music while growing up. Such nostalgia~~ To be treated to live rendition of "Smooth Criminal", "Dirty Diana", "Beat It", "They Don't Care About Us" etc. And as more and more familiar tunes came along, you could tell that the energy and excitement was spreading from the stage to the audience (*yay!*)
Ricko Baird's another name to remember from the cast, with his spot on performance of MJ's classic dance moves, and as one of the four main onstage "MJs". By the time they got to my #1 favorite, "Heal the World", everyone (onstage and off) were really enjoying themselves, and THAT'S when the HUGE faves came up! "Bad" and "Thriller"!! With the crowd grooving on their feet (and some of us joining in with the Thriller zombie moves ;p) the 2h 20min tribute concert came to a close :'( Thought it would feel long, but when it ended on such a high, I couldn't help but hope that it could go on for *just* a wheeeee bit longer....
Other little details that I liked about Thriller LIVE was the effects and vids on the display screens. The precise timing of what's on the screen and the real life dancers was really superb! Also, I love how they also remind us about the hardworking team doing all the jamming and fast fingerworks on the guitars when the screens part or the few times the guitarist(s) took centre stage for a while. *thumbs up* Certainly felt like a big party/jamming session that we were all part of, rather than *just* another stage performance ^_^
Here's what some of the audience at one of the earlier shows had to say about it:
I'm not a fan of MJ per se, not with the scandals and troubles that plagued the latter bit of his life, but I know I'll be digging out my collection of MJ's hits to listen to it all over again, in pure celebration of MJ's music ^_^ Just 'coz his music is still mighty amazing!
So, join in the fun and catch Thriller LIVE for yourself!
