Last night (5/13/11) I journeyed with some friends to East Andrew's Bar in Buckhead to see Who's Bad, a Michael Jackson tribute band.
To be honest, my main exposure to MJ growing up was Jackson Five songs on the oldies station my mom would listen to. I was peripherally aware of him (how couldn't you be during the 80's?), but the only song of his that I have a strong memory of is Black or White, and that's only because the video was new when my neighbor across the street got MTV. (I remember those effects with the changing faces blowing my young mind!) I have essentially zero nostalgia for Michael. My thoughts were always of how his face became freakish later in life as he faced molestation accusations and retreated to his Neverland Ranch.
That being said, the band blew me away. The musicians were excellent. The drummer, guitarist, bassist, trumpet player, and sax/keyboard guy were all great and showed plenty of life on stage. They looked like they were having a blast, and kept the crowd pumped. There were two guys portraying Michael, one a younger, curly haired version, the other the late 90's, straighter haired variety. While neither is a dead ringer for Jackson, they both have the mannerisms, dress style, and dance moves down.
They played most of Jackson's hits. Bad, Thriller, Dirty Diana and many more. My wife was sad they didn't do P.Y.T., but there's only so much room in a set list.
I'm a cheapskate when it comes to concerts, but this show was worth the $15. Even with an ankle brake on my foot (which made standing by the stage during the second half of the show kinda painful) I had a great time listening to some classic songs and hanging out with my wife and some other friends.
Sadly, no one will be able to see the man in concert again, but if you're a fan of his music, Who's Bad is a worthwhile show to see. I don't think Jackson fans will be disappointed. Check out their website (linked above), and see if they're coming near you.
Since seeing an MJ concert was on my bucket list and he passed away before I could fulfill it, this band was the next best thing. :-) I had fun singing along and swaying my hips to Bad, Thriller, Billy Jean and many more hits. The engery of the band was GREAT (kudos to the sax and trumpet player for their AWESOME dancing and to the lead guitarist). I also loved the drummer and the bass guitarist for keeping it funky just like a real MJ concert.
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