I’m told the balcony was the best place from which to appreciate the full affect of We Are One – the Soul Sounds concert in tribute to Michael Jackson. A whole new generation of fans turned up. Some guys in shiny shirts, neon ties and hats were hollering along appreciatively, while others were tearing up. I must admit to having been pretty close to tears myself once or twice.
Here were songs that reminded me of everything I loved most about Michael – his infectious vitality, his incredible potency as a performer, and that music that just buzzed right through you, leaving you feeling like you had drunk a straight shot of love in a glass.
Michael always was the best of pop, and if you loved to dance, there was no one more fun to hang out with. Even more, the concert reminded me that Michael’s legacy goes beyond his music. Throughout out his life he reached out to people in need, supporting a number of causes and charities, and bringing together his peers to collaborate in iconic tracks like “We Are the World.”
I don’t think one always appreciated how hard Michael’s catalogue is on singers. We know the best of his songs so well, that it’s very hard to settle for lesser imitations of an inimitable performer. But where solitary artists tend to fail, choirs triumph. Or at least Soul Sounds did, that night. Soloists like Shehara Liyanage, Marisa de Silva and Dinuksha Jayawickrema tackled some of Michael’s most beloved pieces, and I have to say they did a fabulous job.
The song list that night included early Jackson 5 hits like “ABC” and “I Want You Back” and Michael’s own first solo chart topper, “Ben.” Post interval, the second half sampled classics like “Liberian Girl,” “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It.” The Intermediate choir performed “Heal the World,” and then joined the main choir on stage for a potent rendition of “Earth Song.”
In the meantime, stop the presses – I’m blaming it on the boogie. Soul Sounds, all-girl choir extraordinaire, sure can move. And I’m not talking polite little side steps…the concert had them doing the zombie walk from “Thriller,” the finger clicking step from “Beat It,” and the steps with Michael’s signature hat from “Billie Jean.” All adding up to what might very well be the choir’s most ambitious choreography ever.
When we finally got up to leave, it was with the sense that this had been among the most fitting of farewells to Michael – a night of song and dance, a night that celebrated the best of his life and his legacy.
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