2009 rehearsal for a series of events called "This Is It," Michael Jackson, the king of music, was The gigs started in July 2009 at the O2 Arena in London. Since Jackson's "HIStory" global tour came to an end in 1997, these would have been his first big performances. Jackson had mostly focused on song creation and kid fathering in the years between. Three years later, however, he was more than ready to return on stage and see his thousands of followers once again.
Ten months from July 2009 to March 2010 was intended to be the period for the fifty performances scheduled at the O2. It would have been Jackson's longest stay at a venue, with about a million tickets sold and 240 times of performance. Months of rehearsals and planning to stage what Jackson wanted as the largest and finest events ever preceded the production. Promoting the This Is It concert series were AEG Live and the estate of the pop star. Jackson's return to the stage and the performance dates were revealed in a formal promotional press conference scheduled in March 2009.
For the This Is It tour, Jackson selected talented choreographers, dancers, musicians, designers, and the technical crew that would support him. Kenny Ortega was chosen as the director and as the main choreographer. Fitness trainer Lou Ferrigno was hired to ensure Jackson was in optimal physical condition for the demanding tour schedule. There were always lights, cameras, and kisses, which were built day and night at the O2; moving parts that dancers could appear from, and platforms that could lift Jackson into the air which were very complex. Jackson’s costumes were designed by Zaldy Goco who gave the star several flashy, armoured-like jackets that had more than 450,000 Swarovski crystals. Jackson’s world tours earlier had seen him dressed in black and gold military-style officer uniform and Michael Bush was the designer behind these outfits.
Interviews conducted revealed Jackson being very dedicated, struggling through intense dancing rehearsals and voice coaching in the preparation for two-and-a-half-hour 50-song performances every other night. In addition to some of the Thriller album hits classics such as Beat It and Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Dangerous, Morphine, a song that was specially written for the tour Best Of Joy, and even James Bond movie’s Goldfinger sung by Shirley Bassey but covered by Jackson was part of the show playlist. Some of the dance moves and the usage of the rather large stage apparatuses referred to certain trademarks of the Jacksons’ performances such as the moonwalk and Antiqueännollen; New was, however, able to incorporate a 360-degree multiple leveled stages with Jackson interacting with the audience up close.
This Is It was to be the King of Pop’s most elaborate and complicated concert series ever when his death on June 25 2009 abruptly brought the show to a halt. Jackson rehearsing at Staples Centre in Los Angeles just under three weeks before a planned opening night at the 02, was found unconscious and unresponsive and could not be resuscitated, having suffered acute Propofol poisoning due to anesthetic complications in a doctor. The shocking news left Michael Jackson’s fans all over the world in shock and mourning, erasing hope of what was expected to be the biggest pop music event of the decade.
Due to talent and financing, rumors emerged shortly after Jackson’s death that the This Is It concerts may go on with a Jackson look-alike, such as his brother Jermaine, or even computer imagery to mimic Michael’s figure. But the only sensible decision that could be understood was not to go ahead with the planned shows but rather to pay respect to Michael one more time and use all the resources that have been gathered to create one final tribute to Michael’s memory.
Many of the spectacular concert scenes and backstage shots that were previously filmed for the production were incorporated in the documentary movie Michael Jackson’s This Is It produced by Sony Pictures which was released shortly after Jackson’s death. Though it did give one a somewhat bitter taste of what a spectacular show the ill-fated tour could have been, nothing came close to what This Is It would have been for the live audience or what Jackson had been working so hard at in the last few weeks of his life. For the lucky spectators who had a chance to watch the concert and for Michael Jackson who accepted and faced the challenge of creating one more impressive concert, This Is It became a goodbye that never happened. Its untimely conclusion meant that there would always be something missing and fans would always wonder what might have been.
