Michael Jackson's Last Rehersal

[Jazz+]

Michael Jackson's last rehearsal: 'just beaming with gladness'

Onstage at Staples Center, associates say, the performer radiated joy as he prepared for his comeback tour.

By Chris Lee and Harriet Ryan

L.A. Times

7:40 PM PDT, June 26, 2009

 

Michael Jackson spent his final night alive in his favorite spot on Earth: the stage.

 

At Staples Center Wednesday night, the performer did a full run-through of his planned comeback concert. He and his company -- dancers, musicians, singers, aerial performers, choreographers and costumers -- planned to fly to England early next week for final dress rehearsals at London's O2 Arena, the site of the pop superstar's 50-night sold-out run.

 

By lunchtime Thursday, Jackson was in cardiac arrest. But in Staples Center's spotlight, he was in high spirits and totally engaged, according to a number of his collaborators. Energetic, optimistic and focused, Jackson gave no indication of what was to come, they said. The show's director, Kenny Ortega -- a journeyman choreographer and movie director whose career highlights include "High School Musical," the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" and "Dirty Dancing" -- began work with Jackson on the intricate staging four months ago. On Thursday, Ortega recalled Jackson as bursting with enthusiasm and personally invested in the production's most minute details.

 

"There were a couple of times when Michael stood at my side and we looked at the stage together and were just beaming with gladness that we had arrived at this place," Ortega said. "And he was happy. We all felt that and shared that. We were four or five days from finishing in Los Angeles and heading to London and feeling in really good shape."

 

Ortega said he had no knowledge of the singer taking any drugs or medication. He also denied that the slender performer had physically overextended himself by working out four hours a day, six days a week in preparation for the physically taxing concerts.

 

"He was dancing, training, working every day with our choreographer Travis [Payne]," Ortega said. "Michael has always been slight. That was his fighting weight. He was getting rest time, coming in and working with the band, guiding the singers, working on orchestrations. He was enthusiastically involved in every creative aspect of this production."

 

Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, the concert promoter that will forfeit the more than $20 million it put into staging Jackson's comeback, was also among those at Staples Center on Wednesday. He recalled Jackson being in ebullient spirits.

 

"It was fantastic, he was so great. I got goose bumps," Phillips said. "It made me realize why I got into this business.

 

"I take great solace in the pride and confidence he exhibited during production rehearsals on Wednesday night. That is the memory I will cherish for the rest of my life," Phillips said.

 

Ken Ehrlich, the longtime executive producer of the Grammy Awards who staged televised performances by Jackson half a dozen times, met with the performer at Staples on Wednesday to discuss a television project. "He was very warm and funny. He was having a good time," Ehrlich said.

 

After the meeting, the singer invited Ehrlich to stay and watch him rehearse.

 

The show was still a work in progress, with props that Ehrlich recalled as "looking pretty magical" strewn about the venue's floor. Jackson seemed committed to the work but stopped short of putting his complete energy into the run-through, he said.

 

"What I saw that night was a person who was still in the process of learning the show," Ehrlich said. "I watched Kenny Ortega walk him through some stage directions. I know [Michael's] method, and there's a certain reticence when he's not in full make-up and wardrobe to 'give it.' He would have been ready by the time he got to London."

 

Watching the singer perform his hits showed Ehrlich Jackson's pervasive influence on a new generation of superstars: "The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn't watching Justin Timberlake or Chris Brown or Usher or any of the hundreds of acts that have taken from Michael. The modern inheritors of his art. It was him."

 

Jackson hired Ed Alonzo -- a concert magician-comedian known as "the Misfit of Magic," who also worked on Britney Spears' "Circus" tour -- to create two set-piece illusions for his London shows. One illusion set to the opening number involved an illuminated sphere that would have floated around the singer's body, flown out above the audience and then landed back in Jackson's hand before immolating in a blaze of light.

 

Alonzo recalled that the singer arrived at Staples around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday but did not begin rehearsing until 9, complaining -- perhaps facetiously, the magician said -- of laryngitis.

 

"He looked great and had great energy. He wasn't singing at full level, but it was as beautiful as ever," Alonzo said. "He didn't even take a moment to grab a bottle of water or take a rest. He went from one number to the other. 'Let's do that again.' He wanted to look at props for the 'Thriller' number, a gigantic spider. He was dancing, singing, joking with the crew. If he was having any aches or pains, nobody knew about it that night."

 

According to the magician, the rehearsal went past midnight. "Had I known that would be the last time he'd perform, I'd have stayed longer," said Alonzo, who left the venue around 12.

 

Frank DiLeo, Jackson's manager, said the singer seemed upbeat and ready for the challenges of mounting a comeback that Jackson had hoped would restore his superstardom -- reinstating his cultural relevance, erasing part of his massive debt and finally allowing his three children to understand why fans worldwide herald him as the King of Pop.

 

"He just told me how happy he was and that things were working out the way he wanted," DiLeo said.

 

More

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/concert-magician-recalls-michael-jacksons-final-hours-2009266

[Mark Schmieder]

Thanks for posting that.

 

I had only heard abstract comments from my friends and co-workers, so these detailed quotes really make me feel better about those people having had the opportunity to participate in this show up to the point of the tragedy. I'm sure that all involved will have Wednesday's run-through as their lasting memory.

[Joe Muscara]

Not exactly dying while doing it, but perhaps near the next best thing. Imagine if he had done say, the first O2 show, blew everybody away, and then passed right after or the next morning?

[MikeT156]

The promoter is on the hook for 20 million. And sadly, Michael's "Estate" is insolvent. His children will get nothing.

 

 

Mike T.

[ProfD]

The promoter is on the hook for 20 million. And sadly, Michael's "Estate" is insolvent. His children will get nothing.

 

 

Mike T.

The promoter took a chance i.e. gambled. Spent $20M of the $85M in ticket sales. After issuing refunds, maybe there is an insurance in place to cover the $20M. We'll see.

 

MJ's estate is insolvent at the moment. Once his assets are liquidated, debts will be paid. Future earnings will continue flowing into his estate. Without MJ around to spend and/or borrow against it, the estate will grow.

 

The trick is how well the estate is managed after MJ's passing. Nonetheless, the children's inheritance will be in the black i.e. greater than several million.

 

Also, it isn't like whoever looks after the children is broke either. Those kids will never have to work a 'real' job.

[Griffinator]

Actually, Michael put away a huge cache of unreleased material that he willed to his children. That in and of itself should take care of them for the rest of their lives.

[MikeT156]

I understand that some of Michael's family want his mother to get custody of his children. I sincerely hope that once his assets are sold and some of the unreleased material starts to sell, his children will be OK.

 

Mike T.

[Tonysounds]

My gut feeling is those kids should be kept as far away from the paternal grandfamily as possible: Michael and LaToya are two fine examples of what some dysfunctional upbringing can accomplish.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I really liked reading about the last rehearsal. I'm sure a lot of you guys know the feeling when you're getting ready for a big gig and that last rehearsal feels tight as hell. It's a great feeling, knowing it's going to work, that's it's come together and you're going to go out and kick ass.

 

Sigh. Such a loss.

[kanker.]

I really liked reading about the last rehearsal. I'm sure a lot of you guys know the feeling when you're getting ready for a big gig and that last rehearsal feels tight as hell. It's a great feeling, knowing it's going to work, that's it's come together and you're going to go out and kick ass.

 

Sigh. Such a loss.

Here's a different perspective on the whole comeback. I tend to think he would have found some way to pull 50 great shows out of his backside even if what the article says is true.

[SK]

I saw and almost posted that same article, kanker. It's a very different account and has a lot of details.

 

My impression is the first article on this thread was intended to be as positive as possible. No mention in it that MJ was 3 hours late to the rehearsal. So, who knows?

 

Geez, I hate reading about this stuff. Moving on...

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Here's a different perspective on the whole comeback.

 

I've read that stuff as well. Unfortunately, that's a gossip site you linked to, so you can't take things you read there seriously.

 

None of us are in any position to speculate if he'd have actually made it through 50 arena dates. We'll never know now, of course. But I think it's at least a little comforting knowing that the preparation was going well.

[ProfD]

When I started a thread about MJ's comeback tour a few months ago, I questioned whether or not he would be able to pull off 50 shows at this point in his life.

 

I was suspicious that MJ and/or others were taking on too much and pushing him to the limit in the process.

 

That is partially why I wasn't that shocked upon hearing that he had passed away. Again, the pressures of fame, stress, etc., are enough to burst pipes.

 

MJ has virtually insured that no other star will soar as high and/or have to endure such a life.

[JohnH]

Prof- me too...I just had a feeling something would happen....but definitely never imagined he would die.

[ProfD]

Prof- me too...I just had a feeling something would happen....but definitely never imagined he would die.

Yep, reminded me of boxers past their prime. The heart and mind believe one thing while diminished skills prevent them from completing the race.

 

Death kept MJ from further embarrassment on a global stage.

[zyzik]

oh come on, what is 50 concerts for 50 years old guy? I know 55+ years old that go to work everyday for 8 hours misery plus 2 hours in the car commuting and can make it. Concerts last how long? 2 hours max times 50 is 100 hours derided by 8 is 12.5 day of work...

that's not even a month!

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I know zyzik was being funny, but I'll tell you something most of you already know: playing live is freakin' exhausting and takes TONS of energy, and that's without the dancing! I sweat buckets just from singing and playing. I'm 10 years younger than MJ was, and I'm not on any medications that might impair my performance, and I'd still have to train for months and get in great shape to consider playing 50 arena dates.

 

Hats off to people like Madonna who can keep doing that past their 20s and 30s. I have no idea how MJ would have handled it.

[MikeT156]

I have to agree Jeff, doing everything it takes to get in shape to do a TOUR even as a KB player in a backup band can be grueling. Think about what it might be like as the headliner in a big time act. There's a lot of stress to go along with the physical demands. Also, singing your heart out every night to give everyone a good show is not easy on the vocal chords either. "Many" singers have canceled their tours because they lost their voice, got run down and became ill, lots of bad stuff happens under the workload of a very demanding schedule.

 

Mike T.

[zephonic]

Although I do not disagree with the above, I would like to jump in with some perspective.

 

First of all, it was not a tour, but 50 concerts at the same venue. Also, the concerts were to be held from next month until March next year. On average that would be between 5 and 6 shows per month.

 

Nevertheless, I suspect that MJ's condition was not as good as some would have us believe. In fact, I read somewhere that he was diagnosed with skin cancer last month.

 

[MikeT156]

Well, that throws a different light on the subject. I thought it was a "Tour". Still, its not as easy as we might think. I know that traveling wears you out. I was on the road playing music full time for 3 years; it gets old.

 

 

Mike T.

[Steve LeBlanc]

I wonder if he planned to do this spin and the landing, at age 50 and whatever was ailing him?

 

 

seems like a grueling move for a guy in his early 30s

 

This kind of dancing being such a huge part of his show, his doing 50 shows seems a much bigger feat than Madonna

 

 

 

[meccajay]

The promoter is on the hook for 20 million. And sadly, Michael's "Estate" is insolvent. His children will get nothing.

 

 

Mike T.

 

I saw a report on cable news about the 2 men who've been supporting Michael the last several years. Apparently these are the guys who've taken care of the estate at Neverland back when Michael was about to lose it. I may have heard incorrectly, but one of them is a shiek in the United Arab Emerates. This is the same guy who had Michael move into his palace years ago after his court case was over.

 

So with 2 billionairs backing most, if not all, of Michaels plays for the last few years, it will be real interesting to see what lies ahead in terms of the children, creditors and the Beatles catalog. Will they pay the frieght(300-400 million)? Will they let the family fend for themselves now that their true interest is gone?

[Eric Iverson]

Yes, to me, that's the concern also: that his kids will be well taken care of, and that they won't be dragged into any problems they didn't cause, in later years.

 

[MoodyBluesKeys]

The entertainer that really amazes me with the ability to continue is Tina Turner. Born November, 1939! That is 69 years old.

[Joe Muscara]

1929 + 69 = 1998

 

According to Wikipedia, she was born in 1939. I guess you just had a typo there.

 

B.B. King was born in 1925.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

B.B. King was born in 1925.

 

But B.B. doesn't still wear fishnet stockings (not, uh, that he ever did, as far as I know).

[DanS]

I've read that stuff as well. Unfortunately, that's a gossip site you linked to, so you can't take things you read there seriously.

 

Are we supposed to take stuff like this: "Fox News reported that Michael Jacksons skeletal physique is so bad that he might not be able to moonwalk any more".. seriously???

[Mark Schmieder]

I guess it's impossible for any thread about Michael Jackson to not get pounced on at this point. Could those of you who hate MJ give us SOME peace? Or just start your own threads instead of invading positive ones to turn them negative?

 

I couldn't bear to read that article, knowing it was lies and based on gossip and of course aimed to please those who like gossip.

 

Remember, my company was involved in the show, as well as a close friend who was preparing keyboard parts for the tour. These are people I talk to every day of my life. I know them well, and that they would have no reason to lie about what they saw that night (and the three months preceding it). And they saw EVERYTHING, because they were there every non-sleeping hour.

[Steve LeBlanc]

I think most of us don't really know what to believe when it comes to Michael. FWIW, my post earlier was in reverence to how fantastic he was in his prime, I didn't mean to imply anything else. It's been reported he wasn't in good health but I would love to find out those reports are full of shit. I'm still in shock he died so suddenly at age 50, I haven't been able to reconcile it.

[wmp]

Are we supposed to take stuff like this: "Fox News reported ... " seriously???

That you have to ask is evidence of what happens when one allows that to ooze from their TV set.