(Todd A. Smith)
On the social media app Threads, comedian Ryan Davis asked Black folks if they were dressing up to watch the new Michael Jackson biopic in theaters.
My t-shirt (one side representing The Jacksons’ 1984 Victory Tour and the other representing The Jacksons’ 2012 Jacksons’ Unity Tour) is already ironed and waiting for me to wear it for an advance screening of “Michael” on April 20.
I attended both tours.
Not so humble brag.
That type of hysteria and hype, even after death, could only be created by the late, great Michael Jackson.
And I have yet to see that type of hype for any entertainer since.
Jackson was one of those rare celebrities who made other celebrities excited to be in his presence.
When Jackson placed the cape on his idol, James Brown, at the 2003 BET Awards, artists like India Arie were in total fan mode, seeing their hero in the flesh and on stage with another icon.
Stars who grew up watching Jackson, such as Usher, Chris Brown, and Justin Timberlake, modeled their style on his.
Timberlake even got his start in a boy band before surpassing his groupmates as a solo legend, just like Jackson.
I have seen Usher and Timberlake in concert.
This weekend, I will see Bruno Mars in concert.
And while those stars can sell out a stadium in no time, fans do not faint at their concerts.
Concert promoters and producers do not have ambulances at the venue to rush those fainting fans to the hospital immediately.
When other celebrities attend a Los Angeles Lakers game, fans and other celebrities do not bat an eye because they are accustomed to seeing stars in their presence.
But when Jackson attended a Lakers game, at the behest of Magic Johnson, a riot almost broke out, forcing the team to halt the game to escort Jackson out of the building.
After almost 60 years, the Jackson family still gets tabloid attention, long after their heyday, because people still find their son, brother, father and uncle intriguing.
“Sources” still leak alleged family beef and disagreements because the family’s gossip still moves the needle.
Fans still desperately await word of unreleased music seeing the light of day.
Artists still cover his songs.
He has fans who were not even born before he took his last breath.
Fans still travel to Las Vegas to see his Cirque de Soleil show.
People travel to other cities to see the Broadway play, “MJ.”
I can still remember the staff at Memorial City Mall in Houston shutting down the shopping center when Jackson popped up one day, as if he did not know that his presence could start a riot.
Songs from his albums “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” still sound timely four decades after their releases.
Even during the most controversial times of Jackson’s life, his appearance caused crowds to form as they did when he went to court because of child molestation allegations.
His story is so legendary that it might require two big-screen biopics.
Who do you know so famous that they need two Hollywood biopics to effectively tell their story?
Even with that, fans are still upset that certain aspects of his life and certain people close to him will not be featured in “Michael.”
Jackson’s story is so legendary that he needs a multi-episode miniseries.
However, he was so big that his story must be shown on the world’s biggest screens to give it that real concert feel.
Jackson was one of the first artists to not need much promo to garner the attention of the masses when he released a new project.
Although Sony promoted new Jackson music, a press release would have sufficed because mainstream media would have gone to work, covering his every move in life.
Now, artists like Beyoncé just release information about a new album or tour on social media, and influencers do the rest.
However, many of Jackson’s fans only know him at the highest of heights, after the “Thriller” era.
But his roller coaster of a career makes him even more inspiring to every dreamer in the world.
Jackson grew up in poverty in Gary, Ind.
But because of his obvious gifts, a disciplinarian father and talented brothers, he catapulted his family to fame and fortune by the time he was 11 years old.
However, after the Jackson Five outgrew their bubblegum soul image, the group and its lead singer hit a rough patch.
Although everyone recognized his talents as a youngster, many thought that he had peaked as a teenager.
Furthermore, Motown Records did not believe in the Jackson Five as songwriters and producers.
Therefore, the group sought a record company that would give them a chance to exercise some creative control over their career.
They found that as The Jacksons, recording for Epic Records.
But even with more control, The Jacksons initially failed to reach the heights of their early success as the Jackson Five.
Epic Records was ready to give up on The Jacksons until “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” took off.
The next year, Jackson became a solo superstar with “Off the Wall.”
But when he told people he wanted to create the best-selling album of all time to follow up “Off the Wall,” few took him seriously.
That is, until he did it, breaking so many records in the process that many stopped counting.
People probably gravitate towards Jackson because he shows that no matter where you come from and how often you are doubted, you can still achieve your dreams.
He represented magic, even for people who had gotten too old to believe in magic.
And he was so magical that, for the first time, I have decided to write a lead-up to a movie review.
Combined with a special outfit, no other artist could get that type of response from fans like me.
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