Est. 1998
Immortal World Tour – Manchester Review
Paulette, is a very valued member of the MJWN team. She is a devoted Michael Jackson fan, and she has kindly shared her ‘memory-pieces’ from her experiences at ‘Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour’ at Manchester Arena, last Friday night.
“After a long and tiring day, my friend Carol and I travelled to Manchester, to see Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.’ We are both very long-term fans, having met in Cardiff, on the ‘Dangerous’ tour.
We were both weary after a difficult day, and wondered if we were doing the right thing going to see the show, or should we have given the tickets to friends instead?
The venue, the Manchester Arena, was huge and our seats were very high up and slightly cramped, but we began to get excited as the venue filed up, and as soon as the music started, we knew we had made the right decision.
Who can resist Michael’s voice? Certainly not the two of us!
The performers began their routines and we were instantly spellbound with the skill and perfection of the sights before us. The musicians were top class, the dancers were performing the daring routines faultlessly, and with great imagination and absolute perfection.
The show began with a Jackson Five medley, similar to the one Michael used to perform on stage, during his concerts. The skill of the performers was incredible, even unbelievable, with their costumes covered with coloured lights, which shone in the dark, so they appeared to be clusters of lights, dancing in mid-air, rather than people!
Many of the sections of the complete performance reminded us of the concerts we had seen Michael perform. Each song had separate, distinctive acrobats and dancers, and at times we thought we had missed so much, as unfortunately we have only one pair of eyes. In my opinion, ten pairs of eyes may have just been enough to take it all in.
The staging of each song or medley was absolutely perfect, the props were imaginative and the performers were absolutely faultless in the execution of each daring illusion! We were breathless at times, trying to keep up with the dancers, illusionists and acrobats, attempting to see everything that was happening all over the arena. The costumes themselves were works of art and absolutely beautiful!
Most of Michael’s most wonderful songs had its own section in the production. After the Jackson Five medley, Michael’s own material began and the whole arena was set alight, as people sang along. During many of these songs Michael’s image was displayed on giant video screens, much to the delight of the audience.
The performers continued to produce faultless routines which left many of us watching gasping with wonder. I began to run out of superlatives to describe my feelings, as I watched these geniuses work their magic on Michael’s best-loved songs. As each song finished I thought it had been my favourite, but the next song made me think again.
I honestly cannot name my favourite section of the complete performance, as each one had its own magic and each deserves to be praised as the best.
Towards the end of the show, I was beginning to wonder how I could see it all over again, but it was not to be. I will have to be satisfied with seeing it once.
I can however, recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it. Do whatever you can to experience this legacy to Michael! You will not regret it, I promise.
Michael’s music and showmanship which this show captures, keeps the memory of his magic alive!”
Source: MJWN, with very special thanks to Paulette
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