Jackson fans: He won’t stop till you get enough
Gavin Hope, centre, performs the King of Pop’s oeuvre with Jeans ‘n Classics.
Gavin Hope, the Canadian singer who pays tribute to Michael Jackson in the pop-meets-symphony concert For Michael, hasn’t mastered the late King of Pop’s signature dance move.
“He doesn’t do the moonwalk,” says Peter Brennan, guitarist, arranger and founder of Jeans ‘n Classics, the Canadian company that creates nostalgic tribute shows to help orchestras attract fresh audiences to pops concerts.
“He does definitely dance all over the place.”
And Hope has the trademark vocals down, Brennan says, from the “boy Michael” of Jackson Five hits like ABC and I Want You Back to the fierce, funky energy of Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller, to the later artistry of Man in the Mirror.
“He sings Ben in Michael’s key, way up there,” Brennan adds about the Calgary-bred vocalist, who has sung baritone in the a cappella group the Nylons and performed in musical theatre, including playing Simba in the original Canadian production of The Lion King.
Jeans ‘n Classics teams with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for three pops performances of For Michael this weekend. In other cities, audience members have shown up dressed as Jackson.
A four-piece rock band and three female backup singers, as well as the orchestra, will accompany Hope. The program of 18 hits ranges from the boppy Rockin’ Robin to the percolating Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough and the gentle Human Nature.
The ever-growing London, Ont.-based Jeans ‘n Classics, founded about 18 years ago, currently has 45 different show offerings — more than any competing outfit.
The company has teamed with the WSO about nine times before, saluting such classic-rock acts as Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Queen, Chicago, Billy Joel, the Eagles, Elton John and the Beatles.
With a team of 30 singers, backup vocalists and musicians, it puts on shows 80 nights per season, works with orchestras throughout the world, and has orchestrated about 1,200 songs in total.
“This weekend when we’re coming to Winnipeg, there’s a whole gang in Anchorage, Alaska, doing Queen, and there’s another group in Jackson, Mississippi, doing Elton John…. We can do three, or if we really push it, four shows on the same night.”
Hope doesn’t only interpret Jackson for the company. He sings in an Earth, Wind and Fire tribute, appears in a Motown ensemble show and does Smokey Robinson numbers in a concert called Higher Ground that also celebrates Stevie Wonder.
He’s not the only multi-tasker. The same singer who does a sweet James Taylor also performs the Jeans ‘n Classics tribute to Sting and the Police.
In case you want to put in a request with the WSO, other available shows include Fleetwood Mac and U2.
The company has a cheesy new Guilty Pleasures ensemble show of “all those songs that you’re terribly embarrassed to admit you love.” In that show, Hope, a product of the ’80s, tackles mortifying favourites such as Take on Me by A-ha and Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears.
Before Jackson’s death in 2009, the company had launched a show called One Night In L.A. that, for some reason, almost no orchestra wanted to book, Brennan says.
The first half was a tribute to Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers. The second was Hope performing most of Jackson’s Thriller album. “We only did it three or four times,” Brennan says.
“Then after Michael died, Gavin phoned me and said, ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ I said I didn’t want to appear tacky or tasteless or jump on some bandwagon….
“It’s heartfelt — that’s why our title is For Michael.”
alison.mayes@freepress.mb.ca
Concert Preview
For Michael — The Music of Michael Jackson
Jeans ‘n Classics with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Centennial Concert Hall
Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets $23-$87 at Ticketmaster or WSO, 949-3999
GLEE’s Michael Jackson Episode Sells Nearly 500,000 Songs This Week
The music from Glee’s Michael Jackson tribute episode dominated the digital sales chart with all 10 tracks in the top 100 this week. The GLEE Cast’s versions of the King of Pop’s greatest hits, including “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Black or White,” and “Bad”, set a new milestone for the third season with nearly half a million songs downloaded this week alone.
The cast’s version of “Smooth Criminal” featuring 2CELLOS is the third highest debut song of this season with 108,000 downloads, following the mash-up of Adele’s “Rumour Has It/Someone Like You” (160,000 downloads first week) and their version of Fun.’s “We Are Young” (137,000 downloads first week).
The ‘Michael’ episode became the most-watched episode of Glee’s third season with 9.1 million total viewers tuning in and was the #1 program on Tuesday night among Adults 18-49.
On a high note, 28 tracks from season three have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing the GLEE Cast total entries to 183 and topping records previously held by The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Glee has sold more than 40 million songs and over 12.3 million albums worldwide.
Glee scored three consecutive #1 releases with Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers, Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna and Glee: The Music, Journey To Regionals. The RIAA has certified Glee: The Music, Volume 1 and Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Platinum (sales in excess of 1 million units) as well as Glee: The Music, Volume 2, Glee: The Music, Volume 3 and Glee: The Music, Volume 4 Gold (sales in excess of 500,000 units). Glee: The Music, Volume 4 received a Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Boy Suspended For Michael Jackson Dance
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Boy Suspended Michael Jackson Dance – A nine year old boy from Minnesota has learned the hard way not to imitate Michael Jackson while in school.
On Thursday night Lenny Boberg took part in a fundraiser held at his school where he decided to entertain the crowd by singing and dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.
The young boy must be a real fan of the late king of pop because he had the moves down to a cue – well maybe he was too good of an imitator.
While the authorities at St. Stanislaus in Winona, were thrilled by the moon walk, the shinny gloves, they were so unhappy by the crotch grabbing session that they have suspended the kid for one day.
The boy’s mother Mindy Boberg is beyond upset by the Catholic school’s reaction to Lenny’s groin touching that she took to Facebook to share her anger.
Mrs. Boberg stated that the child had already performed the routine in the school two years ago and all went well, she even confirmed that her child rehearsed the piece and he got the authorization to go on stage by the principal Pat Bowlin, which is why she was shocked by the actions taken by the leaders.
The mom went on to explain that Pat Bowlin more or less attacked her kid right after the performance and screamed at him for his supposed misconduct.
The poor kid might dump his passion for MJ for he said to be heartbroken by his punishment.
Update:
Pat Bowlin has apologized to Lenny for being so rough on him and is now allowing him to perform the song with his hands on his sides instead of inappropriately touching his groin.
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Michael Jackson gets Cirque de Soleil diagnosis in ‘The Immortal World Tour’
Michael Jackson long has been intertwined with The Beatles and Elvis Presley. In addition to his standing as a fellow all-time, chart-topping music legend, the late King of Pop also owned a substantial share of the publishing rights to The Beatles’ back catalog, and he married Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie.
Now, Jackson is being mentioned with the Fab Four and The King for yet another reason: His life and music are being celebrated as theirs were with a Cirque du Soleil show.
“Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” made its U.S. debut in October at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, only a handful of miles away from the old Motown Records headquarters where Jackson got his start as a member of The Jackson 5.
And like “The Beatles Love” and “Viva Elvis” shows, the two-hour Jackson-themed performance is designed to give audience members the flair and showmanship of Cirque coupled with the flair and showmanship of a Michael Jackson concert.
The show, which stops at the New Orleans Arena on Feb. 15 and 16, has U.S. performances scheduled through August. Following the North American leg, the tour will move to Europe.
“Michael was a performer that was not just music. He was dance. He was cinema. He had a humanitarian side,” said Kevin Antunes, the “Immortal” show’s musical designer. “So, you can take all of that and put it all into the show. That’s where I think the difference is.”
The eye-popping, high-wire acrobatics and elaborate costuming that are a hallmark of any Cirque show are present, but there are a multitude of Jackson-specific touches as well.
Oversized versions of his signature accessories — a glove and penny loafers — come to life during a rocking version of “Beat It,” and airborne performers wearing LED suits light up the darkened arena to the strains of “Human Nature.”
Jackson’s best-known and best-loved dance moves are all there, too.
The Cirque performers do the patented “Smooth Criminal” lean-forward during a noir-ish, gangster-themed segment, and the first half of the show concludes with a rousing performance of “Thriller,” which features the famous zombie boogie from the video in a Cirqued-up graveyard.
And of course, the moonwalk is represented, not only on stage, but on the massive video screens behind it, where footage of the man himself is displayed throughout the show.
In Detroit, Jackson’s likeness drew a hearty ovation the first time it appeared. One woman loudly squealed: “We love you, Michael!”
The show’s writer/director, Jamie King, knows a thing or two about Jackson, having started his music career as a backup dancer on the 1990s “Dangerous” tour. King said he “really wanted to create something that Michael would be proud of.”
“It’s not a biography-type show. It’s really an artistic interpretation of Michael’s life — Michael the man, Michael the artist,” King said. “With Cirque on board, we already know it’s going to be magical. With Michael’s songs and what Michael stood for, it’s already going to be huge.”
That’s where Antunes comes in.
Antunes, a longtime musical director and digital audio programmer who has worked in various capacities for artists ranging from Madonna and Justin Timberlake to Aerosmith and Jackson’s sister, Janet, was given unique access to the pop legend’s original multi-track master recordings and charged by King to create the musical backdrop for the show.
He spent a year re-designing and re-imagining dozens of Jackson’s greatest original recordings. The result is Jackson’s remixed vocals set to the music of a live band.
In November, Epic Records released “Immortal,” both a double CD version and as a single disc. The double-disc offering features 37 tracks in all, condensing more than 40 of Jackson’s greatest original recordings into a compilation.
The album’s music consists of remixed/remastered studio recordings, not live, and contains newly discovered outtakes such as alternate take on the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and vocals from a choir that Jackson recorded for “They Don’t Really Care About Us.”
And just as The Beatles and Elvis shows found a home in Vegas, so did “Immortal,” which stopped for several weeks in December at the Mandalay Bay Arena as part of the tour schedule — accompanied by a special “Fan Fest” experience. Eventually, a new and different Michael Jackson-themed show will be created by Cirque du Soleil and take up permanent residence at the Mandalay Bay Theatre. That show is being created now and is to open in 2013.
Antunes said Jackson fans won’t be disappointed.
“There’s majestic, joyous moments, and then there’s moments that make you remember when Michael was a kid, and he was singing with his brothers and it brings tears to your eyes.”
Dancer trades life in a segment for Cirque du Soleil’s Immortal World Tour
Michael Cameron didn’t grow up listening to Michael Jackson.
“He was way before my generation,” says the 20-year-old Heidelberg native.
But Cameron is quickly becoming a huge fan.
The former Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School student is approaching his 100th show as one of the dancers in Cirque du Soleil’s latest epic — Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour.
The theatrical production mixes the King of Pop’s hits with the Cirque’s acrobatic style to deliver a visually stunning concert-like experience.
Cameron is one of more than 60 performers in the show, which kicked off this past October, but is about to embark on a two-year world tour before settling down permanently at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas.
“I’m learning so much about Michael Jackson,” he says. “As a dancer on this tour you have to embody how he worked.”
That means clean and crisp moves that emulate Jackson’s videos and concert performances. And, in keeping with the troupe’s reputation, acrobatics and tumbling.
That’s nothing new for Cameron. The lifelong performer started dancing when he was three years old. He followed older sisters Lisa and Jill onto the dance floor but soon branched out to acting — he has a list of credits that include Pushing Tin, a movie starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton.
In fact, he was in Vancouver working on Hellcats, a TV series based on cheerleading, when he was invited to try out for Michael Jackson show. More than 500 dancers in Los Angeles, New York and Paris vied for parts in the spectacle.
Cameron had one hour to learn show routines before reproducing them for a panel of judges with his own unique hip-hop flare. About a month later, he was hired.
“It was crazy,” he says. “It was a lot of excitement to know I was going to tour for three years.”
Since then, he has been on the road moonwalking to Jackson’s hits about four to five times per week across Canada and the United States.
“It’s definitely a different lifestyle,” he says. “You have to get used to living out of a suitcase.”
The show is incredibly authentic. Dancers were trained by Travis Payne, a choreographer who worked with MJ before he passed away about three years ago.
“It’s practise, practise, practise,” says Cameron. “You have to do it so many times to really get the feel for it. His movement and style was very different. It’s just very clean and precise.”
Cameron appears in 14 of the 26 numbers in the show and counts dances to Dangerous and Smooth Criminal among his favourites.
Staying in shape is key. Cameron credits competitive hockey for helping his cause. In high school, he quit dancing for several years to climb the ranks at the rink and even played a couple of games with the Elmira Sugar Kings on the Jr. B circuit, before returning to the stage.
“It helped me with my jumps and dance conditioning,” he says. “It definitely made me more buff.”
Cameron, whose parents John and Cathy still live in Heidelberg, sees himself rounding into a leading man one day, one who can sing, act and dance.
“Like a Fred Astaire,” he says. “I’ve always embodied those types of people because they can do everything.”
For now, the Michael Jackson show fits like a glove.
He gets to bring audiences to their feet and meet super fans, including one man from Brazil with eight MJ tattoos scattered all over his body.
He gets to work with top dancers plucked from around the world.
And he gets to emulate the moves of one of the most famous musicians ever.
“I’m doing what I love right now,” he says. “I’m going to take it as long as I can.”
jbrown@therecord.com
