Chennai pays tribute to Michael Jackson

No one knew, when the King of Pop signed on for a series of 50 trailblazing concerts "This is it!" starting with the 02 arena in London, that he'd pass away on June 25, leaving millions of fans distraught, and the world stunned into shocked horror.

With 13 Grammy Awards, 17 number one singles (including the four as a member of the Jackson 5), and estimated sales between 350 million and 750 million records internationally, Michael Jackson has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has multiple Guinness World Records  including the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time."

Forget his tumultuous private life, marriages, scandals, bizarre appearance and controversies surrounding his death -- he redefined western pop culture; an achievement equalled by no other.

So on August 29, Chennai decided to pay its own tribute to the Big Man of Pop Music through a magnificently drawn up concert, "Heal the World," under the aegis of the Rotary Club of Chennai Coastal in aid of a special cause as well: Autism Awareness and Treatment.

The venue chosen was the Wesley School Grounds, Royapettah, tried and tested for such events, held in the open air and capable of holding thousands of spectators.

Security was appropriately tightened, as ticket-goers submitted to routine checks before being allowed in.

With celebrities and the general public trickling in for more than an hour after the appointed time, 7 pm, it was a foregone conclusion that the concert wasn't going to be on time. There was, however, plenty to see and absorb: an American dance crew, complete with children who enjoyed themselves. The snack stalls did a roaring trade, while the large digital screens behind the stage kept flitting through a montage of Michael Jackson images.

Barring a few, though, Chennaiites largely seemed spurred on by curiosity about the singers and show, and not Michael Jackson.

Almost an hour later, the show did begin, with a short introduction by Pravin Mani, the man who co-ordinated the effort and brought singers, song and some good production values to the show.

John Britto's dance company took care of the choreography and back-up dancers, and you had to admit: their costumes were perfect, mirroring, in each case, the costumes worn by MJ himself, for the number. Make-up and hairstyle mirrored the King of Pop too.

The introduction was by a rather unenthusiastic compere who pointed out that the "seats weren't full".

The first number was, appropriately, a fast-paced, bouncing number from MJ's album Dangerous: Jam.

Dressed in striking fluorescent orange costumes and signature single glove, the singers set the ambience: charged, energetic and very much in sync.

The programme followed the first number's pace: there were no speeches, no teary, long-winded reminiscences. There were 39 songs to get through in 3 hours, and everyone was simply eager to have a quick run-through.

A major drawback was unlike the avid MJ fan, most of the audience had no clue about the song being performed, or the principal singers either, as there were no introductions. So when Naresh Iyer jumped on stage in a shining silver shirt to give a supremely competent performance, his voice perfectly morphed to MJ's raspy tones, it was for him that they cheered, rather than the number itself.

The Way You Make Feel, Leave Me Alone, were a few of the other, enthusiastic numbers performed with such zest that you could hardly help but want to jive to the beat.

The men sang their hearts out, ripping apart the mike in approved pop fashion while the women, dressed for the occasion in sequinned tops, tiny skirts and loads of eye make-up added the sultriness required for the evening.

"This is a different world. I just came to see what it was like," confided a Chennaiite who obviously had no idea about the numbers played and was simply along for the ride.

Which explained the largely muted response, despite every singer yelling to the crowd to "make some noise!"

Not many did, except for the VVIP section, consisting of Simbhu and Gautam Menon, among others.

RJ Suchitra's entrance was a welcome relief: as she pranced on the stage in company of back-up dancers, wearing a multicolour shirt, red blazer and jeans, belting out a 'Beat it!'.

The crowd, for the first time in at least an hour, finally roused itself. The song was sufficiently familiar and in company of a couple of enthusiastic American kids, everyone seemed to finally have some fun.

Maestro A R Rahman's (who couldn't attend the concert) message to the audience and singers was very, very brief -- he merely wished everyone luck.

The appearance of singer Karthick and Naresh Iyer, each out-performing the other to Remember the Time, was mesmerising, fresh, completely and utterly satisfying.

Equally fulfilling was a one-off number Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone, not an MJ number, but a soulful rendition that fit the ambience. Next up was a special tribute song, One King rapped in style to much appreciation.

Despite there being no mention of the fact that it was MJ's birthday, after all, some of the performers did manage to dedicate their songs to him, hoping "he'll hear all of us, up there."

One such was Sunitha Sarathy's very melodiously delivered Smile as she accompanied herself on the keyboard. Smooth, captivating and somehow, very fitting. So was the number Gone too Soon written by MJ himself on a very dear friend's death.

It might not have been a rousing performance but the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert had its moments.