Michael Jackson Immortal: What a Thriller!!

My love of Michael Jackson started young. Before I was even born, in fact. And that's not an exaggeration - my parents took me to an MJ concert when I was in the womb. Rumor has it they saw me moonwalking in my ultrasound. Okay, that last bit isn't true, but while a lot of babies had to listen to classical music in the belly, I was rocking out to Billy Jean and Dirty Diana.

MJ holds some of my best ever memories - like when I was four or so years old, was supposed to be in bed, but I instead was sat at the top of the stairs, past my bedtime, as my dad was watching Michael Jackson music videos. When he noticed I was there (because I was scooching down the stairs on my bum), I got to sit on the couch and watch them with him, past my bedtime, try my first sip of beer, and eat potato chips with my Dad. Wonderful.

My parents used to play his albums in the car, and we had the three disk 'HIStory' album, with all of my favourite songs on it. I couldn't even count how many times I've listened to it.

When I was a bit older, and he was in the press with people accusing him of things, I half-wrote letters to him telling him that not everyone was against him, and I still loved him. I didn't ever send them though, in case he didn't know that people were angry with him - I didn't want to be the one to tell him.

So when I heard  about the 'This Is It' Tour, I HAD to go. It was the culmination of all my great childhood memories with my favourite artist - it was going to be incredible. With the help of my wonderful Mum spending hours on the ticket website as I was at work when they went onsale, Sarah and I managed to get two tickets - and it was all I thought about for months.

When Michael died, I was in the hospital, quaranteened for possible swine flu. When they finally let me out hours later, Sarah told me - and it was so much worse than my impending descent into... pig-dom. *spoiler, I lived*

I cried for days. I watched the MJ music videos countdown for an entire weekend and just sobbed. Our tickets were only a month into his tour dates. One month. We were sure he'd make it to then, even if he was too exhausted to complete the entire tour.

SIDE NOTE: This is a hell of a lot of back story to my post about the birthday present Sarah got me, but I thought it important to let you all know how incredibly much this present meant to me.

Love xo

So, when Sarah got me tickets to see Michael Jackson Immortal, Cirque du Soleil's MJ tribute, at the O2, I could have cried. Actually, I did cry. She is the most amazing gift giver I could ever have asked for.

I tried hard to get tickets to this show, but they were all sold out. So how she managed to get such AMAZING tickets, I will never know!!

I got to leave work early to head to the O2 - we met on the tube, and rode out. There was such a buzz in the air at the O2 - it was full of fans like us who had tickets to Michael's show - and were there to pay tribute.

At dinner (TGI's, woot!) we got to have our picture taken with a very authentic look-a-like, who really got us excited about the show.

When it started, it was a very cleverly done mix of circus, acrobatics, and dance - based around Michael's Neverland Ranch. The first song was 'Have You Seen My Childhood?', complete with a ferris wheel, whimsical creatures and MJ's monkey - and that was it, I was in floods of tears already!

Of course, as it is Cirque du Soleil, it was always going to be a little... 'alternative' -  but once they got to the big numbers, a few minutes in, it was just incredible.

Song after song, hit after hit - I'm proud to say I knew every single song they did! With tons of acrobatics, palm sweating moments, and a man who can do WAY more with just one leg than most of the other dancers could with two, it was such an amazing show.

It was packed full of all our favourite songs, and tributes to some of Michael's best music videos. Some of our favourites were 'Thriller' - by the way, thanks to a friend in high school, I am proud to say I know all the dance moves to this song!! - with ghosts, ghouls, mummies, and giant bats - 'Heal The World' with lots of light up hearts and acrobatic dancers with fairy light costumes, and 'They Don't Really Care About Us' where they brought the armoured soldiers to life.

And of course, us being us, could relate the whole thing to equality. MJ's songs were about love, peace, treating everyone and everything fairly, equally, regardless of race, wealth, or sexual preference.

Michael Jackson Immortal was an incredible tribute to the King of Pop - and one of my personal heroes. MJ lived his life under extreme scrutiny and judgement - and still managed to have such a positive and idealistic view of the world and the people in it. He also made some kick ass music.

Definitely go see the show if you get the chance - you won't regret it! Thanks Sarah for helping me realise one of my dreams - this is the closest I will ever get to seeing the great Michael Jackson in concert.