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The Legend Lives On - Official Cirque du Soleil 'Immortal World Tour' Discussion

bluetopez said:
I'm goin 2morrow night to see the MJ Cirque show in Philly. I'm REALLY excited! :jump:
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Aww Thx Marebear and Ash...I love Kermit! :D

I hope I'll see the Given tree there? Read some shows it was missin, right? Either way I know I will enjoy it even though I don't have the best sit. I'm high up in the balcony boo!
 
Speaking of merch...the prices are just ridiculous at MSG. Which isn't anything new but I'm shocked every time. $30-$50 bucks for a t-shirt? No thanks. The program wasn't all that bad at $25 bucks but I still passed. My souvenirs are the memories I have in my mind of the entertainment. Oh, and why do people go to these family shows to get blasted on liquor? This drunk woman spilled her drink on the two chairs behind her (and next to me) which were fortunately empty. As the audience filed out at the end of the show this woman was out cold. I don't think liquor should be sold at these events. This always seems to happen at any live event I go to. Other than this, it was a pleasant evening.
 
PurpleParrot said:
The Giving Tree isn't part of the show anymore. Since you'll be up in the balcony, I can tell you it's not the best seat because you see all the empty spots on the scene, where they could have filled it with more dancers of anything else, but since it's your first show you didn't see how it was full before, so you might enjoy it just as much as anybody else. Hope you can have a better seat later when you go back, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it anyway, Just look at it as a poetic personal rendition of MJ's art from Cirque du Soleil, don't expect a rock or a MJ show, don't expect just acrobats, just enjoy what they give you :)

Have fun! :D
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Totally agree on that. Some parts like scream could have been better to fill up the whole stage. But it was still amazing! I ENJOYED IT ALOT! But, boy do I wish I had a better seat, Huh. I def need glasses. lol I wanted to see the customs up close. But, The screen was big enough to see which was cool. But, the screen or what look like a sheet that moves up that was in the middle was a lil to dark to see all of it especially being so damn high up. About the Given tree well...something was definetly there but, it had no branches lol So is that the change?

I didn't buy any shirts because the prices were too much but I reallly wanted too. So instead I got the Program book, black bag, keychain, stainless steel bottle, poster, Mug & The Popcorn bucket and drink. So I still spent alot anywayz lol

But most important Philly gave MJ lots of love. People yelling his name saying I love u, some crying like myself and my sis and a huge applause in the end! It was awesome!:wub:
 
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bluetopez said:
Totally agree on that. Some parts like scream could have been better to fill up the whole stage. But it was still amazing! I ENJOYED IT ALOT! But, boy do I wish I had a better seat, Huh. I def need glasses. lol I wanted to see the customs up close. But, The screen was big enough to see which was cool. But, the screen or what look like a sheet that moves up that was in the middle was a lil to dark to see all of it especially being so damn high up. About the Given tree well...something was definetly there but, it had no branches lol So is that the change?

I didn't buy any shirts because the prices were too much but I reallly wanted too. So instead I got the Program book, black bag, keychain, stainless steel bottle, poster, Mug & The Popcorn bucket and drink. So I still spent alot anywayz lol

But most important Philly gave MJ lots of love. People yelling his name saying I love u, some crying like myself and my sis and a huge applause in the end! It was awesome!:wub:
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I am glad you had fun. My seats were pretty high up too but I thought I had a good view. Anytime Michael came on the screen I would watch him instead of the dancers lol. I want to see it again. I think what you saw was the stump. I didn't see a tree but this bottom part and they did different things with it. It didn't bother me much. Overall it is a great tribute to Michael and the fact that so many people are filling up arenas all over shows how much Michael was loved by people. I don't care what anyone says or tries to tell me. Michael isn't here and he is selling out shows and making people happy.
 
bluetopez said:
Totally agree on that. Some parts like scream could have been better to fill up the whole stage. But it was still amazing! I ENJOYED IT ALOT! But, boy do I wish I had a better seat, Huh. I def need glasses. lol I wanted to see the customs up close. But, The screen was big enough to see which was cool. But, the screen or what look like a sheet that moves up that was in the middle was a lil to dark to see all of it especially being so damn high up. About the Given tree well...something was definetly there but, it had no branches lol So is that the change?

I didn't buy any shirts because the prices were too much but I reallly wanted too. So instead I got the Program book, black bag, keychain, stainless steel bottle, poster, Mug & The Popcorn bucket and drink. So I still spent alot anywayz lol

But most important Philly gave MJ lots of love. People yelling his name saying I love u, some crying like myself and my sis and a huge applause in the end! It was awesome!:wub:
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Glad to hear you enjoyed it, its always nice to hear the feedback from the fans who enjoyed themselves, its kinda like sharing the enjoyment too, but at the same time not.
 
bluetopez said:
Totally agree on that. Some parts like scream could have been better to fill up the whole stage. But it was still amazing! I ENJOYED IT ALOT! But, boy do I wish I had a better seat, Huh. I def need glasses. lol I wanted to see the customs up close. But, The screen was big enough to see which was cool. But, the screen or what look like a sheet that moves up that was in the middle was a lil to dark to see all of it especially being so damn high up. About the Given tree well...something was definetly there but, it had no branches lol So is that the change?

I didn't buy any shirts because the prices were too much but I reallly wanted too. So instead I got the Program book, black bag, keychain, stainless steel bottle, poster, Mug & The Popcorn bucket and drink. So I still spent alot anywayz lol

But most important Philly gave MJ lots of love. People yelling his name saying I love u, some crying like myself and my sis and a huge applause in the end! It was awesome!:wub:
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The popcorn bucket????? >>>>>>>>
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:p
 
I hope for my show they have Branches for the tree, first show in a different country so possibly.
 
Saxophonist who played for Prince and got noticed by Michael Jackson now honors the King of Pop in Cirque's 'Immortal World Tour' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Saxophonist who played for Prince and got noticed by Michael Jackson now honors the King of Pop in Cirque's 'Immortal World Tour'

April 12, 2012 12:01 am

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By Sharon Eberson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Saxophonist Mike Phillips was big-game-tested when he was recruited for Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour." After gigs playing the national anthem on opening day for the Kansas City Royals and halftime shows at the Super Bowl with Prince and Stevie Wonder, there's little that can phase you, even playing from a high vantage point that oversees the action of a Cirque show.

"With pyro, lights, the energy from everywhere and a lot of things on the outskirts that assist the music and the presentation, let's put it this way, and I know it sounds crazy, but playing four Super Bowl halftime shows with all of that gets you ready for Cirque," Mr. Phillips said.

Not so crazy. Cirque's "Immortal Tour" is more like a halftime marathon that is now in its sixth month. It includes 32 songs played live to recordings of Michael Jackson's voice, his finger snaps and foot taps, while the band rocks out from its position above the acrobats, dancers and pageantry. The show's sensory assault comes courtesy of writer and director Jamie King, a designer of tours for entertainers such as Rihanna and Madonna, including the latter's 2012 Super Bowl halftime show.

"Immortal" features more than 60 performers from around the world and enough props and equipment to roll into the Petersen Events Center aboard 35 trucks.

It all starts with the music of the late Michael Jackson, with arrangements by his longtime collaborator and "Immortal" music director Greg Phillinganes.

"They extracted Michael's masters and custom made and tailored the songs to specific acts ... Cirque is perfect for that," Mr. Phillips said by phone before heading to Pittsburgh. "They have a way of putting together a presentation that will bring you through different moods. Once that happened and I was in rehearsal, I was absolutely amazed. To look at the greatest artist of all time, the King of Pop, and the greatest company that could put on a spectacle like this, I think it's the perfect merger."

The show includes a mere few who interacted with Jackson before his death at age 50 in 2009, including several members of the band: bass player Don Boyette, singer Fred White and drummer Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett. Mr. Phillips met the King of Pop on a couple of occasions and performed a jazz saxophone solo on the single "Behind the Mask," a song on the posthumous album "Michael," released in December 2010.

"I met him once in Vegas when he came to the Prince show," said Mr. Phillips, who played the Purple One's Musicology tour in 2004. "You know, they always say that Michael and Prince were in competition, and I believe that, but it was a competition with a lot of respect of each other's musical abilities. It was almost like, when you play HORSE in basketball, you see a shot and say, oh, I can make that, or I can do better than that. Even watching Mike and Prince interact that time in Vegas, the way they were looking at each other, they had so much respect.

"And I met Michael and he shook my hand and looked me straight in the eye and said, 'I truly enjoyed you on saxophone. You're bad.' Those were his words verbatim. And I think that's what led to him requesting me for 'Behind the Mask.' "

When Cirque came calling, though, Mr. Phillips wasn't so sure. He had just finished recording "Behind the Mask" when he first heard the pitch from John McClain, co-executor of the Jackson estate.

"I'm out shooting hoops in the back of the studio on Sunset in LA, and he says, 'We're putting together a show for Michael, like a circus show.' And I was like, I don't want to play for that. I didn't know it was Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil is the creme de la creme of entertainment. So just playing for the circus, I was like, I don't know if I want to do that, brother. Once I found out it was Cirque du Soleil, I called him back and absolutely said yes, but still, I was concerned about how would it work."

Now, from the perspective of six months on the road with the tour, he couldn't be more enthusiastic.

Mr. Phillips often plays gigs at small venues to showcase his solo work, and members of his tour family come along to cheer him on, sometimes joining him to dance on stage.

And from the band space that Mr. Phillips says is the best seat in the house to watch the Cirque show, he can enjoy the work of the performers below -- although it can be distracting.

"From where I stand, I see absolutely everything, which sometimes is not a good thing because there's so much going on that you can get caught up in it and miss a part. I'm not gonna lie, that's happened a couple of times. I'm like, wow, look at that move, and a part just passes."

He said one of the showstoppers who has been known to cause him and the audience to perhaps skip a breath in amazement is the pole dancer. MTV.com wrote of the performance of Felix Cane, two-time world pole-dancing champion, that she "maneuvered in the sky dancing on a pole -- with no harness -- appropriately performing to 'Dangerous,' as the audience was captivated by her every move."

"She's responsible for most of my missed notes," Mr. Phillips said, laughing. "And 'Smooth Criminal.' When they do the lean like the Michael Jackson video, I'm just amazed because they go all the way down to the floor and come back up. It's just like, man ... the only way I can describe it is it's sonic and visual sensory overload."

Mr. Phillips says often that the show is driven by Jackson's voice, and the band has several important roles, notably cues that trigger the action for acrobats and dancers.

Consistency is important, but it doesn't always go by rote. Each stop on the tour provides its own unique spark. The Philadelphia native likes to observe what makes an audience tick.

"Every town has a different energy, and our job is to understand it and tap into it," he said. "Like Detroit, for instance, that's the type of town where they work hard, like Pittsburgh, so if we buy a ticket, we want every bit of our money's worth. In LA, everybody is looking around to see who else is there, looking fabulous. If you're in New York and you're not bringing it hard, they are looking at you like, whatever. And we're in New York now, and they are on their feet. So each venue, each town has a different spirit to them you have to really understand."

While on tour, Mr. Phillips also plies his trade and takes the pulse of cities in smaller venues like the Taboo 2 Bistro & Bar in Atlanta April 25 and the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Baltimore May 4. He's played stadiums and arenas, including the Mellon Arena with Prince back in 2004.

As the Cirque tour stretches through the United States and Canada before heading to Europe in October, Mr. Phillips said the big show and his smaller shows provide a perfect career balance, even for someone who has played President Clinton's Inaugural Gala at The Kennedy Center, the 80th birthday celebration for President Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the Billboard Music Awards, TV appearances and oh, yeah, those halftime gigs.

For now, he's happy to be a part of this particular circus as long as it lasts, because it honors the man he calls "the greatest entertainer of all time."

"One of my favorite quotes goes something like, 'You might forget what someone said to you, sometimes you might forget what they do, but you'll never forget how they made you feel.' At the end of the night, that's what this is all about. Making people feel Michael's spirit through the presentation that only Cirque can put together."
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Thnaks Cassie that was great :)
I enjoyed learning all about his Saxaphone player History with Prince and MJ and his take on the show
I love the Sax solo on Behind the mask and didnt know Michael had already chosen him to play that part.
 
Thanks Cassie that was great :)
I enjoyed learning all about his Saxophone player History with Prince and MJ and his take on the show
I love the Sax solo on Behind the mask and didn't know Michael had already chosen him to play that part.
 
"One of my favorite quotes goes something like, 'You might forget what someone said to you, sometimes you might forget what they do, but you'll never forget how they made you feel.' At the end of the night, that's what this is all about. Making people feel Michael's spirit through the presentation that only Cirque can put together."
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Like this!

Oh, it was also nice to hear more about the interation between both MJ and Prince had in Las Vegas :)
 
I'm really wondering now if they'll announce a second leg of the show in Europe?

Seems like they take their time. Maybe they'll do that leg somewhere in 2013.
Guess that'd make sense as the whole of 2012 is fully scheduled now. :(
 
Michael Jackson Immortal is apparently going to Mexico, according to Santander. There's no date listed, but pre sale starts on May 5th for Santander bank card holders.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SantanderMex

Revive toda la energía del Rey del pop en “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour”, del Cirque du Soleil, que por primera vez sale de Canadá y E.U. Aparta tus boletos para este espectáculo en la Súper venta para tarjetahabientes Santander este 5, 6 y 7 de Mayo, y aprovecha 10% de descuento + 3 meses sin intereses


Google Translation:

"Relive all the energy of the King of Pop "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour"by Cirque du Soleil for the first time you leave Canada and EU Away your tickets to this show at the Super sale to Santander cardholders this 5, 6 and 7 May, and takes10% off + 3 months interest."
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Memefan;3623699 said:
Michael Jackson Immortal is apparently going to Mexico, according to Santander. There's no date listed, but pre sale starts on May 5th for Santander bank card holders.
evive toda la energía del Rey del pop en “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour”, del Cirque du Soleil, que por primera vez sale de Canadá y E.U. Aparta tus boletos para este espectáculo en la Súper venta para tarjetahabientes Santander este 5, 6 y 7 de Mayo, y aprovecha 10% de descuento + 3 meses sin intereses


Google Translation:

"Relive all the energy of the King of Pop "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour"by Cirque du Soleil for the first time you leave Canada and EU Away your tickets to this show at the Super sale to Santander cardholders this 5, 6 and 7 May, and takes10% off + 3 months interest
Source: https://www.facebook.com/SantanderMex
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This is WONDERFUL NEWS for Michael's Mexican fans!!!!!!:woohoo:
 
Cassie thanks for that interview. I felt his feelings of doubtfulness about a circus was really appropriate. Of course he found out it was Cirque and changed his mind.

It is great that they are going to Mexico, because Michael loved Mexico and has been performing there since the J5 days. He will definitely have a lot of old school fans there.
 
They just added another show (the 3rd) for ATL:


ENTERTAINMENT
Cirque adds third date for ‘Immortal’
“Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” can be taken literally now that a third Atlanta date has been added for “Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour.” A 4 p.m. July 1 show joins the previously announced June 29 and 30 performances at Philips Arena. Advance tickets are on sale now for Cirque Club members and become available to the general public Friday. Tickets are $50-$250. Info: 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. MELISSA RUGGIERI
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Source

On another note: Cirque's CEO Daniel Lamarre seems very please with Immortal so far:

Good news has arrived on two other fronts, he added. The first is the success of Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour show. Since opening in Montreal last October, it has toured the continent. This month, it played to sold-out houses at Madison Square Gardens in New York and garnered a positive review in the New York Times.
"It's the No. 1 show on Pollstar for the last four months," Lamarre said. "So that is giving us some fresh air."
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Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/ente...tbacks+Japan/6464370/story.html#ixzz1sFiBszUE
 

Holographic MJ At Cirque Show In Vegas?
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(17-4-2012) News of the Tupac Shakur hologram that performed at Coachella on Sunday night has the Internet buzzing about the amazing technology and the possibility of taking the hologram on tour. Now there is speculation that the Cirque du Soliel's Michael Jackson show in Las Vegas may utilize the technology when the permanent show opens at the Mandalay Bay next year.
Speaking of the technology, veteran manager Danny Goldberg, who was on hand at Coachella and witnessed it in person, told MTV News he believes the technology should be used sparingly.
"I thought it was great in that particular moment," Goldberg said. "They were evoking a certain nostalgia for [the era of] gangsta rap and I thought it worked in that context and was exciting and special. I think it's not something that would be particularly easy for another artist to emulate."
Goldberg said certain things work best the first time around and if someone else was to try a holo-show they might have to find a way to make it new again; otherwise it could come off as cheesy and derivative. Part of that potential pitfall is the legacy of the artist. For example, if Paul McCartney announced a tour with a virtual John Lennon, Beatles fans would likely see it as being in poor taste and would not attend. "It's another tool in the toolbox of technology, but some tools should only be used sparingly," he said, adding that he thought the execution at Coachella was stellar.
Making the trick work on a larger scale, or even for a full concert tour is unlikely given the unique aspects of the Coachella gig.
"Part of what made that effective was that it was a surprise, coupled with authentic living, breathing superstars in Dre and Snoop and not over-relying on it," Goldberg said.
The possibilities of the technology do seem endless. While a spokesperson for the Estate of Michael Jackson would not confirm that the MJ show would use similar technology, when MTV News spoke to Cirque President and CEO Daniel Lamarre in 2010, he said, "The new technology that we want to bring to [the permanent] Vegas [show] will be more theatrical." He went on to say that fans "will see Vegas become the home of Michael Jackson and people will come from all over the world to experience the uniqueness of the technology that we want to bring there."
At the time, Lamarre hinted at the use of "3-D technologies and hologram technologies to allow people to see Michael Jackson onstage."

Source: MJFC / MTV.com / nj.com

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