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Catherine Jones meets the fan who created a show around the Jackson phenomenon
HE may have died nearly two years ago, but Michael Jackson’s music appears to be as popular as ever.
So expect plenty of singing and dancing in the aisles when Thriller Live returns to Liverpool next month.
The celebratory stage show was last here in 2009 when it thrilled audiences at the ECHO arena for one night. This time it comes to the Empire for a whole week.
“It’s a feelgood show, it’s like a concert, so if the audience can get behind it then obviously the cast can respond to that and get energy from them,” says executive creator Adrian Grant.
“And it’s always a good crowd down at the Empire, very lively.”
The self-confessed Liverpool FC fan (he’s hoping the show’s visit will coincide with a home game at Anfield) came up with the concept for the touring show after organising a fan day tribute in London for more than a decade.
That in turn came out of a Michael Jackson fanzine he launched in the 1980s, and which soared from an initial 200 copies to having 25,000 subscribers in two years.
Not bad for someone who as a teenager was more of a Prince fan!
He admits: “I was aware of him in the Jacksons and so forth, in the late 70s, but I didn’t really become a fan of his music until the Thriller album when I saw him moonwalk for the first time.
“I thought ‘wow, that’s incredible!’ And then I really took an interest in his music.
“There were a lot of girls at school who were crazy about him and I thought ‘nah’, I was a bit of a Prince fan. But then I saw him perform and he was unbelievable on stage.”
One of the regular readers of the fanzine he started was Michael Jackson himself, and in 1990 he invited Adrian to Los Angeles to meet him as he recorded his Dangerous album.
Adrian recalls: “I didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as he walked into the studio, he was very welcoming, very down to earth, not at all like the press perceived him to be.
“He was just like a normal guy who was great at his job, singing and working hard in the studio and then at the end of the day he invited me to his ranch for lunch.
“That’s what I remember about him most, just being a very kind, generous person.”
Jackson took a keen interest in what Adrian was up to, and in 2001 he even attended the 10th anniversary fan day tribute show in London which featured more than 100 performers.
“He came and watched it from the corner of the stage, we had to build him a little tent,” Adrian recalls.
“He came on stage afterwards and spoke to the fans who went crazy and he said how much he loved the show.
“And it was then I realised that perhaps this could become a bigger type of production, and I saw We Will Rock You, the Queen show, which gave me the idea for Thriller Live.”
It’s a concept that has proved hugely successful, with the music and legend continuing to attract new legions of fans.
Adrian, meanwhile, says he’s simply happy to keep spreading the Jackson musical gospel – so far to one million people in 20 countries.
“That was always my goal,” he says. “To bring Michael’s music to the masses via a touring production.”
Thriller Live is at the Empire from April 11-16.
SOURCE
HE may have died nearly two years ago, but Michael Jackson’s music appears to be as popular as ever.
So expect plenty of singing and dancing in the aisles when Thriller Live returns to Liverpool next month.
The celebratory stage show was last here in 2009 when it thrilled audiences at the ECHO arena for one night. This time it comes to the Empire for a whole week.
“It’s a feelgood show, it’s like a concert, so if the audience can get behind it then obviously the cast can respond to that and get energy from them,” says executive creator Adrian Grant.
“And it’s always a good crowd down at the Empire, very lively.”
The self-confessed Liverpool FC fan (he’s hoping the show’s visit will coincide with a home game at Anfield) came up with the concept for the touring show after organising a fan day tribute in London for more than a decade.
That in turn came out of a Michael Jackson fanzine he launched in the 1980s, and which soared from an initial 200 copies to having 25,000 subscribers in two years.
Not bad for someone who as a teenager was more of a Prince fan!
He admits: “I was aware of him in the Jacksons and so forth, in the late 70s, but I didn’t really become a fan of his music until the Thriller album when I saw him moonwalk for the first time.
“I thought ‘wow, that’s incredible!’ And then I really took an interest in his music.
“There were a lot of girls at school who were crazy about him and I thought ‘nah’, I was a bit of a Prince fan. But then I saw him perform and he was unbelievable on stage.”
One of the regular readers of the fanzine he started was Michael Jackson himself, and in 1990 he invited Adrian to Los Angeles to meet him as he recorded his Dangerous album.
Adrian recalls: “I didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as he walked into the studio, he was very welcoming, very down to earth, not at all like the press perceived him to be.
“He was just like a normal guy who was great at his job, singing and working hard in the studio and then at the end of the day he invited me to his ranch for lunch.
“That’s what I remember about him most, just being a very kind, generous person.”
Jackson took a keen interest in what Adrian was up to, and in 2001 he even attended the 10th anniversary fan day tribute show in London which featured more than 100 performers.
“He came and watched it from the corner of the stage, we had to build him a little tent,” Adrian recalls.
“He came on stage afterwards and spoke to the fans who went crazy and he said how much he loved the show.
“And it was then I realised that perhaps this could become a bigger type of production, and I saw We Will Rock You, the Queen show, which gave me the idea for Thriller Live.”
It’s a concept that has proved hugely successful, with the music and legend continuing to attract new legions of fans.
Adrian, meanwhile, says he’s simply happy to keep spreading the Jackson musical gospel – so far to one million people in 20 countries.
“That was always my goal,” he says. “To bring Michael’s music to the masses via a touring production.”
Thriller Live is at the Empire from April 11-16.
SOURCE
