Rhonda Westfield remembers seeing Michael Jackson on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Memories of the singer’s days with the Jackson Five and as a solo artist brought Ms. Westfield, 56, to the Bijou 7 downtown theater for a Wednesday matinee showing of “Michael Jackson’s This Is It.”
The Cleveland, Tenn., resident and her son, Mike Kalombo, 24, were among only a handful of fans at the showing, but both she and her son gave the film rave reviews.
“It was great,” said Mr. Kalombo. “It pretty much showed every aspect of Michael. The music was great, of course. I feel like I went to the concert.”
Ms. Westfield said she enjoyed seeing the creative process that went into the “This Is It” concerts, which were slated to begin in London in July, three weeks after Jackson’s death on June 25.
“This Is It” plays in theaters only for a two-week engagement, and turnout was low for the midnight showing Wednesday at the downtown Bijou 7 theater.
Only 15 fans showed up to catch the first glimpse of behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson’s planned concert series.
At 20, Matthew Pillsbury is too young to remember Mr. Jackson’s heyday, but has enjoyed watching video performance of his work, both with the Jackson Five and as a solo artist.
But he attended the midnight screening of “This Is It” at the Bijou, calling the experience both enjoyable and sad.
The artist, he said, seemed “frail.”
“Seeing him on YouTube doing the moonwalk, the energy and the joy that he seemed to have, it seemed to be lost or just missing (in the film),” he said. “That was just hard to see.”
At the same time, Mr. Pillsbury said, “it was neat to see him as who we remembered, performing and doing something great.”
IF YOU GO
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” is showing at Northgate 14, Wynnsong 10, Bijou 7, Battlefield 10 and the Rave theaters in East Ridge.
Holly Leber is a reporter and columnist for the Life section. She has worked at the Times Free Press since March 2008. Holly covers “everything but the kitchen sink" when it comes to features: the arts, young adults, classical music, art, fitness, home, gardening and food. She writes the popular and sometimes-controversial column Love and Other Indoor Sports. Holly calls both New York City and Saratoga Springs, NY home. She earned a bachelor of arts ...
Casey Phillips has worked as a features reporter in the Life department for three years. He writes about entertainment, young adults, animals and people of interest. Casey hails from Knoxville and earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts in German. He previously worked as the features editor for Sidelines at Middle Tennessee State University. Casey received the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists Award of Excellence for Reviewing/Criticism in ...
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