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London, England (Destiny World Tour)

Black Echoes, covering February 24, 1979 performance (March 3, 1979)

...The stage turned an expectant shade of pitch. And the packed-to-capacity theatre was a buzz of excitement, as everyone began peer to peer, just so glimpse and see if They were gonna flit on stage. Suddenly, the musicians were where they should be and before anyone had time to blink, the lights went up, and there they were, The Jacksons. Everybody screamed... well, it sounded that way.

The five looked positively stunning in sheer-silver suits, sparkling and shimmering under the bright colored lights. And it was straight into "Dancing Machine"--a very pleasant surprise, delivered typically funky and freaky. The first thing to shock you is their body movements, their agile limbs whizzing out, spinning around, their arms moving in unpredictable directions--all in perfect symmetry. Michael, Jackie, and Marlon are the front liners, while Tito was on guitar all night (still dancing, still singing) and Randy alternated on congas and keyboards. I knew that they were great dancers, but their choreography blew my mind--and everybody elses. From that moment on their amazing movements received just as much rapture as their singing.

It's difficult to remember after that, just when they sung what. "The Things I Do for You" next-up I think, and I believe it was time for a medley of oldies. And the crowd went wild with enthusiasm--"I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save". Michael did a mind-blowing "Ben", which virtually brought the house down.

Then, there was "I'll Be There", which was greeted with such decibel-breaking applause, I thought that the roof would collapse. It was weird not to hear Jermaine though. Nevertheless, it was one of the highlights of the night.

There was one moment during the early part of the performance, when Michael, Marlon, and Jackie did some incredible robot-dancing... I couldn't believe my eyes. Michael was especially adept at just sliding, floating across the stage in abrupt robotic grooves. There were also a few unexpected, though utterly effective explosions towards the end of some numbers.

Throughout the show, high above the group (seemingly suspended in mid-air, but obviously not) loomed a mightily impressive color-light peacock which incessantly changed color and sometimes shape--the rainbow-fan wings kaleidoscopic and eye-catching.

Throughout the show, the mood was one of total enjoyment, absolute freedom to do as you wanted (the bouncers were very low-key)--and mostly, I was dancin' and singin' and just plain agog with amazement at the brothers' performance.

"Enjoy Yourself" was a message that seemed to instill itself into everybody's hearts, and "Destiny" sounded sweeter than I ever knew it could.

Throughout, Michael's voice was a constant source of amazement, forever licking notes and curling phrases like there was no tomorrow. Forever proving, to me, that he's the most entertaining, most colorful, most versatile, most enjoyable singer in the whole wide world.

"Show You the Way to Go" was the one I was really waiting for--and everyone else too, if the deafening scream that met it was anything to go by.

Everybody was up and groovin' to this one, and everybody sang along--the audience participation bit played upon by Michael, who let each section of the auditorium do its bit (with me in it!) had to win, and of course--did. And then, they all trooped off!" and the whole place erupted with crazed cheers, jeers, screams, and ear-busting pleads for "more, more more!" And I knew there was only one song left for them to do.

And before you could say, "Don't blame it on the sunshine", there they was doin' it. And they were in the aisles, on the chairs, they was everywhere--everybody singin' and dancin', it was more like a private-party than a concert. Nothing else mattered to anybody. Everybody was too busy blamin' it on the boogie. Luckily, it was a long finale--and everybody was sorry to see them go, but we all knew they'd be back sooner or later. So, the venue dispersed of happy, contended, upfull people, who all went home and played their entire Jacksons collection, just like any normal human being would and should. And they're still doin' it now.