THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL

“When I think of courage, I think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. He was always running away from danger. He often cried and shook with fear. But he was always sharing his real feelings with those he loved, even though he didn’t always like these feelings. That takes real courage, the courage to be intimate”
-Michael Jackson

_________

I can't believe everything that happened in one day... happened in one day! It was 17 hours of pure adrenaline and excitement in Edmonton.

My company had the absolute pleasure of producing the show at the Chamber Ball on Friday night, with a very special performance by The Jacksons. The brothers returned to the stage for the first time together in thirty years and blew us away with their classic hits and a tribute to Michael. When they performed "I want you back" I stood there in awe thinking I can't believe this is happening in my lifetime.

It was incredible to meet them and their entourage of thirty members with tons of stories to share. I was so intrigued to hear about their lifestyle and what they do when they're not on tour with the most world-renowned musical family in the world. The members of their crew have been in the industry for years with some of the biggest names. One member told me he got his start in the industry with Whitney Houston right when her career began, and he was Whitney Houston's childhood boyfriend when they went to church together as kids. Another was going from this gig to work with Justin Timberlake for the next few weeks. Another just worked with Justin Bieber for the last four years. Others mentioned Prince, Nsync, Britney Spears... Hearing their stories and where they came from was so fascinating.

The moment the Jacksons took the stage for their soundcheck that afternoon I was so inspired. Again, I can't believe this is happening in my lifetime. We witnessed candid moments of them working, collaborating, laughing, and always in a musical mindset. Singing in the car to and from the venue. Spontaneously they started a beat along with the sound of the signal light in the car clicking. Tito started clapping. Tapping his foot. Marlon snapping his fingers. One brother would start singing and the other jumped in, harmonizing.

They were mesmerized by the snow and our winter wonderland. It's like it's Christmas here all the time! They said, recalling memories from their childhood. Remember when we had to walk backwards on the way to school because it was so cold? Look at that man cleaning the snow off his car. Let's go help! Can you imagine? Can you imagine if we helped clean the snow off of all the cars! It's so beautiful!

It was a night to remember. We got a fantastic interview from them for Trixstar TV, Carmen received a couple of marriage proposals from crew (of course she did, she's exceptional and people fall in love with her instantly), we made some amazing friends, and the performance was unforgettable. At the end of the night as we were taking a group photo, I was shaking everyone's hand in the group and Jermaine pulled me right from shaking Tito's hand and placed me right next to him. We took a photo before I could continue along the line. He said I love your dress, girl you are WEARING that dress!

It was a beyond-incredible experience. I woke up the next morning after 5 hours of sleep for airport runs and texts from Carmen Remember that night we hung out with The Jacksons?! It's amazing to be a fan at one of our own shows in addition to being in work-mode.

Song Of The Day: I Want You Back - The Jacksons

Seriously, I want Friday night back, let's do it all over again!