Pages

Sunday, November 15, 2009

This Is It is Alright


VS.


I love music. My iTunes has a very eclectic variety of artists, genres, etc. I have a number of favorite artists, but I saw something that made an interesting connection.

I went to go see Michael Jackson's This Is It, at the Ada Theater on opening night. Personal life aside, the King of Pop was very talented, I enjoyed a number of his songs, and the movie was very interesting from a creative perspective. Viewers get a rare chance to see how a production, as elaborate as that concert was going to be, come together.I felt that with as many creative an innovative aspect that were going to be included in the concert series, that it will elevate musical stage productions in the future. From the 3-D video to scenes that were going to be acted out on stage (one word: bulldozer) there are many examples that will push the boundaries of concert viewing. The point that I want to make, is that until the very end, Mr. Jackson's creativity still has the ability to influence artists of all genres.

I'm a big fan of Hootie and the Blowfish, so therefore, as lead singer Darius Rucker made the jump to country, I have continued to listen to his music. I missed catching the CMA Awards that were held earlier this week in Nashville, so after pulling up a video of Mr. Rucker's performance, I notice a similarity in the backround in his rendition of Alright, to two backgrounds from This Is It.

Now, I am not trying to say that this was an obvious nod to Mr. Jackson, but it was a cool reference, and a first example of where Michael left off, and other artists will pick up and run.

Any thoughts from readers?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kyle,

Interesting point Kyle. The King of Pop and 'Hootie' are an odd pair. I have no doubt that Darius Rucker would give a nod to an artist he respected though. He included direct lyrics from Bob Dylan songs into his own work for goodness sake. If it was intentional, as I also believe, I think it was pretty classy to do it the way he did.