That Was It

Michael Jackson's final stage performance in the documentary This is It captures the last months and musical moments in the King of Pop's life. The film, which pays tribute to the late singer and songwriter as one of the major entertainers of his generation, is a captivating behind-the-scenes peek at Jackson as he prepares for the first of 50 upcoming concerts in London, England.

Performing the hit songs and stylish dance moves that made him a worldwide sensation in the 1980s, the gloved one sings and dances in half-speed rehearsal mode, fine tuning the music and choreography of an extravagantly produced and highly anticipated return to the stage that would never happen. Jackson, 50 years old and getting ready for the comeback concert of his life, never crossed the Pond again.

Jackson' performance in This is It is is a stunning and mesmerizing portrait of an aging rock star who still had the goods, who still had it. In the movie, the pop legend reminds me of a few other older rockers who continued to strut in their fifties, men like Stephen Tyler and Mick Jagger, who never let their wrinkles or arthritis get in the way of a good show. Jackson's body looks lean and strong. At times he appears to be saving his energy, going through the motions and routines of the lavish stage production, but he makes it abundantly clear that he's only "warming" his prodigious pipes and mind-boggling moonwalks for the big show.

His regal, distinguished face still looks oddly disfigured, like the chiseled and whittled features of a wooden scarecrow. His shoulder-length hair, dyed jet black and pulled into a classic MJ ponytail, is coiffed and ready to make fans swoon again. All the plastic surgery and bad press in the world had not put out the fire of Jackson's raw musical talents as a singer and dancer. During his years of seclusion, through the court battles and charges of child molestation, the pop superstar may have lost some steam but he never lost his immense creative gifts as a performer, the pure genius behind his exceptional abilities as a singer, dancer, and choreographer.

In the months and weeks before his untimely death, Michael Jackson was still pretty much the same living legend of the 80s. Older, wiser, and perhaps a bit worn out and down by his highly publicized and scrutinized life as a media sensation, the pop mogul was still himself. Throughout the film he speaks softly and politely, even when chastising his production crew for playing the first song for his Jackson 5 medley too loudly, when he assures them that he makes such demands "with love".

The director, Kenny Ortega, craftily placates the sensitive superstar with various degrees of professional courtesy and reverence, sometimes to the point of groveling. As the star of his own revival, The King of Pop soared above the pecking order and everyone knew it. Collaborating with Ortega and his team in backstage meetings, Jackson is clearly in charge of fine tuning the songs, dance numbers, and music videos to his level of perfection.

Jackson, who hired the film crew that shot more than 80 hours of the production rehearsals for his personal library, shines luminously on stage - his one true element - making the magic he created as a performer appear almost effortless. In This is It, Jackson still has it, proving that despite his age and personal struggles he blazed with the visionary style and brilliance of a superstar until the very end.

Unknown to anyone, This is It would be Jackson's final curtain call, the last film footage in the archives of his remarkable career, In the final shot of the film, Jackson spreads his arms out wide, legs crossed, waist bent backwards and face turned upwards in his trademark MJ repose of yet another concert-ending bow. Ironically, he's basking in the love, adulation, and applause of an audience that was not yet there. The Staples Center was empty save for his ensemble of dancers, singers, and musicians scheduled to open with him on a London stage.

It was Michael Jackson's final bow, and it sent shivers down my spine.