THEATRE REVIEW - Thriller Live

The packed out audience at the Opera House was surely one gigantic fan base, and long before the curtain went up, there was a fizz of excitement and anticipation in the air.

Michael might have gone to that big stage in the sky, along with his glittering glove, but he lives on in the vibrant memories of folks who will never let his memory slip away.

Thriller Live is an all-encompassing experience, and it doesn’t for one moment try to tell the ups and downs of his amazing life story, simply a set out how through his songs, he aimed to make the world a better place.

Like Elvis, Michael Jackson’s music will delight and make folks think for centuries to come. That said, the present concert is, in its way, a tribute show, and a vastly impressive one at that.

With a band of highly talented vocalists whose dancing skills were equally amazing, Thriller Live throbbed with typical Jackson style and amazing energy. Super digital lighting was beyond belief in its ability to set a dozens of scenes in an instant.

Michael came to life in silhouette – a moment which had the audience in ecstasy.

It was impossible to give every one of the star’s great hits. But all the mega important ones burst from the stage ... Thriller, Heal the World, Billie Jean, Off the Wall, ABC and so many more.

Praise too for the way in which Michael’s early life with his brothers, before fame, fortune and adulation put him on several bad tracks.

Thriller Live was memorable for all the right reasons.

Showing at The Manchester Opera House until Saturday, February 1.