I spent the whole day yesterday listening to, watching and re-watching the coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial, which took place at the Staples Center in LA. I, along with my dad, shed a few tears, felt my heart leap when music and video temporarily reverted me to the obsessed tween I used to be, and experienced overwhelming sadness at this life gone too soon.
Today, I still have Jennifer Hudson's beautiful rendition of "Will You Be There" playing in my head, as well as Stevie's "They Won't Go When I Go." I absolutely loved the moment in the program when the Rev. Al Sharpton told the Jackson children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," I thought that was fantastic and apropos.
All in all, the event was everything I needed it to be. At first, I couldn't believe that the casket would be there, but in the end it made sense; this was a somber homegoing celebration rather than a star-studded daytime concert, and having that rose-draped reminder of our loss brought the needed gravitas and reality check.
I tend to get a little riled up at the haters, who crawled out of the woodwork, but none of their foolish words could take anything away from the day or the man that we gathered to honor.
I think Michael would've approved of the tasteful but grandiose worldwide celebration of all that was him. I thank the Jackson family for giving the fans that beautiful, sad, heartbreaking and impeccably produced farewell. I, for one, needed it.
And, I am happy that little Paris Katherine Jackson was able to find her voice through her grief and speak on behalf of her daddy. After all, every so often we all need to be reminded that Michael Jackson was so much more of a trailblazer, entertainer, singer, dancer, humanitarian, celebrity, personality...he was a brother, a son, a parent, a person.
Farewell, MJJ.
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