Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ Tour Costume Secrets Revealed
People magazine posted a story earlier this week where they spoke with the costume designers who created the outfits for Michael Jackson’s planned This Is It Tour which was scheduled to kick off at the O2 Arena in London, England for a 50-date stint starting on July 13. The designers offered personal insights and secrets about the tour as well as a first look at sketches of some of the costumes … really fascinating stuff, I think:
As Michael Jackson prepared for his final This Is It tour, friends on set say the pop star was never better. “He’s still a terrific dancer,” says costume designer Dennis Tompkins, who worked with Michael Bush to create an “over the top” wardrobe for the tour. On his final night of rehearsal, Jackson “was doing the moonwalk. Everything!” says Bush. “He did the whole show full out at performance level. He was like, ‘When are we going to London? Let’s go. I’m ready.’” He was also on a creative high. “Working with Michael for 25 years we had never seen his creativity at this level,” says Bush. “It was like where is this coming from? I get goose bumps thinking about what this visual was going to look like.” Though the show won’t go on, Bush and Tompkins gave PEOPLE an exclusive look at just that. Here’s an inside look at what you might have seen.
A THRILLING JACKET: Costumers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins re-created Jackson’s iconic looks for each of the 26 songs he was to perform, but the singer asked, “How can we take it to the next level?” Bush recalls. The solution? Fiber-optic lights sewn onto his red leather “Thriller” jacket, for a surprise light show timed to the music.
OLD FAVES: Jackson was going to back his signature crystal glove and socks, which caught the light — and assured that even fans in the back could see him dance. “He was so excited to perform,”says Bush.
A MILITARY SALUTE: For the star’s rendition of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” Bush and Tompkins created a “regimented, military” look.
BELTS AND WHISTLES: Tompkins had to make sure items like this jeweled belt would fit Jackson’s slight 27 3/4 inch waist, but says his weight was not an issue: “He was a bit smaller, but he was always thin.”
MAJOR DANCE MOVES: Jackson’s new Billie Jean suit held 7.5 lbs. of Swarovski crystals and 60 lights, so the star made sure he could do a spin before signing off. “The dance came first; costumes were secondary,” says Bush. “And his moves were sharper than ever.”
Man … it is so sad to hear just how much of the classic Michael Jackson was going to be on display if he had lived long enough to successfully pull off his This Is It Tour. David and I had been talking off and on about what sort of show we might’ve seen on September 10 (the date that we were planning on seeing the show) and now, to hear about what could’ve been … it just adds to the tragic feeling of loss. Additionally, new audition and rehearsal footage of MJ’s dancers has been made available. After the jump, check out a 9 minute video that shows some of the audition and rehearsal footage that also shows what could’ve been …
This video is just so … wow. The show was ready to go, y’all! In a week’s time Michael Jackson was going to be back on the performance stage! It’s still pretty unbelievable that he is gone. This footage is but the first of much, much more footage to come … I’m sure.
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July 4th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
i have tears in my yes omg this was going to bes so amazing it just sounds so spectacular.this probab;y would have been one of the best tours ever.thanks for posting
July 4th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
:( I guess dancing with (and for) Michael Jackson was a dancers dream. I cant imagine how they felt when they found out he passed away. So sad.
July 4th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
This truly was going to be a great tour. You can tell the dancers had an incredible passion for dancing and that they were all so excited to get the chance to dance for Michael. :(
July 4th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I am and have always been a huge fan of your site; however I do find your sudden love of Michael and sadness about his passing hard to swallow. From the moment the man announced his 50 shows up until his death, you repeatedly made nasty remarks about his inability to do the show. You said how much a train wreck the show would be. You criticized his lack of rehearsal; as well know that Michael made sure to contact you every time he went to rehearsal. lol
The funny thing is that his fans never doubted his ability to astonish the world with his talent. We never needed Michael to rehearse, because as true fans we realize that Michael was one of the great improvisational dancers. He did not need to rehearse as he let the music move him. We did not need anyone to prove anything to us about him.
It’s just a shame the people like you needed the man to die in order to realize what a great talent he was and always will be. So many people like you are praising a man that only weeks, ago you criticized and made his life a living hell. I can only hope that in life people see and understand how much of an asset you are to the world; as opposed to waiting until you have passed. Sadly this happened to Michael. R.I.P M.J.
July 4th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
@Confused — You don’t need to swallow anything. As I’ve always and will continue to maintain, MJ was a deeply troubled person. I absolutely doubted he would be able to complete his tour and, well, look what happened. But, I have also made very clear that he was once a very talented performer and absolutely acknowledge his amazing and legendary contributions to pop culture. His death didn’t suddenly make me a fan nor did it make me aware of his talent. In death, I am able to take stock in his entire life … focusing on the positive is easy but discounting the negative is impossible. It’s not for you to understand, it’s just the way I feel.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
word.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I don’t know anyone who didn’t doubt the ability of a 50 year old to perform 50 dates. That’s a lot for ANYONE his age, especially with his ailing health that had been reported long before news of ‘This is It’ ever came out. Even his friends and producers and personal trainer thought it was going to be nearly impossible to accomplish.
Anyways.. it makes me sad to think it’s never going to happen. It would have been a sight to see, that’s for sure. And now seeing how much it meant to all the dancer’s and knowing it isn’t going to happen for them just adds to the sadness.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
this was just heartbreaking to watch. As hard has it has been for all MJ fans, for these dancers, as a performer myself, I just can’t imagine what they feel. What a loss.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
@Trent I must say how well you handle that comment made to. You that was amazing!! RIP MJ
July 4th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
@Trent & Confused, I have to say that I think Confused may have a point. I have been a frequent visitor to this blog and I have noticed how much negativity had been focused towards MJ. Now it seems that since he has passed, you, Trent, seem to be all of a sudden writing positive things about his talent and the type of man he was. This to me just seems fake as does much of the media coverage as of late probably because no one wants to seem disrespectful to speak of MJ as they once did. It’s like some sort of morbid fad that now nobody in the media wants to appear wrong and speak of MJ as they normally would if he was alive. Everyone has their opinions, and I just think that if you never really thought much of Michael before then you shouldn’t be singing his praises now. Like Confused said, the people that really truly feel this loss (besides the money/attention hungry news outlets and bloggers) are the true fans that were loyal throughout MJ’s life. We aren’t blind, we just know fake sympathy when we see it.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Oh by the way, there’s nothing wrong with taking stock of MJ’s entire life, but I’m sure everyone can admit that there are some who say his life was more bad than good and vice-versa. Those that were more inclined to spread negativity and are now all of a sudden speaking of MJ positively are the ones that fans have problems with.
July 4th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
@Lady G — You don’t win a prize for being a “true fan”. There was nothing positive about MJ to talk about in his last days, weeks, months, years. Did he have a chance to make a stunning comeback? Yes, absolutely. Was I curious to see if he could pull it off? Yes, absolutely. Did I believe he would pull it off? No, I did not … but I did have some hope that he might. I can’t speak for the media’s coverage of MJ, I can only speak for myself. I have always been honest about the man … he was very troubled, did some questionable things and lived a very odd life. None of that has changed. But death is a very sad thing, about anybody. This is why I am trying to be as positive about someone in death who, in the last decade or so of his life didn’t offer much to be positive about. He was a genius … he was also a trainwreck. You are free to “have a problem” with whatever you like about my opinions … but I will continue to voice them. We don’t have to agree on everything but let’s agree on at least one thing. MJ will be sorely missed now that he has died.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:34 am
Absolutely agree with you Trent.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am
WORD? let it go. T calls it like he sees it always. and if you’ve been here so much, you’d know that. case in point: his beloved Brit-Brit!!! hey, if she’s a trainwreck – she’s a trainwreck, and T calls her out.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:09 am
@ Trent – no one said anything about winning a prize for being a true fan. Again, I just think its fake to be saying great things about him now that he’s dead when you weren’t before. Yes he had a controversial life as does many of the other celebrities that you have MORE positive things to say about (Madonna, Britney Spears, etc.) All I’m saying is that if anything most of your opinions about him were just cynical and negative as a whole and it just seems fake to be positive now. But again, as I said everyone is entitled to their opinions and you allow all to be expressed on your blog. Like you said, death is a terrible thing for anybody and one thing that we all should agree on is that yes, he will be missed now that he’s gone.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:19 am
@Lady G — I see your point and perspective. While I contend that it is not fake to be both critical and respectful at the same time, I understand that you may believe it is. Regarding Britney (and to a much lesser extent Madonna), in recent years (for as long as I’ve been blogging) they have both done questionable things for which I was very critical (how quickly your forget Brit’s crazy meltdown and my commentary on her behavior, tho I suspect you never even read it in the first place). But, all the while, I was cheering them on (Brit mostly) in the hopes that they would pull themselves out of the holes they dug themselves into. Unfotch for MJ, he has done nothing positive to speak of. It’s the truth … until his new tour was announced, there was nothing to cheer on. Altho critical, I was also very hopeful (yet doubtful) that he would make a comeback — which is why I bought expensive tickets in London to bear witness to his comeback. Had he impressed me in concert, I would’ve said so. Sadly, that opportunity never came to fruition. Again, I’m not trying to convince you or anyone of anything. My point remains the same … I think it is absolutely valid and un-fake to be both critical and respectful.
July 6th, 2009 at 2:28 am
omggg..
all i hear is “omg, you use to say so much negativity to MJ and now your saying what i legend he was? or ” why are those who you use to contradict MJ now act two face and say blah blah”
gosh people, im one who goes from gossip site to gossip site and all i hear is this !! god dammit people !
who gives a freaking crap if people had their doubts about MJ and then turn around and say he was a legend. who gives a crap if people use to say what a train wreck he was and now turn around and say how amazing he was.
Sure MJ had his problems. But you know what.. THAT’S THE PAST !!!! for those who say MJ was a legend, let’s all focus on mourning then turn on each other. We all agree on one thing, the lose of MJ affected us all and as Mj fans (no matter what people previously said), lets spread what he left us. Music is what he gave us and wasn’t it just amazing? SO, focus on the music and spread for future generations. Kings and legends live on…. MJ is no exception
spread his music like the disciples did about Jesus…. ok….. bad really example hahah
I LOVE YOU TRENT !!!!
July 6th, 2009 at 2:30 am
i mean …
really bad example ***