He took the stage in his signature black pants and cropped jacket with rows of brass buttons. The crowd flailed and screamed as if their idol himself were standing before them. Curly black tendrils of hair hung beneath the rim of a black fedora while sensual eyes gazed over the audience. One bare hand slowly pulled a shining white glove over the other, knee bent, hips rigid: the very image of Michael Jackson.
A little more than one year after the star’s death, Jackson fans flocked Saturday night to the Bluebird Nightclub to see Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band.
A full band of concise, funky musicians backed two singers as they alternated performances between costume changes.
“I don’t look at it as if I’m being idolized as much as (the crowd) loves Michael — and it only lets me further know how much Michael was an amazing person,” singer Taalib York said. “I am only a tool or a vessel.”
York, one of the two frontmen for the group, has been a dedicated Jackson fan since he was 7, mimicking his songs and choreography. For York, along with the rest of the band, performing in Jackson’s home state of Indiana brings a unique energy to the performance.
“I can feel his energy in the state any time I come here,” York said.
Vamsi Tadepalli, founder and manager of the group in addition to saxophone player and dancer, spoke of a deeper connection to Indiana audiences.
“That’s really what we are about, connecting with the audience,” Tadepalli said. “We’ve played the same music for so long now, that’s really what makes it fun for us — especially in Bloomington. I mean, they get crazy, and that makes it fun — the energy
is infectious.”
Who’s Bad has been scheduling stops in Bloomington since 2005 and has come to expect consistency from local fans. Bassist Darion Alexander took the stage sporting a matching IU T-shirt and baseball cap and repeatedly pulled the front of his shirt taut to rouse support for the emblem.
“I’m pretty sure at some point we are going to hear the Hoosiers chant, except they change it to Who’s Bad,” Tadepalli said. “‘Who, who, who, who’s bad? Who, who, who, who’s bad?’ They pretty much do that every time we come here.”
As synchronized as the band members’ dance moves, the chant certainly did rise from the crowd before, during and after Who’s Bad’s two sets and encore.
The band, Tadepalli’s brain child, was formed in 2003 primarily with musicians from the University of North Carolina. Tadepalli, of Indian descent, wanted to further Jackson’s accomplishments of breaking down social barriers as a black performing artist by
forming a culturally diverse tribute group.
“That kind of represents how vastly Michael Jackson’s music affects people around the world,” Tadepalli said. In reference to the group’s recent tour in China, Tadepalli added,
“You’ve got people that don’t even know English, and they know the words to all his songs.”
The effect of Jackson’s career has been widespread for decades since his debut with The Jackson Five, signed to the revolutionary Motown label.
As a solo artist, his legendary “Thriller” album has become the best-selling album of all time.
“I love Michael because he is everything,” concert attendee James Lee said. “He completely came out of nowhere and became the most famous person on the planet by just raw talent and being a great person.
“He can sing, write, compose, dance, choreograph and act. He is just the whole package. The whole show could just be him on stage alone. You don’t need anything else.”
Lee explained his passion for Jackson and excitement for the Who’s Bad performance in the street outside while wiggling through a series of signature Jackson moves. He described the movements as a combination of ballet and hip-hop.
“His music allowed me not to conform to society, but in a positive way,” Lee said. “Discovering it was the most exciting thing that has happened in my life.”
Saturday night’s performance was the second Who’s Bad concert Lee had seen at the Bluebird, and as a dedicated fan, he presented himself as a critical observer.
“I was impressed,” Lee said. “I was skeptical at first because a Michael Jackson tribute band might be a little bit cliche, but they weren’t. They were very original. They enhanced his music and made it their own in a way that was honorable of Michael Jackson.”
For the majority of concert-goers, particularly young fans, this experience will be as close to a true Jackson concert as they will ever get.
“When I started this, I never thought about what might happen if he died while we were doing this — it was just for fun,” Tadepalli said. “It was hard to process feelings and emotions because we were so in demand. We had to work and do our job as a band and entertainers.”
The night after Jackson’s death, Who’s Bad had been scheduled to perform a concert — and after word spread, tickets sold out immediately. The venue received so many requests for tickets that they asked the group to perform a second show the same evening.
Despite hesitation from the group, a second concert was announced. Tickets sold out within hours.
“These people just wanted to be a part of it, and they just wanted to have some sort of experience to help their mourning process,” Tadepalli said.
At 2:30 a.m., when the group began to wrap up their final encore, fans clamored up to the stage to get their chance to share a moment with the stars. Women posed in photos with the impeccable look-alikes, and men struggled to get firm handshakes.
York smiled and lent himself to as many requests as possible, almost limping with exhaustion.
“I think that’s what makes people love the show,” York said. “It’s all Michael.”