For all the time the King of Pop spent in Las Vegas in his life, it's worth noting that he sang here with the Jackson 5 as a boy but never did a single ticketed show here as a solo artist. Still, Jackson was a Vegas fixture nonetheless, if nothing else then for having written the theme "Mind Is The Magic" for the old Siegfried & Roy show at The Mirage.
He could often be seen on shopping sprees at FAO Schwarz at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, was awkwardly hanging out in Steve Wynn's office during Wynn's interview with Review-Journal scribe Howard Stutz prior to the 1989 opening of The Mirage, and was a regular in recent years at the Palms, where he was said to be recording new music.
There were frequent rumors about Strip attractions built around Jackson and possible Vegas performing residencies (not to mention MJ's plan for a 50-foot robotic replica of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert firing lazer beams), most floated by dealmaker Jack Wishna and dutifully stenographed by gossiphounds Norm Clarke and Robin Leach -- but most of that chatter ended after Jackson was tried on child molestation charges in 2005. He was acquitted but never shook the toxic scent of that episode. He was, by the way, in Las Vegas when those charges were filed in 2003, sparking a media circus that ended with him flying to L.A. to be booked. A month before the arrest, Jackson accepted a key to the city of Las Vegas from Mayor Oscar Goodman in a ceremony at the then-Aladdin (now Planet Ho) hotel-casino.
We'll get to the relevance of Las Vegas to his June 25 death in a moment, but while we've already mentioned the Palms, it's worth noting that the resort-casino is the site of the most significant Jackson-related event, taking place on what would have been his 51st birthday, August 29.
That's the day that the Pearl venue will be MJ Mania's Ground Zero with a massive benefit tribute concert called Las Vegas Celebrates The Music of Michael Jackson. The show features an impressive list of Vegas talent singing from and dancing to the Jackson oeuvre. Those set to perform include Terry Fator, Holly Madison, Human Nature, Mosaic, Clint Holmes, Zowie Bowie, and the Las Vegas Mass Choir, plus members of the casts of Jersey Boys, Phantom, The Lion King, Zumanity, Peepshow, and Ultimate Manilow: The Hits. All proceeds go to the Clark County Public Education Foundation to restore music education programs axed by budget cuts. Visit VegasLovesMJ.com or get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Also on 8/29 at the Palms, Brenden Theatres in conjunction with CineVegas will present a special charity screening of Moonwalker, Jackson's 1988 film that never had a U.S. theatrical release. After the show, the director Colin Childers and choreographer Vince Paterson will take part in a Q & A moderated by Huntington Press author Steve Friess. (Friess and Jersey Boys star Erich Bergen are co-producing the day's events.) Brenden also will unveil a celebrity star for Michael Jackson; MJ and his kids saw films there frequently in recent years while staying in the hotel.
The celebration of Jackson's artistry comes, however, against the backdrop of the probe into his death which has significant Las Vegas relevance. The personal physician at the time of his death, Dr. Conrad Murray, lives in Red Rock Country Club and had medical offices on East Flamingo Road. Dr. Murray was hired by Jackson a month before his death and is heard on the 911 call on June 25 saying he tried unsuccessfully to revive the pop star. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department raided his home and office in Vegas on July 28 searching for evidence that Murray had prescribed the powerful anesthetic propofol to Jackson under any of 19 aliases. The search warrant documents filed in Clark County District Court indicated the police are probing whether Jackson's death was manslaughter and also sought evidence that he had been inappropriately medicated by his doctor. On Aug. 11, a Las Vegas pharmacy was also raided as officers sought information tying Dr. Murray to propofol and Jackson.
It is fairly likely that in death, Jackson will loom large in Las Vegas. There has been talk again promulgated by Wishna that the family wants to move the Neverland Ranch to Las Vegas. And Friess, in his Las Vegas Weekly column immediately after Jackson's death, made this observation:
"The only serious legacy-reformation project for Jackson has to be some sort of production show in a custom-built venue that only the Vegas business model could support, incorporating his music and perhaps his most famous dance moves, signature costumes and beloved outer-space motif. Cirque du Soleil is, of course, an obvious contender, although someone else could theoretically do it, too, and make it a dance revue similar to the Billy Joel-scored Movin' Out. Bring in Twyla Tharp, Debbie Allen, or even Jackson-obsessed wunderkind Wade Robson, who choreographed Criss Angel Believe. But—and this is a very, very important but—this show cannot in any direct manner deal with the Michael Jackson biography."
So stay tuned. The King of Pop may have left the building, but he may yet take his rightful place in Vegas immortality next to Elvis and The Beatles.
