Seeing Kenny Wizz (Michael Jackson tribute artist) - a magical moment

Who's Kenny Wizz?

Kenny Wizz (from the USA)  is a Michael Jackson tribute artist who I fortunately could see a few times when he was on tour in New Zealand in 2011. And yes, he is a proper artist, a proper performer - and not just a look-a-like or impersonator. His band plays live, and he sings live (though he might not always sing himself, I think - but I don't know enough to judge that 100%). And he is good at it - not perfect, but you would not expect perfection from someone who is on a stage and dances like Michael Jackson while singing live. Michael Jackson often did not sing live during his tours - so Kenny was actually doing something quite spectacular. Kenny Wizz has been a MJ tribute artist for over 30 years now, so he kind of started with it two years after I was born!

Kenny Wizz in New Zealand, 2011

I learned about Kenny Wizz late in the year 2010. I think it was just before Christmas. At that stage in my life I really needed something to look forward to. You could say that Kenny really came into my life at the right time. I booked my ticket as soon as I had the chance even though I was sceptical. Could someone else really be anywhere close to Michael Jackson?
When the day, March 11th, finally arrived, I was quite nervous. I had never been to a concert before in my life, and I knew it might be a bit of a challenge for me to be surrounded by hundreds of people who would most likely be a lot louder than me (I just don't express myself by screaming loudly, unless I'm going down a damn roller coaster because unnatural heights and speeds aren't exactly my friend). I was early, and was taken to my seat (number 8 in the first row - as 8 is one of my lucky numbers), and then started talking a bit to the two women who arrived after me. They were quite interested in my story - but so is everyone, as I lived a quite unusual life.

Then the show began, and Kenny appeared on the stage, accompanied by the first ecstatic screams. First impressions count, I guess. And he made a very good first impression. He had not said a word, he had not sung yet, he was just on the stage. And he had everybody under control already. Then the band started, then he started, and suddenly it was all just magic. His movements were indeed divinity in motion.

Magical moments

My first personal highlight was when he sang "I'll be there". The memory of someone looking so much like Michael Jackson literally reaching out to me, while he sang "I'll reach out my hand to you, I'll have faith in all you do" still makes me smile. It was a wonderful moment, and while it was just a show, it did mean a lot to me, because I would hope that Michael Jackson himself would actually approve of my dreams.

But this was not enough. Something I would have never thought possible happened. Since I was a kid, i.e. since I was eight years old, it was my biggest dream to meet Michael Jackson, and later on, after I saw some of his recorded concerts, I also dreamed of how nice it would be to be one of the girls who were taken on stage. Not because I was interested in Michael in a romantic way, no, I just felt connected to him in a totally different way, but that's a different story. But the idea and dream of being close to someone you really care about was just always somewhere at the back of my mind.

And then it happened. I did not even know beforehand whether Kenny would do the same as Michael did. And if he did, then I thought that he would choose someone else. After all, most of the audience was female. When the first notes of "She's out of my life" were played, Kenny started walking down the stairs, stopped on the other side of my row, looked at me, walked towards me, and chose me to go on stage with him. Maybe being the quiet one in the crowd paid off! I'm just glad that I didn't freeze like a deer in a car's headlights.

I was a rather well-behaved fan (compared to what I saw from videos of other shows). I also have to admit that I didn't really know what to do, so I basically just ended up in his arms because that's what he did. I also gave him a kiss on the cheek, but hey, things like that happen.... ha ha.... He smelled incredibly good. A very unusual, fresh, clean smell. I have no idea what it actually was, maybe his make-up? After all, he's a dark-skinned guy who made himself look "white". Anyway, it's hard to describe how it felt to stand there, after all, in that moment, he was Michael Jackson to me. He was fragile, and yet you could also feel that he was very strong (if you dance like that, you have to be strong). Before that moment, nobody had ever treated me with such care and gentleness. Again, I know, it was just a show, but to me it was a magical moment - a moment I needed to actually go on with my life without completely falling into a dark hole.

I won't write much about the rest of the show, as those two moments were my favourites - if you would like to know more about the music, you will have to look elsewhere because I'm not good when it comes to describing shows, songs, movements, bands, etc.

After Kenny Wizz

After that experience in Wanganui, I also decided to see some more of his shows (the sceptic had completely disappeared). I also got to talk to him a few times, and I have to say that he was a wonderful character, and the members of the band I got to talk to were also fantastic people. They looked more intimidating that they actually were when you met them.

These concerts did a lot to change my life around. I had more energy again, and I dared to start hoping again, dared to hope that there still is good in this world, and even that there might be someone out there who would treat me like Kenny did for a longer time. A very good friend, or even more. I also connected to some Michael Jackson fans, dressed up as Michael Jackson for a presentation about communication (my group got an A+ for it, and my tutor wished he would have recorded it). I also offered a course about Michael Jackson for a local education provider. Unfortunately we were two people short of making it a reality. I guess Wanganui is just too small a place for something like that! However, I even made it to the front page of one of the local papers because of my Michael Jackson story. Some people even said my story about my childhood inspired them. So I think, a lot of good came from going to that Kenny Wizz concert.

I never saw Kenny again, and now that I am living in the UK, I might never see him again, unless he decided to do a tour of the UK. But I will be forever grateful - because he was there when nobody else was. Even if it was just for show.