The Michael Jackson performance on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards was the result of nearly half a year of planning, choreography and filming, not to mention the development of new technology. Producers of the Billboard Music Awards did not see even a portion of the film until eight days before the broadcast.
“We’ve been talking about it for the last five months and while we were talking about it they were still inventing the process,” says BBMA director and producer Larry Klein. “It was really strange talking about something that did not exist.”
Jackson, in hologram form, performed “Slave to the Rhythm” midway through Sunday night’s show with a five-piece band and 16 dancers live onstage. Jackson appeared in gold jacket, white T-shirt and brick red trousers on a set modeled on the art work for the album “Dangerous,” an appropriate choice as the track was recorded in 1991 with L.A. Reid and Babyface during the sessions for that album. Released this week on “XSCAPE,” which is neck-and-neck with the new Black Keys album for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week, the track was produced by Timbaland.
BBMA producers Dick Clark Productions built a special stage at the rear of the MGM Grand Arena that was used only for the Jackson performance. Dancers moved through aisles as Jackson was seen rising from a throne, walking down steps before going into several trademark routines, a moonwalk being one of the them. Lasers, streams of flames and dancers in ancient costumes were part of the film.
http://youtu.be/CTPVitfXNDg
