THE BALLOON MAN

Michael Jackson and the 'Immortal' Cirque du Soleil tour blends
dazzling aerial acts, legendary pop

Oct. 14, 2011
BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM
DETROIT FREE PRESS, POP MUSIC WRITER
MONTREAL — There’s a moment in Cirque du Soleil’s

“Immortal” show when the stage empties, the lights go down, and

Michael Jackson’s “I’ll Be There” vocal gets the room to itself.

It’s an unusually quiet scene in a production that’s brimming with

razzle-dazzle, and Cirque’s aerial artists return to the stage soon

enough. But the message is poignant and clear: Jackson may not be

around to perform, but there’s still plenty of showmanship left in the

King of Pop.

Having premiered earlier this month for a Montreal audience that

included the late star’s mother and three children, the $60-million

“Immortal World Tour” will make its U.S. debut Saturday at

Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. The tour, which will include a December

residency in Las Vegas, will wrap up its stateside run in July before

heading overseas.