Michael Jackson tribute concert HIStory will have attendees questioning what they see in front of their eyes, as impersonator Dantanio is almost as good as the real thing.
Over six years since Jackson untimely death, Dantanio emerged after a year-long search to become the world’s most-loved impersonator of the fallen king of pop. He originates from South Africa, but make no mistake, he looks, speaks, sings, dances, moves and ultimately feels so much like Jackson, he had the audience starstruck.
It’s a bizarre experience, when Dantanio first steps on the stage, a checklist of Jackson features run through your mind, as if it would be impossible for him to sing like Jackson but not to dance and speak like him as well. He does it all. It’s nothing short of miraculous.
The evening stuck to Jackson’s classics, favoring his older tunes and shuffling away from any of his new material past the late 1990’s. Paying homage to his The Jackson 5 days, all the old favorites are there, along with his most-loves tunes ‘Man in the Mirror’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Black and White’ and ‘Thriller’. Fans will be thrilled with ‘Billie Jean’, which he does step-for-step based on Jackson’s iconic performance of the hit, including plenty of moonwalking.
The dancers were mostly on the beat, backing musicians are exceedingly accomplished, however the music occasionally drowned out the singing. The backing graphics most of the time were well-executed but for a few of the numbers seemed pointless and at moments distracting.
Michael Jackson tribute concerts are well-worn concept, both on an amateur scale and professional. Similar touring theatre performances like Thriller Live serve as more of a jukebox of MJ hits, but what really sets the show apart is Dantanio’s commitment to perfectly emulate Jackson. Since the age of 9, he has dedicated his life’s works to studying his performances and it’s something every Jackson fan needs to witness once in their lives. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to the real thing.