Michael Jackson's Final Video: WATCH Rehearsal Footage

CNN has the last video footage ever taken of Michael Jackson, during rehearsal at the Staples Center arena two nights before his death. Jackson sang 'They Don't Care About Us' from HIStory and showed his signature dance moves.


WATCH:

Comments

[MJ Fangirl Forever]

For all of you who are saying he looked more military and less lively and vivascious your right. But keep in mind even the healthiest fifty year old will not be able to keep up with a fit and active 20 somthing year old. He was a wonderful musician and I miss his a lot. I cried the first six nights after he died. But come on, the guy was fifty. He will be sorely missed and I hope they lock up the doctors that killed him. Rest in Peace Michael, you are loved and missed.

[Sunsprite]

You know after watching this again I am in awe of his performance in this rehearsal.

He was ageless.
Music fed him and he still had it going on.

Thank you Michael!

[KnowzyRowzy]

I've been waking up through the night singing that song! RIP Michael, you will be missed so much!

[ladydragon]

I know I'm really late commenting on this, I was out of town and then away from my desk,; this has nothing to do with the rehersal videos; but I just want to say that I saw Travis Barker with Jamie Foxx on the BET (Blame it). I just want to say that "brotha" brought the noise...that was hot! now to the rehersals...all I can do is cry over what was to be. Rest in Peace.
Forever your loyal fan
diana

[nokaoi]

"This Is It "tour," final curtain call," MJ called it. If this was a novel we would accuse the author of too much foreshadowing. Last rehearsal, MJ, singing the line " they don't really care about us." Whoever scheduled the 50 concerts, didn't really care about him.
And so we're all rediscovering the national treasure that he was, wiped clean of all the eccentricities of his final years.

[KnowzyRowzy]

Well said....I agree with everything you said.

[Saysaysay]

ya looked good MJ.

Why did you have to fool around with that other stuff???

[Fudgefase]

It looked like it was going to be a great show.
I feel so sorry for all the backing dancers and musicians on the clip who have obviously been working hard - their timing is perfect - and now their efforts will never be seen.
It would have been a triumph - but I doubt he (or any solo act) could have done 50 high energy shows. Who ever thought that would be possible?

[gladys46]

Namaste Michael .. this is my tribute to you today ... the music/dance love of my young life:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR7Y54ZKEVk

[Agentlady007]

Cool. Did she win yet?

[watsonaqua]

This isn't Janet? I'm confused.

[Geria]

Michael has always looked androgenous; in other words like his sister Janet. That's the way it was. Frankly, those moves are not typical of Jackson; they look more military and stiffer, none of the flexibility and joy of his earlier videos.

[psychmaj323]

I can tell you're not a huge MJ fan, otherwise you'd know that he's been doing military moves for a while now. He still had flexibility...

[macbabe]

Say what you want to , believe what you will,
...bottom line, he was one of the BEST musicians this world has ever seen with awesome talent and will be much missed, and there are VAULTS of his recording we haven't even gotten a look at yet to come... please let him RIP.

[JMBrodie]

My wife got a chance to listen to, and see, many of Michael's videos the past few days. She told me how she was in the grocery store and picked up the special edition of Time magazine. She said to the folks around her that she had been so caught up in the tabloid MJ that it overshadowed the music, much of which she really likes. She said the other women in line told similar stories, expressed regret for having lost track of him.

A lot of folks are rediscovering Michael now.

[nkadzi]

I stopped watching cable news when i realised the news were emphasizing on his so called "flaws" from every jack and Jill who claimed to know him personally; i too focused on the music, and some of the interviews he did and some of his home videos, courtesy of youtube.com.

i am rediscovering MJ again!!

[Uncle Kudzu]

right on! why aren't they giving us the jacks and jills who say he had angel wings and could raise the dead?

[Pleneras]

Erie how he smiles right before the lights go out.

[Hermione1973]

I noticed that, too! Isn't it eerie? I'd like to think he did go out on a good note, at least for himself. He was such a sad soul. I never believed the allegations, myself. My abiding memory will be him amazing us with "Thriller."

[Geria]

There is no doubt "Thriller" was his masterpiece. I loved "Billie Jean", "Don't Stop til you've had enough" and many more. I'm rediscovering Michael too and I'm seeing material I had not seen before. I feel badly that his life was unhappy and that the wretched tabloids attacked him so mercilessly. I don't believe the pedophile crap now or then.

[Uncle Kudzu]

"Isn't it eerie?"

everything about her was eerie. that's the way she chose to present herself.

[Sweetbay]

Anybody else notice that after the dance number in that rehearsal video, when someone says, And, hold for applause..­......Mich­ael isn't even breathing hard?

That suggests to me that he is in pretty good shape. I've seen performers younger than he was out of breath at the end of their numbers.

He also doesn't look any thinner than normal. The rumors seem to be just that. Thankfully, we now have media who can exploit those rumors 24 hours a day.

[Sunsprite]

Michael looked,danced and sounded great,certainly in his element.

He looked as though he was back in to performing,what a shame and tragic ending to an unfinished life.

Rest in peace Michael.

[atti]

When I compare this choreography to past examples, it was lethargic at best.

[tora]

THIS WAS A REHEARSAL for goodness sake... You realize that this was not a REAL PERFORMANCE?

[Sunsprite]

atti,

No it was not.

Try it sometime.

[harriettubman]

Well you didn't see the same video I did. His pants were baggy and he's thin to start with. He did dance well and would've put on a great concert. At the end he just closes his eyes. There are close friends who stand by the truth. Unfortunately if some fans don't want to hear it they shouldn't listen.

[Geria]

Most dancers aren't as flexible at 50 as they were at 20. Michael was no exception to this rule. I think God loved Michael as he took him at this time when his best days were behind him. God wants him to be remembered for the days of his greatness. That is a triumph! Anybody who can beat life, the toughest adversary we have, has done the best that is possible to do. The king is dead, long live the king.

[Uncle Kudzu]

"God wants him to be remembered for the days of his greatness."

hmmm... speaking for God, are we? well, prophet, if you're correct, then there's going to be some disappointment on high, because Michael is going to be remember either as a total freak, or at best someone who chose to present himself to the world as a total freak.

i'm sorry to speak so frankly to you teenage fangirls, but you gots to grow up at some point. peace be with you, sister.

[thatone]

It's interesting how people think that he was in bad shape from a rehearsal. It was a REHEARSAL, you never do it full blast, you go over things while you try to remember all the technical stuff so you don't have to worry about it once you are in front of an audience.

[littlebrowngirl]

I thought he looked great in the video. Danced and sang well. Also you can tell it was not lip synced. He seemed very happy at that moment and excited about the future.

It is sad that people have waited until he died to appreciate his talent. Even in death the guy is kicking ass on the charts. No one can touch him on that front.

I have never been a HUGE fan but have always enjoyed his performances and think it would have been a great tour.

RIP

[unite4change]

Me too! Just proves people see different things.

[tora]

I agree, he looked awesome on stage, would have loved to have seen him perform.

[bellepepper02]

YES! Pity he was denied the chance to see that people still love him. People excoriate him but really he was the sole victim of his own demons, not us. He gave the world a heck of a lot of magic and happiness through his music and dance. I will never forget that.

[DaBandStands]

This is funny. A bunch of no talent anonymous posters on hp, are now criticizing Michael Jackson's talent. His personal issues aside, it is pretty unanimous that this guy was one of the greatest artists the world has ever seen. To the critics: even at 50, overly medicated, etc., I'm pretty sure he could dance and sing each and everyone of you under the table, but that is just my opinion.

[jlab]

Absolutely! I really, truly agree with you. I'm not making fun of his talent, nor would I ever say he didn't have any. But especially in light of his death, don't you think that this whole exercise has a very morbid quality about it? I don't have a problem admitting that fat Elvis was a sad sight, and I don't really get goosebumps from this rehearsal, either. If you think this is the best Michael Jackson you've ever seen, maybe YOU are messing with his legacy.

[kas70]

Reasonable people don't expect a performance at age 50 to be "the best Michael Jackson you've ever seen". That his talent still shone through so well at his age is a testament to how truly great he was in his youth and how wonderful he still was at the end. He was fully capable of still putting on a hell of a show, and that matters.

[fumes]

my op too

[TainoBoy]

Well Said.

[GrainneKathleen]

agreed. no one ever denied his talent, they just ripped into his personal life to find the sexy, juicy, scandalous stories that would move those soon to be dead (hopefully!!!) rag mags in the grocery stores.

[HHarvey]

Hey! How do you know that I am a "no talent"? You ever seen me dance?

[dzent1]

Post your video!