So, Michael Jackson was at the Billboard Music Awards 2014... and not just in spirit. Sunday night (May 18), the celebration of the hottest selling music of the year heralded one of music's biggest ever stars with a "live" performance debut of the "new" MJ song "Slave To The Rhythm."
Of course, Jackson passed away nearly five years ago, so Billboard honored his legacy with a hologram performance of the Xscape single "Slave To The Rhythm." Jackson, alongside a golden throne and golden stairs, was projected onto a giant screen at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, as the studio version of the track, new production and all, blasted through the speakers.
Though the screen which housed the holographic Jackson was wavering at the beginning of the song, giving a spooky ghost-like vibe to the earliest moments of the performance, it looked pretty much like Jackson was there, in good health, wearing a golden yellow and red outfit.
The signature dance moves were programmed into the hologram Jackson, as the King of Pop moonwalked and tip-toe danced across the screen/stage. Real life dancers were on hand for "Slave To The Rhythm" as well, dressed like some sort of SWAT team, giving a gruesome play (to me, at least) on Jackson's late-life legal troubles.
Regardless, the star-packed audience at the BBMAs dug the performance, giving the Jackson projection a standing ovation at the end of the song.
Watch "Slave To The Rhythm" at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards below:
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