If a tribute performer is ever to expect to get paid to impersonate the “King of Pop,” there are certain aspects to a Michael Jackson show that must be mastered.
There’s the “squeal.”
“I got that,” said Danny Ware, a Jackson imitator from Orlando who will perform near St. Clairsville later this month.
And there’s the glittery glove and socks.
“You have to have the costumes. Michael’s fans love the costumes,” Ware confirmed. “Plus, with the one glove, there’s that mystery about the other one. Where’s the other glove?”
But what’s most important?
“Energy,” Ware insisted. “You do have to have the pop, and the squeal, and the key moves, but it’s that voice people really want to hear. There are times during my shows when I stop the music so the crowd can hear that it’s really me signing and it makes a huge difference with the audience. That’s when I am performing with a band, but I also perform with tracks playing, too.
“People marveled at Michael Jackson because he did things on stage and in his videos that no one else did,” he said. “And everyone has a favorite. They have their favorite song, their favorite move, things like that.”
Ware is scheduled to present his “Man in the Mirror” performance inside the banquet area at Undo’s West in St. Clairsville on Friday, April 28. Only a few tickets remain for the one-show event.
“These shows are a lot of fun for the people who attend because they can remember when the real performers were in their prime,” said Undo’s event coordinator Gigi Zelewicz. “We’ve hosted several of them already and I’m sure there will be more to come in the future.
“The tickets usually sell very quickly for these shows so we could decide to add a second show for some of them in the future,” she revealed. “Danny’s ‘Michael’ show nearly sold out almost immediately.”
Smooth Mechanic?
Beat It. Billie Jean. Rock With You. P.Y.T. Black or White. Thriller.
And there’s so many more Michael Jackson songs that will forever be part of the legend of the “King of Pop” that extends back to the superstar’s years with the “Jackson 5.”
“Michael is so inconic and many of his songs are, too. For some of his fans, if they don’t hear a particular song, it’s not a good show and that’s why I include as many as possible,” Ware said. “It’s like the glove. You gotta have the glove just like you have to sing ‘P.Y.T.’ and ‘Beat It.’” Ware insisted. There was no one bigger and no one better during his career, and there will always only be just one Michael Jackson.
“And if you are going to do this show. If you are going to impersonate Michael Jackson, you have to do it with a lot of energy because no matter what, Michael Jackson had an incredible amount of energy any time he was on stage,” he insisted. “If you don’t bring that level of energy, you’re going to lose the audience immediately because no one has ever seen Michael Jackson without that level of energy.”
Monday through Friday, these days anyway, Ware works as a mechanic for dealerships in the Orlando area. Before that, he was “Michael Jackson” on cruise ships.
“I started doing ‘Michael” back in 2007 because my friends liked it when I was goofing around with it. That’s also when I got a job on a cruise ship in Cape Canaveral because I tried out after a friend encouraged me to do so,” the impersonator recalled. “My friend impersonated Tina Turner and told me all about it.
“I did a couple of songs for a couple of people, and they hired me. That’s when an agent was in the casino on the cruise ship and he gave me his business card and asked me to get in touch,” Ware said. “So, now, several years later, I’m still doing it and I’ll be coming north to do the big show.”
