Nothing Good Ever Comes Easy – Meeting Michael Jackson!

Since I can remember, like most of us, my dream was to meet Michael. In 2006, 3 days after my 19th Birthday, my dream came true when Michael came to London to accept the Diamond Award at the World Music Awards. This is my story…

“How you doin?!” Michael shouted as he exited the stage. I’d finally done it, my own ears had heard Michael Jackson sing live. Sure, it was only a few lines but it was loud as his mic was turned up to the max! Leaving the Earls Court arena, I was crying, my friend Mayah was crying…it was most definitely ‘a moment’. We rushed back to the hotel and Michael was in the window waving to the fans as we united in a chorus of ‘Diamond Award…Diamond Award’ and he waved the award to us, proud of his achievement. The atmosphere that night at the Hempel hotel was electric and I remember thinking I am in the middle of Michael Mania! This was officially the most perfect day of my life, or so I thought because the following day would top it! Things calmed around 12:30am and we took the night bus back to Mayah’s still high on the adrenaline of seeing Michael on stage. 3am, we stopped off to check the papers. They claimed he was triumphant (something they would later recant in the 6am edition). We literally fell through the door, said goodnight and crashed out.

When Michael was in town, sleep was a luxury. You couldn’t afford to lay in bed through fear that he would perhaps do something and you weren’t there to be a part of it. We woke around 9am. That was late for us on a Michael day, but as we’d got home late the previous night and stayed outside the hotel the night before, we needed it.

Arriving at the hotel, we’d had beans on toast for Breakfast, our first that week. When Michael was in town, you grabbed your meals where you could. There was no time to sit down for a meal. The high of the World Music Awards was still there and so we decided not to rush ourselves that morning. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30pm, again, late for us. I spotted Kim at the front of the barriers and called out to her above the crowd. She turned and signaled for me to wait there and turned back round….who is she talking to?

A few moments later, she pushed through the crowd… “Start walking now!” She said and our group slipped away around the corner. Then she turned to us and held up a note “MJ, Prince Edward Theatre 2:30pm”, in Michael’s writing!!! A note from Michael Jackson needed no hesitation on my part and I ran in to the road to hail a taxi.

We were all shaking as the cab driver tore through the city streets. We’d promised him double the fare if he got us there in half the time, so of course he was happy to oblige.

Jumping out of the taxi we ran in to the Prince Edward Theatre. My mind was in overdrive thinking “I’ve got nothing for him to sign!” So I bought the show program and snatched a pen from the ticket booth. The 5 of us lined ourselves up outside the entrance. We were ready to have a private meeting with Michael!

No one was speaking, nerves had set in. All of us frantically looking from left to right…where was Michael?

We heard a noise on the horizon and before we had the time to consult each other, hoards of fans burst around the corner of the Prince Edward Theatre and I instantly felt my chances of meeting Michael had been dashed. With them, they bought the media everybody fought for a place around the entrance, a car horn was sounding off behind me and a black SUV pulled up on to the pavement right next to us. It was Michael and this was happening right now! The SUV door swung open and the security detail jumped out and attempted clear a path between the vehicle and the door. The begun shouting at the fans to move back, but the fans at the back were pushing forward to get a glimpse of Michael. It was a scrum of epic proportion!

In the back of the car, Prince cracked open the little window to peak out and a paparazzi took the opportunity to shove his lens through the gap and start photographing. I twisted slightly to get my arm above other fans and grabbed the lens from within the window, pulling it outwards. “No! You’re not photographing his children” I shouted at the pap. “Get off my fuckin’ camera” he shouted back, but I refused. Some fans behind saw me wrestling with this guy and helped by pulling him backwards and away from the SUV. “Watch your hands!” I shouted and pushed the little window closed.

The push and pull between the fans and the security was still going on and being in the front, my friends and I signaled to each other to link arms and form a human barrier either side of the door so Michael and the children could get in to the theatre. One of the security thanked us and then said “Sorry guys, we’re going to have to push on you to get those behind you to move back.” They began pushing against our chests and the fans and press behind pushed back. It was extremely painful! You read about this happening around Michael all the time, but being in the thick of it is something else all together.

To my right I saw a large hand reach out and signal one of the security to get back in the car. “That’s Michael’s hand!” I said to Mayah “Look!” The security guy jumped in the car and jumped straight back out again. “Ok guys, listen up” he said to us. “Michael wants all of you to chant “Fuck the press…can you do that?” And we were off. Loud and proud!

As we chanted, the fans had moved back slightly so they could raise their fists to shout “fuck the press, Michael is the best, fuck the press, Michael is the best.” In the midst, the security rushed Prince, Paris and Blanket in to the theatre and out of sight. Michael was left in the car and we could hear him laugh loudly (that laugh! OMG!) as we got faster with our chants. Security seized their moment and a Michael appeared at the door of the SUV…the push from behind started up again, it was more violent this time and the concern on the security’s faces was clear to my friends and I, we started yelling for fans to move back so that Michael would have a clear path, but they didn’t listen. In a heartbeat, they managed to bundle Michael through the doors of the theatre and in the commotion, he bashed his shoulder slightly on the car door. I was not happy!

Mayah and I immediately swung round (true to form) and began to shout at the fans . We were angry, not only had they put Michael’s safety at risk, but we’d missed on what we felt was going to be a prime opportunity to see him, close up.

People began to loosen in the tightly packed crowd when the door to the theatre opened back and one of Michael’s security detail stepped outside. I walked straight up to him “I’m so sorry about all that, please tell Michael we tried to stop him getting hurt and we did ask them to move back and…” he put his arm round me and told me not to worry. The next move shocked me. He moved me close to the theatre doors, opened one and pushed me inside the lobby. I panicked. Did I have enough money for a ticket? Did he think I wanted to buy a ticket? My overdraft is maxed out, my student loan is delayed…What was I going to do? The security guy stepped in a few moments later and I said to him “I can’t be in here without my friend….Her…the one with the braids and the black coat, she needs to be with me!” he put his hand on my shoulder and said “Michael has bought some tickets for you guys so I need you to pick some more people to come in with you.” I pointed to Mayah and the security guy sent another out to get her in. She came in flustered “What’s going on?”, “Michael’s got us tickets!” I told her. We were in a state of panic.

We selected Jamie and Kim from the crowd, but getting them into the theatre wasn’t easy. The fans outside had established what was happening and began to block those selected from entering the theatre. Myself, Mayah and 2 of Michael’s security had to pull Kim, after fans were trying to pull her back and prevent her from entering. Once the full selection was complete, we were given our instructions. “Turn off your mobile phones and pair up. The show has already started.”

Heading down stairs in our pairs, phones were ringing as fans outside were trying to find out what was going on. “Phones off guys”, the security told us. Raymone, Michael’s Manager and Grace, the Children’s Nanny were at the bottom of the stairs collecting sweets at the stand. I was shaking and when I saw them, suddenly everything had become VERY real. Grace grabbed my hand “Don’t worry honey, Michael loves meeting the fans!” WHAT??? Meet the fans? WHAT? We’re fans…This really was happening.

We were ushered in to our seats as the show was already well in to the first act. We took our seats and scoured the balconies looking for Michael. But Kim spotted him, diagonal to us, literally 4 metres away! It was Michael Jackson right there!

I couldn’t tell you what was happening on stage as I was fixed firmly on Michael. He kept lightly touching his hair and taking his sunglasses off and on. During one of the slow numbers, he pulled Blanket on to his lap, and pulled Prince and Paris either side of him close and kissed each one on the head and the little family hugged together. This was the side of Michael that the world didn’t see. It was a really beautiful moment.

Around 2 minutes before the interval, Michael stood up, in the middle of the theatre, his security were unable to jump up quick enough to block him and at that moment everybody was now aware that Michael Jackson was in the theatre. He was surrounded by his team and rushed out of the room to screams and excitement.

Holed up in the ‘Julie Andrews Room’ out in the downstairs lobby, the crowds gathered around the entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of the King of Pop. After around 10 minutes the door opened and theatre staff came out to usher back the waiting crowds. Suddenly Michael appear in the door way being carried by two security guards they made the short walk across the lobby towards the men’s toilets, he was smiling from ear to ear as people were screaming and shouting his name. 

Now, Michael Jackson, my idol was literally a few metres from me, of course I wasn’t going to miss my chance and broke from the crowd. I rushed up to him and reached out to him, managing to rub his hand before he was whisked in to the bathroom.

“OH my god! I touched him.” I shouted to my friends….“I just touched his hand”. Fan-boy moment right there!

A man then came out of the toilets looking shocked, his mouth open. “MATE! Michael Jackson is in there… Michael fuckin’ Jackson!” He shouted to his friends.

“Everybody return to their seats NOW!” The theatre manager was shouting. “Mr Jackson is not coming out here so go back to your seats…we need to start the second act!”

Myself, Mayah and Kim whipped behind a curtain, hoping not to be found and to wait for Michael to return to his seat. We were caught and ushered back to our seats.

The next few moments are the best of my life as a fan…

With everybody now in their seats except the Jackson party, there was fuss and noise right across the auditorium. A group of older women were trying to hush the crowd when one shouted loudly “I don’t know what all the fuss is about, it’s only Michael Jackson”. What she didn’t know is that Michael had re-entered the auditorium with his security and was at this point, standing right behind her! He reached over and tapped her on the shoulder, she spun round and Michael said “Hello!” Took her hand and kissed. Instantly she fell backwards in to her friend making a noise as if she had fainted. Her friend began to fan her dramatically and that was that negative individual taken care of. Great job Mike!

For me, I knew this was the moment, it was now or never so as he left the old woman and her collapsed state and began heading towards his seat, I jump up out of mine and shouted out, “MICHAEL!!!!!”…. he glanced and came striding straight towards me. He was wearing a long black coat that he’d picked up in Topman a few days earlier and a white t-shirt…with a picture of himself on it. A gift from a fan, at least I hoped. Being three seats from the aisle I reached out to him, he stopped at the edge of the row, next to Kim and took hold of my hand and shook it. Michael Jackson was holding my hand! I shook back and stammered out “Michael I love you so much”. He raised his other hand and clasped my hand in both of his and replied “I love you too, how are you?” To which I replied “how am I?”….

Now, seriously, Michael was talking to me and holding my hand, no one in their right mind would be making logical sentences. But to reply “how am I?” I still slap myself to this day.

He laughed at me and said “I gotta go” and motioned to his seat. He let go of my hand and walked back over and took his seat.

I sat in shock, staring at my hand. The hand Michael Jackson just shook. The person I’d spent my life idolising just spoke to me. Mayah was gripping my knee (she had long nails back then!) and shaking me “I can’t believe that just happened!!!” I couldn’t speak.

When the cast were taking their bows, nobody was watching as Michael and his security team had stood up and were locating their exit. We were 2 rows from the gang way to the exits, so as Michael began to move, there was shouting and screaming and chaos once again. As he got to the aisle in front of us I tried to reach over the two rows to him. He went to reach back and a security guard brushed his arm down, so he put his hand across his heart and tapped it, looking back at us as they moved him on.

Outside was also pandemonium as more press and fans had swarmed the car outside. I found out after that Michael had been crying in the back of the car and the photos from the press show him smiling with mascara running down his face. Those in his team that we managed to speak with the following day told us he was feeling overwhelmed by the love he was receiving in London, especially after he felt so raw after being tricked at the world music awards the night before.

Having just met Michael, we decided not to join the crowds pushing towards the car and instead opted to block paparazzi camera lenses with our hands (which they did not like!)

The Jackson party pulled away and we headed to grab a taxi back to the Hempel. I pulled out my slide phone (it was 2006 remember!) and sent a text message to everyone in my phone book. “OMG I JUST MET MICHAEL JACKSON AND HE SHOOK MY HAND! SO HAPPY!!!”

Back at the hotel, most fans had already heard we’d been taken in to the theatre. There was a strange mix between those who were happy for us asking “what did he say? What was he wearing? What did he smell like?” And those who were jealous that we had met him (including some friends) who wouldn’t come near us.

But ultimately, I didn’t care what other people thought. I’d met my idol and at that time, that was more important to me.

12 years on from that incredible day and I’m still totally humbled by the experience. At that point (2006) I’d spent over 15 years looking at his face upon my wall, listening to his music, dancing in my room, taping my fingers that to have him standing in front of me, shaking my hand, meant the absolute world. I appreciate how it really was a case of right time, right place but I also believe in destiny too. The experience stays with me every single day, it’s the name of my registered company; Sixteen11 Media Group Ltd, named after 16th November, the day I met him and every year on the same date, I swing by the Prince Edward Theatre just for a look.

I titled this piece ‘Nothing Good Every Comes Easy’ as a quote from On The Line, because it was a hell of a crazy day and far from easy… but it’s the best type of crazy I’ve ever known!

Pez Jax

Follow Pez on twitter @Pezdann