A night of song, dance, and dazzling live music was offered in tribute to Michael Jackson and a host of deceased local entertainers at the weekend.The Amphitheatre of the Fairmont Southampton was packed to the gills with music lovers for this wonderful concert which featured some of the best local vocalists and instrumentalists around.The show was engaging and entertaining from start to finish and each and every one of the 500 or so patrons in attendance left marvelling at the quality and creativity they witnessed.Saturday night’s material was strictly Michael: ‘I Want You Back’, ‘I’ll Be There’, ‘Ben’, ‘Stop, the Love You Save May Be Your Own’, ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, ‘Black or White’, ‘Thriller’, ‘‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and many other instantly recognisable hits.The most memorable moments of this wonderful show, however, came with Michael’s more reflective songs the ballads, the tributes, and the love songs. The first such moment came when Rochelle Simons-Lecomte belted out the first few notes of the fabulous ‘I’ll Be There’ and was joined halfway by the incomparable Steve Easton.This was closely followed by Verlancia Aberdeen’s stirring rendition of the lovely ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’.After about half an hour, hosts Valerie Leader and Kelly Zuill offered a ceremonial remembrance of many of Bermuda’s great deceased entertainers. This touching tribute started with a standing moment of silence, and included acknowledgments of the many family members of the deceased who were in attendance.Then came Rochelle’s superb rendition of the heart wrenching ‘Gone Too Soon’, which was accompanied by a slide show featuring old photos of many of the entertainers. This was a marvellously touching tribute and Michael’s brilliant ballad was the perfect vehicle.The next highlight came when Sheila Smith delivered a pitch-perfect version of Michael’s favourite song, ‘Smile’. This was a delightful act, which also paid tribute to Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Little Tramp’ which, as the story goes, was the inspiration behind the timeless tune. Dancer Tokai Tota donned the famous tight grey suit and bowler hat and waddled around the stage in slapstick glory while Sheila encouraged the audience to always smile, ‘though your heart is breaking ….’Then there was Stevie Darrell. Wow, dude just stole the show! It started with a sultry rendition of Michael’s masterpiece with Siedah Garrett, ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ which he shared with the beautiful Sheila Smith. He then moved seamlessly into the melancholy ‘She’s Out of My Life’.Stevie proved a top showman once again, extracting a spontaneous standing ovation from the fully rapt audience. He later returned to deliver the eternal ‘You Are Not Alone’, and the audience once again showered him with adoration. The man can very definitely sing a love song, and how!Rochelle’s rendition of ‘Heal the World’ found the incredibly responsive audience waving their arms and singing along. Each table at the Amphitheatre had a butterfly shaped glow stick on it. They became a prominent feature of the concert, transforming the area into a sea of intermittent fuchsia, green, and yellow glowing lights many times over the two hours.The audience stood and clapped along to the sublime ‘Will You Be There?’; just another spectacular moment in an evening full of spectacular moments.The last great moment was when the three primary voices of the evening were joined on stage by the Seventh-day Adventist Praise Team to perform a powerful version of ‘Earth Song’. Rochelle, Stevie, and Sheila complemented each other perfectly, delivering impressive vocals and bringing down the house with this performance. It was a fantastic wind down to an awesome evening.The all-local Sparkle Band played every necessary note with aplomb, offering a musical backdrop that supported the vocalists very well indeed. This was a fully local production, and once again proved that we in Bermuda have talent and innovation to burn. The little chocolate wrapped in delicate mesh fabric that was given to each audience member on their way out was a really charming touch too; nicely done Jamais Productions.