A sea of 10,000 braced the rain in Prospect Park Saturday to pay tribute to the “Baddest” performer of them all — Michael Jackson.
Some wore his signature single white glove and black hat. Others held up posters and collectible action figures of the music icon during his many phases. Yet all of them swayed to the idol’s lifetime achievment — his body of pop and R&B hits — as it echoed througout the Nethermede during the special free birthday concert hosted by filmmaker Spike Lee.
“Fifty-one years ago, he was born into the world,” Lee told the audience as it swelled throughout the afternoon. “I’m like everybody else – somebody who loved his talent. We’re here to celebrate Michael Jackson.”
Jackson died of cardiac arrest two months before his birthday on August 29. His doctor was arrested last week after a medical examiner determined that the King of Pop died of a lethal combination of prescription medications.
But Saturday’s concert was all about Jackson’s life, not his death.
Throughout the day, Prospect Park was teeming with music, dance and activities for fans of all ages.
There were also plenty of Michael Jackson look-alikes, both young and old, trying to bring the spirit of the pop sensation back to Brooklyn, where he filmed the video to his hit single “Bad” at the Hoyt/Schermerhorn station back in 1987.
The celebration ended with a massive birthday cake for the man who touched so many lives with his music. Among those remembering Jackson was Borough President Marty Markowitz, who named August 29, 2009 “Michael Jackson Day.”
