The Immortal World Tour: The band's back together

Guitarist Jon Myron Clark says Michael Jackson would have loved the Cirque show.

Guitarist Jon Myron Clark has been in the business for more than 25 years, playing with everyone from Lionel Richie to Donny Osmond, Isaac Hayes to Coolio and, of course, on Michael Jackson's Bad world tour in the late 80s. But he never imagined he'd be involved in a show like this.

"I'd heard some things about it prior to getting involved, and a couple of years went by and I'd forgotten about it. So when the musical director, Greg Greg Phillinganes called me, well, I think my jaw is still on the ground. I couldn't believe it. To play Michael's music again, with the guys again - it's like that line from The Blues Brothers, "Yeah we're gonna get the band back together!" That's how I felt."

Having worked with Jackson in the past, Clark's sure the show would have his stamp of approval too.

"He definitely wanted to collaborate with Cirque at some point, and he'd seen pretty much every Cirque show. He loved it. Michael was very much a little kid like that, he'd get so excited about this kind of stuff, and there's a bunch of stuff in the show that he would've totally flipped over - the Billie Jean suits that light up, he would've flipped over that."

That stuff to flip out over actually proved a bit of a hurdle for the musicians when they first started rehearsing with the full production team.

"I started forgetting what I was supposed to play because I was too busy watching all these incredible artists. I'd never seen a Cirque show, and all the acrobats and everything, it was just incredible, so I'd get lost. I had to get used to not watching the show."

Obviously being involved with a show about Jackson brought back a lot of memories for Clark - particularly on their first opening night in Montreal (where Cirque have their headquarters).

"It was funny, I could've sworn Michael was there. It's gonna sound silly, but I remember it seemed very familiar, like the opening night on the Bad tour in Tokyo. I remember Michael came to me just before the show started, before a big bunch of noise and all the lights going crazy, and said, 'hang on, watch me, here we go', and I'll never forget that. I felt like he was there in Montreal too, going 'hang on'."

Jackson would've appreciated the hard work ethic among the Cirque performers and creators too, but also the sense of fun that can't help but come through in a bunch of people who've run away to join the circus.

"Michael was a workaholic, even when he was off stage. He carried a giant mirror on tour, and he'd constantly be rehearsing his moves, his dancing. But he was a huge practical joker as well."

He'd also be happy to see that his iconic white glove, and white socks inside patent black leather shoes had a starring role in the new show.

"You know why he wore the glove and the socks? For the people in the back. He wanted everyone to see it, right to the person way up there, he wanted to give every bit as much. His sole purpose was to make sure every person at his show was entertained."

And entertainment is certainly something that Michael Jackson: The Immortal Tour promises to present - even without Jackson's presence. "It's hard to kind of grasp sometimes, but I've never seen an artist sell out an arena and he's not even here. Can you name anyone that sells out arena concerts, and they're not in the building? That's crazy."

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- TimeOut