Stunning Jackson show is priceless memory for writer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnvSebbIVAM

A writer from Wolverhampton today told of his fond memories in the crowd when the King of Pop performed one of his most memorable shows ever.

Sathnam Sanghera was only 16-years-old when he saw Jacko perform during the half-time show at the National Football League's Super Bowl XXVII in 1993.

Sanghera and his brother Jasmail, who was 19 at the time and a devoted Jacko fan who dressed up as his idol, were Radio 1 competition winners who got the chance to travel to America to see Jackson's "priceless" performance.

Sathnam said: "My siblings and I followed pop artists in the way other, better-adjusted children followed football teams.

"One of my older sisters was a dedicated Bruce Springsteen fan. I was a dedicated George Michael fan. And my elder brother, Jasmail, was a Michael Jackson fan.

"If memory serves, the challenge was for young listeners to pen a mini-essay in response to the question How would you make the world a better place for children? and it had to be just 50 words long. Preposterously I won."

A few weeks later the young brothers found themselves travelling business class on British Airways with DJ Jackie Brambles to California.

"For two teenage boys from the West Midlands who had not even visited the English countryside before, the days that followed were surreal and continue to feel surreal," said Sathnam.

"Among other things, we bumped into and chatted to Jeff Goldblum, Phil Collins and Sade and on walking into the Superbowl were offered a sum of money by touts for our VIP tickets that amounted to more than our mother's annual salary as a sewing machinist.

"We didn't take the cash and I'm very glad I didn't, I ended up being right at the front for the performance, could have touched Jacko if I'd wanted to, and the experience was priceless."

"The press was full of stories about his physical disintegration even then. But his white skin looked perfect, like alabaster," he said.

"My brother was right," said Sathnam. "As a performer, Jacko was better than Bruce Springsteen, than George Michael, than Prince, combined. He danced like James Brown, sang like Diana Ross, wrote songs like Stevie Wonder and had the presence of Charlie Chaplin.

"If, over the next few days you find yourself tiring of the media coverage, I suggest you type the terms "1993", "Jackson" and "Superbowl" into YouTube for a reminder of why so many mourn him."

By Laura Blyth