By John Staton,
John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com

Published: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 9:04 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 9:04 a.m.

After Michael Jackson died June 25, the world quickly discovered just how deeply popular The King of Pop continues to be.

But the outpouring of love and adulation, and the reawakening of interest in Jackson's music, was no surprise to Vamsi Tadepalli, who manages and plays in Who's Bad, a Chapel Hill-based "tribute band." Who's Bad has made a career out of performing Jackson's songs for throngs of appreciative fans for nearly six years.

"It's just unfortunate that something so tragic had to happen for people to realize (how popular Jackson is)," said Tadepalli, reached via phone in the Outer Banks, where he was "supposed to be on vacation, but I've ended up doing more work than not," fielding interview requests and booking inquiries.

Riverfront Park in downtown Wilmington isn't the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the "official" Michael Jackson memorial was held Tuesday. Still, the park will do as the site for a local Michael Jackson tribute of sorts when Who's Bad rolls into town Friday. The show is part of the Downtown Sundown concert series.

Impromptu tributes to Jackson have popped up all over the nation. Who's Bad's appearance here was booked months in advance, and it's the one chance residents of Southeastern North Carolina will have for a mass celebration of Jackson's music in their own backyard.

"Before this all happened, it was almost like people didn't want to remember how awesome his music is," he said. "We'd get approached by fans who would say, 'I don't even like Michael Jackson, but you guys are awesome!' And I would just think to myself, well, you obviously haven't checked out Michael Jackson."

For Tadepalli, who founded Who's Bad in 2004 with fellow music students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the music is what it's all about.

"Especially when he went solo, and even in the later years of the Jacksons, it has a level of sophistication, and it grooves," Tadepalli said. "There are just so many layers to it. As a musician, that's what I was really attracted to. You've got the funky bass lines, the tight drumming, the funky rhythm parts and the extensive jazz harmonies, and then of course you've got him singing on top. It's just a such a well-done collection of songs. You can't deny how awesome it is."

Another reason for Jackson's enduring and wide-ranging appeal, Tadepalli said, was that he had an unusually long and varied career for someone who died at just 50 years old. "As far as performers go, there aren't many who are famous for 40 years of their life. And it wasn't just one hit. It was hit after hit after hit."

And Who's Bad plays them all. There's the soulful pop of "I'll Be There" from MJ's childhood days with The Jackson Five. The disco-flavored "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" from the album "Off the Wall." And mega-hits like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" from "Thriller." Who's Bad plays more recent hits like "Black or White" and "Man in the Mirror" as well, and the band also employs Jackson's instantly recognizable choreography, such as the knife fight from the "Beat It" video and the double-handed "Thriller" zombie dance.

Who's Bad has gone through about 25 players since its inception, with Tadepalli, who plays sax and synths, and trumpet man Ray McCall being the only remaining original members. They've also gone through five frontmen. Some singers have concentrated on vocals without trying to copy Jackson's look, but one frontman, E'Casanova, was a Jackson lookalike.

"He really did look like him so much that it was almost shocking," Tadepalli said. "When he came out, people were just like, 'Oh my God.'●"

The band's current singer, Joseph Bell, falls somewhere in between. He dresses like Jackson but doesn't really resemble him that much. "He was picked to be in the band because he could sing, basically," Tadepalli said.

Who's Bad has always been busy, playing anywhere from 10 to 20 dates a month. But since Jackson's death, Tadepalli said, interest in the band has exploded.

"It's unfortunate that this tragedy is the reason we're getting so much attention right now," Tadepalli said. "On Friday (the day after Jackson's death), in Washington, D.C., as we were driving to the club my phone would not stop ringing from different reporters. I got interviewed by a couple of radio stations out in California, (and) when we got to the club I did interviews with CNN, USA Today, Reuters, The Washington Times, Washington Post. Every single local TV station was there, all with cameras set up."

Dates in D.C. and New York, which, like their Friday show in Wilmington, had been booked months in advance, turned into something more than regular gigs, Tadepalli said: "We've played a lot of shows and a lot of them have been packed out and people are always excited when they come see us, but it was a just a different level of excitement. I mean, the line out the door, it took us three minutes just to go to the end of the line and back."

Inside the club, things were even more intense.

"It was pretty much every emotion," Tadepalli said. "I'm hoping that we can get it set up in Wilmington, too, but we put together like a five-minute montage video that really just kind of hits you hard at the end of the show. While that was happening everyone was sweating together, arms around each other, lighters up in the air, some people were crying, people were cheering for all the pictures. It was just really cool to see everyone come together like that."

No doubt a similarly sweaty scenario will play out downtown on Friday. And, while Tadepalli is reeling from all the extra attention, he's trying to keep it all in perspective.

"I wouldn't say that what we do is even close to what he does, but we just try to bring out the best of what the music has to offer," Tadepalli said. "Who's Bad, I feel like we have an even greater responsibility now to carry that musical torch and to celebrate his life through his music."

John Staton: 343-2343

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