'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough': ‘MJ Live’ Brings The King Of Pop To Life In Vegas!

Have you always wanted to experience a live performance by Michael Jackson but never had the opportunity? The next best thing to see is "MJ Live" at the Sahara in Las Vegas. This thrilling experience transports you to the golden era of pop music with tons of energy and many of Jackson’s greatest hits. You might even forget it’s not really Jackson on the stage!

The intimate venue allows for a close-up experience of the King of Pop with spectacular costumes, electrifying choreography, and a stage presence that’s spot on, and Jackson impersonator Jalles Franca really brings the nostalgia to life. 

If you would love to catch Michael Jackson in concert, “MJ Live” can help make that happen. 

Jalles Franca, one of the two performers who impersonates Jackson in the show, has been perfecting his Jackson persona for more than a decade. 

“I’m originally born and raised in Brazil. Back in Brazil, I had a band and we played in bars and weddings and birthdays. That’s basically how I started entertaining and performing,” Franca told The Blast exclusively. “I sang, played guitar, banjo, tambourines, and percussion.”

When Franca was just starting out as an entertainer, he would be paid $20 a gig, but that didn’t deter him from continuing and getting bigger and better gigs. After Jackson’s passing, Franca entered a Halloween competition, dressing up as his idol.

“As a huge Michael Jackson fan since I was a little kid back in Brazil, I dressed up as Michael and entered competitions. When it was my turn, I got up on stage and they played a Michael Jackson song and I did all the moves and the crowd just went crazy,” he said. 

“I actually won first prize. And then the manager of that club came to me after seeing what had happened with the crowd.”

The manager asked Franca to come back on Fridays and Saturdays to entertain as Jackson, and of course, Franca agreed. That became his first paying gig as the King of Pop.

“That was the beginning and I haven’t looked back since,” Franca said. 

“MJ Live” moved to the Sahara earlier this year. The show started at the Rio a little over a decade ago. After the Rio, the show was supposed to head over to the Riviera, but that ended up not happening. They ended up calling The Strat home for a little more than five years before moving to the Tropicana for about two years. 

“The Sahara has been great. It’s a great location,” he said. “It’s been remodeled in and out. We’re doing really well there, performing seven nights a week at 7:30 p.m.”

The show is great for even the youngest Michael Jackson fans to enjoy. 

“Our show is basically for the entire family, from the very young all the way to grandma and grandpa,” he said. “It’s a fun show packed with all the Michael Jackson shows.”

Franca said he sees a lot of non-Jackson fans enjoying the show the same as Jackson fans. 

After each show, Franca does a meet-and-greet. Meeting Jackson twice and seeing how he treated his fans is something that fuels Franca’s desire to do the same.  Franca believes that everyone in the audience deserves an amazing experience.

“No one comes to see the impersonator. We’re there to portray this image and reminisce and bring back the chance of seeing what it would have been like to watch Michael Jackson live,” he explained. “It’s about keeping his legacy alive. It’s about giving the audience a chance to see what they paid for and bringing love and joy and happiness to everybody. It’s about the fans.” 

I had the chance to catch one of Franca's "MJ Live" performances recently and was blown away!

Franca's mannerisms, the way he moves on stage, the whole nine - he's definitely channeling Jackson. He sang some of Jackson's most beloved songs and the audience really had a blast. I looked around at the audience quite a few times and saw nothing but pure joy and excitement. There was even a young boy in the front row, who appeared to be maybe between 10 and 13, who was having a blast!

Franca really makes it a point to connect with the audience with jokes and frequent interactions.

While my personal faves of the performance were "Dirty Diana" and "Thriller," there wasn't a moment I wasn't entertained.

For more information about "MJ Live," visit their website. Learn more about Franca on his Instagram page.