"Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour" by Cirque du Soleil has just about everything a Michael Jackson tour could have, except, of course, Jackson.

And there's not even a stand-in for the late King of Pop.

"No one will be playing Michael Jackson, though you will hear Michael Jackson's voice," says Tara Young, artistic director for the tour. "That is quite enough. Nobody else could be Michael … but there will be characters in support of the many characters in his life."

Young says Cirque du Soleil is presented with a particular challenge because of Jackson's death.

"We don't speak of his passing," she says. "He's not with us now, but we're all here doing this. Because we hear Michael's voice, he is a presence in the show and, for audience members, that's enough."

"Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour" is described as a one-of-a-kind celebration of the singer, as only a flashy, signature outfit such as Cirque du Soleil can provide.

"It's a feast for the eyes," Young says. "We do groundbreaking things on the stage, things the audience is seeing for the first time. It's like Thanksgiving dinner, where you're so excited for everything that's on the table. That's how this is."

The Montreal Gazette said the show is a "dazzling, fast-paced spectacle for people with short attention spans, flitting from one song to the next, seldom settling down with one for a whole number."

Entertainment Weekly said "Michael Jackson's life and work were epic and, yes, at times bizarre. Indeed, that's also how to describe the latest Cirque du Soleil show."

Young, perhaps, is seeing something more emotional.

"I see people in the audience missing him," she says. "I see people crying, people up on their feet and people saying thank you for doing this. They feel like they had an experience."

Many of Jackson's fans, particularly younger ones, never got to see him perform save for the concert film "Michael Jackson's This Is It," which makes this eye-popping visualization of his work even more of a draw.

"You're going to see a full-on celebration honoring Michael Jackson, a totally unique experience combining dancers, acrobats, strap artists and contortionists, and live musicians who played with Michael Jackson," Young says.

Greg Phillinganes, who played keyboards and synthesizers on the "Thriller" album, is among the many notables on the tour. Others are writer and director Jamie King, Madonna's creative director for the past decade; costume designer Zaldy Goco, head designer for what would have been Jackson's "This Is It!" tour; and choreographer Travis Payne, associate producer on "Michael Jackson's This Is It."

Young says that if the tour has a thread, it's about presenting a journey through Jackson's life through music. But rather than worry about a thread, she insists, "just sit back and enjoy the spectacle, the overall joy from the stage."

Fans will experience such familiar hits as "Man in the Mirror," "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal," "Human Nature" and, of course, "Thriller," along with Jackson 5 hits.

It's a show Jackson would probably have loved.

"Michael Jackson was a fan of Cirque from the early shows," Young says. "He really loved what Cirque du Soleil did. And Cirque du Soleil greatly respected Michael Jackson."

---

Jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold finds Jackson show a thriller

No amount of touring with artists such as Maxwell, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige could prepare St. Louis-bred trumpeter Keyon Harrold for his latest gig.

Harrold, a jazz artist by nature, is touring with Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour," which comes to Scottrade Center next week.

He's one of two horn players in the 12-member band. Sixty-five artists including dancers, musicians and acrobats help bring the Jackson experience to life.

"Working with Cirque du Soleil, it's a beast in itself of art and performance," Harrold says. "It's unparalleled. Put Cirque du Soleil with Michael Jackson music, and it's like a dream if you can even imagine that.

"When I'm on stage with Jay (Jay-Z), you're listening to the music and seeing Jay in person. With this show, you're watching somebody jump off something. It's in your face, and something you won't forget, a total 3-D experience."

Harrold considers the show "basically a Michael Jackson show with him not being there, as far as visually and musically. It's incredible."

Harrold never got to see Jackson in person, but he says the legend's influence is heavy.

"His music was not just one way, not just one genre," Harrold says. "He had rock influences, jazz influences, incredible writing, and he was just a hard hitter. As a musician, he's the epitome of pop music. It doesn't get any bigger than that. You hear 'Man in the Mirror,' you know what it is. You hear 'Bad,' you know what it is."

Harrold was relaxing at home in New York after touring with Maxwell when he got a call from keyboardist Greg Phillinganes asking him "to join the circus."

"I thought it was a friend playing around," Harrold says. "I was really amazed because I've done so much already, working with so many different people, but I never had the opportunity to 'work' with Michael Jackson.

"I always wanted to be affiliated with him, and I finally got that call. That was really the next thing on my totem pole."

When Harrold was asked to come aboard he asked himself, "Why didn't Michael Jackson have horns" in much of his music? He's not sure why, but he's glad that has changed.

"There are two horn players in the show," he says. "(Saxophonist) Mike Phillips is also in the band. This is the first time a tour in collaboration with Michael Jackson used horns. He never took live horns."

The tour band includes musicians who performed with Jackson on the road and in the studio.

"Greg (Phillinganes) played keys on 'Thriller,'" Harrold says. "These guys were on the 'Bad' tour, on the 'HIStory,' tour, and I'm getting a first-hand account of what happened back then."

Working on the "Immortal" tour presented a particular challenge for Harrold because it's far more collaborative than anything he's ever done.

"It's not like it's a Keyon Harrold solo thing, and that's a challenge for me," he says. "I had to humble myself to the fact I'm not going to be solo all the time. Here, I had to be a missionary to champion Michael Jackson's legacy. That's very rewarding, and I love it."

After the tour, Harrold will continue arranging music for other artists, as he has done with recent releases by Anthony Hamilton and James Carter, as well as working on his next solo record.

"I'm going to continue to enjoy music and see the world," he says. 

---

"Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour" by Cirque du Soleil

When 8 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday • Where Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue • How much $50-$175 • More info Ticketmaster