Dead man dancing

Michael Jackson returned to life at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night, performing on stage his latest hit Slave To The Rhythm - as a hologram.

The performance, which took more than five months to produce, sparked off a wave of reactions on Twitterville, minutes later.

Many praised the sensational performance, which saw Jackson groove along with sleek moves to his fast-paced tune, including his trademark moonwalk routine.

But there were others who questioned the necessity of the posthumous song-and-dance item, which is exactly my gripe about the performance.

As impressed as I was with the hologram of Jackson, let's face it, seeing a dead person perform with life-like 3D effects on stage is not only weird, but can also be quite creepy.

It's been almost five years since Jackson's death in 2009 shocked the world.

Knowing that Sunday's performance was simply a visual recreation of Jackson made the entire routine feel forced and fake. To put it simply, it was merely a projection of the producers' grand idea and concept.

People catch a live gig because they want to interact with the singer, and bask in the live atmosphere on set.

With a holographic image, there is no such live energy to speak of.

The well-choreographed Michael Jackson hologram routine on stage cannot look the audience in the eye and respond to what they want.

Also, is it necessary to resurrect the dead for an awards show?

Yes, Jackson is as classic as it gets, but there are plenty of A-list singers out there who could have put on a sensational live performance on stage, too.

Jackson's performance is not the first time a singer has been brought back to life through a hologram.

In 2012, rapper Tupac Shakur, who died at the age of 25 in 1996, appeared in the American music festival Coachella as a hologram, creating a big hooha on social media platforms.

In September last year , Taiwnese Mandopop King Jay Chou performed three songs with a hologram of the late pop icon Teresa Teng at his sold-out concerts in Taipei.

I don't deny that the digitised performances were done in an impressive manner.

But let us accept the fact that these iconic stars are gone, and let their music live on in our hearts, not as digital apparitions on stage.

3 things that happened at the Awards show

1. Robin Thicke's desperate attempts to win back Paula Patton

Ever since the couple separated earlier this year, singer Robin Thicke has been trying hard to win back his wife Paula Patton. During his performance at the Billboard Awards, he sang his new song, Get Her Back, a track dedicated to Patton in an attempt to salvage his failed marriage.

2. Kendall Jenner introduces wrong group

Reality television star Kendall Jenner fumbled when introducing new Australian band 5 Seconds Of Summer, almost calling them One Direction.

3. Solange "beatdown" joke

American reality television series Shark Tank investors Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary made fun of the Solange and Jay-Z recent "beatdown" elevator incident by saying on the Billboard Awards show: "We are here to announce our latest investment. We just spent US$3.2 billion (S$40 billion) to buy a hot new company called Beatdowns By Solange."

WINNERS
Top Artist: Justin Timberlake
Top New Artist: Lorde
Top Male Artist: Justin Timberlake
Top Female Artist: Katy Perry
Top Duo/Group: Imagine Dragons
Top Billboard 200 Artist: Justin Timberlake
Top Hot 100 Artist: Imagine Dragons
Top Digital Songs Artist: Katy Perry
Top Radio Songs Artist: Justin Timberlake
Top Touring Artist: Bon Jovi
Top Social Artist: Justin Bieber
Top Streaming Artist: Miley Cyrus
Top R&B Artist: Justin Timberlake
Top Rap Artist: Eminem
Top Rock Artist: Imagine Dragons
Top Dance/Electronic Artist: Daft Punk

This article was published on May 20 in The New Paper.

Get The New Paper for more stories.