Photos by Andy Argyrakis

There’s no better place on earth to ever see The Jacksons than precisely where the entire ride to superstardom started in Gary, especially now that there’s a state-of-the-art Hard Rock Live venue and memorabilia shrine inside the brand new Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.

“Can You Feel It” was an ideal way to begin, signaling the electricity in the air as Jackie, Marlon and Tito took the stage with their funky band and background singers, working the lower and riser levels of the sizeable room, but one where every sightline is favorable to the action, and in this instance, the accompanying retro video clips.

The dance grooves and choreography continued with “Blame It On The Boogie” and “Rock With You,” one of many tributes to Michael, who besides being their late brother, also just so happened to be the “King Of Pop.”

Even so, the current trio demonstrated their own artistry and enormous list of hits, such as the soulful staples “Enjoy Yourself,” “Show You The Way To Go” and “Lovely One” from the group’s Epic Records era.

Going back even further, The Jackson 5’s time with Motown made its way into a mega medley filled with the iconic likes of “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “Dancing Machine,” “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I’ll Be There.”

The Jacksons also kept faithful on their toes, locally debuting Tito’s “Love One Another” from his latest solo album, “Under Your Spell,” and revisiting Michael’s “Dangerous” days for the deep track “Can’t Let Her Get Away.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers got right back to the basics for the immortal “This Place Hotel” and “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” as they danced, shouted and had everyone singing along into the encore.

That trend continued with MJ’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” from the best-selling album ever, “Thriller,” serving as both another salute and grand finale to what was truly a historic Hard Rock homecoming for the world’s most famous musical family.

For additional information on The Jacksons, visit TheJacksons.Live.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Papa Roach (Mar. 12); Clint Black (Mar. 18); Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (Apr. 9) and Femme It Forward featuring Mýa and Ashanti (Apr. 15). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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