When Michael Jackson walked on stage on March 5, 2009, for the ‘This Is It’ announcement, the cheers were so loud you could barely hear yourself think. But the second he stepped up to the mic, the world went still. He stood there in that black jacket, sunglasses hiding his eyes but not the excitement in his smile. This was more than a press conference; it was Michael telling his fans, “I am back, I love you, and I am ready to do what I do best one more time.

The speech was short but so big at the same time. You could feel how much he wanted this tour to be for his fans, the people who had stayed with him through everything. He called it his final curtain call, a promise that these shows would be the best he had ever done. Watching him speak, you could see the boy who danced with the Jackson 5, the man who made Thriller break every record, and the icon who still made the world believe in magic all rolled into one.

Michael Jackson – This Is It Announcement (March 5, 2009)

The fans could not stop screaming his name. People were crying, some holding up signs that said they had waited their whole lives to see him again. That crowd knew they were witnessing a piece of history, Michael Jackson promising one last ride, one previous moonwalk, one last chance to feel what only he could make you think.

After a moment like that, it is only right to play This Is It, the song that became the anthem for this comeback that was about to happen. If the speech was the promise, the song is the heartbeat.

Michael Jackson – This Is It (Official Video)

Fans love This Is It because it feels like hope and goodbye all at once. It is happy and sad, light and heavy, a perfect mix of everything Michael was, a dreamer who never stopped trying to make people smile.

Michael lives on through the fans who share every clip, every memory, and every message he left behind. He is still everywhere on Instagram, TikTok, and in every moonwalk kids learn in their bedrooms today.