"I'm glad Philadelphia got involved," he said of the commemoration that spread across continents.
The evening vigil lacked the glitter and glamour of the West Coast homage, but the revelry bordered on worship of the life of a man who not only touched the lives of Philadelphians, but whose music and philanthropic acts seeped into the consciousness of the people.
"His legacy is in our hands," said Mannuell Glenn, talk-show host for 900 AM WURD. "We control Michael Jackson's legacy, in our hearts, in our minds and our souls."
There was nothing sorrowful about the candlelight vigil held under the marquee of the long-ago shuttered theater, on Broad Street near Susquehanna Avenue, home to dozens of black soul artists who made stops there during tours on the "chitlin' circuit."
From senior citizens with fanny packs around their waists to kids waving Michael Jackson posters, they sang singles such as "PYT," "Bad" and the crowd pleaser, "Thriller."
When Daryl Walker heard the news of Jackson's June 25 death, he said, "I cried my little heart out."
Walker, 17, who jump-started last night's event with his rendition of "I'll Be There," said that he fell in love with the pop icon when his mother played his records as a kid.
"Michael Jackson gave me the inspiration to get my own style," he said.
Decades older than Walker, Herman Williams, 60, of Uber Street near Susquehanna Avenue, was about Walker's age when he dedicated entire days to watching performances of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robonson and the Jackson 5 at the Uptown, Williams said.
"I came here in the morning and saw five shows for $2.50," he said. "It was 75 cents for kids. I'd sit in one of the first two rows and never leave."
