North Carolina Group Vows to Come to His Aid With Crowd-Pleasing Show
LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2008—They’re so Bad, they’re great, a true Thriller that’s Off the Wall and Invincible… Who’s Bad are ready to beat it and they won’t stop ‘til you get enough.
North Carolina-based Who’s Bad is the world’s ultimate Michael Jackson tribute band, a group founded by Vamsi Tadepalli in Chapel Hill, NC, five years ago to recreate the music, the choreography and the sheer dazzling showmanship of the self-proclaimed King of Pop, from his days in the Jackson 5 on up to Invincible. It’s as close as you can get to Michael Jackson live.
“We celebrate the songs and the memorable live performances,” explains Tadepalli, who created all the arrangements and charts for the group, which includes the remarkable Joseph Bell, Jr. as the singer, while also featuring some of North Carolina’s finest musicians, including Ray McCall, Kevin Timmons, Stephen Coffman and Hugh Swaso. “We incorporate as much of the original choreography that we can. We want to remind people of those great videos and why he remains the King of Pop.”
Who’s Bad plays to sold-out audiences around the United States, performing from 120-150 shows a year, including clubs, summer festivals and corporate shows, giving enthusiastic audiences a ride down memory lane. To see more, visit
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=29352670
“We want them to have that feeling they had hearing ‘Billie Jean,” ‘Thriller,’ “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and ‘Off the Wall’ for the first time,” explains Tadepalli. “We don’t get involved in the media controversies. We’re all about the music and putting on a great show that gets people up in the aisles and dancing.”
Who’s Bad fills a void since the real Michael Jackson hasn’t toured in the U.S. since 1984’s Victory shows, except for performances at the 1993 Super Bowl, the 1995 MTV Video Awards and a benefit concert at Washington, DC’s RFK Stadium in 2001.
Since the beginning of the year, which marks Jackson’s 50th birthday and the 25th anniversary re-release of Thriller, which has hovered near the top of the chart all over the world, Who’s Bad? has sold out every show they’ve played.
“People may be skeptical, but when once they see it, they’re convinced,” says Tadepalli. “We’re big fans of Michael Jackson’s music, and that shows in our performances. We’re all about honoring the music.”
And while Who’s Bad tries to avoid Michael Jackson’s media problems to concentrate on his artistry, they have dedicated their current shows to helping the Gloved One keep control of his Neverland ranch, currently in foreclosure.
“We are trying to bring attention to Michael’s plight by offering our support to help him rescue Neverland,” says Tadepalli of the band’s efforts. “But more than that, we’re about recreating those videos everyone grew up watching and capturing that feeling of nostalgia. Each performance is the ultimate party waiting to happen… Everyone who’s seen this show ends up ‘gloving’ it.”
LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2008—They’re so Bad, they’re great, a true Thriller that’s Off the Wall and Invincible… Who’s Bad are ready to beat it and they won’t stop ‘til you get enough.
North Carolina-based Who’s Bad is the world’s ultimate Michael Jackson tribute band, a group founded by Vamsi Tadepalli in Chapel Hill, NC, five years ago to recreate the music, the choreography and the sheer dazzling showmanship of the self-proclaimed King of Pop, from his days in the Jackson 5 on up to Invincible. It’s as close as you can get to Michael Jackson live.
“We celebrate the songs and the memorable live performances,” explains Tadepalli, who created all the arrangements and charts for the group, which includes the remarkable Joseph Bell, Jr. as the singer, while also featuring some of North Carolina’s finest musicians, including Ray McCall, Kevin Timmons, Stephen Coffman and Hugh Swaso. “We incorporate as much of the original choreography that we can. We want to remind people of those great videos and why he remains the King of Pop.”
Who’s Bad plays to sold-out audiences around the United States, performing from 120-150 shows a year, including clubs, summer festivals and corporate shows, giving enthusiastic audiences a ride down memory lane. To see more, visit
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=29352670
“We want them to have that feeling they had hearing ‘Billie Jean,” ‘Thriller,’ “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and ‘Off the Wall’ for the first time,” explains Tadepalli. “We don’t get involved in the media controversies. We’re all about the music and putting on a great show that gets people up in the aisles and dancing.”
Who’s Bad fills a void since the real Michael Jackson hasn’t toured in the U.S. since 1984’s Victory shows, except for performances at the 1993 Super Bowl, the 1995 MTV Video Awards and a benefit concert at Washington, DC’s RFK Stadium in 2001.
Since the beginning of the year, which marks Jackson’s 50th birthday and the 25th anniversary re-release of Thriller, which has hovered near the top of the chart all over the world, Who’s Bad? has sold out every show they’ve played.
“People may be skeptical, but when once they see it, they’re convinced,” says Tadepalli. “We’re big fans of Michael Jackson’s music, and that shows in our performances. We’re all about honoring the music.”
And while Who’s Bad tries to avoid Michael Jackson’s media problems to concentrate on his artistry, they have dedicated their current shows to helping the Gloved One keep control of his Neverland ranch, currently in foreclosure.
“We are trying to bring attention to Michael’s plight by offering our support to help him rescue Neverland,” says Tadepalli of the band’s efforts. “But more than that, we’re about recreating those videos everyone grew up watching and capturing that feeling of nostalgia. Each performance is the ultimate party waiting to happen… Everyone who’s seen this show ends up ‘gloving’ it.”
